Clone
Commander Cody
Cody's Turbo Tank mode
is pretty near flawless, though for a SWTF it's comparatively got a lot
of "undercarriage junk". There's not as much clearance for the wheels as
you'd think there would be, and the Mech mode hands are REALLY obvious
under the front of the main body of the vehicle mode-- a rarity among SWTFs.
The proportions are great (at least, I'm assuming so-- again, not TOO familiar
with all the different Star Wars vehicles, but this looks pretty realistic
in its proportions), and all the exquisite detailing you'd expect from
a SWTF is there. There's not a whole lot of paint apps, though this is
made up for in robot mode, admittedly. As with all SWTFs, this toy comes
with a Clone Commander Cody miniature figure which can fit inside the cockpit
of the vehicle mode. As for its gimmick, the rear gun is a spring-loaded
missile launcher which can rotate in place (and which can fit in Cody's
hand in Mech mode, albeit not too well).
Surprisingly, Cody's
Mech mode is where the toy really shines. The proportions are surprisingly
bulky and Transformer-ish-- no skinny arms or legs here, folks. He also
has very good articulation-- he can move at the head, shoulders, elbows
(at two places), wrists, waist, hips (at two points), and knees (at two
points). The bulky wheels on his arms and legs can get in the way of movement
a little, but that's pretty unavoidable given the vehicle mode. Surprisingly,
they made good use out of the two wheels on the hips and made them weapon
storage containers of a sort-- the one on Cody's left hip opens up to reveal
missile pod detailing, and the one on Cody's right hip opens to reveal
a small gun that can be held in his hand. The two wheels on his shoulders
also slide open to reveal shoulder-mounted tri-barrel blasters. VERY cool.
Cody's covered in paint detailing in this mode, given that his color scheme
is almost completely different (being of the typical Star Wars orange/white
uniform type). Having his "badges" detailed on his chest is also a pretty
cool detail, as well. The Mech mode head is detailed pretty much identically
to Cody's actual helmet, but given that it looks robotic anyways, I don't
mind it, it fits the toy. The only real vehicle "kibble" besides the wheels
in this mode are the halves of the top of his vehicle mode splayed behind
his upper back, but I actually think this complements the look of the mode,
as they look sort of like insect wings that enable him to fly. I DO mind
the small antennae piece that detaches from his vehicle mode during transformation
and re-attaches to his shoulder in Mech mode, though. Not only does it
seem pointless, but it feels a little loose in its hole in robot mode,
and given that it's such a small piece, I worry about losing it one of
these days.
Clone Commander Cody
is an excellent SWTF, with only a few undercarriage problems with his vehicle
mode and unquestionably the best robot mode out of any of the $15 SWTFs
as of this writing (8/08). Highly recommended.
Review by Beastbot