Review: #720
Name: Reboost
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Masterpiece
Year of Release: 2021
Size Class: Masterpiece
Mold Status: remold of MP-53 Skids
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:
In an interesting choice, the 54th mainline release in the Masterpiece line features an aesthetic that's more reminiscent of the days after the first reboot (i.e. MP-10 Optimus and the Lamborghini robots).
Opening up the box reveals the various accessories, including three weapons, a scooter, a hologram figure and the collector's card.
VEHICLE MODE:
Reboost transforms into a red first generation Honda City R and first off, all the red is paint, so the vehicle mode looks slick.
As expected of a Masterpiece figure, there are plenty of details, it's really impressive.
That said, Reboost is a bit on the smaller side, not helped by the vehicle mode's small size in rea life. Reboost is more compact than a Deluxe figure, but he does have heft to him and feels much more solidly put together than mass retail figures.
While the mode hides the robot parts quite well, some of it does peek out from the bottom
Although the attention to detail is impressive, right down to the silver paint for the side mirrors.
The vehicle mode features opening doors, although the whole piece opens without leaving side panels / trim, so it isn't perfect.
However, to make up for that, the hood and the back also opens. All of these feature a mechanism where the panel is slid slightly out to allow the room to open.
Having all the doors and hood open is a neat feature that also doesn't compromise the figure itself.
Reboost comes with a hologram driver, basically a transparent figure that is horrible. It's made from a soft plastic and due to the balljoints and limited range, his legs like to pop off.
The driver can be squeezed into the driver seat, it's tight and fiddly so it isn't worth the effort.
The cooler accessory is the foldable scooter, Component X, apparently based on the real thing that came with the Honda cars.
It's a neat little thing and pairs well with the vehicle.
The avatar can ride on the scooter but again, it is fiddly to get him just right.
The truck is also used to store a few other things, including all three of his weapons.
This is a fantastic vehicle mode. Being licensed, it is able to faithfully replicate the details of the vehicle and the red really makes the figure pop.
TRANSFORMATION:
Reboost is one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, Masterpiece figure we've had in years. A big reason for that is his relatively simplicity. He doesn't overcomplicate things, which is great. However, that also means he doesn't have any unique Masterpiece twist that we've come to expect. The back extends to form his legs, and the only interesting part here are how faux elements fill out the back of his feet. The hatch door, roof, and hood piece all fold up to form a backpack, while the doors stick out as wings. This means his arms fold out from the underside, and you fold the rest of the front of the vehicle down. A neat part are that there are small pieces of his torso that fold up to fill in the gaps.
ROBOT MODE:
Reboost's robot mode doesn't follow the extreme cartoon accuracy of recent Masterpiece toys, and that is great because he is a brilliant mix of toy and cartoon accuracy.
However, as a result of that he carries more kibble that one would expect. A lot of the car's shell is now folded up on his back and he has chunky legs.
The head sculpt is fantastic, with a brilliant shade of blue coupled with the silver faceplate.
In terms of size, he's not quite Voyager size but is much taller than a Deluxe. He carries quite a bit of heft and feels much more premium too.
Naturally, he has plenty of articulation, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers (as two pieces), hips, knees and ankles.
He can pull off many poses with ease but his shoulders leaves a bit to be desired since they don't fully lock into place.
The other "issue" is that the red parts in robot mode aren't painted. So we have unpainted red that doesn't match against the painted red, somewhat disappointing in this aspect.
What Reboost doesn't lack are weapons, he has three types, and all of them are chromed.
Naturally, he can hold the gun in his hand. You'll have to open his hand first to then slot the gun in.
You can fold the handle of the gun up, which will then allow you to attach it directly onto the forearm.
The second weapon is a similar looking gun, although this one lacks a handle and has to clip directly onto the forearm.
There is an alternate way of clipping it onto his forearm, and that is you can clip it on top of the hand. It's just a little bit of variety.
And finally are his twin-barrelled gun, that can only also be clipped.
And just like the other, it can be clipped on top of his hand rather than the side.
As good as the robot mode is, it's not all good, since he has proportion issues with thin arms and thick legs.
The lower part of his legs are also chunky as they're the whole rear of the vehicle. The back part is fake kibble too, painted to look like the car's windshield, a weird decision.
In the end, this is still an amazing robot mode, and feels like a return to form for the Masterpiece line, rather than constantly chasing against extremely cartoon accuracy in return for excessive cost.
OVERALL:
Masterpiece Reboost is a fantastic figure. Yes, he is still pricey, but is more palatable. He's not overly complicated and over-engineered, so that he's actually fun to transform. The quality is here from the higher build quality to the amount of painted details. If you can, then Reboost, or any of his repaints (Skids or Crosscut) are worthwhile.
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