Groove's alternate mode is a motorcycle, and a bit sleeker and longer proportionally when compared to his more conventional police motorcycle mode in G1. The proportions do seem just a bit TOO long, though the motorcycle is thankfully wide enough that it can still stand up by itself, thanks to the little kickstand molded near the bottom of the left side. There were clearly some compromises made for his proportions for his other two modes, but although noticeable they're not that bad. All of the necessary details are there; windshield, the headlight, the treaded front wheel, a (rather undersized) drivers' seat in the center, with exhaust ports molded on the top back-- they almost look like rockets-- and a rear wheel embedded within the mass at the back of this mode. His overall color scheme is pretty classic Protectobot/Autobot and faithful to his G1 self, as he's mostly white and black with some gray. Hardly an eye-catching color scheme, but it does work, though I wish the gray plastic were of a more metallic shade and not the milky shade it actually is. There's also a couple of nifty paint apps to give at least a bit of color in this mode, like the nice light gold paint on the windshield, the bits of red on the sides, and the police-like "star symbol" on the sides with an Autobot symbol in the center of it. The feet are also coated in black paint, for a reason I can't fathom. (I'm also not sure what the ports are for on the back sides, in front of the police/Autobot symbols; they're not used in any mode. They're too close to the ground for most 5mm weapons to fit in said ports...) I do wish Groove had just a bit more paint-- particularly of the red or gold variety-- to break up this mode a bit more, like some paint on his headlight or drivers' seat. On the plus side, Groove's wheels have some good clearance despite how they may look at a casual glance, and he can roll on a flat surface pretty easily.
    Groove's robot mode definitely deviates the furthest from his G1 form out of all the Combiner Wars Protectobots (at least those that were in G1), with some very skinny and different proportions compared to his traditional G1 toy. (The transformation is mostly accomplished by folding down his windshield and simply spreading/folding out his arms and legs from their motorcycle mode positions.) His legs are VERY long-- about three-fourths of his height, in fact, and it's this that is my main issue with this mold (though I do like the wheel-halves embedded in the inner sides of the legs). I can stand Transformers being a bit "leggy" if it suits their form/personality, but this is way too much. He also has overly large feet that fold out from the seats, and in general from the waist down he looks clown-ish. Luckily, from the waist up he looks pretty good; the front motorcycle wheel hides quite well behind Groove's back, while the windshield forms a nice chest and the handlebars nice "shoulder armor". The arms themselves also look pretty nice-- skinny, but not overly long like the legs. They are hampered slightly by the couple of pegs used for his other modes, but otherwise they look great-- I wish the metallic gunmetal gray paint on them was used more on the toy. His head is a bit small proportionally, but the sculpt itself is nice, with a silver visor, black "helmet" and gold face with a rather stern look on said face. The mold detailing on his other robot parts is pretty minimal, as they're just small gray bits connecting his appendages, all of which are at least partially visible in vehicle mode. Groove's articulation is quite good-- he can move at the head, shoulders, elbows, hips (at two points), knees, and forwards at the the ankles. Due to his transformation, he can also "ab crunch" a bit and lean forward a bit at the waist, though there's no waist rotation. Given his large feet, this means he's very poseable and stable. I do wish he had some sort of weapon, though.
    Groove's third mode is meant to contribute to the Defensor gestalt in a more... proportional manner. Instead of forming a limb he forms a bit of chest armor (though it should noted that this armor is completely optional; Defensor's chest looks just fine-- albeit flat-- without Groove). I wish the upper robot legs weren't quite so blatantly obvious, but otherwise it actually looks pretty nice as an add-on piece of armor-- the motorcycle front wheel, handlebars, and windshield are apparent enough so you know what vehicle is on Defensor's chest, while the legs fold up against the sides to "widen" the mode a bit and the arms angle backwards, as they're mostly used to peg into the slots in the center of the Defensor's chest to keep him connected firmly to the torso. There's also slots and tabs on the lower arms and legs to peg together to make the whole armor mode a bit more solid, but unfortunately the legs come out of their slots pretty easily; it's a bit of a bummer, but thankfully it's not like you're fiddling with him all that much in this mode once you get him connected to Defensor.
    Combiner Wars Groove is a nice choice for those who feel Defensor's torso looks a bit barren without some armor, or for those who want Groove to contribute to the gestalt in a more proportional manner. His armor mode is surprisingly good, and his motorcycle mode is also fairly solid, if a bit odd proportionally. It's his robot mode where the proportions get really wonky, with absurdly long legs and a small chest and head, though he's got great posability. Not recommended so much as a figure by himself, but more as part of a team and/or combiner. The deluxe (and, of course, exclusive) version of Groove is for those who want a more G1-esque update of the character with a more solid robot mode.

Review by Beastbot

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