Stockade
(Movie)
Stockade's vehicle mode
is a minor variation on the Sector 7 SUVs seen in the movie, with just
enough differences to avoid licensing issues. It still has the same general
proportions and colors-- almost entirely black in this mode, with a few
other colors as accents. There's just barely enough mold and paint detailing
for me to give him the "okay" on this mode, with there being detailing
on stuff like the door handles and front bumper, but not a whole lot of
detailing on the top of the car or the back end, for instance (though the
bright red tailights help give Stockade a bit of contrast back there).
His windows are transparent, but there's no interior detailing, just visible
robot parts on the inside. Luckily, the windows are dark enough for this
not to be particularly obvious. On the plus side, though, the proportions
for this mode are absolutely perfect, and there are ZERO robot extras--
it's a solid, well put-together alt mode.
Stockade's vehicle mode
may be great, but his robot mode is really what makes this toy stand out
from others. Although he's still mostly black, a few lighter colors show
through here, such as light gray and the "Allspark Power" electric blue--
both go quite well with their surronding colors and help make Stockade
more visually interesting. His transformation is simple for a mainline
toy, yet leaves this mode looking very, very different from his vehicle
mode, which is always good in my book. His proportions are very unique,
having a broad chest, huge, bulky arms, and comparatively short legs. He
looks very much like a short but tough Decepticon thug. His head sculpt
is particularly well-done, and given that his visor is eternally masked
in shadow, it makes him look all the more evil. As expected, Stockade's
"robot parts" have exceptional detailing, with tubs and armor plating and
the like visible all over. I particularly like his his chest and lower
legs have fake "car parts" molded into their design. Stockade's articulation
is also quite good-- he can move at the neck, the shoulders (at two places),
elbows (at two places), at the base of each of his two main fingers (his
thumb can't move), and at the waist, hips, knees, and ankles. As for Stockade's
gimmick, if you push back on the sliders on the back of either of his lower
arms, his fists propel themselves forward in a fairly cool "punching" gimmick--
as it his arms weren't long enough! The only real complaints I have about
Stockade's construction come down to the windows just hanging off his lower
arms and shoulders and the panel behind his head, as they're just blatantly
vehicle parts without contributing anything to the look of the mode.
Stockade is a great,
very distinct-looking mold all-around, with a few minor kibble parts in
robot mode and a lack of general detailing in vehicle mode being his only
real downsides. Highly recommended.
Review by Beastbot