Mudflap
Mudflap (Ugh, what a
ridiculous name!) has an alternate mode of a crane. In most respects, this
mode is pretty good; there's plenty of great mold and paint detailing on
him, with nice little bolks and hinges molded into him everywhere-- there's
even little chairs molded inside his front and rear cockpits! His color
scheme is also fitting for a construction vehicle-- light blue, gray, and
white is a color scheme not uncommon on real-life cranes. All eight of
his wheels can roll very well (no cheap "fake" wheels on this big boy),
and his crane platform can rotate all the way around. He also has not just
one, but TWO unique Cyber Key gimmicks, a rarity for a Voyager-size toy.
For starters, if you insert his Key into the slot on the side of his front
section, a missile launcher flips out that you can fire ahead at any incoming
Autobots. However, when the launcher is deployed, it doesn't have anything
locking it into its new position-- this isn't a problem in this mode, but
it means that if it's deployed in robot mode, it wiggles around a bit whenever
you fiddle with the figure. I'm also not too fond of how asymmetrical the
missile launcher looked when it's in its unlocked position-- it's a different
color than the surrounding parts, not to mention the obvious missile sticking
out from the front section and the fact that it doesn't fit in shape-wise
with the surrounding piece-- it makes the launcher stick out like a sore
thumb. Mudflap's other Cyber Key gimmick is really awesome, though-- extend
the crane arm all the way and then insert the Cyber Key into the slot on
its side, and a loooong sword flips out-- this is one heck of a long weapon,
let me tell ya-- it's especially apparent in his robot mode, it even borders
on being ridiculously long! Now tell me Mudflap can't kick butt with THAT
thing! He's the first $20-and-up toy in a LOOOONG time to not have electronics,
but I don't mind this at all-- I find electronics to be annoying and detracting
from the design of the Transformer more often than not. One minor quibble
is that the sword doesn't fold out completely parallel with the rest of
the crane arm, but an ever-so-slight angle. It by no means ruins the gimmick,
but it is a tad noticeable. Mudflap has a few robot extras rather visible
in this mode; his shoulders, upper arms, waist halves, and upper legs are
all very apparent near the middle of the crane body. I wish there was some
kind of panel that had been added to cover up those obvious extras, as
I would've preferred an extra kibble panel or two in robot mode as opposed
to extras this obvious.
Mudflap's robot mode
is really the star mode of the toy-- he's got spot-on proportions (though
his feet are a bit too flat), a nice color scheme that mixes it up a bit
more with some dark blue and purplish red, and some nice detailing. His
head design is original while still having a bit of a "classic Transformer"
design to it. It also doesn't look as evil as most other Decepticons' heads,
which is appropriate considering Mudflap is an Autobot-turned-Decepticon.
The light piping also works very well to make Mudflap's eyes glow quite
easily. Mudflap has great articulation, being able to turn at any point
you can reasonably expect on a toy of his size, and all the joints are
nice and sturdy, too. His waist articulation is limited some by the wheel
panels on his back-- other than that, however, I don't mind the wheel panels,
as they keep out of the way and help give him the appearance of a bit more
mass. There aren't really any other extras in this mode, unless you count
the Cyber Key weapons on the back of his hands extras (which I don't--
they serve a purpose and allow him to hold additional weapons in his hands
if you so desire). His long sword-blade is really quite a formidable weapon
in this mode, and probably the defining feature of Mudflap-- it's over
twice as long as he is tall!
Mudflap has a decent
crane mode, but his really shining features are his awesome robot mode,
unique and fun transformation, and his super-long Cyber Key-activated sword--
definitely one of the best crane Transformers there's been so far. Recommended.
Review by Beastbot