DSC_1304
Third party Transformer figures are often a gamble. Sometimes they're incredibly bad - sometimes they're very impressive, like with that tiny Arcee a few weeks back.
But most of the time, they're kind of in the middle, such is the case with Night Countess aka Transformers Prime Airarachnid. Not exactly a character I'm familiar with, but I was aware of how the original toy didn't exactly do the character design justice... or most of the cast, if I'm being honest.
So when the prototype photos showed something that actually resembled the onscreen counterpart, I decided to get one just to check it out.
I think the best way of summarizing this figure is if Hasbro decided to remake the character as a modern day Deluxe class release, but somehow not quite hit all of the Hasbro/Takara Tomy QC points.
The overall sculpt is quite nice, in particular the head sculpt. Transformation is effectively a shellformer, but at least it isn't one that has an obscene number of loose parts - it's mainly the two variations of the copter blades - actual rotor form, and spider leg form. Robot kibble is present in vehicle mode, but it's not too bad and is really just the undercarriage.
Articulation is.. weird. I mean, it does hit all the Deluxe class points, save for a functional waist and for some odd reason, there is no ankle articulation. The upper torso can be rotated due to a the need for a joint there as part of the transformation sequence. Also a consequence of the transformation sequence is the use of double jointed elbows. The shoulders let you raise the arms to the side when they're straight down position only.
So overall, it's not great, but it's not the worst I've seen.
From a design perspective, however, there are some questionable items. Really questionable. For starters, the connection point for the spider legs and the figure are some really small and shallow pegs, which, provided they don't break off, just aren't really strong enough to actually ensure that they'll stay in place in a variety of positions. Speaking of breakages, I can forsee the part that secures the arms to the torso being bent and broken over time if you're not careful, as the transformation sequence seems to rely on the flexibility of the plastic and you not snapping the swivel joint at which the part is attached. The waist pieces are held on with pins, which could also be a problem going forward.
Then there's the material choices. The figure feels pretty flimsy, like pre Siege flimsy. It's not the greatest on the main figure, but the material is at least hard enough such that they could sculpt in some fine details. Where it really hurts is in the spider legs, making them pretty flimsy, adding unnecessary difficulty to standing the figure in Spider mode.
Don't get me started on how well the "instructions" turned out...
DSC_1304
Third party Transformer figures are often a gamble. Sometimes they're incredibly bad - sometimes they're very impressive, like with that tiny Arcee a few weeks back.
But most of the time, they're kind of in the middle, such is the case with Night Countess aka Transformers Prime Airarachnid. Not exactly a character I'm familiar with, but I was aware of how the original toy didn't exactly do the character design justice... or most of the cast, if I'm being honest.
So when the prototype photos showed something that actually resembled the onscreen counterpart, I decided to get one just to check it out.
I think the best way of summarizing this figure is if Hasbro decided to remake the character as a modern day Deluxe class release, but somehow not quite hit all of the Hasbro/Takara Tomy QC points.
The overall sculpt is quite nice, in particular the head sculpt. Transformation is effectively a shellformer, but at least it isn't one that has an obscene number of loose parts - it's mainly the two variations of the copter blades - actual rotor form, and spider leg form. Robot kibble is present in vehicle mode, but it's not too bad and is really just the undercarriage.
Articulation is.. weird. I mean, it does hit all the Deluxe class points, save for a functional waist and for some odd reason, there is no ankle articulation. The upper torso can be rotated due to a the need for a joint there as part of the transformation sequence. Also a consequence of the transformation sequence is the use of double jointed elbows. The shoulders let you raise the arms to the side when they're straight down position only.
So overall, it's not great, but it's not the worst I've seen.
From a design perspective, however, there are some questionable items. Really questionable. For starters, the connection point for the spider legs and the figure are some really small and shallow pegs, which, provided they don't break off, just aren't really strong enough to actually ensure that they'll stay in place in a variety of positions. Speaking of breakages, I can forsee the part that secures the arms to the torso being bent and broken over time if you're not careful, as the transformation sequence seems to rely on the flexibility of the plastic and you not snapping the swivel joint at which the part is attached. The waist pieces are held on with pins, which could also be a problem going forward.
Then there's the material choices. The figure feels pretty flimsy, like pre Siege flimsy. It's not the greatest on the main figure, but the material is at least hard enough such that they could sculpt in some fine details. Where it really hurts is in the spider legs, making them pretty flimsy, adding unnecessary difficulty to standing the figure in Spider mode.
Don't get me started on how well the "instructions" turned out...