Review: #371
Name: Skids
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Binaltech
Year of Release: 2005
Size Class: Binaltech
Mold Status: new
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Skids comes in a windowed box showing off the vehicle mode and the excellent attention to detail.
The back naturally has stock photos with the various gimmicks, most of which revolves around the vehicle mode.
He also comes with a card that has artwork on the front and stats on the back, and a set of stickers if you wish to put them onto the figure.
Once you open the packaging, there is also a cardboard stand for the vehicle mode.
VEHICLE MODE:
Skids transforms into a 1:24 scale, fully licensed Toyota bB. Being the Binaltech version, he has die-cast parts along with plastic, and the blue paint used matches perfectly.
The attention to detail is astounding as expected from this line, from the chromed mirrors to the transparent lights to the painted hubcaps.
Skids is approximately Voyager sized but much heavier. Above is a comparison against ROTF Voyager Bludgeon.
The wheels are rubber, and they are aligned such that if you turn one wheel to the left/right, the other will turn as well.
All four doors open, although they cheat a little bit as the bottom piece slides out for clearance and so it sticks out further than the windows.
Inside, you can spot the steering wheel.
Perhaps even more impressive is the sculpting on the rest of the dashboard including all the dials found in the radio section.
There are four dedicated seats (i.e. not awkwardly formed by robot mode pieces).
The hood opens up to reveal an engine block, although the engine block is tricky to properly peg into place.
Finally, the rear also opens but this just shows off the robot legs.
The front section is beautifully painted and molded, including a chromed badge, transparent lights and black painted grill.
Skids definitely makes for a nice display piece and the play value is astounding.
Skids pretty much has a perfect vehicle mode.
TRANSFORMATION:
As with most of the other figures in the Alternators/Binaltech line, Skids has a complicated transformation. It's not too horrible to the point that you don't want to transform him ever again but getting clearance for some of the parts, like the arms, is annoying. As expected, there is some reliance on panels folding and compacting upon themselves.
ROBOT MODE:
Skids' robot mode is solid although the most distinguishing part is definitely the hood for the torso which makes it seem oversized.
He carries a lot of kibble, mainly the doors hanging off his limbs, and the shell of the vehicle on his back. They're the plastic parts so it doesn't affect the weight distribution of the figure overall.
The headsculpt is nice although a bit too blocky. It is on a ball joint, but is a bit small compared to the chest.
Skids is still roughly the height of a Voyager classed figure here.
The Binaltech line is also quite amazing for not only the super detailed vehicle modes, but also for producing a poseable yet good looking robot. Skids has most of the articulation you would expect.
The use of die-cast parts is a bit of a negative since it makes Skids harder to be posed dynamically. The use of balljointed ankles also doesn't help.
The engine block transforms into a gun, it's quite simple since you just flip out the barrel.
The hands are jointed with a joint in the trigger finger, and then a joint for the rest of the fingers together as one. This allows Skids to hold his gun.
Like others in the line, the gun a bit too small. Anyway, the sculpting and paint applications in this mode is equally impressive.
A fantastic robot mode, although it's a bit more status due to the concessions made.
OVERALL:
Skids is an excellent figure. His vehicle is perfect and the huge amount of detailing has to be seen to be believed. The robot mode is nice, although it's weaker than the vehicle mode just because it's more static compared to what you'd normally expect of a Transformer. If you can find Skids at a decent price now, then he is more than worth picking up.
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