Toy Review - DotM Deluxe Roadbuster

[GoktimusPrime]

Toy Review - Roadbuster

Series - Dark of the Moon
Sub-line - N/A
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - May 16 2011
Approximate Retail Price - $25-30
Approximate Size - 15cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - NASCAR Chevy Impala sprint car #88 (Earnhardt)
Main Features/Gimmicks - MechTech
Main Colours - White, green, grey
Main Accessories - Gun, transforms into chainsaw

Vehicle mode:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/dotm_roadbuster_vehicle.jpg

Vehicle mode with Mech Tech weapon attached:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/dotm_roadbuster_vehicle_mechtech.jpg

Robot mode:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/dotm_roadbuster_robot.jpg

[SkyWarp91]

Talk about lack of details on the chest! I hope they release the third Wrecker Topspin as a Deluxe for scale's sake.

[Lord_Zed]

Hmmmmm, still not sure about this guy, nice mould but that's a lot of Hasbro gray there, needs a bit of a black ink wash perhaps.

[GoktimusPrime]

The grey doesn't look so bad IRL as it does in photos. And yes, there will be a Deluxe Top Spin -- I've seen it for myself IRL. Here's a photo I took (Topspin's the blue one)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/newdotm.jpg

[Autocon]

The grey doesn't look so bad IRL as it does in photos. And yes, there will be a Deluxe Top Spin -- I've seen it for myself IRL. Here's a photo I took (Topspin's the blue one)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/newdotm.jpg

He probably means the red one

[SkyWarp91]

Yeah stupid me, I meant Deluxe Leadfoot! Lol thanks Autocon, soz Gok! :)

I got this figure but am cherishing my DOTM toys by opening them one every couple of days - might open this one after BB!

[Bumbleb33]

Picked up Roadbuster today. I really like him, decent scaling to ROTF and his head sculpt is great. Plent of posing potential in the hips and very stable to stand, only drawbacks in my opinion are the shoulders being a little loose and the panel forearms can sometimes get in the way. Otherwise though great, I am going to jazz mine up a little with some paint to just finish him off.

[Lord_Zed]

Where is everyone finding these toys?

[Stompy]

Not a fan of an almost monotone look. Maybe it's better in person but it looks unfinished in bot mode considering how much paint apps is in alt mode.

Will give it a wide berth until it shelf warms.

[FFN]

That's probably why it lacks paint applications in robot mode. They had to spend a lot of paint to get the vehicle mode colours right. Unfortunately, robot mode suffered as a result.

Hopefully Leadfoot's (the red one) eventual Deluxe class toy will be in his "Stealth Force" vehicle mode so they don't have to worry so much about the advertising tampos and colours.

[LordCyrusOmega]

I voted only if..your a completist or want to aquire the movie cast.
Vehicle mode looks fantastic and i like the way they hid the weapon slots, very inventive.
Robot mode is very bland, lots of sculpting but no extra paint apps, lots of grey. Plastic feels cheap and i have concern over it breaking easily. My GF said 'it looks like they spent their entire budget in trademark and licensing and skimped on production' She's not into the toys but even she cans see how cheap it feels. Feels like a KO.
This may just be mine however and my hopes may have been to high for him.

[GoktimusPrime]

Where is everyone finding these toys?

Got mine from Big W.

[Alexicon]

I love my Roadbuster!

so easy to transform. I cant wait for Topspin and Leadfoot (hopefully Leadfoot will be a deluxe)

[Sutton]

I'm Commander Shepherd and this is my favourite DOTM toy on the Citadel.

[Sutton]

I was on the fence with this guy but when I saw him today I couldn't help myself. The paint apps are really quite impressive for a Hasbro toy, especially when compared to the shitfull new Sideswipe toy.

Car mode is workable enough, I'm not a huge fan of Nascar so I would have preferred this guy to be in 'weaponised' mode like Topspin is (I point blank refuse to call it 'Stealth Force' - worst misnomer ever). As is, it's possible to pop the missile launchers out the back and attach 3 different weapons to the mechtech ports on the sides and top, although he's still going to look like the odd man out next to Topspin. It'll be interesting to see if deluxe Leadfoot is in normal or psycho mode when he shows up. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the ports aren't gaping holes in the altmode like I'd feared, and close themselves over when not in use.


I like the transformation, everything snaps in place nice and neat and it's not so complex that a kid couldn't do it. In fact my 9 year old son had the first crack at him and had very little problem following the new-format instructions. Yes, there's a bit of a shellformer thing going on on his back, but the overall robot mode is good. Nice proportions, fair articulation and very stable. Looking forward to picking up Topspin too.

[Fonecrusher]

I dunno I will probably pass on this guy and possibly get the HA when it coes out, there's too much plastic grey on him and it really bugs me how both Topsin and Leadfoot have their cars armed to the teeth like in the movie while this Roadbuster has next to nothing besides his Mechtech gun and those fold out rocket launchers to work with.

[Autocon]

I dunno I will probably pass on this guy and possibly get the HA when it coes out, there's too much plastic grey on him and it really bugs me how both Topsin and Leadfoot have their cars armed to the teeth like in the movie while this Roadbuster has next to nothing besides his Mechtech gun and those fold out rocket launchers to work with.

youve seen leadfoot?

[snaketales]

I bought this and will probably add some paint to the robot mode to liven it up.

[SkyWarp91]

I bought this and will probably add some paint to the robot mode to liven it up.

+1. I usually don't paint my TFs unless I think they really need it, like ROTF Leader Megatron's face.

[GoktimusPrime]

I almost never modify my Transformers. I like to leave them as they are - "warts and all." Although the greyness of Roadbuster honestly doesn't bother me as much as it seems for some other people. <shrugs>

I made an exception for RtS Megatron though. That orange barrel tip just bugged me something chronic so I got Lord_Zed to paint it over for me. ;)

[Lord_Zed]

I recently started modifying movie toys from the last line, Voyager Hook Prime and Ratchet from the previous HFTD line, they sure look a hell of a lot better for minimal effort (and I already own the paints). I may bring one to the Parra fair if I get time for a second coat.


Got mine from Big W.

My Local Big W had only a space where Movie toys might fit, Lazy gits. And the standard Target/ Toys R Us prices are a turn off, so I'm still DOTM toyless.

[Decepticon]

He wont hold his damn gun in his hand!!!!!:mad:

[SkyWarp91]

He wont hold his damn gun in his hand!!!!!:mad:

His hand or his side panel?

Just opened the fig today. Pretty decent, I like it. The transformation reminds me a bit of ROTF Sideswipe with the arms forming the doors and the legs hiding underneath the car body in alt mode. He does need a tad more paint on his abs and mine has a loose right arm. Some parts of the instructions do need to be cleared up though, like Step 5 was a bit confusing. Otherwise a good figure.

[Decepticon]

His hand or his side panel?

Just opened the fig today. Pretty decent, I like it. The transformation reminds me a bit of ROTF Sideswipe with the arms forming the doors and the legs hiding underneath the car body in alt mode. He does need a tad more paint on his abs and mine has a loose right arm. Some parts of the instructions do need to be cleared up though, like Step 5 was a bit confusing. Otherwise a good figure.

His chainsaw/gun. The way his hands are molded prevents him from holding his gun tightly.

[SharkyMcShark]

I've just opened mine so these are my thoughts as at time of first play

Vehicle mode: I don't know anything about cars really so I can't speak to whether this is accurate to the model it's trying to portray, but it looks nice. Painted tail lights is a bonus (although that's a sad reflection of the times really).

Something I absolutely lovely is that the mechtech 'port' (what used to be called 'a hole for a peg to go into' on previous transformers) has that bit of plastic that pops up when the weapon isn't attached, not only awesome so it doesn't look like you've got a car with a hole in the roof, but furthered by the fact that it's painted to match the 88 logo on the roof. It's a fantastic touch.

The white paint stripes down the side are a bit sketchy - there's a bit of bleeding over onto the green on the bonnet and on the back its slightly patchy on the right side. That's it for my complaints really. Actually wait I lied, painted hubcaps would have been nice.

Robot Mode: Instantly appreciated for the fact that everything is the right tightness (more or less every RTS figure I bought required me to go to work with superglue on the ball joints). All the articulation I expect in a modern transformers toy (head, shoudlers, elbows, hips, knees, ankles) with the added bonus of the shoulders being given a 'shrugging' joint (which is one of the transformation joints).

The mold looks nice too - it's nice to see that theyre finally getting the hang of the movie style squashed hood look in toy form. The trucker cap head doesn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would and surprisingly looks a little bit G1 Roadbuster esque too. There's a phenomenal amount of detailing - obviously his chest area but his legs are very good too - his calves/shins are made of what looks like the support cage you often find inside these kind of cars, which I thought was a really good touch. There are the same disguise weapon ports (did I mention that I LOVE these disguise weapon ports?). The mechtech weapon is nice enough - I know they've received a bit of criticism but I'm really not that fussed as in this case it fits and isn't too extravagant. HOWEVER, and this brings me to main main criticism...

The amount of grey kills it a bit - it's not that 'Hasbro grey' that I know a lot of you love to whinge about (I put him next to ROTF Leader Prime for comparison, this grey is darker) but it still would have been nice if it was broken up a little. As with RtS Jazz paint seems to have taken a back seat to gimmicks (in this case the shoulder missile racks which fold out extensively). As with the clip on speakers from RtS Jazz, I would have lost these (or at least a few of the joints from these) to free up some money in the budget for paint.

As a final criticism it's a bit... shellformery. You do end up more or less with an entire car body hanging off his back (the only bits used for the robot itself are the hood parts, the doors on the arms, and the rear end as the shoulder rockets).

In essence basically all of my criticisms except the above one could be fixed by some kind of 'premium' style release with a bit more paint. Whether this comes from Hasbro down the line a bit or Takara, who knows, but I'll definitely be buying it when it comes out. If I had to put my feelings into a number out of ten it would be eight. 8/10.

[SkyWarp91]

My worry is though, weren't the Wreckers depicted in the movie carrying a huge load of weapons on them in their alt modes? Roadbuster seems to be lacking those on this version, I hope they release a more screen-accurate version!

[GoktimusPrime]

His chainsaw/gun. The way his hands are molded prevents him from holding his gun tightly.
I don't think they're intended to hold weapons - you're just meant to plug them into the MechTech ports on the forearms. Same with Voyager Megatron and Deluxe Bumblebee too.



Something I absolutely lovely is that the mechtech 'port' (what used to be called 'a hole for a peg to go into' on previous transformers) has that bit of plastic that pops up when the weapon isn't attached, not only awesome so it doesn't look like you've got a car with a hole in the roof, but furthered by the fact that it's painted to match the 88 logo on the roof. It's a fantastic touch.
Yeah, all the MechTech DotM toys have this. :)


The white paint stripes down the side are a bit sketchy - there's a bit of bleeding over onto the green on the bonnet and on the back its slightly patchy on the right side. That's it for my complaints really.
That sounds like a QC issue. When I grabbed Roadbuster and Bumblebee, I looked through several different ones and grabbed the ones with the best looking paint apps. I saw quite a few that looked sloppy and passed them up.

Makes me feel like shopping for fruit... ya know when you wanna buy a bag of apples and you pick each one up and inspect it for freshness/quality. :( I miss the old days when I didn't have to do that for Transformers; where you'd just get a toy and chances were it'd probably be okay. Now chances are you might get a defect. My Deluxe Bumblebee's paint apps on the front grill is sloppy and there's a black smudge where there shouldn't be -- although excess paint smudges can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol. My Drift came with an ugly smudge above one of the wheels -- it easy to remove with rubbing alcohol.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/drift_smudge.jpg

I'm gonna try the same thing with Bumblebee.


My worry is though, weren't the Wreckers depicted in the movie <snip>? Roadbuster seems to be lacking those on this version, I hope they release a more screen-accurate version!

Thanks for the spoiler warning. :rolleyes:

It wouldn't surprise me if Hasbro released different versions of Roadbuster with different accessories according to what he had in the movie -- much like what happened with Bumblebee. I'm not fussed about that kind of thing.

[LordCyrusOmega]

[QUOTE=GoktimusPrime;240831]Yeah, all the MechTech DotM toys have this. :)
QUOTE]

Crancase doesn't.
I'm not buying all the different versions just so he can be armed like he is (supposedly, I haven't seen anything yet) in the movie

[Autocon]

too much grey not enough detail. would have bought it too and thus begin my spiral into collecting again:p

[SkyWarp91]

Thanks for the spoiler warning. :rolleyes:



It was in the trailer!

[Doubledealer]

Surely I can't be the only one who thinks the bot mode looks god awful. The HA release of this toy is 1000 X times better and is the one I'd be saving my pennies for...

http://julianaheng.com/wp-content/images/tf_dotm_ha_roadbuster.jpg

[LordCyrusOmega]

Surely I can't be the only one who thinks the bot mode looks god awful. The HA release of this toy is 1000 X times better and is the one I'd be saving my pennies for...

http://julianaheng.com/wp-content/images/tf_dotm_ha_roadbuster.jpg

+1 :)

[Sky Shadow]

Surely I can't be the only one who thinks the bot mode looks god awful. The HA release of this toy is 1000 X times better and is the one I'd be saving my pennies for...

+2 (Assuming the HA one isn't just Photoshopped to look amazing.)

[Sky Shadow]

It was in the trailer!

It's also not really a spoiler. Oh my god, all the Wreckers have guns and not just Topspin? What a twist!

[SkyWarp91]

It's also not really a spoiler. Oh my god, all the Wreckers have guns and not just Topspin? What a twist!

Thanks for covering my back Sky, I owe you one. Man oh man I'm so gonna buy the HA Wreckers now, better order online as they're pretty rare in SA.

[kaiden]

The HA release of this toy is 1000 X times better and is the one I'd be saving my pennies for...

the only thing i want from the deluxe version is the chainsaw weapon.

[SharkyMcShark]

I prefer the back mounted missiles to the shoulder ones in the HA version.

I'm slightly peeved that deluxe Top Spin is going to be in his psycho alt mode instead of standard car - seeing as the HA Wreckers are all in 'Stealth Force' (nothing really stealthy about it...) mode I'd have liked it if all the deluxe ones were in normal car mode

[Bartrim]

+2 (Assuming the HA one isn't just Photoshopped to look amazing.)

I saw deluxe Roadbuster in K-mart and considering the HA one, he was an easy pass for me.

Yeah I gotta agree with everyone else Gok. Settle down on the spoiler rantage. Every shot of the cars shows the weapons on them. That is one of the reasons I passed on this and am eagerly awaiting the deluxe.

[GoktimusPrime]

There are some people who avoid the trailers because they don't want any visual spoilers. Not me though, I've seen the trailers -- but yeah... there are other people who won't even watch those, so I thought maybe we should be considerate of them. <shrugs> And it was just a quick line... you know my rantages start at 1280 words. ;)

[Bartrim]

... you know my rantages start at 1280 words. ;)

Not really I just say to myself "Oh boy here we go again" and skim over it:p

Just kidding I enjoy your rants. Usually quite insightful.

[griffin]

DotM Deluxe Roadbuster (Wrecker)
Series - Dark of the Moon
Sub-line - Mechtech
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - May 2011
Approximate Retail Price - $25-30
Approximate Size - 14cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Nascar Race car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Convertible Mechtech weapon
Main Colours - Green, white, grey
Main Accessories - Mechtech weapon


http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/mt05.jpg

[effacient]

Yes for me it is worth buying. I really like it. :D

[griffin]

I voted 'only if', in that, buy this one if they don't end up doing a weaponised version to match the on-screen Roadbuster.
Its a shame that Hasbro have been releasing non-weaponised versions in each size class to prevent a full set of on-screen versions in any size, but it may have been a condition of the Nascar licensing to release each at least once in their real-life format.

The transformation on this one wasn't too bad. Doing the front of the car mode took a while to work out, but the way the interior folds inside the shell of the car, works well. Leaves a fair bit of kibble in robot mode, as most of the car shell sits on its back.
I think American kids will like this one a lot, if they are into Nascar racing... it'd be like having a licensed Mark Skaife Holden race car Autobot - it'd just be sooo cool to have a toy of something we would be so familiar with in contemporary (Australian) society.