General Information: Images:
*Image from the official Transformers web site.
Tech Specs:*
The Classics Transformers line seeks to return Transformers to basics. The idea was simple: take iconic Transformers characters from Generation One and update them as faithfully as possible using today's design aesthetics and engineering knowledge. One character gaining quite a bit of attention in recent time is Astrotrain. He was reissued both in Japan and the US and he is the subject of a fan club exclusive due later this year.
Shuttle Mode: The forward section of the shuttle mode is fairly standard, with a nosecone and a series of windows on the upper part of the front section. Behind that is the cargo bay section, and while the doors do not open you can clearly see the raised lines running vertically along the hull that show where the doors are. It is towards the back section that the shuttle mode looks a bit different than its real life counterpart. This is primarily due to the large sections of the front of the train mode mounted on the sides. It's pretty obvious what they are, so in a way it kind of hurts the disguise aspect. However, the other way you can look at it is that these are additional compartments modeled after the forward section of the vehicle. On the back are seven thrusters, three primaries and four secondaries. They are sculpted nicely with ridged details and lines running along the cones. Astrotrain has landing gear on each of his wings. On the bottom of the front section is landing gear that can swing up out of the way. Also, you can attach his rifle onto the underside of the vehicle using the peg on the side of the rifle. With the landing gear extended the rifle does not wind up dragging on the ground at all. The shuttle is primarily white as one would expect. The lower portion of the mian h ull and the top of the wings are black. The windows are painted gold. The sections on the sides towards the rear are black on top with red and purple lines running from the back and then sloping down. It seems to have been a point of design to not have obvious symbols in alternate forms, so the only symbol present here is the rub symbol on the top of the cargo section. Transformation to Train Mode (from Shuttle Mode):
Train Mode: White plastic dominates this form. The top part of the section running from the front to the middle is painted black. Running along the sides are two lines sloping down then up before evening out on the sides. The top line is red (and angles upwards sharply towards the middle) and the line below it is thicker and painted purple. The train mode rolls on six wheels, four towards the front of the vehicle and two on the back. There are wheels in the middle, but they are just solid sculpted pieces, not free rolling. The gun can mount on the back or be left off. It looks best unattached, but I thought it was cool to provide the option. Transformation to Robot Mode (from Train Mode):
Robot Mode: On the main body, the tail fin of the shuttle mode becomes a V shaped piece over his chest. The thrusters from the shuttle wind up on his back and the wings are mounted on the back as well. In addition, his lower legs are made up of the front of the shuttle/train section. New details include the sides of the shuttle/train becoming shoulder armor. His central body is designed to give the impression of a body divided into sections. The chest sections are raised above the waist sections, and then at the hips the body raises again. There are four layers of detail here altogether, some cut at sleek angles. Between the landing gear forming his heels and the front of the shuttle forming his feet, his legs offer solid stability. Astrotrain's deco colors carry over from the vehicle mode. His chest's "V" shaped piece has a black line on top and red line on the bottom. The center part of the crest on his head is painted red and the joints on his legs are cast in purple plastic. His upper arms are cast in purple plastic while the lower arms are white. Most of his other parts are visible in his vehicle modes such as the shoulder armor and the wings on his back. In this form the white color is broken up a lot by the small sections of color scattered throughout the robot mode. Astrotrain has thirteen points of articulation in this form. That includes three points on each arm and three in each leg. His shoulder joints are on ball joints, allowing for a wide range of movement despite having the shoulder armor. The peg on the side of his rifle that allows for him to attach the gun in shuttle mode is the right size to attach an Energon weapon. He can also hold Energon weapons in his fists.
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