Rodimus Minor's vehicle mode is pretty reminiscient of his G1 self, with all the things that characteristically make him Rodimus-- the dark red/gold/fiery color scheme, the big angular spoiler, the big exhaust pipes. It fits the Animated aesthetic quite well without tweaking it a whole lot, though the major change is that the exhaust pipes are near the top of the car now instead of on the sides. Proportionally it fits right in, and there's no robot extras to speak of. Rodimus' weapon, a double-barreled crossbow blaster, has two trigger-activated missile launchers-- though in vehicle mode it really doesn't turn into anything it just sits on the top of his roof. Granted, you can take it off, but there's nowhere else to put it. Another minor quibble is that there's no middle of the rear of this mode, just an open space-- though the sides hide it well enough that this isn't really that much of an issue unless you view him from an almost direct rear view.
    Rodimus' robot mode is also pretty much flawless. His portions are quintessential Animated, with a slight "curve" to the stance and a bit of an angular fit to most of his body parts. The chest is just a TAD wide, but that's about all the beefs I have with him proportionally. All of that vehicle kibble stores away incredibly nicely, with it either tucking away on his back or the sides of his arms. I love how they made his characteristic tailfin frame his head in this mode, and how the rear parts of his bumper form strong shoulders. His head mold is excellent too, giving Rodimus a pretty strong jaw and making him look a bit more mature than he usually does. The light piping used on his transparent blue eyes is very well-done, and he's another Animated toy that has molded "pupils" in his eyes that seem to follow you wherever you go, another fantastic touch. His engine parts on his upper legs are a nice touch, as is the engine piece that flips around on his chest to become the Autobot symbol. Plus, the added light orange really makes his color scheme pop in a way it didn't quite do in vehicle mode. Rodimus' crossbow weapon can be held in his open-palmed hands quite firmly, though it doesn't have any "string" that his second hand can hold to imitate him pulling back on the bow. Rodimus articulation is fantastic-- he can move at the neck (at two points), shoulders, elbows, wrists (at two points), waist, hips, knees (at two points), ankles, and even sideways in the middle of his lower legs if you want to give him a more widened stance. Due to the fat-to-skinny nature of his arms, his elbow articulation is ever-so-slightly restricted, but that's a minor quibble for a toy you can get a ton of excellent poses out of.
    Animated Rodimus Minor is an utterly fantastic figure in pretty much every way, and not only rises to pretty much the top of the Animated pile, but also takes his ranks among the greatest Transformers designs of all time, in my opinion. Such a shame it was released at the tail-end of the line and with such limited distribution. Excellent articulation, proportions, next-to-no kibble... unless you're REALLY not a fan of the Animated style, this is an absolute must-have figure.

Review by Beastbot

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