Stormcloud
(Universe 2.0)
(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 the original Universe 2.0 Powerglide. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original Universe 2.0 Powerglide here.)
Stormcloud is another
Universe 2.0 repaint homage to an fairly obscure Micromaster of the same
name, who was also a similarly-colored jet. In fact, the "MM-89" markings
on Stormcloud's engines stand for MicroMaster, and G1 Stormcloud came out
in '89, so that's a nice touch. He also has some nice Decepticon winged
emblems, which look reaally boss. Homage aside, black and purple has always
been a great color scheme, and Stormcloud continues that trend. I wish
the purple were just a TAD lighter for a bit more contrast, but that's
a really small quibble-- both colors go together marvelously with the silver
accents, and the chalky gray on the wings and tailfins also works as a
nice light secondary color to add some more contrast to the figure. The
milky gray parts that make up some of the "connecting" parts of the robot
mode are rather dull, but it's not a color that's used much so it's not
that big of a deal. Tha chalky gray paint can also scratch rather easily,
so I certainly understand why they didn't paint those connector pieces
that shade of gray, in any case. I'm also a fan of the particular shade
of purple they used of the transparent parts-- it's a really eye-catching
shade. In addition, Stormcloud has one accent color that's rather unusual--
parts his face and knees are painted a bright yellowish green. In large
amounts this color would look hideous, but as a sparsely-used accent color,
it works strangely well and gives the color scheme a bit of originality.
No mold changes have
been made to Universe 2.0 Stormcloud-- he also retains all the electronic
sounds that Powerglide had.
Universe 2.0 Stormcloud
is not only a great homage to an obscure character, he's a fantastic repaint
with just the right mix of colors and plenty of great paint apps, with
a bit of yellowish green thrown in for some originality. Easily recommended
the most out of any of the versions of this mold.
Review by Beastbot