Review: #107
Name: Oil Slick
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Animated (Japanese)
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Deluxe
Variations: the Hasbro version lacks the metallic green paint
MOTORCYCLE MODE:
Oil Slick transforms into a metallic green motorcycle... that has four distinct wheels (granted, they're combined together), and a goat's head on the front (which looks surprisingly good).
Having four wheels, he doesn't need a kickstand, he rests upright just fine. This is the Japanese TakaraTomy version, so it features metallic paint, and it looks pretty nice here.
The handlebars and goat's horns are made from a really soft rubber, which deforms easily, upside is that they won't snap during transformation. If you've seen his robot mode, it's obvious that the arms form the front part, and the joint in the middle can sag.
A long bike, but by no means having as much mass (or complexity) as a Deluxe car. Oil Slick isn't small by any means though. The bike mode requires some peculiar taste, and I can see a lot of people disliking it (and it's not as realistic, as say, Animated Prowl).
TRANSFORMATION:
A really simple transformation, but one that works well. The front forms the arms and the back unfold to become the legs. I really like how with a simple rotation, the seat and exhaust piece become his feet, it's a neat aspect. The way the shoulders fold in with the joints are really weird and awkward. Thank good for the handlebars being rubber, as I can it them easily snapped if made from hard plastic. It's really surprising to see how such a simple transformation can turn a bike mode into a very distinctive robot.
ATTACK MODE:
I don't know why this was included but it's an official mode in the instructions. Basically you just transform Oil Slick to about two-thirds of the way in, and it looks like he's lying there...
It seems to be some sort of ramming vehicle mode. It's ridiculous and stupid, and wondering how the hell did someone think this was a good idea. At least they didn't advertise this on the packaging as a triple-changer, that would have been terrible and an insult to the term.
ROBOT MODE:
Oil Slick's robot mode is tall and lanky, with a sort of hunchback due to the way the waist is angled (which is really weird). I love the way the goat's head end up on one shoulder as some sort of ornament. It seems to suit him very well.
The feet look great, and you can't really tell they were formed by a simple rotation of a piece. The hands are well formed too, with distinctive large claw-hands that look menacing. There's no new addition of paint, it's all carried over from bike mode (the metallic paint is not only limited to the arms and legs).
The head is into a transparent green dome, and he has a surprisingly organic face. He can only turn side to side and I don't think he has a lightpipe.
Normally, if you wish, you can leave the two barrels on either side of his legs, but it really ruins his slim look, and you're better off detaching them.
The barrels each have a peg to stay attach to their slots, there's no other space to store them in robot mode apart from the legs.
However, they're Oil Slick's weapons. One splits open to form a chain weapon/flail of some sort, and the other has an opening lid, it's supposed to be a poison canister but it really looks like a drinking tankard. The chain is made from plastic, and you can't help but feel that it'll be easy to snap it off.
There's a peg hole in each hand for Oil Slick to hold it, you can them position the thumbs (on balljoints) and fingers (the same soft plastic as the handlebars) so it looks like he's holding it.
Oil Slick elongates a lot during his conversion (mainly due to the extension of his legs), but he's much much skinnier than other 'standard' Deluxes.
Articulation is great, and it's helped by the extra joints needed for transformation, such as his feet that can rotate so he can stand flat at any angle.
The arms are the weaker point, they can only bend and fold inwards, missing the crucial outward joint. It can feel restrictive at times, and same goes for his shoulders, limited by the weird joints.
A good looking robot mode with some versatile weapons.
OVERALL:
A good toy, if you don't have any problems with the aesthetics that is. It's a very interesting toy, simple, yet has charm to it. I recommend it if you can get it cheap since it's not really worth any (severely) inflated amounts. Oil Slick makes a nice Decepticon to add to your collection.
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