Robots in Disguise: Sideways vs. Axer
Okay, the Walmart around here finally got a case or three of these in. I'm not sure
exactly when, but there were at least sixteen there when I found them today. Well, fifteen of
them now.
For those who don't know, these are repaints and slight remolds of two new molds for the Generation 2
line. Originally Sideways was Road Rocket and Axer was Road Pig. After that they were remolded and
released in Japan as Microman vehicles. I don't have either of those two incarnations, so there's
really no comparison for me to go on, so I'll do a full review. Ain't I nice?
Sideways
Sideways was the name actually slated for a toy in the upcoming Armada line, I believe, but they
opted not to use it for whatever reason. Enter the end of the RID line repaints and name reuse. Sideways is
packaged in vehicle mode and it's that of a Yamaha style. I'm not sure if it's a specific model, but it's
definitely a Yamaha. The cycle is all black and yellow, in fact there's quite a bit of yellow on him, but
none of it yellow plastic. A lot of painted parts also scrape either in transformation or just
by moving robot mode parts around, so I don't know how well you should expect the paint to stay on in
certain areas.
Overall the cycle holds together pretty well, though his left arm, which snaps into place
to cover his head, has a tough time staying in place if you don't push it in just right. Also the
right side of the cycle looks a bit empty as the area in question is filled in with axle details on
the other side. The back wheels would have potential to have this same problem, but his saw blade weapon
takes up the slack nicely.
All in all cycle mode is very nice, and the only way you can actually tell it isn't a motorcycle
toy is by the fist on the bottom of it close to the front wheel. Otherwise you'd be hard pressed to
tell just by looking at it. Oh yeah, the light up gimmick works in this mode, but there's really
no point in it as it doesn't even mimic a hot tail pipe like Axer's does.
Transformation is pretty tough, but not shell former tough like many of the other RID toys. I know, this
isn't really a RID/CR toy, but you know what I mean. The most annoying part is his upper body which ends up
housing both the wheels as shoulder kibble as well as the entire front of the motorcycle on his
back. Also it does some rather tricky twisting and turning that would be easier were it not for
all the stuff in the way. However, once you get the hang of it, you shouldn't have too much of a
problem.
Robot mode is pretty cool looking, despite the wheels on his arms which really add to his look. His legs
suffer from Buzzsaw and Mirage syndrome (Beast Machine versions) as his legs below the knees accounts for
about 2/3 of his entire leg length. Also his thighs are rather limited ball joints, but his knees are
pretty mobile, so it makes up for it a little. His arms are severely inhibited both by the wheels and
the wire that connects the gimmick to the weapon.
For some odd reason the wire that connects the battery to the LED which attaches to his arm in robot mode is on
the opposite side of the arm it attaches to. I mean, I know what they were thinking, since in vehicle mode the
LED ends up on the same side the wire comes out of, but they could have at least put it in the middle or
something. Ah well.
The LED, by the way, is very bright. There must have been amazing jumps in the areas of LED technology, because
along with AOTC R2-D2 the most recent LEDs have been amazingly blinding compared to what I was used to.
Robot mode, while suffering from kibble problems and some poseability issues (keeping in mind that
these were among the first Transformers designed to actually be poseable of course) is still pretty
neat. I like it.
Axer
Axer is packaged in robot mode in order to show off the try me gimmick (press his chest and his
missile thing lights up) via a small hole in the package window. Unlike Sideways, Axer has nearly
no paint apps to him, and he's almost entirely black except for a few silver and gold details. If you're
wondering why it's tough to decipher between the two in
Jackpot's awesome fanart of them, well, it's because
of Axer.
While robot mode isn't as kibblerific as Sideways, it suffers from a couple other problems. If you want to be
picky, his legs don't look very much like legs, just unfolded parts of the motorcycle, which is what they
are. If you want to be less picky, he has problems standing up, which is weird since he's not as
overly top heavy as Sideways is. What it really comes down to is that his heel spurs are rather
small and the wheel he carries as backpack adds to that problem. However, if you position them back a little
so they're closer to the center of gravity (which is on a vertical plane behind his head), he stands a lot better
and without any problems.
Aside from that, Axer is pretty cool. He has much better arms than Sideways, with his shoulders not
only being less limited, but also being ball joints instead of Sideways' swivels. The LED wire
connects to, well, ass, but it's the perfect length so that his arm can move in any direction and
be put in any position without being limited by the wire. Also you can press on his chest like I mentioned to
activate the LED gimmick.
Transformation isn't too tough, and it's nearly a walk in the park compared to Sideways'. Clip his legs
together, fold them up, clip the front wheel and the visor together and fold up the arms. Very simple. The
most annoying part is you need to rotate his lower arms 180 degrees which I'm sure will lead to elbow ball joint
wear over time. This is also virtually the only time the wire gets in the way and I'm sure it'll have you
screaming when it forces the fist out of the little peg.
Motorcycle mode is that of a Harley, but one of the ones with a trunk of sorts in the back. I'm not sure of the
official name for it, sorry. The cycle, like the robot, is largely black, but more gold and silver details
show up here than in robot mode. It also has a kick stand, like Sideways, however it's not overly
necessary as the wire and the huge exhaust pipe (the laser weapon) are fairly good at keeping it
propped up. Axer's fists also rub against his rear wheel a little, which of course is always a
problem. Other then that vehicle mode is quite cool, though a little unstable in the rear at times. Also
the laser weapon actually makes more sense than Sideways' since you can at least pretend it's a
hot exhaust pipe.
Overall, well, he's more poseable than Sideways in robot mode, but he doesn't quite look as cool, and his
vehicle mode is rather neat as well.
The Set
Overall, a very good deal really. They're the size of basics pretty much, but they have a deluxe
sized gimmick. Back in 1994 they cost $10 each, so the set for $15 is a pretty good deal. Also these
seem to be appearing in large amounts at Walmarts across the country, so there doesn't appear to be a
shortage as with Storm Jet. If you see 'em and you don't have any of the originals, pick them up. Otherwise
it's up to you. Not without their flaws of course, but both of them are very cool toys.
