Review: #182
Name: Barricade w/ Frenzy
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Transformers Figure Subscription Service 2.0
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe w/ Micron
Variations: a repaint of Prime Beast Hunters Prowl, itself a retool of Beast Hunters Smokescreen
VEHICLE MODE:
Inspired by the live-action version, Barricade transforms into a typical black and white police car. However, it's not your typical sedan, this is a sporty police vehicle.
One of the good features of this mode is the fact that the rear of the vehicle isn't compromised in any way. There are no gaps or robot kibble poking out, just a decent representation of what the back of a car looks like. There are molded details such as a licence plate, exhaust and rear lights. Perhaps it's a little bit disappointing that none of these sculpted details are painted.
Thankfully, the paint applications in other areas do not disappoint. The lightbar is painted (although I would have preferred transparent plastic) as are the hubcaps, doors and various decals.
Taking more cues from the movie version of the character, on the rear of each side of the vehicle, there is the motto "to punish and enslave" which I thought is a nice touch.
There is also the Decepticon police badge along with "643" which is also inspired by movie Barricade.
Barricade is a Deluxe sized figure and he doesn't do too bad in the size department. That said, he's flat and wide.
The whole car is filled with his robot parts so there are no hollowness. Barricade will feel hefty in your hands.
In terms of play value, apart from rolling him around (he sits very low on the ground so he can scrap the surface from time to time), you can attach his weapons to various ports on the vehicle.
You can also attach Frenzy in his weapon mode and it doesn't look too bad like that.
He has ports on either side of the vehicle and on top of the lightbar.
A striking vehicle mode that lends well to the character. This is an excellent mold choice and one of the best vehicle modes we've had for a character.
FRENZY:
Let's diverge for a short moment to focus on Frenzy. He is a "silver" repaint of Gan, as such, he does not look anything like the spindly bot that he was inspired by.
He wears the saw on his back but overall, this is a pretty decent robot mode, if a bit heroic for a Decepticon.
The headsculpt is good but doesn't evoke Frenzy at all.
His weapon mode is a handheld circular saw and is one of the better Micron weapons available. Sadly, they never bothered to add any paint to Frenzy making him rather bland and uninteresting.
TRANSFORMATION:
Barricade's transformation is interesting and not what you would expect. Even the legs, relatively simple compared to the rest of the figure, have a few nice surprises. Unfortunately, Barricade cheats by having a faux chest and he is somewhat of a shellformer. It can take a little bit of time to get pieces to move the way you want them to as things will get in the way of each other. Otherwise, a clever transformation that isn't too hard.
ROBOT MODE:
A huge amount of purple comes out in robot mode which is impressive considering there is none of this in vehicle mode (but also highlights the fact that he is a mild shellformer).
There are big chunks of kibble underneath each arm which are the front of the vehicle and part of the roof. The door wings are very nice, angled perfectly and looks amazing there.
Barricade shares the same head sculpt as Prowl but it suits him very well. While not completely evil looking, the purple crest and red visor does wonders to highlight that Barricade is a Decepticon not to be messed around with.
Barricade's side profile is a bit thin since half the vehicle forms his feet. Better mass distribution would have done wonders as right now, the large legs throws out the proportion of the robot.
Nothing remarkable to say in the size department other than the fact he might be a little bit shorter than the Deluxes of 2013.
I'm surprised at how well the mold suits Barricade. He looks fantastic, the color scheme is awesome. Oh, Frenzy looks good paired with him as well, I guess.
Barricade has a good range of motion. The arms can be annoying due to the large piece attached to the underneath. The feet is also weird in that the soles don't sit completely flat on the table (it's molded at an angle due to the vehicle requirement).
I find that nearly all Barricades have loose hip joints which makes some of the more dynamic poses annoying as he'll collapse. At least this is easily fixable with some nail polish.
Barricade's weapon is a blaster which features a spring loaded missile. The reason why the missile itself protrudes to much from the barrel is because the original mold (being Smokescreen) had another thing that attached to the shaft but they didn't bother including it in subsequent uses of the mold.
The weapon can be held in either hand or attached underneath the right hand where the lightbar is situated.
Of course, you also have Frenzy in his circular saw blade mode. This is the main reason why this particular Micron mold was chosen as it mimics the blade weapon the movie Barricade had.
You can probably tell from the pictures but the vehicle details on his torso are fake, which is disappointing in that the designer couldn't have worked the real pieces into there (instead, they're hanging off his arms).
The torso also feels insubstantial as so much bulk has gone into his legs. Apart from the torso panel, some struts and the front tires, there are various gaps when viewed from the back.
There are paint applications galore and it is in this area that Barricade does not disappoint. The purple used to highlight various details does a great job and of course, makes Barricade look a lot more menacing.
The large feet which can hinge up and down, provide excellent stability in nearly all poses.
I found that tabbing the doors into the back of the head to not quite work. It's clearly supposed to tab together but it doesn't want to go all the way in and this was something I found in other's figures.
One of the best figures to be released in the Subscription Service (and Funpub exclusives in general), Barricade has an excellent robot mode that suits the character he is homaging.
OVERALL:
Barricade is a tad bit on the expensive side: you either have to buy him as part of a set (averaging to roughly four to five times the cost of a normal Deluxe figure in America) or pay a premium to just this figure alone. That's not including the fact that if you're an international member of the Club, then you'll get gorged with excessive shipping. Ignoring all of that, Barricade is a very nice figure that looks perfect in both modes, the mold choice is good and you get Frenzy as a bonus.
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