Robots in Disguise Skid-Z/Wind Sheer

Among the many Car Robots re-releases in the RID line are those of a few of the basics in the line. One of those was Skid-Z, called Indy Car in the Car Robots series, was packaged with another basic sized toy and sold under the deluxe price point. A few months ago you could find these guys for $9.99 at Walmart, though now they seem to be pretty scarce. Big Bad Toy Store had some left, for $11.99 (oddly enough, the same price KB Toys charges for them), so I snatched them up.

Interestingly enough, while Skid-Z was used in Car Robots, who he is packaged with, Wind Sheer, was not in that series, nor did he appear in RID (to the best of my knowledge), but these two molds are related in that each originated in the not very successful Machine Wars line, which was a KB exclusive that debuted around the same time the Beast Wars line came out, though there was no show to back it up. Anyways, in that line Skid-Z was released as Prowl and Mirage and Wind Sheer as Megatron and Megaplex. Just thought I'd mention all that.

Skid-Z
Skid-Z is a formula 1 race car in vehicle mode, and I must say it's pretty neat. It rolls very well, and I like the color scheme a lot. Also, unlike his counterpart, there's no kibble to speak of. The only thing that really annoys me about the car design is the rear spoiler looks too short and could use some sort of detailing I think. Ah well.

Transformation is simple, though dangerous to the functionality of the toy. What you're supposed to do is push up the rear spoiler, but the joint is so tight and the plastic so soft that if you aren't careful about it, you may bend and snap the purple plastic holding the entire mechanism together. However, as long as you're careful with it, everything should remain unbroken.

Robot mode is cool looking, though the front of the car (which becomes his chest in a Beast Wars sort of move) is a bit too wide, so movement of his arms and legs are slightly limited by this (mainly his arms). If the front wheels folded up under the car part it would make life a lot easier, but as it is, they get in the way a lot.

Skid-Z showcases the same two piece gun the other two packs have, but his is cool because of the double barrel action. You can also attach the barrel the opposide way (which is less stable) for a cool silencer look. Anyways, I like Skid-Z's robot mode a lot, despite the kibble problems. It's neato and his head can move, unlike Skyfire's head.

Wind Sheer
I'm not exactly what a 'wind sheer' is. I mean, I know what a 'wind shear' is, but a wind sheer, that just makes me think of women's sheer stockings. Maybe Wind Sheer is some sort of cross dresser. Hrm.

Well anyways, is vehicle mode he's a 'F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter', and he looks pretty durn cool. He's made almost completly of black plastic with bright yellow accents which look very cool on this mold. There's also a Decepticon symbol on each wing, which is cool as well, and I must say his jet mode looks even cooler than Skyfire's, and Skyfire's is damn cool.

Transformation is simple. Push the nose down and tada! I really can't go into it much more.

Of course if you're a G1 fan you may wonder why Wind Sheer's robot head is a replica of Megatron's head, and that would be because he is Megatron. I mean, he's not Megatron in the series, since he isn't even in the series, but he was released as Megatron in the Machine Wars line, so that's where he gets it from.

In my opinion they could have painted his head a bit more, as it's hard to see any sort of detail on his face without holding is colose to your own face. The bright orange eyes also detract from this, but that may have been the whole point seeing as how they probably didn't want him to look like Megs.

Another thing I like a lot about this mold are his forearms. The end of them, by the elbow, extends a bit (the length of the entire upper arm) which gives for a really cool look. As with, well, everyone but Tow-Line, Wind Sheer showcases a really huge gun that comes in two parts. He has the same poseability as the others, and I like the color scheme a lot, even though it hides some details quite well, so this two pack is probably better than the other one, though Tow-Line is the best member of the four. All in all, these two are worth the ten bucks they'll cost you (or $12 as BBTS).