General Information: Images:
Text from Hasbrotoyshop.com: Based on the DECEPTICON movie character, this robot-to-vehicle figure features a launching magna missile in robot mode and quick robot-to-sports car conversion! Add this SIDEWAYS figure to your collection and give the AUTOBOT forces a fight they’ll never forget!
Robot Mode:
As I look over the details on Sideways it really strikes me how far the Transformers line has come in twenty five years. Once upon a time, a figure this size, with this level of detail would have been considered a main-line release, not a part of a sub-line meant for younger children. In particular, the head sculpt and arm sculpts just totally blow me away. His head sculpt is intricate, with lots of sharp looking panels, his slanted, evil looking eyes and mandibles at his mouth. He even has raised eyebrow pieces over his eyes and pieces angling outward on his lower jaw that look almost like parts of a beard. His robot arms have two distinct designs. The right arm contains his weapon so the top has a lot of tech detail but the middle to end looks like a big chainsaw is built into his arm complete with serrated teeth at the edges of the arm. The left arm is the more "normal" arm with a ton of details including gears, tubes, four huge clawed fingers and wires all beautifully sculpted. It's definitely not a hand I'd want to be hit by if I were an Autobot! It's kind of hard to say how "movie accurate" Sideways is as he didn't really appear very clearly on screen in the movie. Based on concept drawings and looking at the other versions of the character however I'd say a lot of the details are definitely here including the design of his car front/chest, the overall shape of the character and major details such as his knee armor going over his lower leg a bit and his claw like hands. Some simplfication has occurred of course. This is mostly focused on the chest which is one solid piece here as opposed to being several parts of the car folded into and on top of each other. His arms are also formed from the sides of the car, which is not necesarily how the CGI model's arms were formed. I have to say that such minor differences really don't bother me a whole lot, especially when there exists at least one other version of this character in toy form that does match the more complex look of the CGI model better. Sideways is cast in a few plastic colors including metallic silver, dark grey and black. The silver color is a bit on the dark side and makes up most of the body including the section under the chest, his upper legs and the outer panels of his arms. The dark grey is used on parts such as the insid eof the arms, his lower legs and head. Black is found on the door panel and windows on his back, the car wheels and the chest. Black, dark silver, silver, metallic blue and red paint are used for detailing. The black paint is found on his chest where it paints the section in the middle that leads to the grille on the front of his chest. Silver is found on smaller highlight details such as the "eyebrow" and "beard" details on his head as well as a Decepticon symbol on his chest. Metallic blue is used to paint the windows from the car mode, visible extending out of his back in this mode. The red paint is found on his headlight sections as well as his mid-body for smaller detailing. His eyes are of course painted red as well. It's a really nice paint scheme that differs from the other incarnations of this figure, and as you'll see in the vehicle mode review, comes closer to the on-screen portrayal of the character than the deluxe figure does! There are seven points of articulation in this form. This includes the arms being able to move up and down and waist articulation. Sideways' main action feature is based in the right arm. Press the trigger and the missile launches while the "saw blade" spins. It's a fun feature that integrates nicely with the sculpt. Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
Vehicle Mode:
To distinguish this particular vehicle from the real life vehicle, several details differ from the Audi while being inspired by them.
The most detailed section of this vehicle is the engine piece on the back. There are plenty of curved details, ovals, metal pannels and other designs that look like parts of a very scifi looking engine. It's a very eye catching detail and it looks fantastic. In this form most of the metallic dark grey plastic shows along with the black plastic that forms the top of the vehicle. It is interesting to see that this version of the character is perhaps the one that comes closest to the deco of the on screen vehicle, with black paint starting at the grille in the front going back to the sections around the engine. The sides are silver extending back to the rear of the vehicle. This is more in line with the movie deco than the deluxe version, which is more one solid color. Silver is used for the headlights and the engine. A silver Decepticon symbol is also found on the hood. Red and black paint is used to detail the front and back of the vehicle and a gunmetal like color is used for the sides of the wheels. I like the deco a lot and find it amusing that the "kiddie" version of this character is the one that looks most like the on screen incarnation when it comes to colors.
Final Thoughts:
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Magna Missile Sideways is the first Fast Action Battler incarnation of the Decepticon who was featured briefly (but dramatically) in the first major action piece in "Revenge of the Fallen". The Decepticon was in hiding until the combined forces of the Autobots and N.E.S.T. rooted him out and chased after him and Demolishor. The Fast Action Battler line already introduced a 
