Sideways' vehicle mode is a Kawasaki motorcycle- says so right on the package, in fact, with the Kawasaki logo and all. Anyways, this mode is pretty darn neat. Although I'm not a big proponent of yellow on Transformers, it looks rather good along with the black and silver on this guy, and it's not too bright, either. Although there's really only three main colors on this 'bot, there's enough varied paint detailing where you really don't notice at all. However, an oddity about this toy is that the yellow parts aren't made up of yellow plastic, but, instead, are black plastic parts painted entirely yellow. I have absolutely no idea why it turned out this way, as the yellow paint may tend to wear over time, and just solid yellow plastic would have been better. Anyway, the mode itself looks very great from either side. Very sleek and realistic, with great mold detailing where need be. The robot fist on the bottom sticks out a little, but it's not that big of a deal. The only thing that does rather irk me about this mode is that it's not symmetrical. Yes, I know that most motorbikes aren't completely symmetrical, because they have their exhaust pipes on one side, but I mean besides that. The mid section sticks out slightly (but not too much) on one side, while it doesn't on the other. The front and back wheels also only have one part connecting them to the motorcycle, instead of two, like on most motorcycles. Because of this odd asymmetry, the motorcycle looks a tad off from the front. What's really cool is the electronic feature in this mode, which is amazing it's even included on such a small toy; press the button between Sideways' handlebars, and a "chainsaw"-like extension connected to his back wheel lights up. It lights up pretty strong, too, so that's good- no "faint lights that don't work" here. Sideways' obviously doesn't stand up that well by himself in this mode, having only two wheels, but he does have a kickstand attached, so that works pretty well to stabilize him.
    Sideways' robot mode is also very cool-looking. The wheels on the shoulders complement this mode quite a bit, instead of hindering it a bit. Sideways' face looks very "ninja-esque", and the mostly-black color scheme helps this look out even more. Sideways' chainsaw blade attaches to the side of his right hand via a peg in this mode, so more light-up goodness there. The main body of the motorcycle also stays hidden on his back pretty well, and doesn't get in the way much either. The "shield" on the bottom of his right hand looks a bit odd, though, as does the kick stand on the bottom of his left hand. There's also a noticeable gap between the bottom of his chest and the beginning of his waist, which detracts from the look a little as well. Sideways' wire connecting his chainsaw to his electronics pack gets in the way of movement quite a bit on his right arm, hindering poses in that area. Sideways' legs are functional and articulate, but they tend to snap off a bit too easily during transformation, so be careful. Still, the overall look of this mode is pretty darn cool.
    Sideways is definitely a cool-looking transformer in both modes, but he has a few too many flaws (such as the odd asymmetry of his bike mode or his restricted movement in his arms in 'bot mode) for him to be in the "must-buy" category of 9.0 or above. A worthwhile transformer to buy, at the least.

Review by Beastbot

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