Slugslinger
Slugslinger's vehicle
mode is a futuristic jet with two nosecones. Slugslinger is a definite
nod to G1 Slugslinger in this way, since G1 Slugslinger's alt mode was
the same thing. However, any similarity beyond that (except for allegiance)
I haven't noticed. Anyways, this mode looks pretty great- there's a very
nice blend of colors, and tons of paint apps. The gray, blue, and teal
go excellently together, and the orange highlights are just icing on the
cake. Although perhaps a slightly lighter shade of green would have worked
a little better, the green used on Slugslinger still fits in with its surrounding
parts reasonably well. The propotions are very close to perfect-- the wings
are a little on the small side, but that's pretty much it. There's also
absolutely no robot extras to speak of. Pretty much the only real downside
to this mode is its stability-- several of the parts don't have a specific
place that they "lock" into. Luckily, most of the joints are of a good
tightness, but they still tend to wiggle around a little in place. For
example, Slugslinger has four small fold-out landing gear pieces on his
underside, but it's hard to get them out without accidentally pulling a
part of the jet down with them. A few more pegs would have really eliminated
this problem; I can't imagine why they weren't put in. Still, a great alt
mode.
Slugslinger's "hyper
mode" is rather cool, even though it's barely a variation of the vehicle
mode. Basically, you split the vehicle into two halves, revealing the missile
and its trigger in the center. I think that's kind of a cool idea, having
the vehicle mode fold out just for a big gun. I don't know if I'd call
it an entirely seperate mode, though.
The transformation is
surprisingly complex for a deluxe, but it's certainly worth the effort.
Slugslinger's robot mode is also astoundingly cool. The proportions are
PERFECT, and all of the "kibble"- the jagged wings on his backside, the
pieces on the sides of his legs, and the fans on his hands- complement
the mode, instead of hinder it. In fact, he wouldn't look nearly as cool
if it wasn't for these "extras". (Especially those jagged wings- now THOSE
are awesome.) His face sculpt also has a ton of personality packed into
it. He's got a monocle-like left optic, and a huge sneer. He's practically
the Colonel Clink of the Transformers universe! Mwahaha. He also has that
light-piping effect for his eyes, so they glow a little when you have a
strong light source behind him. Eeeevil, I'm tellin' ya. His cannon from
vehicle mode is now slung over his shoulder for some shootin', although
you can hide it behind his back if you so desire. Slugslinger's articulation
is pretty good- he can move at the head, shoulders (at two points), the
elbows (at two points), the hips, the knees, and the ankles. So you can
get a pretty good number of poses out of this great figure. Unfortunately,
Slugslinger still suffers from the same stability problems that he had
in vehicle mode. Only this time, the pegs are there- they're just too shallow,
so they don't hold together their parts very well. Slugslinger's shoulder
pegs are especially bad- sometimes they just pop out a little by themselves.
His waist pegs also have the same problem although it's not quite as bad.
Again, just a little bit more quality testing and this would've been fixed,
leaving this robot mode, literally, practically perfect. I don't know why
Hasbro skipped over that part. Oh, and obviously, Slugslinger's spark crystal
is in the middle of his chest in this mode.
Slugslinger is an excellent
Transformer in all of his modes, with a great look, great proportions,
and a great articulation. He is one of the best deluxes in the Energon
line, easily. He does have a few problems staying completely together,
though, so be wary of that. Still, a highly recommended buy.
Review by Beastbot