Transformers Prime Rumble and Sergeant Kup action figure review

Heads up, there's more brand new Transformers Prime characters coming out that we haven't seen in the show yet. First we got Hot Shot and Dead End, now the latest wave brings us Rumble and Sergeant Kup. These are Deluxe class figures and come with a DVD in the package as well. Kup is actually a repaint of Ironhide's mold that is being released for the Arms Micron line overseas.

Sculpting for Rumble is great with an angular chest and rounded limbs. Tho unpainted you can see sculpted back guns on the door panels that stick up, homage to the original character. His chest appears to be a very angry face and flipping his head down gives him a 'Gunmen' look if you're familiar with the anime series Gurren Lagann. The car roof kibble on the shoulders also looks very familiar with the series. Rumble has a great headsculpt and overall appearance.

Sergeant Kup's design is taller with nice detail and a windowed chest paying homage to the old Ironhide design, not so much Kups. His head is partially obscured by his shoulder armor and resembles a robotic monkey upon closer inspection. His body design is nice tho he has empty spaces that can be seen in the sides of the legs and bottoms of the arm. I liked how the tires face backwards out of the way in robot mode. There also seems to be tiny Autobot symbols on his hubcaps tho they're not painted in.

Both figures are done in the newer style though some folks have issues with the 'cost cutting' features. The wheels are no longer pinned in but snap in. This gets rid of the silver post we're use to seeing and it's very easy to remove the wheels if you need to paint one. The plastic is very glossy in contrast with the more subtle semigloss of the earlier figures. Every major limb is hollow and while great for range of articulation and ease of transformation, raises complaints from many in the Transformers community.

Articulation for Rumble is surprisingly nice. His legs are so well done you can get him into a 'Spiderman' style crouch. His ball jointed head can look directly up and the only thing he's missing are a waist cut and wist joints. Kuphide's head while on a balljoint is completely limited and functions only as a swivel. His hips have good range of movement but his shoulders are stopped from moving all the way up because of the armor.

Paint apps are few and far between with only a little bit of light green and silver-green for Kup. Frenzy has a lot of clear red sections with excellent light-pipe eyes/headcrest. He sports some yellow here and there but in vehicle mode is pretty much a blue compact. Both characters in vehicle mode suffer from unpainted rear sections which really detract from their overall look unfortunately. Transformation into the alt mode is quite easy however as most parts fold/unfold as the main parts.

One issue that's being brought up is Kup's back hatch that is very distracting in robot mode as it sticks up. All you need to do is pop it off and turn it around tho some feel this is 'partsforming' and should have had a swivel at the base. Accessories for Kup are two Ironhide-ish arm cannons that can combine to form a bazooka. Rumble's weapons are his ground-pounder attachments with the ends styled like cannons of the 3rd party Shadow Warriors. It's nice to see Hasbro using the designs of figures that copy their designs, coming full circle in an odd way.

What's the verdict on these figures? Unless you're a Kup completest or like the mold you can probably skip him. Rumble is a visually distinct figure with great articulation and may strike a chord with fans of chest-faced-robots. You can find both figures at our sponsors Big Bad Toy Store and Past Generation Toys. It's interesting to note the much sought after Vehicon is repacked in this case and also comes with a DVD so you may have luck finding him again.