Review: #322
Name: Groove
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: Deluxe
Mold Status: new
MOTORCYCLE MODE:
Hasbro's version of Defensor had Groove as a Legends-sized figure forming the chestplate since a motorcycle would have been complete out of scale. TakaraTomy went ahead and created a Deluxe version anyway and Hasbro released their version as part of the "May Mayhem" promotion as an online shared exclusive similar to 2015's Quickslinger and Brake-Neck.
Nonetheless, Groove transforms into a white and black motorcycle with his robot guns doubling up as exhausts and his lightbars on the sides. Surprisingly, the back has red rear lights painted. On the whole, Groove has surprisingly a lot of paint applications.
Size-wise, this a big motorcycle. He feels big in your hands and if you lay him down flat, he has nearly the same amount of bulk as a normal Deluxe-sized car.
Standing the motorcycle up, it is taller than most Deluxes.
A quick comparison with the Legends-sized Groove, this is a more traditional motorcycle.
The combiner piece which doubles up as a gun can be attached on the top. It looks kind of stupid but at least you can store is somewhere. There is a kickstand on the left.
He comes with a collector's card showing some art from the Legends mobile game. Groove doesn't come with a comic like the other Deluxes in the line.
This is a good looking bike but you need to realize that if you take the guns off from the sides, the back of the bike looks incomplete.
Welcoming back the use of transparent plastic, Groove has a fantastic vehicle mode.
TRANSFORMATION:
Groove transforms similarly to most of the other Combiner Wars Deluxes but adds his own spin to it. His legs form the same way, but when converting him back into motorcycle, it can be tricky aligning the two halves of his rear wheel together to sit flush. The upper torso is pretty basic but since this is a motorcycle, at least there is a little bit of differentiation compared to the predictable and generic transformation schemes we have gotten used to with this subline.
ROBOT MODE:
Groove's robot mode is equally fantastic with a well-proportioned body and a clean color scheme, the silver, bronze, white and black works really well.
He wears the front of the motorcycle, wheel and all, as a big jutting backpack. He also has the wheel halves on the outside of each leg. It doesn't destabilize him and with the wheel halves at least, it adds to his distinctive silhouette.
The headsculpt is good although the sculpted detail plus the bronze color makes Groove seem like a grumpy old man. He features a lightpipe, probably the only figure in the Combiner Wars line to have lightpiping.
In terms of size, he is once again approximately the same as most other Deluxes.
A quick comparison with the Legends version shows that the smaller-scaled incarnation is a bit closer to his G1-self, but this Deluxe version looks so much better.
In terms of articulation, Groove has got the lot including waist swivels.
He's easy to keep balanced in a variety of poses. That piece of kibble on his back really doesn't affect anything at all.
His combiner piece weapon is the same one that comes with Alpha Bravo (and the other redecoes of that mold), which is a twin-barrelled Gatling gun.
He can naturally hold the weapon in either hand but it's fairly oversized and unwieldy.
Never fear because underneath his right arm is a 5mm port to attach the gun to as an under-slung weapon.
Of course, he comes with a pair of gunmetal grey guns.
His main weapons is dual-wielding this pair of rifles and he looks fantastic with them.
That's really the real reason why he has that port underneath his right arm, such that he can wield all his weapons at once.
An amazing robot mode, probably one of the best in the line since Groove looks great and plays great.
DEFENSOR:
Groove normally forms the right leg of Defensor and getting him into a leg is super easy, it's basically the motorcycle mode with the windshield and arms folded down.
Attaching him to finally form the proper Defensor, he looks fantastic and you won't even care about the apparent lack of scale.
He's solid as a leg but as per normal, the foot is too small if you want to pose Defensor in a really dynamic shot.
The color scheme works well too with the three main colors, there's no weird clash.
Getting Groove into an arm means it's easier to transform from the robot mode since you basically tuck the head away and tab the arms in an alternate position.
While the arm mode still looks good, the windshield and wheel juts out quite far out to the side.
The robot fists are also completely visible which kind of sucks and the forearm is partially hollow, since it's required for transformation.
Nevertheless, it's still looks great and forms a solid arm.
With the rest of the Protectobots, Groove looks vastly out of scale in vehicle mode.
Whereas in robot mode, that scale factor doesn't matter and he fits perfectly into the team.
It's a very unified set in terms of colors and aesthetics here as well, they look very much like a good team. Needless to say, Defensor just doesn't look complete unless you have this proper Groove as a part of him.
OVERALL:
Groove is a near perfect figure. While Rook was a good toy himself, Groove is one of the best Deluxes in the Combiner Wars line and all four of his modes look great. The fact that Hasbro retained all the paint applications from the Japanese version means that Groove has a slight premium feel to him. Groove is highly recommended if you can find him at a decent price, and of course, you need him to properly complete your Defensor.
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