Lockdown
Lockdown's vehicle mode
is a muscle car, done up in the Animated style with a really evil look
to it. Of course, the mostly-black color scheme helps, but the sculpted
spikes on the top of the roof really add to that illusion, as well as the
red windows and headlights and the "narrowed eyebrows" look of the front
end of the mode. The spikes on the front bumper and in the middle of the
wheels are also really nice touched, as well. Combined with the slightly
exaggerated proportions of the car mode, it really gives the whole toy
a wicked look even at a casual glance. The exposed engine and exhaust pipes
also make it look like he could really burn rubber, as well. As with most
Animated toys, Lockdown is rather scarce when it comes to molded detailing,
but his paint detailing is pretty lacking in car mode, as well. The spikes
are painted, as are two small green stripes near the front of the car,
but other than that he's bereft of paint in this mode, which makes him
look a bit more plain than he otherwise would have-- I mean, c'mon, not
even a painted rear window? On the plus side, there IS some pretty neat
"circuitry" detailing on the windows, but it's partially overshadowed by
the fact that you can see Lockdown's only robot extra in this mode-- his
head-- through the windows.
Lockdown's robot mode
is one of those that is so incredibly different from the vehicle mode,
with so few vehicle mode "parts" comprising it, that it makes you go, "how
the heck does that become THAT?!" I'll say right now that Lockdown's robot
mode is nothing short of a feat of engineering. All of his car mode parts--
ALL of them-- work into his overall robot mode seemlessly. He also "grows"
substantially in this mode, and absolutely TOWERS over pretty much any
other deluxe figure, and is even taller than many voyager-class figures.
He's got long legs, which gives him a tall, imposing form, especially considering
his face sculpt, which is incredibly well-done. He continued the "lizard-esque
armored" look from his vehicle mode, with considerably more green showing
through in this mode-- I especially like the green "skeleton-like" patterns
on his chest, waist, and upper legs-- and he also has some spikes on his
shoulder pads and neck. The silver deco on his face is also really well-done,
and the semi-smirk fits the character perfectly. Fitting with his "bounty
hunter/scrapper" personality, his body is also slightly asymmetrical, given
all the "upgrades" he's installed in his own body over the years. His two
legs have noticeably different details on them, and he also has a "weapon
pack" that fits over one of his arms-- this contains a flip-out "hook-hand"
and the car engine, which converts to an EMP generator. It's all really
well-done. However, he's not quite perfect in this mode-- there are a few
flaws, though all but one of them are minor. The major one is that you
have to be quite careful when folding out his hands-- if you fold them
out any further than about what looks to be halfway, they'll crack, and
rather easily, too. This is a huge mold defect, and the one major strike
I'd hold against this toy. There's no real reason for his hands to have
to only come out of his lower arms halfway like that, it makes them look
rather awkward. There's a few other, minor, problems Lockdown has as well--
his shoulders don't fold up all the way, his upper arms are really small
proportionally, and his knees are joined such that they look a bit awkward
when bent. Lockdown's overall articulation is still boss, however-- he
can move at the neck, shoulders (at two points), elbows (at two points),
waist, hips (at two points), knees, and limited movement at the ankles.
Lockdown is a great
design for one of the best original characters in Animated, and his transformation
is nothing less than a feat of engineering. Add into this a very tall,
imposing robot mode, a very evil look in both modes, and a good color scheme,
and it's easy to ignore his one major flaw-- having to be careful with
his hands. Highly recommended.
Review by Beastbot