Time for another Guest Review. Enjoy!!!
Transformers
Generations Sandstorm Review
Review by
Davestator
So
long as Hasbro faithfully and lovingly acknowledges the characters
they gave us that made us fall in love with the franchise in our
childhood, I suspect they will always have a fan base. So long as
the figures keep getting done right, and for the right price, I will
probably keep my eyes peeled for the newest releases for the rest of
my days.
The
trend of revamping those characters has continued admirably with the
triple changer Sandstorm, an Autobot who turns into both a dune buggy
and a helicopter. In my own honest opinion, some of the classics
revamps have not turned out to look as cool as their original
counterparts. In the case of Sandstorm, however, Hasbro seems to
have surpassed their original design while also cleverly revamping an
existing mold, tweaking Springer's mold into this one.
Sandstorm in a snowstorm! Get it??
In
bot mode he looks pretty slick. The wings/wheels assembly form a
cool "backpack" that can be displayed either opened outward
or compressed behind his shoulders:
"There was a fat guy in a red suit trying to sneak in through your chimney, but you don't need to worry about that NOW, ma'am! Fat Bastard Claus is now just another stain on your wall!"
Noticeably
different from his original G1 form, not the least of said
differences being that he now lacks a face plate, replaced instead
with a mouth:
Is it just me or does this guy kind of look like Michael Bay?
His
overall build is much less "dumpy looking" than his
original version, which I feel is a plus. The whole backpack effect,
unfortunately, does make him rather top-heavy which can make some
poses difficult to achieve, albeit not necessarily impossible. Being
a reworked version of the Springer mold actually works for this guy
in my opinion, but mainly because he was also given a new, very
formidable-looking weapon.
"Say I look like Michael Bay ONE MORE TIME! I DARE you!"
The
interesting thing about this weapon is that it does feature a firing
missile, but instead of a spring-loaded firing mechanism, there is a
pull-back assembly that sends the missile flying into some poor
unsuspecting passer-by's eye. (Please watch where you point that
thing, seriously!) Personally I have always thought that firing
missiles were an unnecessary addition to any TF toy but that may just
be me. There are, after all, better and less embarrassing things one
could accidentally choke on.
Alt
mode 1: VTOL Aircraft Mode
The
original flight mode on the G1 toy was a huey-style military
helicopter. If you thought that one was cool (which I know I did at
the time,) then THIS one blows that away! Gone is the single rotary
blade on top which used to make for an awkward appendage when trying
to decide how to mold the other modes. In its place is 2
side-mounted rotary blades which are much easier to work into other
modes by comparison.
You
will notice in the pics above there are 2 ways you can mount the gun
in aircraft mode. On the pic on top, you can see I mounted it to the top.
On the bottom pic, it is mounted beneath the nose, which is how the
instructions and box images show as the "correct way." In
my honest opinion, the "correct way" is a pain in the ass.
It does take some figuring out and jockeying to get the gun mounted
that way and it also renders the landing gear useless. It does,
however, remind me of some cool '80s military action flicks I loved,
so that may be a plus.
Alt
mode 2: Dune Buggy
As
with the helicopter alt mode, the G1 dune buggy was rather cool, but
THIS version....wow! This totally blows away that one with miles to
spare! Like many other reviews I have seen, at first I thought the
jumbo rear tires may have been pushing it, but upon seeing the real
thing, I see that if anything it gives it just the right touch. As
you can see in the pics, the gun can be mounted on the roof. Of
course, a dune buggy THIS epic is still plenty cool without it, but I
like to keep all the pieces of a toy with the toy with the toy as
much as possible.
I
have to say, if I were ever to own a dune buggy I would want one JUST
like this!
Yeeeeeeehaw!
Overall Rating
The
pros: Whether
it be bot mode, dune buggy mode, or VTOL mode, this figure is several
times cooler than the original. Posability is, of course, the most
major improvement in any of the classics/universe versions, but this
one looks like they put more time and attention into making the
details more pleasing to the eye. Also, for a retooling of an
existing mold, this one has a lot more of an identity of its own,
thus relieving it of what I call "the seeker syndrome." It
is a voyager class figure, so it does command a higher price tag, but
this one is well worth it.
The
cons: For how
simplistic the differences are between alt modes, this figure can be
frustratingly easy to transform incorrectly. In shooting the pics
for this blog entry alone I had to go back and reshoot several shots
after looking at them and realizing I either left the cockpit in the
wrong position or had the arms turned wrong. I do admit however,
that may be more my flaw than one of the toy's. The only other cons
are that posability is somewhat limited by the whole backpack
assembly, and the head sits loosely on its ball joint to where his
head keeps looking down like he's making sure he didn't spill on his
shirt. The loose head could possibly be fixed with some clear nail
polish, but to date i have never tried that trick. Maybe it's time
to try it....
"Sittin' on the dock of the bay...."
Maybe an Army career is for you?
Like
any other figure, Sandstorm has his pros and his cons. Whether or
not one outweighs the other depends on our own perceptions, but to me
and a few other reviewers I've seen, the pros definitely outweigh the
cons, and he is worth the average $23 price tag on him. Until next
time, this is Davestator saying "MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY YULE
LOG!!"
I have a Gift for you its up in my Bum!
#transformers
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