Review: #705
Name: Punch / Counterpunch
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot / Decepticon
Line: Generations - War for Cybertron: Earthrise
Year of Release: 2020
Size Class: Deluxe
Mold Status: repaint of Power of the Primes Punch / Counterpunch
VEHICLE MODE:
As a light repaint of the Power of the Primes release of the character, Punch transforms into a sports car with a lighter shade of blue and some yellow highlights.
He loses some paint applications, namely the rims are left unpainted. He does gain the yellow but they can look out of place.
In terms of size, Punch is above average for a Deluxe nowadays, above is a comparison against TLK Bumblebee.
The wheels roll and that's about all the play value you'll get from this mode.
The robot gun usually stores on the underside of the vehicle, but you can get it out and attach it to the top of the roof.
Despite the lighter color scheme which may feel a bit weird, this is still a decent and pretty good vehicle mode.
TRANSFORMATION (TO COUNTERPUNCH):
The beauty of this figure is how simple he is to get to the three different modes. To get to Counterpunch, you just need to unfold the back to form the legs, while the hood splits into three. The two outer pieces form the arms, while the central pieces into into the (faux) torso. Once you flip up the head, make sure the helmet is flipped to reveal the eyes of the Decepticon's face.
ROBOT MODE (COUNTERPUNCH):
The gimmick of this figure is that he has two robot modes, one for Autobot and one for Decepticon. Counterpunch's actual allegiance is a Decepticon, and the robot mode is a bit more "evil" in that aspect.
The back pretty much shots off the Autobot's form but anyway, at least it has a flip down piece to cover the Autobot insignia, and the helmet covers enough of the Autobot's face.
The head in size may be a bit small, but it packs enough detail with it.
Counterpunch has plenty of articulation, with joints for his shoulders, elbows, waist, hips and knees. However, this mold originated from Power of the Primes, so it doesn't have the ankle tilts that's standard from Siege onwards.
He has a small yellow pistol as his weapon.
The pistol can be held in either hand, although to be honest, it's a tad bit small
Due to reusing the limbs for both robot modes, he lacks proper protruding feet.
This is a good looking robot mode, and this was it for the figure, he would still be worth it.
TRANSFORMATION (PUNCH):
To transform from Counterpunch to Punch, you pretty much turn him around, and then flip the helmet piece to reveal the eyes of the Autobot's face. The only other change are the arms, where you fold the shoulders up, which can be tricky due to how they are supposed to peg.
ROBOT MODE (PUNCH):
Punch's robot mode to be fair, is not too much different to Counterpunch's but there are enough changes to make him a distinct character.
Punch has the same amount of shoulder kibble as Counterpunch, but because Punch's version has it arranged sticking up and close to the torso, it feels bulkier and more awkward in comparison.
The head sculpt is naturally more heroic, it's still too small, proportionally speaking, though.
Since it's just Counterpunch flipped 180 degrees, Punch is exactly the same height.
Articulation also remains the same, since the elbows and knees are specifically designed to have enough range whether that's bending forwards or backwards, so there's no compromise between the modes.
The weaponry is the same, and this is where it kind of sucks, since both forms uses the same small yellow pistol.
One thing that Punch does worse is shoulder articulation. The shoulder pieces are tricky enough to peg into the slots that they have, but they're sticking out in such a way to get in the way of moving his arms, and it's annoying.
Otherwise, this is the weaker robot mode, but still pretty fun.
OVERALL:
Punch / Counterpunch is an awesome mold. The vehicle mode is really cool, and having two distinct robot modes is a lot of fun, even if Punch's robot is a little bit weaker. If you've missed the first release, then even though he's in a double pack with Barricade, he is probably worthwhile.
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