Review: #112
Name: Rumble
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Prime
Year of Release: 2012
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 5)
Variations: the Japanese line has Frenzy using this mold with a head retool
VEHICLE MODE:
Rumble transforms into a small blue compact car with transparent red windows (making him look suitably evil).
The transparent red windows don't carry over to the back. From this angle, Rumble reminds me of RtS Jazz, in that he has some really nice sculpted detailing... but they're unpainted (that, and the spoiler is quite high). Such a shame.
It's a good car mode overall, but it looks simplistic and cartoony (not as close to realism as some other Prime toys). The hubcaps are unpainted but the wheels roll.
It is noticeably a small car, you can't deny that fact at all. Rumble is solid enough and the vehicle isn't a hollow shell, so that's some good news.
You might have noticed some ports on either side of Rumble, they're there for his weapons. You can plug them in to store it in this mode, the small size of the vehicle and those weapons plugged in remind me strongly of Animated Bumblebee. As it is, this is still a decent car mode.
TRANSFORMATION:
Rumble isn't going to get any awards here, it's a simple transformation but very effective. It might seem a bit lazy since the designer opted to have two major areas of the car as kibble, the top of the car and the sides of the car. The sides of the car as giant kibble panels can get into the way of transformations sometimes, but it's more of a minor annoyance than a major flaw. The way the feet formed were different and refreshing enough as it fills in the gap that would have otherwise made the feet look really hollow (it still is, it's just that you can't see it now). What it basically does is that the grill folds to the side, instead of becoming a knee cap. The head reveal is pretty cool but nothing we haven't seen before. It's a fun transformation that you can do in under a minute.
ROBOT MODE:
You're either going to love it or hate it. Initially, I didn't like it, I thought it was ugly, with the giant shoulder pieces (that felt lazy), the panels on his back and the general ugliness of him. After playing with him, I've taken a liking to him, Rumble has grown on me and he is a fun toy.
He is still a low mass figure, with hollow legs and a very thin torso (viewing from the sides). The giant shoulder pads give an illusion of bulk, but take those away, and you're left with this tiny figure.
The head is one of the highlights of robot mode, it is simply awesome. The lightpiping works really well here and I loved how they have that crest section that also lightpipes, it gives Rumble a very nice look. The head sculpt is good, menacing, but not completely evil.
Even though they're kibble, the designer had opted to create some gun sculpting on those panels on his back, referencing the shoulders guns in G1.
Again, due to the shoulder pads, he looks to be more bulky than most of today's Deluxes, that is not true, those shoulder pads are hollow anyway.
Rumble comes with two weapons, they're supposed to be gatling guns (when considering the barrel sculpting at the ends) but since they completely cover Rumble's hands, most people just refer to them as his pile drivers.
So it's really your choice whether they're projectile weapons or piledrivers, depends on your posing I guess.
A missed opportunity would be lightpiping for his torso details, Rumble could have been wicked. Anyway, the torso looks like it could be referencing something, but I'm not sure what.
Rumble's articulation is great, his arms might look restrictive, but they're very good. My only complaints would be his knees are too low (they're reusing the transformation joint) and the feet can be restrictive, even though they're on balljoints.
The range of motion the head has is amazing, it's like they knew people would be doing piledriving poses.
The guns can combine but they look stupid like that. However, the robot is far from stupid and Rumble turned out to have a robot with high play value.
OVERALL:
Don't let first impressions of photos deceive you, Rumble is a great toy. Even for kids he'll provide plenty of play value, and as a display piece, he's unique and will stand out from any shelf. The colors are good and the use of transparent plastic was done well. There is a lot of potential here for some action poses, a highly recommended figure.
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