Divebomb
Beast mode is a hawk.
This mode is definitely one of the best avian modes a Transformer has ever
had, if not THE best. The proportions are much, MUCH closer to normal than
they are on the other bird TFs- he's got larger wings than the others,
while having a smaller body and feet. One oddity, though, is that Divebomb
has no tail feathers to speak off- instead, it's just his robot head facing
downwards. Needless to say, I think that this is a pretty poor attempt
at hiding it, especially since it would have been so much easier just to
put another fold-down tailfeather piece behind the head to cover it, and
that would have solved the problem. It's a small complaint, though, seeing
as how you're not usually looking at Divebomb from a rear view. Another
small downside is that the Energon "neck feathers"- made up of the two
halves of his weapon in robot mode- are definitely overly large, and look
kinda tacked on. You can just take them off if they bother you that much,
though. The color scheme itself is excellent, and fits in with the other
Terrorcons in its "white, transparent green, and some other complement
colors" scheme. He's also got quite a few paint apps for a basic toy, and
a great variety of colors used just once or twice to give him a more eye-catching
look to him. The mold detailing's pretty good, too. Oddly enough, Divebomb
also has pretty good articulation in his HAWK mode. His wings can are on
ball joints, so they can move pretty much anywhere you want them to. (Although
it remains to be seen if the ball joints will eventually become weak enough
where they won't be able to support the wings.) He can also move his little
legs at the hips, knees, and can clasp his talons together... Wow. That's
pretty darned impressive for a bird Transformer.
Divebomb's robot mode
is equally impressive. Heck, when you've got a 'bot who can impale someone
on his KNEECAPS, then you know he's gotta be aweseome. ;) Anyways,
for starters, he's got GREAT articulation. He can move at any point you
can reasonably ask for on a basic figure, with the sole exception of the
waist. His feet are also long, stable, and slightly adjustable, so you
can get Divebomb into a good number of poses. My only complaint is that
the bird legs hanging off the back of his arms don't look like anything-
they're just kibble. They don't get in the way much, though, so it's a
minor problem. Divebomb's proportions are also great. His feet are a little
on the large side, but that seems to be part of the schitck with Energon
anyways, and using the wings as legs was a GREAT idea, so I can easily
let that pass. His head sculpt is also great- very bird-like, while stil
retaining its evil robotic roots. The chest paint patterns are also nice,
with several different complementary colors painted on. Divebomb's Energon
weapon is a Z-shaped boomerang- it's cool-looking, and actually rather
imaginiative. I don't think a Transformer's ever had a boomerang for a
weapon before... The weapon has also got two Minicon ports on it, in case
you want to mount it on a larger Transformer. Like the other Terrorcons,
Divebomb has his Decepticon spark crystal displayed prominently on his
chest in robot mode.
Divebomb is one of the
best basics of the Energon line, if not THE best. And considering how good
most of the other basics are, that's saying a lot. Divebomb is excellent
in both modes, and quite possibly the best avian Transformer ever. I highly
recommend him to anyone who has $7 (U.S.) to spare.
Review by Beastbot