Transformers Generations Deluxe class Scoop and Armada Starscream action figure review

Transformers Generations is a line that's full of surprises especially with the introduction of Beast Wars characters and now even more characters from different series that have been 'upgraded' to Generations design. Today we're looking at Scoop with his Targetmasters and Starscream done in his Armada look. Both are Deluxe class figures and are available alongside a new wave of Voyager class figures as well. You get a comic with each one and if you've been collecting each figure from every wave the story continues with each comic.

Sculpt for Scoop is a very nicely proportioned bot with big clunky feet and a giant scoop on his back. From the back only his lower legs exhibit a hollow feeling but the area is well hidden from the sides. Flip-out hands are the newest thing it seems and this does leave the forearms hollow from the sides. Scoop's headsculpt is great and so are the little details on his chest and feet that pay homage to the original design. You even have the forearm ports so he can wield his Targetmasters as the G1 mold did, since they didn't fit in the original's hands. Fortunately Generations Scoop can hold them correctly.

Scoop has great range of motion with every joint functional aside from lacking swivel wrists or an ankle hinge. He can look up, place his hands on his hips, and even kneel due to the double knee joint that the transformation gives him.This allows for some pretty epic running or leaping poses. Scoop's paint is clean for what's there and applied solidly with no under/overspray. However the yellow paint (or yellow ABS plastic) was apparently budgeted out leaving his scoop and head orange where they had originally been yellow. It's a small price to pay and the seasoned customizer could easily spraypaint both.

Transformation for Scoop isn't overly complex but it does involve more than just the normal folding/turning motions. The result is a nifty construction loader. This form has a little issue of the front tires scooting outwards because of the small tabs used to connect it to his chestplate but other than that it's fine. The greatest thing about Scoop's alt mode is that he can drive himself. The top of the cab folds over his head like a helmet and allows him to look out his window. His accessories are his two Targetmasters just like the original G1 version had. They're very well sculpted with ball jointed shoulders and can be stacked, tho this look somewhat odd. The neat feature of these is that the handle can be removed from between their ankles giving them a better bot look. There is also an extra 5mm port hole on the handle to stack other weapons on them.

Starscream is back in his Armada look and boy does it look sweet. His headsculpt is deadly serious. The large missile ports on his shoulders can now be folded back out of the way and so can his wings. If you remember the original Armada Starscream's wings came off to become his swords, this new figure being able to replicate that look without actually removing them. His overall design is a great homage to the original.

Starscream's articulation gives him the full range you expect with the exception of only flip-up hands, no ankle pivots, or waist joint. His shoulders have a neat flip-up design with an extending yellow arm hinge to fill in the gap allowing him to slice outwards with his sword to an extreme angle. The paint work is solid and quite close to the original aside from the shoulders and chest being primarily red rather than black.l. The lightpiping for his head looks amazing and lets his orange eyes glare out.

Starscream's gimmick is the missile launchers on his shoulders. As mentioned they fold back but also have moving yellow intake sections when pressed from behind. These missiles are launched with pressure instead of a catch so when slung over his shoulders the back extends quite far. It looks funny but doesn't present any balance issues thanks to his large heels. Instead of the entire wing being removed for a sword two clear folding swords deploy from beneath the wings that Starscream can hold. They store nicely underneath and looks sharp.

Transformation is perhaps one of the simplest I've seen in a Transformer. Starscream folds in half like an upside down taco to make his bot mode...and that's about it. His arms just swing back against his body in alt mode. What's frustrating is that his nosecone is made of rubber and extends farther underneath the cockpit making up the two pegs that attach to his crotch. If these pegs were hard plastic they'd actually work as intended but as it stands they only weakly plug in allowing Starscream to unfold if the cockpit is bumped. His alt mode is a nice enough looking jet that's very close to the original. You can even swing the arms forward like the Armada one had, tho it looks much better with them tucked behind the wings out of the way.

So what's the verdict on these? Scoop is a great addition to any collection and has a solid feel to him, plenty of articulation, and a great design. Plus everyone loves construction bots I believe. You get not one but two Targetmasters as well. Starscream is dynamic looking and if you're a fan of his Armada design a definite winner. Expect a lot of seeker repaints with this mold. There's nothing major to watch out for except losing time posing these guys on your desk and possibly losing the Targetmaster's ankle handles as they can pop off pretty easily. Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has them as well as the next wave for preorder or you can find them on Amazon.

Transformers Generations Voyager Class Springer 30th Anniversary action figure review

Following up this week's Transformers Generations Blitzwing review here's the second triple-changer in the wave, Autobot Springer. You may get mixed, biased reviews about him online because of the massive influx of Warbot Defenders, the 3rd party Springer, that went up on ebay when he was announced. A lot of the elite collectors who shelled out a hundred bucks for a smaller, less articulated, lego-brick-esq 3rd party figure are raging because it's no longer desired. Some have gone so far as to demand hasbro provide them with renumeration for their loss (you didn't make the character soon enough so it forced me to overpay for a copyright infringing stand-in!) and one internet manchild even started a propaganda plot on multiple sites trying to convince everyone the line was cancelled so they'd drop their preorders. It was a sad, sad day for Transformers fandom but it just goes to show you how passionate fans get about the Transformers license. Springer actually had a deluxe Generations done of him just last year in the form of the Asia exclusive repaint of Tomahawk that I reviewed here so you can have both scales in your collection. How does he stack up against his buddy Blitz and today's current offerings? One word: DAMN.

Springer's sculpting is to put it lightly, absolutely 100% astoundingly amazing. He looks like Springer, his proportions are perfect, his headsculpt is flawless, and I cannot find one gripe about how he appears in robot form. In an era of hollow Transformers Springer is not one of them. Ok I take that back. The insides of his thighs have hollow spots BUT THAT IS IT. Every other part of him is filled in solid with sculpt. His hands are even sculpted with more detail than normal. I was floored by the difference of design between him and Blitzwing. Heck, him and any other Transformer I own. Springer is just that impressive looking. Hasbro even went to the extent that you can extend his shoulder pauldrons up and to the side to simulate his look in Last Stand of the Wreckers. The moving pads serve no other transformation purpose other than to give you a bonus look to him. Bravo!

But with an amazing sculpt you're expecting a brick right? Nope. Springer's articulation is above and beyond what we have previously had and borders on Masterpiece level. His ball jointed shoulders can be raised an lowered on dual joints, his head has a great ball joint, hinged and swivel wrists, waist that turns, and full range of motion on every limb including moving toes and heel. His feet are sculpted in a side-step angle so he has no ankle rockers but that's the only missing part. Springer can hold his sword in both hands (or at least mimic it since the handle is too short for that), aim any direction, side kick, uppercut, it's truly amazing. This range of articulation coupled with the sculpt means you will get some great looking poses out of him.

Paint application here is very clean and consistent over the entire figure. His main colors are molded in plastic with little painted details here and there to break up the colors. Springer's chest is very bright yellow and you may want to do some panel lining or something to bring out the detail that's on there but lost because of how bright the plastic is. The inside of his rims are painted, yay! That's been missing on what, 90% of all recent Transformers? Even the tiny wheel nubs of his knee guards are painted.

Springer's accessories include a large double barrel missile launching gun and a transforming sword that doubles as his rotor blade. Both are excellent, the gun having a double-trigger that fires off the missiles separately depending on how far you push it. Springer's rotor sword has multiple hinge spots that allow you to twist, transform, and lock it into place in both modes. It also looks awesome in both modes without sacrificing sculpt for functionality. The sword stores underneath in car mode and the cannon attaches with a special hidden clip underneath in helicopter mode. The cannon's handle is also hinged so you can aim it up/down when it's on top of the car, how cool is that? You can also combine both weapons to form a Gunblade!

Uh-oh here comes the transformation part. A triple-changer that looks good in robot form, but what about the other two? They're perfect, done, go buy him. That could be the end of the review, heh...but I'll elaborate. Springer's armored car mode rocks. It's sleek, large, and there's no kibble from his other modes. In fact there's no feet, hands, head, or anything sticking out of ANY of his modes. This is a first for me because even Transformers with just two modes usually have some kibble or parts showing. It's even all hidden when you flip the car upside down. What sort of wizardry is this hasbro...and why haven't you been doing this from the start?

Helicopter mode is no slouch either and it's remarkably simple to get Springer from robot to car, or car to copter, or any direction of transformation simply because each part of him is engineered perfectly. Everything pegs securely into something. Arms become doors which become fins. Feet become wheels which become tail sections. The hood of the car slides back and the sides lock on to become the cockpit and the copter mode doesn't suffer at all. I could very well see someone buying three Springers just to display him in each mode because they look that good.

I apologize if I sound like I'm gushing over this figure and have a bias. I actually look for problems and love figuring out fixes (like poor Blitzwing's issues, yikes). But I have nothing to fix on Springer and enjoyed him right out of the package. This is very rare for me and I'm still looking at him thinking we just got the next Generation of Transformers figures right here. Springer even looks good from the back! Compared to his buddy Blitzwing in the same assortment you have a Masterpiece figure here.

So what's the verdict on Springer? You buy him. You find him, you order him, you trade for him, you add him to your collection and never let him go. Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has him, Blitzwing, and even his remold/repaint Sandstorm who looks equally awesome. You can also snag him from Amazon and get free shipping when it's sold directly from Hasbro not a private store, and you order $25 or more. So there you go. Springer is my favorite Transformer in my entire collection now. Not because of the character but because he's a solid, super articulated voyager class figure with great accessories, three great modes, and thoughtfully designed in every aspect. Hasbro/Takara if you keep making figures like this you'll put 3rd party companies right out of a job.

Transformers Generations Voyager Class Blitzwing 30th Anniversary Action Figure Review

After a good year or so on hiatus the Transformers Generations line is back (once called Classics) and from what we've seen it could prove to have the most amazing offerings ever. Right off the bat we're treated to two VOYAGER class TRIPLE CHANGERS Springer and Blitzwing. Yeah, you don't see Voyager class TC's very often. In fact the only one I know of is the Transformers Animated Blitzwing tho I'm sure there's more. Today we're reviewing the 30th Anniversary Transformers Generations Blitzwing. Springer's review will follow a few days later. Let me spoil the review for you really quick, without the modifications mentioned at the bottom you're going to have a difficult time enjoying the figure. Get a screwdriver and some sandpaper handy.

Blitzwing's sculpt is solid. He's an excellent homage to the original figure. The chest designs, panel sections, and head make him seem very G1 in appearance. He sports three different faces as well which are based off his Transformers Animated design. They're sculpted in soft plastic but look great. The tank treads on his legs and flat feet are a welcome change from the jet-exhaust-legs he's always had and work for the overall look. The arms, hands, and everything else is sculpted in the Generations blocky form as well.

Articulation has been done quite nicely and is only lacking in a few areas.
Blitzwing's head is only a cut joint due to the face-change feature but doesn't hurt his look that much. His ankles are on great ball joints, all his major joints swivel or hinge, and he's only lacking a waist joint in terms of major features. Blitz can be posed in some pretty neat positions and could hold his sword in both hands if the handle was long enough. His knees are hinged towards the back leading to a gap showing in the front when bent but have decent range.

Paint application is clean but faded in some areas like his forearms and some of the grey on his limbs where there wasn't a strong enough spray to cover. Blitzwing's head is painted yellow instead of cast and loses some detail as the yellow paint is VERY thick in places. All three face applications are clean and detailed. There's a little tackiness to them as they're cast in soft plastic but the paint shows no sign of wanting to rub off. However...the yellow paint of his helmet will pick up the purple paint inside the nosecone unless you remove it which will be covered in the mods I suggest at the end of the guide

Transformation is dealt with in three forms. One being his robot form which is already transformed for you out of the box. Getting him into plane mode is relatively easy with a few flips and folds. The wings are a little short and the feet don't quite look like thrusters, more like flattened rocket boosters, but I do like how he has Jetfire-esq pods on the top now. Eveything pegs together fairly well except for the legs not snapping completely in against the torso which can be fixed as explained in a bit.

Blitzwing's tank mode is definitely recognizable as a tank but is the weakest of the three with gaps leaving it with a less than solid look. The arms just line up beside the cannon to form the turret (which can turn and raise) and the front has a fairly wide space on either side where his hips extend for clearance. The plane rear fins flaps and feet just kind of sit there in the back rather than fold up to make anything. But it's definitely a tank of some sort because I can see treads. A missile can be inserted into the barrel and fired by pulling back on the cannon thus replicating a cool 'recoil action'. It's a pretty neat feature and gets rid of any obtrusive buttons/lever fins so like to see this on more figures.

Accessories include the aforementioned missile, his trademark arrow-shaped sword, and a small rifle that doubles as the tank's top machine gun. The wings have ports underneath them where missile pods could have gone tho none are included. Blitzwing's action features are the launching missile and a neat feature where you can spin his face down to reveal the monocle-eyed face or black-and-red crazy face that he had in the Animated series. Each one looks great but some may find it difficult or impossible to spin the faces...leading me to the next section of the review.

Quality control... this figure is rife with issues. Right off the bat you will find the shoulder pegs are too short to lock inside the chest (or the chest is too wide) and thus the whole shoulder assembly unfolds whenever you move his arms up. Then there's the issue with the helmet being too large to fit inside the nosecone and paint rubbing off. Inside the helmet there's often too much paint inside and on the rod that the faces spin on making them hard to turn. These three issues led to many people returning the figure but there's a quick fix to each one.

To fix Blitzwing's shoulder issue one must unscrew the five screws
from his back and sand down the edges on his back that meet to the front of the torso, and alternately the screw posts that touch the back section so that the two halves come together. Take off the thickness of an American quarter on the sections circled in red in the picture and that should do it. To fix the nose cone issue you have two options. One, take acetone and wipe all the purple paint out of the inside of the cone and then take apart the cockpit and remove the spring that pushes his head up. But the best way is to take a large engraving Dremel tool bit and hollow more of the nosecone out. This removes the paint and gives the head more room all at once. To fix the spinning face just unscrew the head and sand off the yellow paint on the rod the faces spin around. If they still hit then glue the chins of each face to the back of the next head, making the three spinning faces one solid wheel.

So what's the verdict on the long awaited redesign of Blitzwing? Without the fixes in place he's going to drive you crazy unless you sit him on the shelf in robot mode and leave him alone. But if you want to pose/transform him more often you will need to fix him, otherwise he'd be a pass for me. His size is great, his articulation, paint, all that is great. But those QC issues hold him back from being a great figure. I can even forgive the gap-tank as the plane is a pretty neat design and I love how he looks in robot mode. Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has him and Springer (who has NO qc issues and is a GREAT figure!) and you can also snag them on Amazon with free shipping on orders over $25. Blitzwing and Springer are also showing up at Targets tho they sell out the very day they hit the shelves it seems. Stay tuned for Springer's review!

Fall of Cybertron Grimlock Transformers action figure review (voyager class)

The second installment of the Transformers video game called "Fall of Cybertron" has some really neat characters designs in it and we're about to see a whole slew of fan favorites from Hasbro in 2013. They've even introduced three voyager class FoC characters, Soundwave, Blaster, and Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots. Here we'll take a look at the robotic T-rex himself in this larger-than-deluxe scale.

Grimlock stands 7 1/2 inches tall and is sporting a really nice robot mode. The wide chest and broad shoulders give him an inposing look and his thick legs add to the appearance of a tough bot to take on. The sculpting is top notch as we've come to expect with all sorts of little ports, panel lines, and sections that grace the something-happening-to-Cybertron lines. I like the asymmetrical look of his chest which is the only part of him like that, standing out from the design.

Articulation for robot mode is plentiful and useful. Grimlock has excellent shoulder range and they can even swing up and forward thanks to ratcheting sections inside. His head is ball jointed and his wrists turn. He's lacking a waist and side-ankle movement however but everything else swivels or hinges with plenty of posing options. Given he comes with a sword and a shield you'll get plenty of use out of the joints given.

Paint apps for Grimlock are also plentiful with gold, dark metal, red, and silver applied. The plastic is very sturdy feeling with some sections molded in a matte, almost sanded texture while others are done is smooth glossy plastic which contrasts well. There's an Autobot symbol on his dino-mode's head while he has a feral-looking Autobot symbol in bot mode of which I'm not familiar with. (I'm now told it's the  Lightning Strike Coalition variant)  All the metallic plastics and paint make him look really sharp and there's no slop at all on the figure I picked up. Great light-pipe eyes add to the look.

Dino/alt mode looks as cool as his robot mode thankfully. Expect a classic lumbering T-rex with short arms, large head, and a huge tail. That tail may draw some criticism as it's basically Grimlock's legs folded together and is pretty thick. But from the front or side you really don't notice it all that much as you'll be staring at his toothy maw most of the time. In dino mode he's a bit hollow from the underside because of the unfolding of the dino head that is normally stored inside the bot-mode back, but there's a reason for this.

And that reason is the light-up/action feature! Press the fin behind Grimlock's head in dino mode and he opens his mouth wide emitting a blazing reddish-orange glow from deep within his throat. In robot mode the head is inside his chest and now lights up his clear chest-ports/ Lightning Strike Coalition symbol. This allows for the light-up feature to work in both modes which was an excellent choice. I really like how the light shows the 'inner framework' of the head and chest when it's lit almost like a furnace glow.

Dino-mode is less articulated than bot mode with the hips pegging up into the back. You don't really need to do this and leaving them loose lets you pose his legs in far better positions than just straight down. You have to love the little ball-jointed t-rex arms that can flail about. As I mentioned before the legs become the dino-tail and it looks as if he's wearing his feet from the back which may deter some folks as we usually have alt-mode kibble, not robot mode kibble which may be a first here.

Grimlock comes with two great looking accessories, a robotic looking sword and shield both made from clear plastic and sculpted in excellent detail. They can be held in bot mode, pegged to his shoulders/forearms, or stored on the t-rex mode hips. His little flail-rex arms can hold them too if you fit the shield on a finger tip and the sword in the other, just for laughs of course.

Transformation is incredibly simple and basically the same as other Grimlocks before him. You don't even need the instructions. The knees may pop out of peg-place when moved because the joint is so tight. To fix this extend the leg panel as far down as it will go to make the tail and you'll see the knee-post inside. Coat that with some superglue and let it dry before pegging it back in. It will stay together much sturdier this way will hold together through posing.

So what's the verdict here? He's Grimlock, how are you not going to buy him? Honestly tho this is a solid figure and looks awesome in both modes, has a glowing feature for both, and comes with two great accessories. He easily replaces my classics Grimlock in design and size. He's trickling into stores now along with Blaster but instantly disappears from the shelf. I'd suggest ensuring you get him by snagging one at our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store at the normal retail cost. This way you won't be disappointed when all you see is Soundwave and Blaster on the shelf which is quickly becoming the norm.

Transformers Generations Springer & Cliffjumper Toys-R-Us/Asia exclusive action figure review

The Generations line of Transformers has been going strong for a while now and in Asia there's been a release of repaints with new headsculpts. Three classes have been released in Voyager, Deluxe, and Scouts. Here I take a look at the deluxes Springer who shares the Tomahawk mold and Cliffjumper who shares the First Edition Transformers Prime Cliffjumper mold that wasn't released in the USA. The packaging is bilingual as are the instructions.

Sculpting on Springer is the same as Tomahawk who is a cool looking assault chopper. Unfortunately Springer doesn't have a secondary vehicle alt mode but a savvy customizer can fix that with some wheels. His headsculpt is dead-on Springer and the mold has a very classic feel to the character. You may notice his feet are mistransformed in some pictures. If you weren't a fan of Tomahawk's bird-toes and you can flip them around different ways.

Cliffjumper's sculpt is excellent. The body is a First Edition Cliffjumper down to the black plastic placement. I don't own the original so I can't comment on the shade of red but it has to be close. Both hands fold up to reveal great looking tri-guns. His mold is detailed and like Springer's works for a 'classic' feel. Cliff's head has the trademark horns and domed-sides. There are some odd mold lines and off-set plastic on his lower legs where they meet the knee but it's not too jarring.

Articulation for Springer is excellent with a ball-jointed head that can look almost straight up. His elbows are somewhat limited in their range but his shoulders and legs make up for it. Springer's hands and waist are static. Cliffjumper on the other hand has double-jointed elbows, also a great ball-jointed neck, but his knees don't bend to 90 deg unless you shave some of the red plastic paneling from behind them. He has limited side-ankle movement as well.

Paint for both Cliffjumper and Springer is crisp and neatly applied. The silver doesn't go all the way against the sides of their faces however and may need to be touched up. Cliffjumper's rims, bumper, and headlights look great as do Springer's wing stripes, rotors, and yellow sections. Light piping for the eyes on both figures is excellent due to the back of their heads being molded almost entirely in clear plastic.

Transformation is your basic deluxe style tho Cliff's is a bit more complex being a First Edition mold. Their alt modes are a red muscle car and attack chopper. Both are previous molds and look great. Springer is the only one with accessories and include two C-clamp and 5mm peg missle pods but also his sword. The sword is nicely detailed and has two 5mm pegs, tho you will need to swap a missile pod to the back of the chopper if you want to store it in helicopter mode. While I would have liked to see Cliffjumper with a giant gun just the fact we're getting this mold in the USA is good enough for me.

So what's the verdict on these figures? You probably won't get another chance to get a First Edition Cliffjumper mold in the USA and with some effort you could swap the US release Prime Cliff's head on if you had a spare ball joint. This is also my favorite version of Springer so far and the inclusion of his sword was an excellent choice. You're going to have to hunt these down at Toys R Us or wait till Cliffjumper and Springer are back in stock at Toys R Us' website as they aren't immediately searchable anymore. For Transformers fans this will be a hunt. Wheelie and Swerve are the other deluxes in the assortment followed by the scouts which are showing up.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron Shockwave & Optimus Prime action figure review

The next big Transformers video game is "Fall of Cybertron" due out in August but you can snag the toys right now. Optimus Prime, Shockwave, and Jazz are the three deluxe figures available at retail release right now. Here we'll be covering the first two. Optimus has a substantially different look than his War for Cybertron form and this is the first somewhat-classic-looking Shockwave we've had in a while.

Sculpting for Optimus and Shockwave are done in a blocky, detailed format with plenty of panel lines and grating. Prime's headsculpt while small is very nicely done and Shockwave's is classic looking with neat finned ears and an overall classic look to his chest and upper body. The snap-on wheels that Prime has are starting to grown on me as you no longer need to use a soldering iron to remove metal pins if you have to get a wheel off tho I do wish they would add hubcaps to help hide the cuts. Shockwave's back fins can be rotated down or removed for a more classic appearance too.

Articulation for Optimus Prime is amazing. His head can look almost directly up, there's great range of motion in his elbows and knees because they fold up in alt mode, same for his amazing ball-jointed waist articulation. Only thing I could touch on is that his shoulders can't swivel out to the side fully with his arms raised. Shockwave is a bit stiffer but still has great range on his arms with three ball/swivel/hing joints in his elbow alone. He has no side-ankle movement but with such thin feet doesn't really need it. Shockwave only has a cut neck unfortunately. His hips move out so well he can do a full split!

Paint is solid across the board with no slop at all, mainly because there's not a lot of it. All sections are molded in color with just the details painted. Design for Optimus in alt mode looks a little stubby at first until you get use to it and reminds me more of the Titanium Cybertron Prime. Shockwave's alt mode is a space cannon/ship. I happen to like these space cruiser designs and you can spin his panels around for different looks. With some fiddling you may even be able to get a fan-mode gun out of him.

Transformation is EASY. WFC Prime aggravated me because of all the loose separate sections like his crotch piece that would fall apart and all the impossible-to-line-up panels. Not here. Optimus folds up and everything tabs into place in both modes perfectly. Sometimes simple is beautiful. Shockwave is a bit more complex with twists and turns to his arms but easily folds into ship mode. He has a spring-up head mechanic which is ok but seems to have negated the ball neck he could have used.

Prime's single accessory is his gun which can be pegged into various locations. Tho it shows his shoulder exhaust port is a plug I'd avoid it because it causes stress marks in the plastic when inserted. Shockwave has a 2-part cannon that he can hold or have replace either lower arm depending on your style. The silver end comes off to reveal a 3-barrel rifle which is pretty neat. It also stores on his back and is the alt-mode core.

So what's the verdict on these figures? I'm happy with them. Tho they do appear to be slightly smaller than previous years Deluxe offerings that's partially because of the small heads adding to that perspective. Optimus Prime's amazing articulation and finally owning an almost-classic Shockwave was enough to win me over here. Our sponsors Big Bad Toy Store has sets and singles as does Past Generation Toys and Amazon. Don't forget to preorder the Amazon G2 Fall of Cybertron Bruticus set when it comes back in stock for a mere $60 either!

Transformers the Ride Universal Studios Hollywood exclusive Evac figure review

If you've been to Universal Studios in California (or Singapore) you may have had a chance to hop on Transformers The Ride and immerse yourself in a 3D extravaganza. Afterwards you can immerse your credit card at the ride's gift shop and snag a brand new deluxe mold, Evac. His packaging is nicely done and similar to the Transformers Universe figures with a bio on the back. He's a 'Supercar' and more importantly your attraction ride. That's right, you ride in an Evac during the show.Big thanks to LegendAntiHero who picked one up for me! Check him out on Facebook and Twitter!

Sculpting for Evac is a brand new mold even though some mistake him for a DotM Roadbuster repaint and he's quite nice. The headsculpt is very detailed, there's all sorts pistons and wires running through his limbs, and the inner chest cavity is skeletal looking. He has movable waist guns that double as the car's weapons too. His back wings fold out and have sculpted rocket boosters on them. There are four c-clips on his shoulders and arms allowing for weapon placement though you will have to supply your own.

Articulation for Evac is like your basic deluxe. Ball neck, bicep, and hips. Good 90 deg range on the elbows and knees. He doesn't have wrist or waist movement but it doesn't seem to hinder him as you can turn his arm to aim his wrist guns. What does hinder him is the lack of forward tilting ankle. He has amazing side-tilt, able to do a complete split but no way to step forward. If you can over look this he's fine but this may be a deal-breaker for some.

Evac's paint apps are cleanly applied on both modes. The blue and silver looks nice breaking up his bot mode and the yellow lights look sharp on his chest. On his alt mode you can see the green hex-tampo which is done cleanly as well as autobot logos on either side. Silver rims complete the look. His blue light-piping was painted over with yellow so it no longer works. A savvy customizer may be able to scrape that off however.

Alt mode is a 'Supercar' and as mentioned the car you sit in during the ride. A close look through the windshield reveals four tiny seats for the audience. The overall vehicle look is something of a cross between the shoebox-design of War for Cybetron and a concept car. The thruster in the back looks neat and the waist guns now poke out of the headlights, another cool feature. The car rolls fine and looks good doing so without a ton of cut lines. Lifting a wing up kind of opens the 'door' to the seating.

Transformation is a bit complex requiring you to twist then fold the waist, line up the shoulders, and fiddle a bit. The picture of the figure has the back mistransformed so go by the step-by-step pics on the instructions. Evac has no accessories but the C-clips allow you to add your on in bot and alt mode. He has 5mm holes for hands but no mech-tech ports hinting he may have been designed before the DotM plug-in craze.

So what's the verdict on Evac? If you can get past the ankle issue he's a really neat deluxe. I like the idea he has a jetpack on his back and his overall design in both modes is pretty decent. He's $21 at the gift shop and keeps selling out though they do get entire cases of him in when they restock. You can snag him off of Ebay (all eBay links are eBayPartnerNetwork affiliate links that help me out!) to avoid buying a ticket or if you have a friend in California pay for their ticket to get in and buy one for you.