Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Well, this is certainly a nice surprise. While I am less than thrilled with some of the newer Transformers for their "generic sci-fi" vehicle modes, this one is compensates with several excellent sound effects and some neat tricks. First of all, and I believe someone else pointed out, it doesn't look like any single piece of construction equipment I know. It looks to be a fusion of two-a steam roller and bull-dozer. I am not overly familiar with such equipment, though, so forgive me if I erred.
In vehicle mode, the bucket raises and lowers as you push it back and forth. You can insert the Mini-Con that comes with it (Rollbar) into the cab. Doing so properly will cause a nice "start-up" engine noise follwed by a few seconds of "running" noise. This running noise can also be triggered by pushing the vehicle around (so that the back roller rotates). So the sound effects more than make-up for the irregular vehicle design (I alsways preffered my Transformers to have more "realistic" vehicle mode). Another detail I liked was the actual rubber tank treads. A small plastic bar keeps them on but still allow them to turn, which is nice- I broke three sets of treads on one of my old toys because said treads kept slipping off. This too helps make the toy feel more "real". Finally (at least for the vehicle mode) the green color harkens back to the old "Constructicons" of G1, which is nice for nostalgic purposes.
The robot mode is a mixed blessing, but in the end is good. The way it transforms gives it a twistable "waist", which is something lacking in some of its fellows. Another benefit from it's transformation is hands that can open up. This let's it actually grab, again a feature not possesd by all of its siblings. It has a limited elbow joint (due to the treads), and lacks "true" legs: the bucket splits and flips around in front of the roller to give the appearance of legs. They also attach to the roller, however, have a joint so that they may bend. You can then push the robot to make it look like its stomping around Godzilla-style, a worthwhile trade-off. In this mode you can fire a missle from it's hip. Not a stupendous feature, but its there, and it works well.
Educational value is higher than normal. First, they have a new comic in them (I assume they are chaning them with the new waves). So it gives some exposure to other languages and of course encourages reading. Again, there is a simple but good moral lesson in the little comic book. Finally, since the toy has a construction them, it seems a little more educational to me (I used to "build" with the Constructicons I owned when I was young). In fact, that may be part of this toys strong points: while I have no problem with the miliary aspect of Transformers, it is nice to see ones that have more peacible uses.
This toy comes with the Mini-Con Rollbar. Rollbar is an excellent Mini-con. It is a small jeep and looks the part. It's tranformation is a bit tricky (some pegs have to line themselves up juuuuust right), but are worth it in the end.
If you want a fun toy to play with, this is it. Most people say I act like a three-year-old, so I feel my opinion is valid. ;) Serously, all the things I loved as a child are present, and it's still a reasonable likeness (at least to its Dreamwave comic-book counter-part). If you are a Transformer fan of any age it's a great toy. Basically, unless you hate robots, construction vehicles, or sound effects, get it!
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Transformers Armada Ultra Class Scavenger with Rollbar Mini-Con Figure
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