General Information:
Tech Specs:
Each Cybertron Transformer comes with a Planet Key with a code printed on it. Downshift's code is dm8r . Unlocking this at transformers.com gives you an image of design sketches and the following text: Downshift has found some new peace on Earth. When the evacuation of Cybertron took place – he was separated from his fembot lifebond partner. They had just been joined together under the covenant of Primus and were looking forward to spending some time in the Crystal Cities. The evacuation occurred and tore the two of them apart. On Earth, Downshift spent every waking hour looking through every “Robot in Disguise†staging base to locate his lifebond partner. Soon enough, they found one another and were ordered by Optimus Prime to begin their Earth assimilation in a small town south of Providence, RI. There, Downshift found a peace he never had on Cybertron during the great wars. After the struggle ended, Downshift and his lifebond partner stayed on Earth as envoys of Cybertron.
Vehicle Mode: The front end of Downshift is based on a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. This is easiest to see at the very front, which has a "W" shape, a very distinct form. As you look towards the back however, the car morphs into a 1970 Dodge Challenger, with its distinct straight top edge, the bottom angling upwards. The design is so wonderfully retro that the cabin cover has a canvas (or possibly leather) pattern sculpted into it harkening back to a popular material for tops in those days. Additional details help make the car look a bit tougher than your typical vehicle. The hood has an engine mounted on it with eight cylinders and that rests on a hood piece with two large vents. This truly gives the vehicle a "muscle car" type appearance. Other welcome details include a rectangular grid on the front grille, headlights and a tech pattern where you would insert the Planet Key. If you're going to do a retro vehicle, you may as well give him a retro color scheme. Downshift's primary colors are black and green. Not a modern, metallic green, but an old style light green color. Paint details are done primarily in black and silver, including silver and black design lines running down the sides of the vehicle. The windows and headlights are cast in translucent yellow. An Autobot symbol is tampographed on the front of the hood. While simple, this color scheme works really well because it fits the vehicle and the look one associates with it.
For offensive weaponry, Downshift comes with two large missile launchers. Each is colored the same green and black as the vehicle so they blend in. Both plug into holes on the sides of the car. The weapons are nicely designed, looking large and threatening and a bit over the top (as the vehicle itself is anyhow). Each fires a missile using regular button launchers. However, there is a bit more to these weapons. Each has two pegs on it. Both pegs are Mini-Con ports! This allows you to connect it to the vehicle and have Mini-Cons attached at the same time. Also, this means the holes on the vehicle are the right size for Energon weapons. Overall a very nice package. Transformation to Robot Mode:
Robot Mode: The front section of the car does become the robot chest, complete with the headlights pointing forward. In lieu of the "wings" many G1 cars have, the car doors become shoulder armor here instead. His mid section is purely robotic and though the lower legs are made up of the rear of the vehicle, their detailing makes them look purely robotic from the front save the wheels on the sides. In many ways this is more of a modern day take and improvement on a classic Transformers design. While most of the vehicle mode was very even and plain (as it should be), the robot mode is full of detail. The robot head carries over Downshift's Energon head design, which itself was a homage to the G1 animation model for Wheeljack. The characteristic mouthplate with horizontal lines and wide "ears" are present along with the large central crest and two smaller protrusions on the sides. The mid section has a lot of different sections sculpted into it and the legs have lots of overlapping shapes and line details that look spectacular. The color scheme from the vehicle mode carries over here, with green and black being the primary colors. The robot head is mostly black with silver details and translucent yellow eyes and "ears". Gunmetal grey is used for the waist to the upper legs, which works really nicely against the green. Silver and gold paint provide small details on parts like the shoulders and lower legs. Downshift has eleven points of articulation in this form. I am cheating a bit by counting his head, which really has very limited movement from side to side. The Planet Key gimmick works in this form, which is pretty neat considering where the Key inserts is a separate piece than the chest where the claw comes out. Downshift's weapons can be held in his hands or placed on his shoulders which also carries over the G1-esque theme of this figure. Many of the G1 Autobots whose car hoods became their chests had shoulder mounted missile launchers, and Downshift continues that tradition. You can also plug Energon weapons and Mini-Cons into the weapons, giving Downshift some devastating additional firepower.
Final Thoughts:
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