Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 3, 2011 11:28:35 GMT
Dark of the Moon Skyhammer
In the simple world according to Philip Autobots are Cars and Decepticons are Planes. So you'd expect helicopters to side with the Decepticons..... but over the years there's been far more Autobot Helicopters than Decepticon ones and indeed the Autobots got there first in 1985 with Whirl. Skyhammer then is the latest in a long tradition.
Straight out the box he's in robot mode so let's turn him into a vehicle. Fold the back of the lower legs down, folding the tail fins out and the heel spurs & feet down. Rotate the lower legs to the sides 90 degrees. Bend the legs back at the knees then forward at the thighs, then bring together to form the helicopter's tail. Fold each lower arm 180 degrees out to the side, folding the hand into the forearm. Unpeg the helicopter blades from the side of the body and fold forward, pulling the centre of the rota up. Unfold the back pack and fold back under the tail. Fold the flaps on the top of the body and inner parts of the shoulders up. Swing the shoulders so the arms face back. Fold the shoulders together so that the body flaps lock over the face. Fold the arms back under the body & behind the cockpit, swinging the forearms up slightly. Fold the backpack wings under the helicopter. Fold the body down at the halfway point & the legs/tail up pegging them into the body and the back of the wings. Rotate the Rota base 90 degrees so it no longer points to the side but rather front to back. Peg the forearms into the body. Fold the backpack wings up and peg into the forearms. Pegs the missile pods into the location of your choice.
There's points during that Transformation when I would like those helicopter blades hinged so they'd bend upwards as well as down round the body!
Skyhammer's attack helicopter mode isn't that dissimilar to a larger version of Tomahawk's with it's angled cockpit and protruding wings. The wings each have a pair of 5mm ports on their underside. He himself comes with a pair of moulded quad missile tubes which have a 5mm peg on them allowing them to be attached either under the helicopter or in the 5mm holes on the sides of the helicopter's engines. The missile tubes in turn also have a 3mm bar running along the opposite side to the 5mm peg and the rear of each tube is a 3mm pegs hole. There's a further 5mm peg hole just behind the fold down front landing gear which is for the plug in Mechtech weapon, a dual cannon in it's original form. Rather cleverly the back of the cannon has a wheel moulded into it allowing the helicopter to still sit ok, if leaning back slightly, when it's attached. Natuarlly the blades spin in helicopter mode (has there ever been a Transformer where they didn't?) but since all three sections of the tail fin are hinged they are prone to folding at an odd angle. The blades also stop anything being attached to the 3mm bars on top of the helicopter's engines.
Transformation: Remove all the weapons and set aside. Fold the landing gear up. Fold the tail down 90 degrees. Separate in two and fold the rear two thirds of the tail in 90 degrees. Push forwards the vents and fold the rear of the tail onto the back of the legs, with the tail fins folded out. Fold the feet down and the heel spurs out. Unpeg the wings & engines. Turn the rotor mount through 90 degrees so it runs side to side. Fold the robot chest up and position the legs so they point out the back of the helicopter. Fold the engines down under the nose. Split the cockpit in two and fold out to the sides to become the robot's arms, Fold the wing panels' mount so the tops of the wings face away from the cockpit and the mount is pegged into the robot's back. Fold the wings forward against the mount pegging them in place. Fold the rear of the air intakes back to cover the shoulders. Fold the front of the air intakes out to the sides. Fold each rotor blade back pegging into the backpack formed form the wings. Fold a hand out of each engine and fold the engine back onto the arms. Peg the missile pods and Mechtech gun either into the sides of the forearm or hold in his hands.
Skyhammer's robot mode is one of those Movie toys which is obviously intended as a sop to Transformers fans who prefer a more traditional design (Wreckage, Stockade and Incinerator also spring to mind) Yes there's hints of the Bayformer influence but the limbs aren't skeletral and he's got a proper face which is actually rather reminiscent of Beast Wars Silverbolt. He's mainly coloured the same dark grey as the helicopter but there's some lighter grey on the arms as well as white on the chest and head. The hands are moulded open with a 5mm peg hole between thumb and fingers, there's 5mm sockets on the side & a 3mm bar on the top of each forearm plus 5mm peg holes on the rear of each shoulder and one under the edge of his right shoulder. Articulation is good: feet and heels bend as do the knees but what looks like a swivel bellow the knee is actually just a transformation joint and will destabilise the leg is you move it. He's got universal hips and, shockingly, a waist! The head turns as do the shoulders which can also raise at the body. The arms can swing a little to each side, there's a bicep swivel, a bending elbow and the wrists fold in slightly.
Skyhammer can hold his Mechtech dual cannon as a gun in this mode but it can also be transformed: push the olive handle at the back right the way in and rotate 90 degrees to the side to lock it open. The weapon has now become a sword for him to use.
While he is, perhaps, overshadowed somewhat by his wave mate Shockwave, Skyhammer is a fine toy. The rotor transformation is original, there's plenty of scope for adding extra parts on and he won't look out of place with your Classic Transformers. Well worth a buy especially if you can source one in one of the endless round of offers that keep springing up on the overpriced Dark of the Moon toys.
Skyhammer is a Dark of the Moon wave 2 voyager toy, packed 1 per case with 1 of the aforementioned Shockwave and 2 of Optimus Prime who was also 2 per case in the first DOTM Voyager wave. However, at least in my shopping experience in Swindon, this doesn't seem to have impacted your ability to buy either Skyhammer or Shockwave both of whom were freely available for several months after the toy's initial release (see previous comments on DOTM over pricing). In Japan he was released in June 2012 numbered DA-13 and cost Y4000 which by current exchange rates is about £32!
In the simple world according to Philip Autobots are Cars and Decepticons are Planes. So you'd expect helicopters to side with the Decepticons..... but over the years there's been far more Autobot Helicopters than Decepticon ones and indeed the Autobots got there first in 1985 with Whirl. Skyhammer then is the latest in a long tradition.
Straight out the box he's in robot mode so let's turn him into a vehicle. Fold the back of the lower legs down, folding the tail fins out and the heel spurs & feet down. Rotate the lower legs to the sides 90 degrees. Bend the legs back at the knees then forward at the thighs, then bring together to form the helicopter's tail. Fold each lower arm 180 degrees out to the side, folding the hand into the forearm. Unpeg the helicopter blades from the side of the body and fold forward, pulling the centre of the rota up. Unfold the back pack and fold back under the tail. Fold the flaps on the top of the body and inner parts of the shoulders up. Swing the shoulders so the arms face back. Fold the shoulders together so that the body flaps lock over the face. Fold the arms back under the body & behind the cockpit, swinging the forearms up slightly. Fold the backpack wings under the helicopter. Fold the body down at the halfway point & the legs/tail up pegging them into the body and the back of the wings. Rotate the Rota base 90 degrees so it no longer points to the side but rather front to back. Peg the forearms into the body. Fold the backpack wings up and peg into the forearms. Pegs the missile pods into the location of your choice.
There's points during that Transformation when I would like those helicopter blades hinged so they'd bend upwards as well as down round the body!
Skyhammer's attack helicopter mode isn't that dissimilar to a larger version of Tomahawk's with it's angled cockpit and protruding wings. The wings each have a pair of 5mm ports on their underside. He himself comes with a pair of moulded quad missile tubes which have a 5mm peg on them allowing them to be attached either under the helicopter or in the 5mm holes on the sides of the helicopter's engines. The missile tubes in turn also have a 3mm bar running along the opposite side to the 5mm peg and the rear of each tube is a 3mm pegs hole. There's a further 5mm peg hole just behind the fold down front landing gear which is for the plug in Mechtech weapon, a dual cannon in it's original form. Rather cleverly the back of the cannon has a wheel moulded into it allowing the helicopter to still sit ok, if leaning back slightly, when it's attached. Natuarlly the blades spin in helicopter mode (has there ever been a Transformer where they didn't?) but since all three sections of the tail fin are hinged they are prone to folding at an odd angle. The blades also stop anything being attached to the 3mm bars on top of the helicopter's engines.
Transformation: Remove all the weapons and set aside. Fold the landing gear up. Fold the tail down 90 degrees. Separate in two and fold the rear two thirds of the tail in 90 degrees. Push forwards the vents and fold the rear of the tail onto the back of the legs, with the tail fins folded out. Fold the feet down and the heel spurs out. Unpeg the wings & engines. Turn the rotor mount through 90 degrees so it runs side to side. Fold the robot chest up and position the legs so they point out the back of the helicopter. Fold the engines down under the nose. Split the cockpit in two and fold out to the sides to become the robot's arms, Fold the wing panels' mount so the tops of the wings face away from the cockpit and the mount is pegged into the robot's back. Fold the wings forward against the mount pegging them in place. Fold the rear of the air intakes back to cover the shoulders. Fold the front of the air intakes out to the sides. Fold each rotor blade back pegging into the backpack formed form the wings. Fold a hand out of each engine and fold the engine back onto the arms. Peg the missile pods and Mechtech gun either into the sides of the forearm or hold in his hands.
Skyhammer's robot mode is one of those Movie toys which is obviously intended as a sop to Transformers fans who prefer a more traditional design (Wreckage, Stockade and Incinerator also spring to mind) Yes there's hints of the Bayformer influence but the limbs aren't skeletral and he's got a proper face which is actually rather reminiscent of Beast Wars Silverbolt. He's mainly coloured the same dark grey as the helicopter but there's some lighter grey on the arms as well as white on the chest and head. The hands are moulded open with a 5mm peg hole between thumb and fingers, there's 5mm sockets on the side & a 3mm bar on the top of each forearm plus 5mm peg holes on the rear of each shoulder and one under the edge of his right shoulder. Articulation is good: feet and heels bend as do the knees but what looks like a swivel bellow the knee is actually just a transformation joint and will destabilise the leg is you move it. He's got universal hips and, shockingly, a waist! The head turns as do the shoulders which can also raise at the body. The arms can swing a little to each side, there's a bicep swivel, a bending elbow and the wrists fold in slightly.
Skyhammer can hold his Mechtech dual cannon as a gun in this mode but it can also be transformed: push the olive handle at the back right the way in and rotate 90 degrees to the side to lock it open. The weapon has now become a sword for him to use.
While he is, perhaps, overshadowed somewhat by his wave mate Shockwave, Skyhammer is a fine toy. The rotor transformation is original, there's plenty of scope for adding extra parts on and he won't look out of place with your Classic Transformers. Well worth a buy especially if you can source one in one of the endless round of offers that keep springing up on the overpriced Dark of the Moon toys.
Skyhammer is a Dark of the Moon wave 2 voyager toy, packed 1 per case with 1 of the aforementioned Shockwave and 2 of Optimus Prime who was also 2 per case in the first DOTM Voyager wave. However, at least in my shopping experience in Swindon, this doesn't seem to have impacted your ability to buy either Skyhammer or Shockwave both of whom were freely available for several months after the toy's initial release (see previous comments on DOTM over pricing). In Japan he was released in June 2012 numbered DA-13 and cost Y4000 which by current exchange rates is about £32!
