Lockdown
(Activator)
The Activator version
of Lockdown's muscle car mode is even more exaggerated in its style and
proportions than the deluxe class version of
the mold. It's a solid mold-- there's no robot mode extras visible whatsoever
in this mode-- but the proportions are a bit extreme even by Animated's
standards. The windshield and roof assembly in particular is way too slim
and tall proportionally, and the front bumper of the car is stretched out
a bit more than it should. In addition, although it still holds together,
Lockdown's pieces don't QUITE lock into place snugly in this mode-- there's
a slight gap in the side of the vehicle where you can tell the spring-loaded
pieces are straining to be released from their tabs. (You transform Lockdown,
by the way, by just pressing down on his engine block and then arranging
his limbs appropriately.) The paint apps on the front part look really
nice-- particularly the bright red eeevil windows and headlights-- though
for some reason his back half is almost entirely unpainted, including the
rear windows.
Lockdown's robot mode
simply doesn't measure up to his deluxe toy at all. For one, he has quite
a few kibble problems. There's noticeable shells of his vehicle mode behind
his shoulders, his hollow chest sticks out in a very odd manner, and his
engine block just hangs unceremoniously behind his rear end. He also suffers
from a few proportions problems-- he's not nearly as sleek and mean-looking
as his deluxe class counterpart. His legs aren't as long, his chest is
far too wide, and his arms a bit too short. In addition, the way his feet
transform, it sort of looks like they're upside down. There are some positives,
however-- his head/neck sculpt is very well done, he has a fair amount
of paint applications (particularly on the chest and legs) that add a lot
to his color scheme. I especially like the light green, as it goes exceedingly
well against the black. I also like the "skirt" formed on his waist by
small pieces of his car chassis. Lockdown also has fairly good articulation
for a toy of his size-- he can move at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips,
and knees, and most of those are on ball joints. However, he's not as stable
as you'd think, due to the odd slightly sloping construction of the soles
of his feet. Two additional details that you should be aware about are
that, first, Lockdown has the Movie Decepticon logo emblazoned on his chest
instead of the regular one-- odd. Secondly, Lockdown has both hands in
their normal configuration on this toy, instead of one being molded with
his hook-attachment.
Activator Lockdown has
a decent, if a bit over-exaggerated, vehicle mode, but his robot mode is
kibble-ridden and proportioned very oddly. Unless you're a huge Lockdown
fan who simply has got to have every toy of him that's been released, stick
with the considerably superior deluxe class toy. It'll only cost you a
couple extra bucks.
Review by Beastbot