Sideswipe
(Sidearm)
Sideswipe's vehicle mode
remains the same as his RotF form-- namely, a Corvette Stingray. However,
despite the size and proprtions being nearly identical on this toy when
compared to the initial deluxe RotF toy,
this is an entirely new mold. It's still painted that wonderful silver
all over this mode, which looks even better with the red, which gives it
a great color to contrast against. The transparent shade of red used for
the windows is particularly eye-catching and vibrant, but the stylized
flame paint apps on his front end are also pretty darned cool (which are
"sharp", and remind me of the character's defining swords). The front grille
being silver whilie all the parts around it are red does look a tad odd,
though. My main complaint with this mode-- and admittedly it's a minor
mode-- is that the "cracks" in the vehicle mode, an obvious side effect
for pretty much any Transformer, are more pronounced on this version of
Sideswipe. They don't really match up with where the "cracks" in a car
should be at all, unlike on the RotF deluxe. The front third is particuarly
bad in this respect, and the fact that there's silver paint on dark gray
only magnifies this problem a bit.
Sidearm Sideswipe's
robot mode still keeps it largely accurate to his RotF movie appearance,
but there are certainly some differences-- the transformation is almost
entirely different but still quite satisfying without being difficult.
The differences are both good and bad, so let's cover the good ones first.
First, although Sideswipe's color scheme in this mode retains the rather
monochrome scheme of just silver and gray, the bits of black and red help
liven up a bit more than you'd think. Second, his legs are GREAT. They're
really well-proportioned, full of mold detailing (just like the rest of
his robot bits), and can bend backwards at the knees, but not so much he
loses his balance. And speaking of balance-- this Sideswipe actually has
FEET, which helps him to stand quite well despite being slightly back-heavy.
(This point in particular is a HUGE plus over the RotF deluxe, which had
major stablity problems, having little more than wheels for feet.) The
detailing on the chest, stomach, and waist is also exceptional and a bit
more movie-accurate, and his arms are generally more movie-accurate to
boot. Given his "Sidearm" moniker, this version of Sideswipe has two guns
that can be held in his hands quite well in this mode-- or they can actually
pop out of his rear windows in vehicle mode, which is a really neat feature.
(The guns can be stored in his back if you don't want them deployed.) Sideswipe's
articulation is also quite good-- he can move at the neck, shoulders (at
four points), elbows, slight wrist articulation, as well as movement at
the hips (at two points), knees (at two points), and ankles. Plus, the
"tubes" running from his waist to his hips don't get in the way of movement
as much as they did on the RotF deluxe. Now, as for the downsides-- first,
Sideswipe is missing his signature weapon-- namely, his swords. It's not
a design flaw by any means, as he DOES have guns, but removing one of his
primary characteristics makes him feel a little "incomplete" somehow. Also,
Sideswipe's chest sticks out a bit too much and is a bit too wide. This
makes his head seem smaller, and it already IS a tad small proportionally.
Also, although the movie Sideswipe toys have always had some back kibble,
the pieces that hang off Sideswipe's back don't really contribute in a
positive way to his silouhette at all, and don't have anywhere to peg in,
either. The big side panels of his car mode hanging behind his shoulders
are the big offenders, here.
Sidearm Sideswipe is
another great take on the character, with completely different strengths
compared to the RotF deluxe. This one is more stable, has a better color
scheme, cool gun-weapons, and better legs. However, the initial version
had better proportions on the head and chest, less obvious "cracks" in
the vehicle mode, his signature swords, and its kibble folded in behind
the back in a more pleasing manner. Overall, I can't recommend one version
of the mold over the other-- they're both fantastic, just in different
ways. If robot stability matters to you a lot and you prefer guns over
swords, I'd recommend this version over the initial release.
Review by Beastbot