Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 13, 2010 13:39:21 GMT
Mindwipe
The name Mindwipe has been used before for Headmasters Mindwipe but this is it's first reuse since. The new Mindwipe is a Voyager Stealth Jet - I'm told the toy is similar to a F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft. My last encounter with a Voyager sized stealth jet wasn't great - Cybertron Soundwave - but better than the Legends version of the same toy. The toy itself isn't black as you might expect, more a dark olive green. The cockpit canopy is moulded in clear red plastic. The wings have silver stylised Kanji characters inscribed onto them. Flipping the toy over reveals some orange robot parts with details - including the fold down landing gear under the nose and the wings - picked out in a paler olive colour.
Mindwipe apes the best Transformers Stealth jet toy the G2 ATB Dreadwing by combining with a smaller toy in vehicle mode, in this case the previously reviewed Skystalker fulfilling the role occupied by G2 Smokescreen. Combination is simple - the pegs on the underside of Skystalker fit into the peg holes on the top of Mindwipe. Yes it's just the smaller toy mounted on the larger one but in this case it works like a jet carrying a drone into a mission zone. Or maybe not as Shortpacked 184 puts it .....
TF: Pull the nose down under the jet leaving the wings and cockpit in place. The nose separates and unfolds to form the legs. The cockpit splits min two and then folds back and to the sides with the wings to become the arms. Unfold the arms, bend the cockpit halves under them exposing the hands. Fold the back of the jet down onto the back of the robot pushing the robot head through the chest a bit. Pull the rest of the head through, fold the tail fins together, bend up towards the head and push through into the chest cavity. Fold the wings back on the shoulders which folds some tiny blades out of the wings and folds the wing tips in.
Mindwipe's robot mode has some hints of bat about it echoing the original Mindwipe's alternate mode - the wings bent back behind the shoulders in particular. The head is a clear red visored helmet with a pair of rear facing ear aerials. Under each arm is a fold out blade - positioned correctly they will be held in place by clips under the arms which are released by small triggers just bellow the elbow on the forearm. However that then results in slightly odd positioning for the hands, and the blades themselves when deployed do look a little odd facing down, up would have been far better. His articulation consists of a double bending elbow, bicep swivel, turning shoulders that fold up at the arm and again at the body, a ball jointed head with a neck that can lean forward, turning waist, universal hips, bending knees, ankles (which also fold slightly to the sides) and a mid calf joint to turn his normal legs into chicken legs.
There is considerable evidence that Skystalker should also combine with Mindwipe's robot mode. See Mindwipe @ 2005 Boards and in particular post 116, Skystalker @ 2005 Boards and the HK-TF Forum for more on this. It's not official and I can't get it to work. Post 169 in the 2005 boards Mindwipe thread reveals an unofficial bat mode for Mindwipe.
The jet mode is good and the robot mode's quite nice but a bit lacking in the weapons department - it could have done with a gun or those knives being mounted pointing up. But for my money where the toy falls down is being associated with Skystalker. Skystalker's easily the best value scout for a long time and he just makes Mindwipe look ordinary by comparison.