Magnaguard
The Magnaguard droid's
alternate mode is, appropriately enough, the starfighters that they pilot.
As is the case with most Star Wars Transformers, everything in vehicle
mode looks pretty spot-on-- there's no Mech mode extras, and the proportions
all seem in order. Even though he doesn't have a lot of mold detailing,
what mold detailing there is really helps increase the "tech" look of the
vehicle, such as the circuitry lines along the sides. All of the relevant
details are done in a fairly nice dark gunmetal gray, too, which contrasts
well with the light purple-- along with some nice dark gray tribal marks
near the cockpit, which help to break up the colors a bit more. And speaking
of the light purple, even though it and the black/gray detailing don't
exactly make the most exciting color scheme ever, it's much appreciated
in a line almost entirely dominated by off-white vehicles. The only real
telltale sign that this is "more than meets the eye"-- and it's a VERY
slight one-- is that compared to other toy models of this vehicle, the
bits behind the wings that form the feet in Mech mode are more "square"
and less aerodynamic. As for weapons, the Magnaguard has four non-firing
gunports on the front, and two gunports on the side which can each fire
their own spring-loaded missile. Two small landing gear can also flip out
from the bottom side to keep the Magnaguard stable in this mode.
Given how good his vehicle
mode is the Magnaguard's Mech mode is also surprisingly good-- VERY good,
in fact. The proportions are quite good, being very humanoid while still
having their own distinct lanky "look" to them that doesn't limit itself
to just the arms or legs but is shown throughout the whole figure. I do
wish his shoulders were a bit wider, however. His face is appropriately
robotic in its nature with lots of great detailing, and because the Magnaguard
is already a droid the "robotic human/alien face" dilemma that plagues
the line doesn't show up here. Although the transformation "cheats" slightly
by having the gun ports detach and plug into his shoulders, the Magnaguard
really doesn't have much vehicle mode kibble, either-- the bottom part
of his cockpit hangs rather unceremoniously off of his back (though it
does peg into place to keep it locked in a certain position), but it's
a small piece and doesn't impede articulation, so I don't mind it much.
Speaking of articulation, the Magnaguard also excels in that respect--
he can move at the neck, shoulders (at two points), elbows (at two points),
wrists (at two points), hips, and knees (at two points). The only major
point he's missing is waist movement. There is one dilemma with his articulation
and quality control, however-- due to the nature of the transformation
and how his parts peg together, his arms can come undone at the elbows
quite easily while moving them around, and it's pretty hard to slide them
back in solidly, which is obviously quite annoying. As far as weapons go,
the Magnaguard is covered-- he has two handheld blasters that are formed
from his vehicle mode's side guns, and most awesome of all, his four guns
can detach from his shoulder pads and all connect together to form an awesome
battle staff! That's REALLY creative, right there, and one of the most
impressive points of the figure. Unfortunately, he has no storage for both
of his blasters, so it's impossible for him to be carrying both of his
blasters AND his staff in this mode. Still, small quibble.
The Magnaguard is one
of the best Star Wars Transformers, looking very solid in both modes with
great proportions, articulation, weapons, and practically no vehicle mode
"kibble". Plus, he's not off-white, which is a bonus in my book when it
comes to this line. Even if you're not much into this line, I'd highly
recommend getting this guy. Popping-off elbows are the only rather annoying
aspects when it comes to this awesome design.
Review by Beastbot