General Information: Images:
*Images and text in italics from the Official Transformers web site: Spring into action with this vehicle-to-robot hero! Convert your mighty MUDFLAP figure from CHEVY SPARK concept vehicle mode to battle-ready robot mode. Then convert him back to vehicle mode so he can chase down his enemies and attack them with his blaster! As the battle rages on, keep converting him back and forth, so he’s ready to face whatever his enemies throw at him! Blaster converts to battle axe! Ages 5 and up.
It's no exaggeration to say that Mudflap is one of the more reviled characters in recent Transformers movie history. Indeed, his role (and that of his brother Autobot Skids) was so controversial that the rumor mill states that they have been all but excised from "Dark of the Moon" in the editing room despite sightings of their respective vehicle modes on set during filming of the movie and their cross promotional, licensing potential. The final product seems to have borne this out as I couldn't find them anywhere in the film which I found to be an interesting statement on the potential of an audience to influence character decisions in a film.
Mech Tech Weapon: Mudflap's blaster resembles a high tech machine gun. The front end has a small barrel that leads to a claw like opening with a chunky section in the back. Sitting on top of the weapon is a targeting scope. There are a lot of layers of details on this weapon. The barrel has some vertical lines on the sides while each section has both curved and angled details. I'm not sure if I'm alone in this, but I tend to stare at weapons for a while wondering "How the heck did the designer come up with all these details?". This is one of those weapons. The entire weapon is cast in grey plastic. In its blaster mode you can see the axe blades of its alternate form sticking out the sides a bit, and those are painted yellow. One day I hope for a bunch of Mech Tech weapons painted in gritty patterns with silver and black wash that will really bring out their details because they deserve it! Pull the targeting scope back and the axe handle and blades flip out. It's a nice transformation as two things are happening at the same time. When it comes to melee weapons, I really wish these weapons could lock in their alternate forms because it looks super cool!
Vehicle Mode: Mudflap's vehicle mode manages to replicate many of the key features of the Spark, as seen on its web site. It has the compact, curved shape starting from a downward sloping front end leading up to a high middle to rear section. It even has the subtle curves over the front and rear wheel wells found on the real life vehicle. There's also the front end design, which includes a separated grille with the Chevrolet logo in the middle flanked by tear shaped headlights. Under each of the headlights is a round fog light. Even the dual windshield washers are sculpted in the front along with one in the back. The back section isn't ignored at all. The rear lights have the same round shape as the real life vehicle and there is a trapezoid shaped area for a license plate and a Chevrolet logo right above it. Of course, the designers would not just take a plain old Chevrolet Spark and use it for a Transformer. Instead, some minor modifications were made to the vehicle mode. First there is a spoiler attached to the back section on the top of the vehicle. Next, you'll find a small panel that comes out the side at a slight angle right near the rear wheels. Finally, the area near the exhaust pipes in the back differs from the standard model with grille-like details and sections that extend out slightly, looking almost like a footstand of some sort (I'm sure that's not their function however). If there's one thing I have to say for the Hasbro and Tomy designers, they really know how to sculpt realistic looking vehicles. Sure you may say Matchbox and Hot Wheels do the same, but their vehicles (generally) don't have to transform into a functional action figure. That requirement makes any time I see a vehicle mode sculpted well an impressive moment. Mudflap is mostly cast in black plastic. Certain sections (most notably where the windows are found) are cast in smokey clear plastic. You can see a bit of orange plastic peeking out from the bottom of the vehicle, but those parts are more for the robot mode. Paint applications are done in orange, silver, gold and red. The orange is the boldest color, used for two wide racing stripes that start at the front of the vehicle and go all the way to the back. A touch of orange is used on the sideview mirrors as well. The gold paint is used on the Chevrolet logo in the front while the silver and red colors are used on the front and back for the headlights and rear lights. Overall I like the dark and bright color contrast on this figure. It's not over the top but rather balances out perfectly. Being part of the Mech Tech line, Mudflap is made to accomodate weapons in vehicle mode. Here, there are two holes on the top of the vehicle that will fit Mech Tech weapons. These are the spring loaded kind of ports where a small piece of plastic springs up to fill the hole if nothing is there. You can insert two weapon on top and of course add on weapons to those if you use the right ones. In this respect, Mudflap has definitely upgraded from his previous form! Transformation to Robot Mode:
Robot Mode: Where this figure does succeed is in providing some really nicely sculpted details. The area on the top of the chest section has some really complicated looking machinery nestled behind the armor. The same can be said for his waist piece, which looks like it has parts of a car engine built into it. Even the head sculpt, as ugly as it is has a lot of really well sculpted detailing in the area in between his head and his floppy looking "ears". I may not be crazy about his aesthetics, but I believe in giving credit where it's due. In this mode the primary colors of black and orange are still in effect. Silver paint is used for most of the detailing such as on the top of the chest and the robot head. The colors contrast well against each other, though in my weird brain I can't help but associate this color scheme with Halloween. It doesn't help that he looks like some goblin troll impression. Mudflap has twenty one points of articulation in this form. I'm not including his feet and heels in this count (which would bring the count to twenty five). His shoulders each have a "C-Clip" bar on them, allowing him to have shoulder mounted weapons. The forearms each have fists that you can accomodate some weapons in (not all seem to fit well) but they do have holes on them to attach Mech Tech weapons. Oddly, his left shoulder joint hinge is super tight, so when you try to tur it out, it "pops" a bit instead of moving smoothly. The right shoulder doesn't do that so I'll call this a one off production glitch.
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While the Cyberverse makes up a smaller scale of figures in the "Dark of the Moon" toy line, the size class most fans are used to returns with "Mech Tech" technology. The generaly concept behind "Mech Tech" are weapons that transform from one type of weapon to another. These have standard peg sizes that allow the weapons to be swapped between figures.
