Lugnutz' vehicle mode is a very realistic motorcycle-- nearly Alternators-esque in its realistic actually. It's quite impressive for such a small figure. All the necessary details, such as exhaust pipes, vents, handlebars with brakes, and even a license plate on the back end with a Decepticon symbol are all present and accounted for. The color scheme of orange, black, and gray isn't the most eye-catching or exciting, but it is certainly a realistic color combo (which is the Earth planet's general theme in this line, anyways) and doesn't clash. Lugnutz also has a decent amount of paint apps-- I especially like the gold flame apps on some of the orange parts, though the gold could stand to be a bit brighter to contrast with the orange a little more. I also like that a few of the paint apps, such as the dull blue used for the headlight, are only used in one place, as it gives the impression that more care went into Lugnutz' color choices. As for his Cyber Key gimmick, Lugnutz' is really simple, but non-intrusive and effective-- insert the Cyber Key into its slot in the rear of this mode, and a (non-firing) missile rack pops up to take out some Autobots!
    As for his robot mode, well... few Transformers have such a contrast in quality between their different modes as Lugnutz does. Simply put, Lugnutz' robot mode is absolutely horrible. A few things are okay, such as the "core" robot proportions if you don't include the kibble, and the color and paint detailing, are still okay, but other than that this mode could use a LOT of work. For one, Lugnutz practically has two-thirds of his alt mode hanging off his back. And unlike most Cybertron toys, it's not incorporated well into the robot mode at all, and just sort of hangs there. The motorcycle wheel-halves are especially annoying and intrusive, as they're not connected to the backpack itself, but rather the shoulders, which means they get in the way of articulation a LOT. What's worse, only two very small tabs are holding the entire backpack to the main robot body, so needless to say, it doesn't hold together all that well. A little casual fiddling with the upper body and the backpack comes unhooked-- very annoying. Lugnutz' robot head is a bit too far in his chest, as well-- I would have preferred an actual bonafied head rather than just a "peekaboo" head that flips up from part of the motorcycle. There's also a sizable, very noticeable gap in the side of Lugnutz' main body, as a result of his transformation. It's rather unsightly. Another downside is that Lugnutz' arms aren't long enough to hold his gun properly-- he has to hold his gun at a slight angle if you want the elbows bent at all. And finally, although Lugnutz' articulation is pretty fair-- he can move at the shoulders, elbows, knees, and hips-- his arm articulation is horribly limited because of the kibble on his shoulders and his backpack, and his stability is also adversely affected by how back-heavy he is.
    Lugnutz is one of the poorest basics of the Cybertron line. Don't be fooled by how great his vehicle mode looks inside the card, his robot mode is simply a pile of haphazard junk-- this toy should have spent much more time on the drawing board before being finalized. Not recommended unless you're a completist or just like the character (like me).

Review by Beastbot

Back to Transformers: Cybertron Index