Sideswipe
(OTFCC 2003 Exclusive)
(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 RiD Prowl. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of RiD Prowl here.)
OTFCC Sideswipe is meant
to be the same character as the classic G1 character
of the same name, and it shows, both in his red-and-white color scheme
and in his alt mode. In fact, his alt mode is almost a spot-on representation
of his G1 alt mode- if you take away the boosters, of course. Like his
Exclusive brother Sunstreaker, Sideswipe
has a mold change made to him from the original RiD Prowl mold- the sirens
are gone, with a red sticker in its place. (There's a sticker there instead
of red paint because the white plastic on this toy isn't made to hold onto
paint very well.) While this does make him more accurate to his G1 counterpart,
this DOES mean that the boosters can no longer be held onto his sirens,
or on his back in robot mode as a jet pack. If you ask me, it really wasn't
worth the trouble, since you now HAVE to have his jet boosters in only
one place in each mode or you have to put them aside.
As for Sideswipe's color
scheme, it's pretty nice- I like red a bit more than Sunstreaker's yellow.
However, the same complaints surface here- although Sideswipe has plenty
of color contrast in his robot mode, his vehicle mode is a little boring,
given that it's almost all either red or black. More paint detailing in
this mode would have made it look better.
Sideswipe is a pretty
decent repaint, even though I like the Super
RiD Prowl version better. This one's vehicle mode is a bit "blah",
and I don't like the fact that the police sirens have been removed. Still,
it's a great tribute to a G1 character, and worth picking up if you can
afford it. Recommended slightly over his brother Sunstreaker, both because
I think red looks better than yellow and you'll probably find this one
for cheaper, since it's not a Hotel Exclusive as well.
Review by Beastbot