Review: #265
Name: Rook
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2015
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 3)
Mold Status: new mold
COMIC:
Rook comes with Robots in Disguise #34 (or
Combiner Wars #10), the second issue in the "First Strike" arc. The plot is a little bit more confusing this
time around because it skips to Optimus speaking with Alpha Trion about the
past, near the very beginning of Cybertron's history when the Thirteen Primes
were having their first civil war. It
explains the origins of combiners and how it is linking to present day
events. Unfortunately, it is hard to
tell who is who especially if you have not been following the series
closely. The ending is supposed to be a
big shock but it lacks impact since most likely, it'll go over the head of a
casual reader. Unlike some of the other
pack-ins, this issue doesn't stack up as a standalone.
VEHICLE MODE:
Rook transforms into a bright white and navy blue armored SWAT vehicle, with six rolling wheels and a lot of sculpted detailing.
The back falls apart a bit in terms of the disguise since you can clearly see robot joints and some small gaps.
Rook feels small and stumpy but he is actually a normal Deluxe size.
All the weapons attached in this mode, including the combiner piece.
A neat thing is that the combiner piece joint can also serve to point the missiles upwards, like an anti-aircraft missile launcher. Other than this, Rook has no other play value.
This a solid vehicle mode, a bit bland and an odd choice for Protectobot.
TRANSFORMATION:
One of the more unique molds of the Combiner Wars line but the whole front section is a shell that ends up folding away. The legs extend and the arms just flip out. Fairly standard and generic but it works.
ROBOT MODE:
Rook's robot mode is nice and stocky, looking very powerful with the broad shoulders and bulky profile.
He does wear most of the vehicle shell on his back though, which feels cheaty since it lacks cleverness in the manipulation of parts.
The head sculpt is another highlight, looking like a helmet with a face guard. It is painted in a nice shiny silver. The head is on a swivel so Rook can only look left and right.
Size-wise, he is fairly decent, comes off as a little bit hollow due to the transformation though.
His poseability is your standard affair, nothing that really stands out here except for the ankle tilts. Rook is one of the only Combiner Wars figures that has ankle tilts.
His chest has some nice detailing. Note that Rook has proper molded fists, even though the port in the front of his hands look weird.
His first weapon is this probing thingie.
You plug it into one of the ports on top of his hands like a tool extension, I tend to think of it as an electric probe.
His next weapon is of course the combiner piece, which has some sculpted missiles in front of it.
He can hold wield it in such a way that looks like he is aiming the missiles in front (in actuality, it is plugged in his front port and the combiner hand joint used to fold it forward).
The other option is to attach to on the outside of his shoulders like a shield.
However, the most popular way seem to be transforming the piece into a combiner hand and attach it, such that it looks like Rook has Hulk hands, and you have to admit, it looks pretty cool.
Of course, you can take it one step further and give him two Hulk hands, it gives Rook a more powerful look.
The color scheme of rook works very well, with a nice balance of blue, white and black. All in all, this is a nice robot.
OVERALL:
Sure, some people might be put off by the fact that this is a new character, shoehorned into the Protectobots team, and downgrading Groove to just being a chest piece. If you can overlook that, then you will see Rook as another nice solid addition into the Combiner Wars line and quite fun to play with.
-------------------------------------------
For other Combiner Wars reviews, check out this page.
-------------------------------------------
Defensor will star in his own review but in the meantime, here's a few shots of Rook in his combined form.
First off, Rook takes the place of Groove as the right leg, and his leg mode is effectively the vehicle mode with the front folded up. Unfortunately, the foot does look a tad bit small here.
His arm mode is quite decent, it is the foot mode but with the robot legs transformed. The robot knees and hips act as the elbows.
Once you put Defensor together, you can see how absolutely awesome the figure it. It works really well and looks fantastic.
As a leg, Rook is stable and he provides a knee cap too.
Arm mode is really nice too, giving the combined mode some bulk. That's it for now, thanks for reading!