Review: #437
Name: Barricade
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Masterpiece
Year of Release: 2018
Size Class: Masterpiece
Mold Status: new
PACKAGING:
The Masterpiece rendition of Barricade from the live-action movies comes in the same black packaging. You can tell that the vehicle mode is licensed thanks to the large Ford logo.
The back only shows off the robot and alternate mode, and the face gimmick. A far cry from the numerous stock photos from mainline non-Movie Masterpiece figures.
VEHICLE MODE:
Barricade transforms into a fully licensed Saleen S281 Extreme Ford Mustang police car.
This is a fantastic vehicle mode. The only robot kibble that sticks out are the robot heels underneath the rear (it seems that exposing robot feet at the rear of the vehicle is a common issue).
There are plenty of painted detailing here making Barricade worthy of the Masterpiece moniker. While the black is not painted, the whites are.
You get his iconic "to punish and enslave" motto on the back along with "643", "9-1-1" and "POLICE" tampographed at the appropriate spots.
While at the front are Decepticon police badges. The insignia is subtle and works well for a robot in disguise.
The headlights are painted as well as the indicator lights. The vehicle is well proportioned and there are not obvious robot hinges sticking out.
There are no gimmicks in vehicle mode apart from the rolling wheels.
Barricade is approximately the size of a Voyager, although he is much heftier thanks to the density of parts and also the die-cast. Above is a comparison against Classics Voyager Optimus Prime.
This is a wonderful alternate mode with only one nitpick flaw which you don't really notice too much anyway.
TRANSFORMATION:
While Barricade can still be classified as complicated, it is not too bad. There are a few areas where you need to manipulate smaller pieces to achieve screen accuracy but on the whole, the concept is quite simple and effective. The sides form the arms, while the hood forms the torso, the legs from the vehicle's body and the windows and roof compacts into the robot mode's backpack.
ROBOT MODE:
Barricade's robot mode is the most screen accurate we've had but it is still not perfect.
He carries the roof and windows of the vehicle on his back but they peg nicely together and everything is so compact that it is very elegant.
The head is painted silver and looks awesome. There are gold and blue highlights in addition to the red to his eyes. It is extremely detailed with intricate sculpting.
The gimmick here is that his mouth can open. You can actually tilt the head all the way back and you can only tilt so far before it looks unnatural.
Size-wise, once again, he is approximately the same as a Voyager.
Above is a comparison against MPM-3 Bumblebee. While Barricade is still an awesome figure, you can't help but feel that not as much love was put into this toy as Bumblebee since there are still a number of screen inaccuracies and while Bumblebee looked as screen accurate from the back as the front, that cannot be said for Barricade.
Articulation is absolutely fantastic. He has joints for ankles, knees, hips, elbows, shoulders and neck. Due to transformation, his wrists are fixed although you can open and close his claws.
Due to how the arms form together from multiple parts, moving them may dislodge and disconnection one piece or another, which is slightly annoying.
The ankle tilts goes a long way in allowing Barricade to balance in various action poses. He has die-cast in his torso and also parts of his feet, stabilizing him.
Barricade really looks a lot better in hand and you can appreciate the various clever design choices to achieve this look.
He comes with his wheel-spike weapon. When not in use, there is a clear stand which you can attach the weapon on for display. This is because the piece cannot store in vehicle or robot mode when not in use.
The way the weapon connects is terrible and lazy. You fold the claw arms back and unfold the forearm. Then you attach the weapon as an extension.
The biggest flaw to the way it attaches is that it makes his forearm pretty much non-existent and insubstantial. It looks okay if you're looking at him at an angle but view from the other side and it is horrendous.
The other issue is that the connection point is weak meaning it's easy to accidentally detach the weapon when moving his arm. Add to the fact that the wheel is too heavy for the elbow joint and his arm will most likely sag.
Despite those flaws, this is a pretty cool weapon and the wheel spins as it is on a pin joint. All in all, the robot mode does carry a premium feel with plenty of paint highlights, intricate sculpting and plenty of articulation.
OVERALL:
Like the others in the line, Masterpiece Barricade is the ultimate rendition of the character in toy form. This is a fantastic figure well worth the higher premium price. His vehicle mode is superb and the robot mode, while it has its own issues, is still really good and feels great in-hand. Barricade is highly recommended for fans of the movie.
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