TF Classics Astrotrain by Kamadoma

[kamadoma]

TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS ASTROTRAIN TOY REVIEW

by kamadoma

I never knew about Astrotrain until I saw this release mainly because I never get to watch the old Transformers cartoons. I never thought that such Triple Changers exist and I think it’s pretty cool.

I got this Classics Astrotrain unexpectedly. I’ve put off buying the Bumblebee-Astrotrain Value Pack since I’m after the solo Classics Deluxes but now that the markdown on Classics Deluxes was implemented I think I can easily reconsider. First I was planning to get the TF Movie Voyager Class Starscream but seeing it’s out of stock, I decided to get Astrotrain after a recommendation from Stephen Si (Protoform-S). And I’m not having any regrets because this one is such a cool figure.

Now on with the review:

PACKAGING:

As you can see, the package has been opened because I was too excited I forgot to take a picture of him unopened, but it’s basically like that. Astrotrain, as said before, is a Triple Changer, so I will review first his two alternate modes which is a Space Shuttle and a Train, and from there I’ll proceed to reviewing the Robot mode.

ALTERNATE MODE 1: SPACE SHUTTLE

The space shuttle mode contains mainly black and white which are the basic space shuttle colors. Astrotrain has some highlights of red, gold and lots of purple. The rub sign that shows the Decepticon isignia is seen in the right side of the fuselage. As you can see he has a front landing gear which can be retractable and also has non-retractable landing gears on the rear. And the wings also have wheels underneath them which are used for the train mode.

The things on top of the wings are the train’s front part. To others it might look awkward but for me it looks good but the tail of the space shuttle is a little small. If you would check a space shuttle picture you’ll see it has a big tail fin. Other than that, the gun can be stored underneath the space shuttle.

Summary of Space Shuttle mode:

- Enough colors to make it look nice.
- Retractable landing gear
- Visible wheels in the wing tips
- A little tail fin
- Train mode isn’t very well concealed.

I’ll give Space Shuttle mode a 9 out of 10.

TRANSFORMATION TO TRAIN MODE:
Basically, just take out the thrusters and fold them all the way to the shuttle’s nose (don’t forget to hide the nose landing gear and take out the weapon). Take the train’s nose and flip them out while twisting at the same time. Fold down the shuttle wings, and you’ll see that the wheels on the wings’ tips become the train wheels. Open out the tail fin, turn the figure up and over, and you’ll have the train mode.

ALTERNATE MODE 2: TRAIN

This time, Astrotrain is a high-speed train as opposed to the steam locomotive in G1. You can see that the thrusters from the shuttle are still thrusters for the train. There’s lots more color detail as well, since the shuttle’s black and white combines with the train’s black, red and purple. The gun can be placed on the train’s back as well. You can see Astrotrain’s arms (with the wheels for train mode) if you take a look underneath the train’s nose. For me this is the better alternate mode with the space shuttle mode close behind.

Summary of Train mode:

- Sleek, high speed look
- Can store the weapon
- Has more colors and is more lively
- Space Shuttle mode is well-concealed

I’ll give this mode a 9.5 out of 10.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE:

The train’s underside becomes the front of Astrotrain. Take out the train’s nose and twist them the same way you did the transformation to train mode. Pull out the train nose and you’ll see the arms. The remainder of the train’s nose becomes shoulder armors. Open out the hatch on the back and flip out the head and close the hatch back. Take the whole Wing part and take it back out to become his wings and thrusters. Finally, pull out the shuttle’s fuselage, separate them as well as the shuttle’s nose, twist the shuttle nose around and up, and flip the cockpit forward and you have the feet. Very nice for a deluxe figure, eh?

ROBOT MODE: DECEPTICON PSY-OPS WARRIOR

There you have it. Good color scheme, solid look and cool concept. He’s pretty stable, too. The wings and thrusters look really cool expcet that they lack some color, but the figure is very nice, packs enough articulation.

NOTE: When you transform him back to SHUTTLE mode, make sure you flip down the cockpit first, before "sandwich-ing" it with the two halves of the shuttle nose.

I’ll give this a solid 9.5 out of 10.

Summary of Robot mode:
- Solid, well-colored concept except for the lower arms and back.
- Can transform back to train OR shuttle depending on your choice.
- Weapon doesn’t have projectiles.

TOTAL RATING: 9 out of 10

MY THOUGHTS: For those who didn’t have the chance to get the G1 Astrotrain, this futuristic version is for you. It’s not really similar to the G1 but for a good price and a Triple Changer for the size of a deluxe is something not to miss. The colors really match up well, the concept and figure is very solid and has decent articulation. Highly recommended, especially now it’s down to 500 PHP! However some QC issues cannot be avoided such as some paint defects, and for my figure, one side of the tail fin is a little hard to flip out or flip up, and the other side is loose a very, very little bit that it falls a very, very little when in train mode. Those are small things that can be remedied by having some transparent glue or nail polish on the moving parts to make them thicker for a firm hold. These things can be present with some figures but then that doesn’t make the figure bad unless you're very meticulous. The figure is awesome, in fact. It’s very worth the price! So if you don’t have Classics Astrotrain, GET YOURS NOW.

Thanks for reading!