Review: #263
Name: Dead End
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2015
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 2)
Variations: retooled with a new head as Wildrider; TakaraTomy version has slightly different colors; heavily retooled into Streetwise and Prowl
COMIC:
Dead End comes with Robots in Disguise #16
(or Combiner Wars #8) which is the last issue in the Superion/Prowlastator
arc. Ironhide and the Dinobots come to
help out the battle against Devastator.
The way Devastator was defeated was to be expected since they can't have
too much violence in this area, however, it was still somewhat
anticlimactic. The best part of the
issue was the ending, and how everything finalized itself. The way it ended felt natural and made sense,
especially considering how Starscream and Bumblebee were thinking throughout
the arc. Megatron's involvement and his
defeat was disappointing too. Overall,
the story was decent, artwork was good and it was engaging throughout.
VEHICLE MODE:
Dead End transforms into a maroon sports car resembling a Ferrari 458, this is a very nice and sleek powerful looking car.
Due to the plastic placements and parts used, there are two unsightly grey pieces that stick out like a sore thumb at the back. The rear is also unpainted but in an interesting twist, the pin used for transformation is in the exact place as where taillights would be, so it manages to look decent.
In terms of size, he is a Deluxe and not actually that bad at all, he's with Universe Drag Strip in the above photo. Note that there are some slightly weird proportions since Dead End is very wide. There are also some plastic left grey on the sides that Hasbro didn't bother painting (could be unpaintable plastic).
You can attach all the weapons in this mode, with the club acting as a side exhaust. Since the port is shallow, the weapon on top can be loose-fitting.
A fantastic sports car mode with barely any flaws, and most are due to a color scheme that could be improved upon.
TRANSFORMATION:
Dead End has a nice transformation, his feet are interesting and breaks the generic transformation scheme of the other Combiner Wars deluxes (i.e. rear of vehicle splitting in halve to extend and then combine again). While a bit kibbly and lazy in terms of what they did with the hood (a useless bit of plastic sitting behind the robot back), it's hard to fault since it's so easy and fun converting him between modes.
ROBOT MODE:
Dead End's robot mode is a clear winner too, he looks amazing and a very nice update to his G1 self. What's even better is that the designers made a great decision in covering up the combiner port in his chest with a chest plate. It gives him more personality and detailing.
He wears the windscreen as well as the hood of the vehicle on his back as kibble. Since it is hollow and sits very close to his body, it doesn't cause any balancing issues or get in the way of anything.
The head sculpt is sublime. It captures the character perfectly and also a suitable face for a Decepticon.
He is a decent height in this mode as well, stacking well against the Deluxes of yore. While he still has hollow parts, Dead End feels solidly built in your hands, and able to withstand heavy amounts of play.
Articulation is fantastic, he has all the joints you would want, including a waist swivel. His large legs allow him to balance well in a wide range of poses.
The only negative here are his elbow swivels, which feels weird since his arms are the sides of the vehicles. There's nothing wrong with the execution, just feels slightly odd, that's all.
His first weapon is an exhaust pipe that he can hold as a club (as shown in the comic artwork.
He can hold the club in either hand but I find that it looks quite stupid as a weapon, it does not look menacing at all.
Unfortunately, Dead End cannot hold it with both hands since he is not articulated enough and the club's handle isn't long enough. No dice for replicating the awesome artwork then.
Dead End can loosely hold the weapon as a tonfa, but because of the pieces jutting out from his flip out fists, it doesn't fully peg in.
The other weapon is made from the combiner piece, which acts as a dual barreled gun (despite the barrels looking weird).
Once again, he can hold it in either hand.
You can also peg it in such that it acts as a shield, which is actually cooler. In the end, this is a very versatile robot and heaps of fun to play with, as well as looking awesome.
OVERALL:
Dead End is undisputedly my favorite figure of Wave 2. Both modes are epic and linked by a simple but effective transformation. The color scheme is spot on and he feels very solid. Dead End is a figure that's to be recommended even if you don't have the intention of forming Menasor, plus, this is the first real update to the G1 character.
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For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page.
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As a slight teaser to Dead End's combined modes, here are some shots for when he is combined. Menasor will be featured in his own proper review soon.
Dead End's normal place is the arm of Menasor. The combiner piece can act as a fist or a foot, with the thumb being able to swivel depending on which side you want Dead End to be.
Dead End's foot mode is basically the car stood up, with the hood folded down.
As a part of Menasor, note that as a necessary evil to give the arm proper elbow joints, the forearm is proportionally too wide to look that great. However, if you have the side of the vehicle facing the front as the forearm, then it becomes too thin and you get the awkward inward bending elbow. You can't win either way...
Still, Dead End attaches very securely and gives Menasor shoulder hinges and swivels, as well as a double hinged elbow (the robot hips and knees) and wrist swivels (since it's just a piece pegged into a port).
Too bad he loses a lot of the vehicular elements when as foot, and folding the hood down this way gives you an unsightly view of the combiner ports. If only the designer found a way to keep the hood partially up as a knee pad. Anyway, that's it for this review, thanks for reading!