Autotroopers
(Botcon 2011 Attendee-Only Exclusives)
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet here.)
For the "Troop Builder"
add-on for an Animated-themed Botcon set, the Autotroopers were a no-brainer,
having already been used in the background of the show and being obvious
re-molds of Cybertron Mode Ratchet, yet never getting toys themselves.
Loosely based on the Kiss Players character of the same name, the Autotroopers
have a pretty simple, law-enforcement color scheme of white and black,
with some blue and silver in there to liven things up a little more. It's
the blue in particular that really makes this color scheme stand out and
pop-- both the "regular" paint shade and the transparent plastic used for
the window-chest are extremely eye-catching, and contrast very well with
their surrounding colors. The silver a bit less so, but it still helps
to break up the white and black a bit more. However, that's not to say
the white and black aren't nice by themselves-- they're both very "pure"
versions of the colors, and thus somehow look "cleaner" than the whites
and blacks on most TFs. The Autotroopers also have an impressive amount
of paint apps (mostly black)-- having the little notches on the sides of
the chest and the lines along the sides of the leg-treads painted is especially
cool, and no large spot is left for want of paint. The backside of the
front treads isn't painted, but those are about the only details that aren't.
The Autotroopers also have a special modifed version of the Autobot symbol
on them (it sort of looks like an Autobot symbol inside of another) to
help designate their status and position.
The Autotroopers have
a new head mold, which is done extremely well and is spot-on with the animation
model, right down the "head goggles" and the little black paint apps on
the sides of the faceplate. Just a really stellar job done, here; no complaints.
Obviously the Autotroopers
aren't for everyone, being "troop builders" and thus not really unique
characters on their own, but if you're in the market for them, they're
very well-done. The "pureness" of the white, the shades of blue, and the
sheer number of paint apps make this my favorite version of this mold released
by a hair.
Review by Beastbot