General Information: Images:
Leadfoot is part of a team of Autobots being introduced in "Dark of the Moon" known as "The Wreckers", based on a concept that harkens back to Generation One where select Autobots were part of a team that would be sent on missions that many other Autobots could not take on (and sometimes paid a dire price as a result).
Robot Mode: Much of the detail on this figure can be seen if you actually flip the car hood section up. This way, you get a better look at his chest and waist. The chest looks like parts from the front of the car folded up over layers of metal in typical Bay-former style. The waist area has several designs that curve and angle downward, again looking like armor plates overlapping. Other robot details not seen in the vehicle mode include his arms, seen on the other side of each door panel. The arms are rather thin looking and look more like robotic skeleton arms with thin sections bent at the elbow. His thighs are rather blocky and angular and relatively wide, matching the rather stumpy look of his feet. The front of the car forms a lot of detail too, including overlapping panels and cross hatch details. Whether or not you agree with the particular aesthetic chosen for this character, it is totally fair to say he's quite well detailed for a figure of this size. Leadfoot is cast in black and gunmetal grey plastic, quite appropriate colors for a figure choc full of weaponry. Paint details are done up in red, silver, metallic blue and white. The red is found on each section of his body, most prominently on his upper body. The silver is found on his headlights and robot head. The blue is used for the eyes while white is used for logo details such as the Chevrolet logo on the front of the car. These colors work really well together. I've often remarked that the red/silver/black combination is one of my favorite color combinations on a Transformer and this certainly qualifies! There are eight points of articulation on this figure including two points on each arm and two on each leg. Part of the "Cyberverse" play pattern is allowing the Legion Class figures to use weapons from the larger Commander Class figures. In this case, Leadfoot's right hand is curved in a claw shape, allowing you to slip in weapons from figures such as Optimus Prime. While not necesarily an "action" feature, a lot of the sculpting on Leadfoot indicates he is simply full of weaponry. He has gun ports on his arms and missiles on his chest. On his back is a large cannon. He definitely looks quite formidable in this mode! Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
Vehicle Mode: The vehicles for the movie were heavily modified, so when comparing accuracy to the real life model it's best to look at the movie prop and not the standard, run of the mill Impala. This version has many layers and parts sticking out to the sides and on the back that a normal vehicle wouldn't have. Among the details this vehicle carries over from its on screen counterpart are:
From the list above you probably get a sense that the vehicle is quite intricately detailed. I really like the sculpting on this figure and it is reminscent of post-apocalyptic vehicles seen in science fiction films such as "Mad Max". A majority of the plastic showing in this mode is gunmetal grey, with the tires cast in black plastic. The predominent color application is red (carried over from the real life vehicle being sponsored by Target). The real life vehicle (like most NASCAR vehicles) has tons of advertisements and sponsor logos painted/applied all over it. In this case, the only logos are a white Chevrolet logo in the front and a Sprint logo on the doors. The number "42" is painted on the sides like the real life prop vehicle as well. Silver paint is used on the headlights and windshield, which is designed to look like armor plating.
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As part of the "Dark of the Moon toy line release, several price points have been rearranged and renamed. One of them was the line that fans have known for years as the "Legends" class. This line of smaller sized Transformers figures spread across many segments of the Transformers over the years including the movie line, Animated and Classics. Now the class has been renamed as the "Legion" class, with Ratchet being one of the early "Dark of the Moon" releases in this line. Instead of serving as a standalone class of figures, these toys are being placed in a new context, as part of the "Cyberverse", a line of Transformers focused on creating a small world/universe of play at a lower price point than deluxe and ultra sized figures. Included in this line will be "Commander" Class figures, slightly larger figures with weapons that interact with the smaller figures as well as transformable bases, echoing the Micromaster bases from Generation One.
