Human
Torch (Marvel TF Crossover)
Human Torch's vehicle
mode is a futuristic jet that looks like it can go pretty darn fast-- the
nosecone is very long proportionally, with molded-in semi-translucent "flames"
on the sides of the nosecone and on the tail ends of the relatively small
wings and coming out of the rear thrusters. It's a really nice effect,
and most of the flames gradually fade from orange to a transparent yellow-orange.
This, combined with the predominantly bright orange color scheme, really,
really works well for the Human Torch. Heck, it seems like the only reason
they even bothered to complement the orange with silver is so that the
mode doesn't look completely like it's on fire. (The silver IS needed for
contrast, though-- a completely bright orange toy would have looked a bit
gaudy.) The mold detailing on the rest of the vehicle mode is decent, though
not extraordinary-- and you can't have too much mold detailing on a sleek
figure like this without partially ruining the whole idea of "sleek". I
wish this mode had some landing gear, though-- that's the only thing it's
really missing. No obvious robot mode extras whatsoever. The Human Torch
has a standard missile launcher under each wing which fires a "fiery" projectile.
The Human Torch retains
his fiery look in robot mode, as he should. The fiery detailing on his
"hair" and chest is just as good as it is in vehicle mode, so it's great
to see that effect continue in this mode. His head is also molded really
well, what with the "bandanna" and all, and the paint detailing makes it
look robotic enough while still looking Human Torch-y. Human Torch's proportions
in this mode are pretty spot-on, and his articulation, while not spectacular,
is pretty good-- he can move at the neck, shoulders (at three points),
elbows, wrists, hips, knees (at two points), and ankles. There's also very
little kibble in this mode-- most of it folds behind his back, and the
wings fold up against the arms quite nicely. That's not say this mode is
perfect, however. The most annoying thing about it is that pressing down
on the "4" symbol in the middle of his chest, which is supposed to slide
his chest pieces apart some and pop his head up, does it, but doesn't really
lock either into place very well, so often during play his head will start
sinking back into his chest and his chest pieces will start to close up
some. His kibble behind his back, consisting of part of the back of his
jet mode and his nosecone, also does not lock into anything, and the nosecone
halves poke out from behind the back rather unsightly, though their partially
transparent nature negates this somewhat. On another minor note, his wrist-mounted
missile launchers can't detach and fit into his fist holes, and there's
no design reason why this shouldn't be the case.
The Human Torch is one
of the more impressive Marvel Transformer molds, with a few niggling downsides
like his chest pieces & head refusing to lock into place and a bit
of back kibble in robot mode, but otherwise he's excellently designed.
Recommended-- the only thing stopping him from getting a "must buy" rating
of 9.0 or above is that I think his color scheme is a shade or two too
bright, it really could have used a secondary dark contrast color.
Review by Beastbot