Nightbeat
(RotF)
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Revenge of the Fallen Detour/Dead End. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Revenge of the Fallen Detour/Dead End here.)
Nightbeat is a bit of
a repaint homage to the G1 character of the same name-- though honestly
his bio is a better homage than the repaint itself. Yes, G1 Nightbeat was
a slightly futuristic-looking blue sportscar with yellow flames, but that's
about as far as it goes. This version of Nightbeat has light gray and a
light brown serving as the main complementary colors in robot mode. The
light gray goes with the blue well, and the light brown goes okay with
the gray, but the brown with the blue? Not so much. Certain shades of brown
CAN go with certain shades of blue, but both of these are light enough
where I don't think they contrast well enough with each other. Plus, the
way the brown parts are situated make it look like his feet and hands are
just really dirty or sometihng. Same with the dark brown paint used on
his windows in vehicle mode. What's interesting about Nightbeat is that,
as far as paint apps go, he has quite a few different colors, though most
of them are used in only one or two small areas. Unfortunately, most of
these paint apps are used in vehicle mode (too good effect, but still),
leaving his robot mode a bit barren in that respect. Still, all the paint
apps do contrast quite well with the plastic pieces they're on, and Nightbeat's
yellow "flame patterns" almost look like tribal tats, which is a pretty
cool effect. His license plate says "NGTB34T"-- the homage there is obvious.
He's also got a very nice "worn metal" effect on the front end of the car
mode. Maybe he DOES have a few problems keeping himself in ship-shape...
No mold changes have
been made to RotF Nightbeat.
RotF Nightbeat is an
okay repaint with some decent colors and a wide variety of paint applications,
but unfortunately it's a rather poor homage to the G1 character, bio aside.
The robot mode just looks waaay too evil to ever pass for any Autobot,
much less Nightbeat, and the colors are definitely different excepting
the light blue. As such I'd recommend Dead End/Detour slightly over this
guy.
Review by Beastbot