Dark of the Display Case: DotM Deluxe Sideswipe

One thing that stays constant with the multiple designs of the movie Transformers is their individuality. There are humanoids, insectoids and everything in between. One design choice that is used in the movies is the wheel placement on the legs or feet, which usually serves as a way for certain characters to move around. One of the best examples of these bots is the Autobot warrior Sideswipe. For day two of DotM week we'll be looking at the latest figure of this wheeled warrior and see if Hasbro has finally done a good job of translating his unique design ques seamlessly into physical form....



Vehicle Mode:

Unlike previous Sideswipe figures, the alternate mode for this rendition is a convertable version of the Corvette Stingray, complete with molded seats, dashboard and steering wheel. Also new to the vehicle is the addition of a spoiler, which wasn't present on previous figures. The silverish plastic matches up well with the actual car, but this brings up the biggest issue with this figure; it's plain look. Instead of painting the figure a glossy or shiny silver, similar to previous releases, Hasbro decided to mold most of the figure in a silverish grey color. While this eliminates the risk of scratching, something the Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe was prone to, it does come at the cost of making the figure look a bit bland and prototypish.Other then that he looks pretty good, with not only the molded interior but also little added detailing similar to Bumblebee, such as the corvette emblem over the grill, the clear purple windshield and the license plate area on the back. Overall, what it lacks in paint it makes up for in detail, sleekness and design.

Transformation:

Transformation, like Bumblebee's, is quick and easy. This is due to most of the car's main pieces becoming a compact backpack. This makes Sideswipe appear to be somewhat of a shellformer since not much of the actual car is used in the robot mode. The reason behind this is to make Sideswipe look as accurate to his on-screen counterpart as possible, who is thin, lean and athletic. That said, the backpack is actually done the best of all the Sideswipe toys released. Everything folds together securely and neatly with little flopping. This also makes the robot mode look cleaner and more screen accurate, which is always a plus.

Robot Mode:

Sideswipe has a very normal, yet eye-catching design. You can thank his dual arm-mounted swords and his wheel feet for that. These traits make Sideswipe a fan favorite in the TF fandom because....well he looks so damn cool. In this mode he gains a bit more color with the addition of some darker grey and gunmetal blue. This helps break up the dull silver and makes the figure look less bland and boring. The swords are the best of any Sideswipe mold. They aren't too short and they aren't too wide. Same goes for the legs. While the posability on them is slightly limited you get a way better range of motion on them then any other 'Swipe mold. I recommend some slight modifications on them if you want to get the best range of motion out of them as possible. All it involves is unscrewing and opening up the legs and slightly filing down a plastic lip located inside each thigh and clipping a small tab in front of each lower knee. Other then that the figure looks great and is well articulated. Best version of the character to date.

Accessories:

Sideswipe's MechTech weapon is a large rifle. It's probably one of the best-looking guns in the line so far. While it looks big it doesn't feel too oversized. It feels like an actual BFG an Autobot or Decepticon would use during battle. It's secondary mode allows it to deploy a Cybertronium blade from it's barrel, making it the first actual gunblade in the Transformers franchise.....as far as I know, anyway. The blade looks nice, with Cybertronian markings on both sides, but is seriously lacking in the paint section. On the box the blade is shown colored in a nice bright blue, but instead we get it in the same gunmetal grey as the rest of the weapon. It's a hugely missed opportunity and it would have looked great if it looked the same as on the box.

Overall:

This is THE Sideswipe. It definitely fixes all the little annoying bits and pieces that kept previous versions of the character from being great toys. The articulation is fantastic, both modes look great and his weapon is pretty damn cool. The only problem it faces fall in the paint department. If Sideswipe had a nice coat of silver and his blade a vibrant shade of blue, then it would have been perfect. Without those though, he's just really good. Even so, if you like the character, you need this version. No reason not to pick him up.

That's two Autobots down. Tomorrow will be our final Autobot of the five. While it's always good to have functional soldiers, it's almost always better to also have a medic waiting in the wings....