Review: #4
Name: Sideswipe
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Revenge of the Fallen
Year of Release: 2009
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)
Variations: Repainted later as ROTF Strike Mission Sideswipe, also retooled into ROTF Swerve
VEHICLE MODE:
Sideswipe transforms into a fully licensed 2009 Corvette Stingray concept car. Sadly, I do not think this would ever be made into production, but this car looks very sleek and fast. Too bad on the toy he has too many transformation seams to pull off the fast look, maybe if the sides weren't so choppy it would be better. Still it's a very nice vehicle mode, and all the proper details are there, even better, he's doused in silver paint.
He has side mirrors that are made of bendable plastic, and the plastic colour is a very good match. He has tail lights, and four grey exhaust pipes, molded details include a rear license plate, indicators and the Corvette badge on his hood. His wheels roll (to be expected) with silver hubcaps, and clear headlights, seriously, you'll be hard pressed to find something that could be painted better, and overall, pulls off the look of the sports car really nicely.
The underside is another matter, you can clearly see the robot folded up, with very obvious legs. I find that the front half of the car is mostly empty space, leading you think that most of the car is a shell (and you'll be right). He has a low clearance for rolling, he would only roll on smooth surfaces, carpet won't work (he'll get stuck). A great vehicle mode, but the seams might be a bit too much, ruining the aesthetic.
TRANSFORMATION:
Transformation is not too ingenious, basically you pull the hood halves apart and fold out the legs and arms, with four major panels that you'll have to manipulate. Getting the wings right the first time might be a bit confusing with the twisting, and clipping the chest may seem a bit impossible too, but it does work.
ROBOT MODE:
A good robot mode, if you can get past all the kibble on his back, but he does look very awesome. The rear of the vehicle mode acting as his chest looks very natural, and the blades on his arms look plausible, at least it doesn't look as ridiculous as it sounds (the blades are actually the side panels of his car). Too bad most of the robot mode is now unpainted grey plastic, which somewhat ruins the look, especially after the vehicle mode.
Less said about the back, the better, although not as ugly with kibble as BT Tracks, he's still not beautiful.
Please note that there are a few ways to position his 'wings' (which is the vehicle mode's hood halves), as there are many joints in them due to transformation. The picture above show the official transformation, I do not like it, that's why I have followed another configuration I have seen on the internet, as the official way makes the hood halves jut out too much off the back.
As seen in the picture about, the wings really do jut out the back, which really doesn't look good.
Head sculpt is great, but could use a bit more silver, although his eyes are lightpiped blue, they don't work very well. His head is on a balljoint, which is rested on a spring (as his head springs up during transformation), it's quite restricted, if you turn his head it will tilt down. He also has a stamped Autobot symbol to the right of his head.
His swords actually look better head on rather than the side, from the side, if I didnt know better, I wouldn't know what they are. The front wheel placement on his forearms, on the other hand, looks very good there.
His legs are attached to some rubber pieces, which is sculpted like pistons, and seems like it's what's keeping the legs attached. However, there are actually balljoints, casted in transparent plastic, so it's 'hidden' from view, a nice touch. His also has a Mech Alive gimmick which is if you bend his knees, the blue panels extend out, not the best gimmick, yet not the worse, at least it doesn't impede his engineering.
His feet, by the way, isn't your traditional affair, just like in the movie, he has wheels for feet (which means he goes FAST), it's succeeded to a certain degree here, but you still have silver pieces at the front ruining the look, and it makes him hard to stand.
He has ok articulation, I'll mention what he doesn't have since it's easier that way, the only things that he's missing would be elbow swivels, a waist swivel (although this is no biggie) and some knee swivels (but this might actually be a bit hard to include). Still he has a wide range of poses... provided you can get him to stand, as his feet really makes him unstable.
OVERALL:
I think Sideswipe is a very worthy toy to own, he does have quite a few flaws in both modes (seams in vehicle, feet and kibble in robot), which stops him from being perfect. He has a lot of elements that indicate he is a shellformer, but still good looking in both modes. I would recommend him only if you can get him cheap, as I dont think he's worth the full price.
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Credits: review and pictures are mine, I've linked a few TFwiki.net and Wikipedia in the review for your reference.
Remember, you can always go to the My Transformers page for my other Transformers reviews.