General Information: Images:
Text from Hasbrotoyshop.com: Team up with this faithful ally and get ready to take on DECEPTICON forces! With a few twists and turns, change the robot figure to flashy car mode and show off a fun vehicle that’s ready to flatten the competition!
Vehicle Mode: This figure is a really nice approximation of the Chevy Beat in toy form. It has the general shape where the back is high and then slopes down towards the front. Among the other signature characteristics carried over to this figure from the real life vehicle are its distinctive headlights that start at the base of the grille and angle all the way up the side of the front to the base of the windshield. This is very distinctive and looks really nice, almost like a pair of narrow set eyes on the front of the vehicle. Chevrolet logos are sculpted into both the front and back of the vehicle. The front end is quite distinctive, with a grille that appears divided into a section right under the hood and another towards the bottom of the front section. Both grille sections feature the distinctive "arrow shapes" pointing downward found on the real life vehicle. Each wheel sports the five spokes spanning out from the center featured on the real life Beat and the sideview mirrors are the same curved, rectangular shape as the Beat. Also found on the figure is the hex shaped window in the back and a rear windshield wiper. Seeing such "real life" detail in Transformers is always fun as it harkens back to the very roots of the line, when the first Transformers were all essentially toy versions of real life vehicles full of detail (and long before licensing issues got in the way of making a good toy based on a real life vehicle). Skids is cast primarily in a metallic green color officially known as "Vertigo Green". It borders on a neon color but is dark enough that it isn't offensive to the eyes. His windows are cast in translucent blue plastic and black plastic makes up the wheels. A bit of clear plastic is used to form the headlights. Silver, black, red and gold colors are all used for detailing in this form. The black is the most prominant. The hood is painted black and on the sides of the vehicles are striking looking designs that look like a series of tears revealing a layer of detail underneath the vehicle. These decos match those found on the real life Beat. Black is also found on the sideview mirrors and the grille sections on the front and back of the vehicle. Silver is mostly used as trim on the front portion of the car and the gold paint is used to color both Chevy logos. The distinctive red color is used for the taillights, and while it looks nice and bold I would have preferred clear plastic in those sections to highlight the two different lights on each side that the real life Beat has. Skids' license plate is painted blue with the word "SKIDS" printed on it. I really like how faithful this deco is to the real life vehicle with a couple exceptions. I'm also a sucker for using metallic and translucent plastic together, something Skids has in spades. Due to his transformation scheme you can't open Skids' doors outward or really even lift the hood in this form. He does however roll on all four wheels well on a hard surface so you get your play value from that. Transformation to Robot Mode:
I don't often comment on the transformations of most figures since they are for the most part straightforward and not too difficult to manage, but I have to say that Skids' transform is one of the most unique and difficult I've seen in a deluxe figure in quite some time. I can honestly say there are Voyager Class figures that aren't this complicated! It's interesting to see this unique transformation scheme and I would like to see a variant of it improved in the future so the kibbly bits are dealt with a bit better, especially the back piece.
Robot Mode: Despite kibbly bits here and there, Skids does have quite a few CGI model accurate parts. The robot head has all the primary features of the CGI model's head including the uneven eyes, the big "ears", the bits of armor swept to one side on top (resembling hair) and his buck teeth in front. The chest section breaks out into several panels, giving the "armor on machinery" look the CGI model has. He also sports the asymmetrical arm design, with the right arm made up of a large fist and a cannon on the forearm while the left arm is smaller and more in proportion to the rest of his body. The arm designs are close to those in the movie, complete with bits of machinery sculpted into the arms with armor panels covering the top of the forearms. His legs are quite detailed, including details such as raised circles and tubes. "Strips" of armor are sculpted on the legs, forming a layer over the machinery underneath. In this mode, new colors are revealed. A darker shade of green, silver and dark silver all make up the robot mode. Instead of having each color uniformly make up parts of his body, the colors alternate. For instance, his right arm has green on top, then dark silver leading to a silver elbow joint, which then leads to a green forearm with a dark silver fist and cannon attached. I like the use of color in this manner since it adds visual complexity to the figure. Paint applications are done in black, silver and gold. The black is used for detailing on the head. Silver is also found on the head as well as the waist where his Autobot symbol is painted. Gold is used on one of his teeth, a feature that was present in the CGI model as well. Skids has twenty four points of articulation in this form. This includes five in each leg and a hinge on his giant right fist allowing the fist to open and close. Push the trigger on his right arm and his fist pops out in a "punching" action. This also raises his cannon, making it a nice dual action feature. I was impressed by how many points of articulation the figure has. What it may lack in grace it certainly makes up for a bit in posability. Kudos to the designers on that count.
Final Thoughts:
 |
|||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
When I wrote my review for the 
