Review: #188
Name: Lockdown
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Age of Extinction Generations
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 2.5)
Variations: none as of this date
VEHICLE MODE:
Lockdown transforms into a licensed Lamborghini Aventador. He is predominantly dark grey with transparent blue windows. Sadly, there is a lack of side windows (i.e. they are wound down), this is disappointing and feels like it was more of a cost saving measure than anything.
One of the better things about this vehicle mode is that Lockdown has a realistic looking rear. All too often, we get Transformers where there is either a gap at the back of the vehicle or there are robot kibble. Lockdown is a true robot in disguise from all reasonable angles.
Lockdown is a Deluxe and since he is a low riding vehicle built for speed, he can feel somewhat small in your hands.
The vehicle looks sleek and sexy. The headlights are painted metallic blue, unfortunately, there are some obvious transformation seams.
The gun plugs onto a pair of slots at the rear of the vehicle mode. With the gun attached this way, it looks stupid and unrealistic, not to mention it's quite awkward.
This is a great vehicle mode with a few minor issues. Unfortunately, this mode is without a doubt the only saving grace of this figure...
TRANSFORMATION:
Apparently, the transformation bears some similarities to DOTM Roadbuster, I wouldn't know as I don't have that toy. Either way, Lockdown's transformation is simple and uninspired. There is nothing here that screams ingenuity and it feels a bit boring. As you would expect, the figure is all about paneling, with large pieces of plastic shifting around.
ROBOT MODE:
Lockdown's robot mode is... to be honest, quite hideous. The proportions are horrible, with a bloated torso, long big gorilla arms, and short skinny legs, Lockdown is one ugly bot.
This is a far cry from the sleek cool looking robot we saw in the film. The hood, roof and rear of the car folds onto this back (three panels' worth). It sits quite closely so it's not too bad as far as kibble goes.
The head sculpt is good, it translates the needlessly complex humanoid looking CGI face into toy form quite well. It's still ugly looking but it could be worse. The lightpiping doesn't work at all though.
Lockdown is a fairly small Deluxe, sure, he might have the normal height but he feels small in your hands.
So, we have this gun, which is super super long. It has a pressure launch missile, but it doesn't fire it very far.
There are a few ways to use the weapon, the first is your traditional affair in which he can hold it in either hand.
Next, there is a slot above each of his shoulder on the back kibble where you can attach the gun like a shoulder cannon. It actually looks quite good like this.
Third and probably the first question that everyone had when they saw Lockdown's initial photos, can the gun be attached in such a way to give him his gun face like in the movie? The answer is yes, it pegs onto a slot in his head but it is quite a tight fit.
The gun face does make Lockdown look more like a drone. This gimmick is also the reason why the gun and looks so awkward since it had to accommodate that empty gap to fit his head.
In terms of poseability, Lockdown is pretty decent. He has swivels for elbows and the arm kibble means that the range of elbow articulation isn't spectacular.
He is stable in a variety of poses. His arms are quite flat which makes them look weird. The designer tried not to cheat and made the vehicle headlights form his chest but the way it is angled makes him look fat and there is no way to made Lockdown appear sleeker.
There are some fantastic sculpted details, highlighted by the silver and bronze paint.
It's hard to say that this is a good, solid or even an average robot mode. It is an acquired taste and doesn't truly evoke the character in the movie. It had so much potential but it was probably ruined by the focus on simpler toys.
OVERALL:
It's hard to like this toy and to be honest, I regret purchasing this guy. However, given that he is the only decent representation of the movie's antagonist, you don't really have a choice if you want to collect all the cast characters. Lockdown has his strong points, such as the excellent car mode, but the lackluster robot and overall generic feel pulls this figure down.
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For other Age of Extinction Transformers reviews, have a look at this page.
