Highbrow here is a "lite" homage to the G1 character of the same name-- mostly because he's got an alt mode with two primary rotors, though beyond that and his allegiance, that's about as far as the homage goes. But I like the general alt mode change as Highbrow has a REALLY unique alt mode that, to me, is one of the main selling points of the toy. He bears a striking resemblance to a WWII P-38 Lightning, which-- as can obviously be seen-- has a very unique shape. Despite this, Highbrow remains remarkably robot kibble-free in this mode-- his chest sticks out a little bit from beneath the center section, but other than that this is a very solid mode, and the proportions are quite well-done, as well. The dark military green is a fitting color for a military plane, though the light blue (more visible in robot mode) is simply a way too light, "pastel-ish" color that doesn't really fit with the green at all-- in fact, I'd say it borderline clashes with the dark green. It's just an ugly combination, his two main colors. The secondary colors-- like his various shades of gray-- fit well with his alt mode, though, and a couple of the silver and gold accents help to break up the green a bit (though he could still use a few more paint apps near the rear end of this mode). Highbrow's mold detailing is incredibly well-done-- little "rivets" are EVERYWHERE on this guy, and little details like the intakes on his rotary engines and the seat inside his little transparent cockpit make all the difference. Highbrow also has three retractable landing gear, though I wish they didn't make his vehicle mode point upward so much when all deployed, as it makes it a little more difficult to photograph/display at a nice angle in this mode without the blue robot chest on the underside making itself known more than it should. As for gimmicks, by pressing down on either of the gold engines behind his rotors, you can cause said rotor to spin. It's a pretty neat little gimmick, though it should be noted that the rotors don't spin entirely freely-- they're on a geared system, so as soon as you stop pressing the button up and down the respective rotor will stop.
    Highbrow's robot mode is generally well-done for the most part, but it does have a few weaknesses. Let's start with the good stuff-- he carries over the excellent mold detailing from his vehicle mode, and his proportions are generally pretty good (though his legs are a bit long and the hips a tad wide). His landing gear integrates remarkably well with his chest design, to boot. I love the way that his mini-wings with the missiles form a sort of a "skirt" at the side of his hips, and the rotary guns on top of said wings can be taken off and put in his hands for a bit of handheld firepower. The way his rotors collapse on his lower arms is also pretty cool, too, as is the fold-down visor on his robot face (which, when flipped down, looks like a WWII pilot's helmet). Highbrow's articlulation is also pretty good-- he can move at the neck, shoulders (at five points), elbows (at two points), inwards at the wrists, and he can move at the hips (at three points), knees, and ankles (at two points). His "toes" can also move at one point on the central one on each foot and two points on the outer one. Alright, now for the bad stuff-- most notably, Highbrow's hands are just OFF. Presumably because of the rotor gimmick, they're way too far "outwards" when compared to the upper arms, and just look really odd, there's no getting around it. Also, his robot face is an ugly mesh of a movie face-- often I like the movie aesthetic, but this face just doesn't look so hot, with the lips too pronounced and the face otherwise too smooth (though the light piping on his clear eyes works quite well with his visor up). There's some fairly obvious vehicle mode kibble on his back, made up of the segmented parts of his cockpit. They don't get in the way of articulation or anything, but they don't lock firmly into place either, and just sort of hang there unceremoniously. On some lesser notes, Highbrow's heels are a bit odd (being so long and so flat), and the tab that holds the halves of his waist together can come undone a little if you try to move his legs outward at the hips (though it's not a complete disconnection).
    Autobot Alliance Highbrow has a great, unique vehicle mode and a pretty good robot mode as well-- though the latter falls short in a few places, such as the odd placement of his hands and the blatant back kibble. His color scheme also borders on bad. Other than those couple of quibbles, he's a great mold and I'd mildly recommend him-- though he's also the version of this mold I'd recommend the least.

Review by Beastbot

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