Post by grahamthomson on Jun 9, 2009 17:25:32 GMT
Sideways (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Most of the Decepticons from the Transformers (2007) film took the forms of military vehicles. They were all blunt instruments exhibiting nothing more than mean expressions and brute force. Sideways, a new addition to the Decepticon ranks for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, brings a little sophistication to the proceedings.
Sideways assumes the form of a silver Audi “R8″ sports car as its disguise. Unlike the Autobots appearing in the film, Sideways’s vehicle mode is not officially licensed, making it a close-enough approximation. All it means is that there’s no Audi badge on the car’s bonnet and, for a £13 toy, one must ask if it’s such an important detail.
Very similar to Sideswipe, Sideways is painted in metallic silver (just a shade darker), but not quite as monotonous thanks to some black detailing on the car’s sides. A black screen printed Decepticon logo adorns the rear of the car. Oh, and the windows are all pink. Sideways and Sideswipe are sure to become the best of enemies; that is if no one mixes up their names.
Pressing into the car’s front grille initiates Sideways’s transformation sequence: pushing once flips out the piece that will become the robot’s abdomen, and pressing again will flip around the front wheels. From thereon in there’s no more help, but really it’s just a case of unfolding the car parts and positioning the limbs. There is a bit of cheating to make the toy more like the character appearing in the film. A superfluous fifth wheel is mounted on Sideways’s left wrist, supposedly formed from the car’s front wheel. Still, it’s always handy to keep a spare.
Sideways’s robot mode is quite unorthodox. The upper body and hips are wide-set with legs that taper down into what can only be described as “dainty” feet. Never thought I’d ever describe a Decepticon as “dainty”. The silver and black colour scheme has added red. The only painted details are silver highlights on the face and left hand fingers. In this mode there are some very striking similarities to Barricade from the Transformers (2007) film.
The “Mech Alive” action feature is pretty poor on Sideways. Bend the arms at the elbows and something inside the upper arms spins around. You have to look closely, though. There is a free-spinning saw blade on the back of the right hand, but there’s nothing much to it. The perfunctory Mech Alive feature should have been omitted (it wouldn’t have been missed) and instead the engineering applied to the saw blade to make it more of an action feature. As it is, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
With all things considered, Sideways, while stylish for a Decepticon, is far too pedestrian. It’s a silver car and a robot, yes, but there’s already one of those in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen line and there’s just not enough to differentiate Sideways from the pack.
Verdict: three stars out of five.
Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157619164305477/
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Most of the Decepticons from the Transformers (2007) film took the forms of military vehicles. They were all blunt instruments exhibiting nothing more than mean expressions and brute force. Sideways, a new addition to the Decepticon ranks for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, brings a little sophistication to the proceedings.
Sideways assumes the form of a silver Audi “R8″ sports car as its disguise. Unlike the Autobots appearing in the film, Sideways’s vehicle mode is not officially licensed, making it a close-enough approximation. All it means is that there’s no Audi badge on the car’s bonnet and, for a £13 toy, one must ask if it’s such an important detail.
Very similar to Sideswipe, Sideways is painted in metallic silver (just a shade darker), but not quite as monotonous thanks to some black detailing on the car’s sides. A black screen printed Decepticon logo adorns the rear of the car. Oh, and the windows are all pink. Sideways and Sideswipe are sure to become the best of enemies; that is if no one mixes up their names.
Pressing into the car’s front grille initiates Sideways’s transformation sequence: pushing once flips out the piece that will become the robot’s abdomen, and pressing again will flip around the front wheels. From thereon in there’s no more help, but really it’s just a case of unfolding the car parts and positioning the limbs. There is a bit of cheating to make the toy more like the character appearing in the film. A superfluous fifth wheel is mounted on Sideways’s left wrist, supposedly formed from the car’s front wheel. Still, it’s always handy to keep a spare.
Sideways’s robot mode is quite unorthodox. The upper body and hips are wide-set with legs that taper down into what can only be described as “dainty” feet. Never thought I’d ever describe a Decepticon as “dainty”. The silver and black colour scheme has added red. The only painted details are silver highlights on the face and left hand fingers. In this mode there are some very striking similarities to Barricade from the Transformers (2007) film.
The “Mech Alive” action feature is pretty poor on Sideways. Bend the arms at the elbows and something inside the upper arms spins around. You have to look closely, though. There is a free-spinning saw blade on the back of the right hand, but there’s nothing much to it. The perfunctory Mech Alive feature should have been omitted (it wouldn’t have been missed) and instead the engineering applied to the saw blade to make it more of an action feature. As it is, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
With all things considered, Sideways, while stylish for a Decepticon, is far too pedestrian. It’s a silver car and a robot, yes, but there’s already one of those in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen line and there’s just not enough to differentiate Sideways from the pack.
Verdict: three stars out of five.
Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157619164305477/
