Post by cybernaut on Nov 2, 2007 9:13:29 GMT 8
TftM Deluxe Dropkick
Bio:
DROPKICK didn't want to come to Earth, but MEGATRON made him. He'd rather stay home on CYBERTRON, sitting in the dark and being angry, but MEGATRON has him hauling materials all over this lame planet. He doesn't even know why the AllSpark is so important, or why the AUTOBOTS need to be getting in his way all the time. He just wishes everyone would leave him alone. Still, while he's here, he might as well blow some stuff up. That's always fun.
Tech Specs:
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 4
Speed: 6
Endurance: 9
Rank: 9
Courage: 5
Fireblast: 5
Skill: 4
Oo...kay. Interesting guy. So Dropkick's a compulsive loner, but he's got an alternate mode that simply begs attention. I'm sure there's a joke in here somewhere...
Intro:
Another TFTM videogame drone, Dropkick is part of the latest deluxe assortment to hit our shelves. Even before the official release, Dropkick was already a highly anticipated toy. I was lucky to snatch the last Dropkick during the CybPh Halloween Cyberbash since, like Bumblebee, he was gone faster than you can say "Roll Out!".
I omitted the in-package shot since mine had a crushed plastic bubble, probably due to the commotion. The toy was still intact, thankfully.
Instruction sheet (top), Dropkick toy (lower left), Rear bed cover / weapon (lower right)
Aside from the instructions, Dropkick comes with pick-up bed cover which doubles as his weapon of sorts (more on that later...). Dropkick comes packed in Vehicle mode, so I'll start there...
Alternate Mode
Dropkick's alt mode is a customized pick-up truck based on a Chevrolet Silverado. He's mainly silver-gray, with purple stripes and accents. The grilles and bumpers are done in grey plastic, while transparent colored plastic pieces are used for the lights. All the wheels of my Dropkick touch the ground and roll nicely. The rear bed cover can either be removed or attached depending on user preference.
"I hope you don't notice that I'm a victim of Pimp My Ride... "
IMHO, Dropkick has probably one of the most interesting alternate modes in the movie line, not just because he's a honkingly tricked-out ride but also because he's got a very distinct deco.
From top view, Dropkick sports a very cleverly done, very large, Decepticon insignia. Cheesy as it may seem, Dropkick carries it well, thanks to the careful placement of lines and accents.
One cool ride! Can you see the Decepticon symbol?
The bed of the pickup is functional, meaning Dropkick can be loaded up for beach excursions and what not. The tailgate is springloaded, by the way.
Load up the cooler!
The bed cover of the pickup has a small knob on top which activates his capture claw gimmick, though since it faces backwards, I can't see any point in this.
"I have pliers sticking out of my backside..."
Like fellow drone Longarm, I think Dropkick is a little out-of-scale with the rest of the TftM toys, since Ironhide has a similar vehicle mode. But since TF's were never to scale, so I don't mind.
Future Cover of Transformers Trucks Weekly...
It's a very eye-catching, attention-grabbing alt mode, whatever Dropkick says... Very sturdy, very well done. Better than Longarm, even.
Transformation
Transforming Dropkick is a treat. He's got an ingenious and involving transformation, which cleverly results in a relatively bulky, alien robot from a very compact truck. Once you get the hang of it, it's fun and satisfying, unlike Longarm's, which tend to be frustrating when trying to get around the permanent arm cannon and those legs from the front of the truck...
The legs fold out from under the back...
Gerwalk Pickup...
While the arms unfold from the front... There is a sort-of-Automorph feature where the doors swing when you lift the front wheels up.
Go-Bot Dropkick...
Unfold and flip up the roof of the cab, which Automorphs the head into view. Unfold, pose and you get...
Robot Mode
Dropkick cuts an impresive and very distinct figure, to say the least. The proportions are nice and there's a ton of sculpted detail. The resulting robot is lanky with massive upper body armor, which is mostly where the truck parts went. The silver and purple parts are laid out well while the limbs are black. Since the large Decepticon symbol is breaks up when he transforms, he's got another faction symbol on his chest. The windshield splits and forms his chest panels.
"Don't pay attention to me!"
As I've commented before, Dropkick has some Energon Prime overtones, notably the chest windows and headlights on his waist, plus the relatively thin limbs.
Disregarding the upper body bulk, Dropkick's got a very thin waist and distinctive digitigrade (reverse-jointed) legs. Delicate they may seem but joints are tigh enough that he's very stable on them.
Sides...
Dropkick is shorter than fellow drone Longarm. You can try to straighten out the legs to make him taller, but this just makes him look awkward, IMHO.
Longarm and Dropkick, side by side (top), Dropkick, with legs straightened (bottom).
Dropkick has 13 points of articulation, head, shoulders, elbows, a hinge for a waist, hips, two pairs on the knees and on the ankles. Arm articulation is limited by the huge upper body armor, while the legs are limited to hinge joints. Some rotators in the legs would've added greatly to poseabilty.
Dropkick, unlike other Movie Decepticon drones, does not have a camera head but a unique face with antennae-like spikes on the side. Strange since in the game, the Deceptidrones had camera heads, while the Autodrones had heads with facial armor. Makes me think that Dropkick might've been supposed to be an Autobot... Too bad the paint deco permanently anchors him as a Decepticon...
"Check my sculpt...!"
Dropkick also has two distinctive double-barreled arm cannons, one under each fist, giving him long-range capabilities. These guns add a whole new dimension to Dropkick, adding to his already cool persona.
Aside from the arm cannons, Dropkick's rear bed cover detaches to form a handheld weapon of sorts, which is to say he has a huge set of pliers for a weapon. Let's leave it at that, shall we? The only thing that redeems this thing is that it's not permanently attached to his arm...
"Feeling lucky, punk?"
"See my wire cutter here?"
Finally, this wouldn't be a CybPh review without Sir Rohml's patented Kick Test. Dropkick passes, although it's quite a task since he has such small feet and legs and a relatively heavy upper body.
"...and side kick!"
Conclusion
Dropkick's an amazing figure that I can't stop recommending to fellow Tf fans and collectors alike. He looks great in both modes, has a fun, very satisfying transformation scheme and is solid and sturdy in both modes. He's worth the hype more than the Longarm figure, honestly, and that's saying a lot.
Buy this toy, guys. It's worth every peso.
Score:
5 of 5! Perfect!
jya na!
"Leave me alone..."
Bio:
DROPKICK didn't want to come to Earth, but MEGATRON made him. He'd rather stay home on CYBERTRON, sitting in the dark and being angry, but MEGATRON has him hauling materials all over this lame planet. He doesn't even know why the AllSpark is so important, or why the AUTOBOTS need to be getting in his way all the time. He just wishes everyone would leave him alone. Still, while he's here, he might as well blow some stuff up. That's always fun.
Tech Specs:
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 4
Speed: 6
Endurance: 9
Rank: 9
Courage: 5
Fireblast: 5
Skill: 4
Oo...kay. Interesting guy. So Dropkick's a compulsive loner, but he's got an alternate mode that simply begs attention. I'm sure there's a joke in here somewhere...
Intro:
Another TFTM videogame drone, Dropkick is part of the latest deluxe assortment to hit our shelves. Even before the official release, Dropkick was already a highly anticipated toy. I was lucky to snatch the last Dropkick during the CybPh Halloween Cyberbash since, like Bumblebee, he was gone faster than you can say "Roll Out!".
I omitted the in-package shot since mine had a crushed plastic bubble, probably due to the commotion. The toy was still intact, thankfully.
Instruction sheet (top), Dropkick toy (lower left), Rear bed cover / weapon (lower right)
Aside from the instructions, Dropkick comes with pick-up bed cover which doubles as his weapon of sorts (more on that later...). Dropkick comes packed in Vehicle mode, so I'll start there...
Alternate Mode
Dropkick's alt mode is a customized pick-up truck based on a Chevrolet Silverado. He's mainly silver-gray, with purple stripes and accents. The grilles and bumpers are done in grey plastic, while transparent colored plastic pieces are used for the lights. All the wheels of my Dropkick touch the ground and roll nicely. The rear bed cover can either be removed or attached depending on user preference.
"I hope you don't notice that I'm a victim of Pimp My Ride... "
IMHO, Dropkick has probably one of the most interesting alternate modes in the movie line, not just because he's a honkingly tricked-out ride but also because he's got a very distinct deco.
From top view, Dropkick sports a very cleverly done, very large, Decepticon insignia. Cheesy as it may seem, Dropkick carries it well, thanks to the careful placement of lines and accents.
One cool ride! Can you see the Decepticon symbol?
The bed of the pickup is functional, meaning Dropkick can be loaded up for beach excursions and what not. The tailgate is springloaded, by the way.
Load up the cooler!
The bed cover of the pickup has a small knob on top which activates his capture claw gimmick, though since it faces backwards, I can't see any point in this.
"I have pliers sticking out of my backside..."
Like fellow drone Longarm, I think Dropkick is a little out-of-scale with the rest of the TftM toys, since Ironhide has a similar vehicle mode. But since TF's were never to scale, so I don't mind.
Future Cover of Transformers Trucks Weekly...
It's a very eye-catching, attention-grabbing alt mode, whatever Dropkick says... Very sturdy, very well done. Better than Longarm, even.
Transformation
Transforming Dropkick is a treat. He's got an ingenious and involving transformation, which cleverly results in a relatively bulky, alien robot from a very compact truck. Once you get the hang of it, it's fun and satisfying, unlike Longarm's, which tend to be frustrating when trying to get around the permanent arm cannon and those legs from the front of the truck...
The legs fold out from under the back...
Gerwalk Pickup...
While the arms unfold from the front... There is a sort-of-Automorph feature where the doors swing when you lift the front wheels up.
Go-Bot Dropkick...
Unfold and flip up the roof of the cab, which Automorphs the head into view. Unfold, pose and you get...
Robot Mode
Dropkick cuts an impresive and very distinct figure, to say the least. The proportions are nice and there's a ton of sculpted detail. The resulting robot is lanky with massive upper body armor, which is mostly where the truck parts went. The silver and purple parts are laid out well while the limbs are black. Since the large Decepticon symbol is breaks up when he transforms, he's got another faction symbol on his chest. The windshield splits and forms his chest panels.
"Don't pay attention to me!"
As I've commented before, Dropkick has some Energon Prime overtones, notably the chest windows and headlights on his waist, plus the relatively thin limbs.
Disregarding the upper body bulk, Dropkick's got a very thin waist and distinctive digitigrade (reverse-jointed) legs. Delicate they may seem but joints are tigh enough that he's very stable on them.
Sides...
Dropkick is shorter than fellow drone Longarm. You can try to straighten out the legs to make him taller, but this just makes him look awkward, IMHO.
Longarm and Dropkick, side by side (top), Dropkick, with legs straightened (bottom).
Dropkick has 13 points of articulation, head, shoulders, elbows, a hinge for a waist, hips, two pairs on the knees and on the ankles. Arm articulation is limited by the huge upper body armor, while the legs are limited to hinge joints. Some rotators in the legs would've added greatly to poseabilty.
Dropkick, unlike other Movie Decepticon drones, does not have a camera head but a unique face with antennae-like spikes on the side. Strange since in the game, the Deceptidrones had camera heads, while the Autodrones had heads with facial armor. Makes me think that Dropkick might've been supposed to be an Autobot... Too bad the paint deco permanently anchors him as a Decepticon...
"Check my sculpt...!"
Dropkick also has two distinctive double-barreled arm cannons, one under each fist, giving him long-range capabilities. These guns add a whole new dimension to Dropkick, adding to his already cool persona.
Aside from the arm cannons, Dropkick's rear bed cover detaches to form a handheld weapon of sorts, which is to say he has a huge set of pliers for a weapon. Let's leave it at that, shall we? The only thing that redeems this thing is that it's not permanently attached to his arm...
"Feeling lucky, punk?"
"See my wire cutter here?"
Finally, this wouldn't be a CybPh review without Sir Rohml's patented Kick Test. Dropkick passes, although it's quite a task since he has such small feet and legs and a relatively heavy upper body.
"...and side kick!"
Conclusion
Dropkick's an amazing figure that I can't stop recommending to fellow Tf fans and collectors alike. He looks great in both modes, has a fun, very satisfying transformation scheme and is solid and sturdy in both modes. He's worth the hype more than the Longarm figure, honestly, and that's saying a lot.
Buy this toy, guys. It's worth every peso.
Score:
5 of 5! Perfect!
jya na!
