Lockdown is most definitely
a Movie version of the Animated character of
the same name. Pretty much everything about this toy is an homage to that
character, but made more realistic in proportions and with a more "movie-esque"
look in robot mode. As for the alt mode, The spikes are still really darn
big (though the largest ones are rubbery, to meet safety standards)., and
really add to the menacing theme of the vehicle. He's got great mold detailing
bits all over, like the bults all over the car mode, the spiked fromt bumper,
the exhaust pipes on the back end, and the like. He also has a ton of paint
apps, like the traditional green & light green stripe designs down
the roof of the car, as well as the tailpipes and certain pieces of armor
plating painted a nice metallic gold. All of the non-rubbery spikes are
painted silver, to boot. This goes excellently with his predominant color
of black and gray, which by itself would be rather boring. Adding in all
those contrast colors really makes him pop a lot more, though. The red
used for the transparent headlights and windows is also a nice touch and
goes well with the black, but you can see a few small bits of his robot
mode through them. Other than that minor incident and the fact that you
can see his butt from the back end of the vehicle (again, a small matter),
there are no robot mode extras to speak of in this mode. His robot mode
hook does come very, VERY close to the ground in this mode and gives him
almost zero clearance for his wheels, though.
Lockdown's robot mode
is almost as close to his Animated design as his vehicle mode was. There
are many of Lockdown's characteristics carried over-- the long neck, the
hook-arm, the asymmetrical appearance, the front-bumper-feet, and the "expanding
outwards" of the transformation that makes Lockdown look considerably bigger
(mostly vertically) than he does in vehicle mode. First, let's get out
of the way the negatives about this mode. First, on such skinny legs, having
the wheels just sitting there on his upper hips doesn't look all that hot,
and can hinder movement a little. He also has some of his car kibble unceremoniously
hanging off his back, and more problematically, his shoulders. The right
arm doesn't have it all that bad, but the way his vehicle kibble folds
over his left shoulder just looks kinda sloppy. His hands are also a bit
too flat and two-dimensional. However, he certainly has a ton of positives
to make up for those negatives-- his color scheme still pops (although
slightly less than in vehicle mode), and he's got extremely good mold detailing
that really makes him look evil. His hook (though rubber) is HUGE, almost
like a scythe, and his head sculpt is downright terrifying. It's like Animated
Lockdown with a lot more detail and a mouth replaced by a (relatively)
long vertical spike through his chin. His hand is also really skeletal,
and the tall, bird-jointed feet help him look a bit more alien, as well.
He's also got some nice features-- all of them are minor, but together
they're fairly satisfying. First, when you move his hook-hand up or down,
there's a piston behind it that moves with it. Also, when you turn his
knees from side-to-side, some detailing on the inside of his upper legs
moves, thus supplying his "Mech Alive" gimmick. Finally, the engine from
his vehicle mode-- emanating an EMP generator, something taken from his
relationship to Ratchet in the Transformers
Animated series-- can be stored in a port on his left arm, though it admittedly
doesn't fit in all that securely. He's also got pretty good articulation--
he can move at the neck (at two places), shoulders (at two places, though
the ball joints here can pop off a little easily), elbows (at two places),
at the wrists, and at the hips (at two places), knees (at three points),
and ankles (two points). So minus the waist, he's got pretty much all the
articulation you ask for. Plus, his ankle joint can also rotate from side-to-side
a bit, letting him do some poses with his legs that few other TFs can.
This, combined with his large, stable feet, allow you to pull off a ton
of cool poses with him.
Revenge of the Fallen
is not only a great homage in both modes to the Animated character of the
same name, but is a great toy on its own right, with both modes being both
excellently designed and very unique. A few pieces of vehicle mode kibble
on his shoulders and lower back are the only things keeping him from being
among the best TFs of all time, but he's definitely up there with the best
RotF deluxes. Highly recommended, regardless of your attachment to the
character.
Review by Beastbot