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General Information: Images:
This review will focus on the changes made to the Jazz figure for this release. For a detailed look at the sculpt and functionality of the figure, check out Animated Jazz's toy review.
Vehicle Mode: In vehicle mode Dead End features four primary plastic colors: maroon, translucent purple and two types of black plastic. The maroon color is the most heavily used plastic. You'll find it going from the front to the back of the vehicle, making up most of the body. The color is a bit different than Generation One Dead End, which looks more red while this color leans towards shades of purple. The black plastic used to make his windows is solid but reflective, a perfect choice for windows on a Decepticon car. The other black color is more solid and not reflective at all. This is found on the back of the car as well as his wheels and exhaust pipes. The translucent purple plastic is used for the lights on the front and back of the vehicle. There are not a ton of deco patterns on this figure, but it doesn't need them. What is important is the specific G1 inspired deco patterns that do exist. The biggest detail carried over from G1 Dead End is a yellow and white stripe that starts at the front of the vehicle on the left side and goes all the way to the back. A similar, dark yellow color is found on the side view mirrors, points on the front of the car and bands on the sides. This yellow and white combination brings a certain brightness to the figure that keeps it from looking just plain dull with all the dark colors. Silver paint is found on the sides of the wheels, again offering up some brightness to the color scheme. The black panels at the rear of the vehicle have maroon colors on them to match them up with the rest of the car. Finally, and perhaps key is the Stunticon logo resembling a checkered flag detail inside a circle with a Decepticon symbol in the middle. This symbol can be found right in the middle of the vehicle's front end. Overall Dead End looks fantastic. It is great to see a homage that also manages to be distinctive from its source character in some way. The blend of colors used here is fantastic. In this mode I've noticed no loose parts or problems with panels fitting together. The wheels roll fine as well, and given that this sculpt has not been heavily used, I would be surprised if the tooling was wearing down already. Transformation to Robot Mode:
Robot Mode: There was no new head sculpt or retooling used to create this figure. Instead, it was decided to use a creative approach to make Dead End's head to look distinctive from Jazz's head. The Jazz head sculpt has a very distinctive point at the chin area. In the context of Jazz's head, it looks like a "chin strap" for a helmet, a common feature on Transformers nowadays. On Dead End however, this was used to look like a goatee styled "beard". To go with this beard, above his upper lip are stylized lines painted to look like a mustache. It's pretty striking how different the head manages to look with different colors and a different deco pattern. All of Dead End's joints are nice and tight and he can still hold his nunchucks in his hands firmly.
Final Thoughts:
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Botcon 2011 celebrated a Transformers series that many feel was too short lived. While still controversial, "Transformers Animated" remains a favorite among a significant portion of fandom, making it the perfect subject for Botcon 2011's boxed set. The set features five figures, each based on one of the Generation One Stunticons. For Dead End, the choice was made to take the 
