Posted by TCP on 6/2/2014 to
3rd Party
First things first, THIS IS A TEST SHOT PIECE AND NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT!
Now, on to the good stuff. I must be honest, when I first opened the product it was hard to see past the pantone (paint) imperfections, but as I started to look over the piece and examine the actual structure, I began to quickly appreciate the simple yet G1 Cartoon accurate nature of the piece. The transformation is very straight forward and simple, and it works well (even being a tester with less than perfect fit and finish). The robot mode of this figure is absolutely impressive in any stance, and from any angle! As tall as he is, my fear was that he would look too thin or stretched out, but the proportions look very good to me and I am very pleased with the look of the bot mode. The weight of the piece is fantastic for its size. It is weighted heavier at the bottom (foot and ankle area) to improve stability, which it has plenty of. The ratchets are very good in the hips, knees and shoulders, and it also has lateral ratcheting of about 10-15 degrees in both directions at the knee, which really makes posing him a breeze and allows for some additional stances other figures this large could not achieve.
The hands are very impressive to say the least. They each have 4 points of articulation, and he can make a completely clinched fist with ease, and without it looking too "flat" so to speak. Arm articulation is excellent with the elbows bending up to about a 45 degree angle, and have full range of motion at the shoulder as well. Leg articulation is also excellent, with hinged skirts on the front and sides to allow excellent range of motion in the legs.
The head is obviously darker on this piece than the production one, but honestly it doesn’t look that bad to me as it is, and I wouldn’t mind it staying this way, though I won’t mind it a shade or two lighter either.
As you can see in the photos below, the split cockpit of this tester does not have the peg the production model will have. So, there is more separation on this than should be on the production unit. That should be much more visually appealing than this one.
Die Cast, Die Cast, Die Cast!!! The figure has die case parts throughout it. The base of the foot is made of a very hearty piece, the main structure of the waist is also die cast which allows the legs to slide apart for transformation very nicely. The chest has a die cast inner skeleton that extends up the area around the neck to add stability and strength to the nose piece in Alt mode as the nose piece flips up into a "U" shaped place for the nose to lock into, to ensure that over time, the piece will not become "floppy" in this area.
Die Cast, Die Cast, Die Cast!!! The figure has die case parts throughout it. The base of the foot is made of a very hearty piece, the main structure of the waist is also die cast which allows the legs to slide apart for transformation very nicely. The chest has a die cast inner skeleton that extends up the area around the neck to add stability and strength to the nose piece in Alt mode as the nose piece flips up into a "U" shaped place for the nose to lock into, to ensure that over time, the piece will not become "floppy" in this area.
There is one part of the transformation I do not care for and it involves the two chest pieces that surround the cockpit in Bot mode. These two pieces have several locking points in bot mode and as they are unlocked, these two pieces kind of flop around until they are locked into place in alt mode. I do understand the need for them to do what they do, but it just doesn’t feel good is all. They lock together very securely in both modes, which is obviously the most important part, but I want to share all aspects of the figure, good and bad from my perspective.
My overall impression of this piece is it fills a much needed void in the market and though it is not perfect, it is very impressive. And for the price point this piece, it is a bargain and will stand very proudly on my shelf as a fantastic representation of G1 Cartoon Skyfire! I am sure I have missed several things as I am currently entertaining my 3 year as I write this, but I wanted to get it up tonight for you guys. I will post more photos tomorrow to show the posability and articulation. Until then, everyone have a good night and I hope you enjoy the mini written review of this TESTER.
Last but not least, thank you to DaCa Toys and Rafael for letting me get an early peek as this very impressive figure.
