Review: #168
Name: Midnight Express (J-Four)
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Robots in Disguise
Year of Release: 2001
Size Class: Mega (Wave 2)
Variations: the Japanese version had an abundance of transparent plastic used
TRAIN MODE:
Midnight Express (awesome and appropriate name by the way) transforms into an E4 bullet train. It's detailed and accurate although you can see the transformation schemes .
The rear is okay... If it didn't have the robot weapon sticking out so far it wouldn't be so bad. You can see the hitch to connect to the other members of Team Bullet Train.
Sold as a Mega, it isn't quite up there in terms of mass and size. It's long and narrow, as you would expect from a train... The flaw with the Japanese version is the abundance of transparent plastic, which meant a lot of paint applications. Not only will there be slight mismatches in terms of colour, with the yellowing of the white plastic, it is even more obvious.
Another significant flaw is the visible transformation seams. It breaks the whole train apart, for some reason, the joints don't line up perfectly and it's distracting.
Mimicking the real life train, there a logo on each side, in this case, it says "Max Cybertron".
This mode is packed full, there are some empty spaces but it covers them all well.
There are eight rolling wheels underneath although Midnight Express tends to slide rather than roll.
He's also the longest train when compared to his fellow team members.
They look nice together though and feels very much like a set.
Remember that hitch earlier? You can connect all three members up. Midnight Express has a corresponding spot underneath the nose to attach too.
You get this long snake-like train, it would be nicer if they were compartment carriages rather than three head trains together...
Midnight Express's robot weapons are all integrated into this mode. Part of his weapon is hidden within the body of the train.
A decent train mode hampered by the massive transformation gaps.
TRANSFORMATION:
This is interesting. More than half of the train forms his feet, he transforms 'sideways'. Basically, each end extends and folds down to form the legs while the middle section forms the torso and the arms are hidden underneath each flap on either side. It's different to what you'd expect (unlike Railspike and Rapid Run whom are extensions of the "stand the train up" formula).
ROBOT MODE:
Easily the worse robot mode of the three, Midnight Express is mostly legs. They're chunky and way too large compared to the rest of the body.
At least this means that he won't fall over very easily. You can see how significant the amounts of transparent plastic are, his legs (they're completely painted) and torso... It makes him feel more fragile too.
The head sculpt is good, although it lacks the edge and sharp detail of the animation model. It needs more pronounced angles.
He stands taller than a normal Deluxe but most of that height is from the legs. The torso and arms feel weedy in comparison. That said, it's nice to see that they managed to keep symmetrical legs and feet from such an unorthodox transformation scheme.
Ahhh yes, there's the giant shoulder pads on each side. They're way too large to look good and just emphasizes the terrible proportions.
The poseability is decent, he lacks elbow swivels. The giant shoulder pads can get in the way and you can end up accidentally twisting the shoulder balljoint off.
His gun initially comes in pieces since that is how it is stored in train mode. You can connect them together to form a decent looking (if a bit flat) gun. You angle the hitch piece upwards so it looks somewhat like a sight.
Apart from Midnight Express wielding it himself, there's no other place to store the weapon.
The hips and knees are one ratchet joints. They're designed more for Rail Racer so even one notch apart feels like the legs are too far apart.
The gun is also a spring loaded missile launcher. Midnight Express easily has the weakest mode of the train bots.
I wouldn't say that this was a decent robot mode, Midnight Express ends up taking the full brunt of the compromise from being a combiner. Nevertheless, it is still an admirable effort.
OVERALL:
I wouldn't recommend Midnight Express on his own, you have to be intending to form Rail Racer in order for him to be worthwhile. He has too many compromises to be a fun figure, from the transformation joints in train mode to the robot mode comprised of 80% legs.
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