Skids' new vehicle mode is a Scion xB-- definitely a pretty boxy, unique car style when compared to most of the other Alternators, but one that fits Skids well, considering his boxy G1 version. As you'd expect from an Alternator, Skids has practically no robot parts visible in this mode at all-- the only real robot pars are the feet if you open up the trunk door, and even then then fit in well with the shape of the rear seats anyways. Given that the trunk, the hood, and all four doors open, hiding robot extras is no mean feat. He also has all the stuff you've come to expect from Alternators-- adjustable seats and steering wheels, his front two wheels turn together, his tires are rubber, etc. I also like the new, sparkly, partially tinted windows-- they help Skids' boxy vehicle mode look a bit classier. Although I think the big "SCION" logo on the top of the front window is a tad hokey (though the company was probably insistent on it being put there), the flaming wheel paint apps on the sides of the car look really, really nice, and really help to spice up the mode some.
    Skids' robot mode is pretty good considering the limitations of the vehicle mode, though it does suffer from a few proportion and kibble problems. My main beef is that the robot head is almost laughably small proportionally, even without considering the large chest it rests on, which makes it look even smaller. (That said, the head IS a pretty faithful, slightly more beefed-up recreation of G1 Skids', and taken by itself, looks pretty good.) The Scion hood-chest is pretty large, but at least it folds down in a diagonal position to lessen how much it sticks out. I'm not fond of the big packpack made of the roof that Skids has hanging off his upper back, though, or the rear bumper and rear doors hanging off his legs. The bumpers may look odd, even if they don't interfere with movement, but I really worry about the rear doors-- the way they're positioned, and considering that they can't fold against his legs or anything, I worry about them chipping or cracking if Skids were to fall off a table a few feet and onto a hard surface or something. Skids' engine gun is also really, really small, though I guess the size was definitely limited because of the constraints of the vehicle mode. The arms are look pretty good, however, and Skids' articulation is pretty good-- he can move at every major point except the waist, so you can get a good number of poses out of him.
    Alternator Skids is definitely one of the more unique Alts when it comes to the alt mode choice, and I do love the decals and color choices. When it comes to the design of his robot mode, he's slightly below-average when compared to the Alternators line as a whole, though he's still certainly a marvel of engineering, as nearly all Alts are. Recommended.

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Review by Beastbot

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