Zoom Out's alternate mode is a digital video camera, complete with a see-through lens. It's very realistic in its proportions, though unfortunately the size is a bit too small for it to pass off as a real video camera. Zoom Out also sports a nifty "viewfinder" in this mode, with a sticker of Cybertron Override on the inside of said viewfinder, along with the prerequisite other symbols to try to make you believe you're looking at Override through the camera's viewfinder, like a "battery charge" symbol and how a digital ticker for how long you've been recording printed on the sticker. It irks me that Cybertron characters are being used on the Real Gear robots when the Real Gears are part of the movie line, though. Zoom Out has a fair amount of mold detailing, with the appropriate buttons and such molded into the toy at the appropriate places (though none of them can be pushed in, unfortunately). The paint detailing is a little sparse, video cameras don't exactly have a lot of different colors on them to begin with, which is why the very dull "two shades of gray" color scheme doesn't bug me quite as much as it normally would. There is only one robot extra visible in this mode, though it is really obvious-- the back of Zoom Out's head is plainly visible on one side of this mode, and all it would have taken was an extra little panel to cover that thing up.
    Zoom Out's robot mode is also rather cool, except for the arms. The arms are way too dinky proportionally, they're too close to the body, and the lens pieces sticking out from the shoulders look a bit clunky and odd. Zoom Out has claws, but they can't open or close, unfortunately. Otherwise, though, his articulation is great for a toy of his size-- he can move at the head, shoulders (at two points), elbows, hips (at two points), and knees (at two points). And, given that he's not back heavy, that means you can get quite a few poses out of him. I love love LOVE Zoom Out's head design-- the large monocle-eye and square jaw really give him some personality, like he's some evil scientist or something, and his monocle-eye also fits with his alternate mode to boot. I also love how his viewfinder on his back seperates into "insect wings"-- it's very creative and gives a bit more individuality to his design. The only prevalent "new" color that's in Zoom Out's robot mode that isn't in his vehicle mode, however, is a dull blue, which doesn't come close to livening up the color scheme. Something a bit brighter with more contrast should have been used to make Zoom Out look more visually interesting. I'm also not a huge fan of his his chest is angled against the rest of his body (which just one more hinge on his upper chest could have solved)-- it leaves a noticeable see-through gap in Zoom Out's chest if you look at it from anything close to a side view. The mold detailing on the "robot bits" inside the chest pieces and on the inside of the "wings" is great, though, with wires and gears molded in all over the place-- something totally unnecessary given that they're not readily visible in either mode, but still definitely appreciated nonetheless.
    Zoom Out is slightly below-average for a Real Gear, but that's more due to the fact that the subline is so great than anything else. He's still a pretty good Transformer, with only a few problems like the visible head in camera mode, the very dull color scheme, and the overly large shoulders and small hands in robot mode. Mildly recommended.

Review by Beastbot

Back to Transformers Movie Toys Index