Toy Review - FOC Kickback

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

Series - Generations
Sub-line - Fall of Cybertron
Size/class - deluxe
Wave -
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - not here yet
Approximate Retail Price - 25-30 Au$
Approximate Size -
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Cybertonian Grasshopper
Main Features/Gimmicks - Looks like game characters
Main Colours - Gray, purple.
Main Accessories - Wing 'blades,' Gear Shredder weapon from game, gear shredder disc.


Hmm, I seem to be haveing a bit of a bad run with new Transformers lately. All 3 that I have picked so far have been awesome in one part and horrid in another. Lazerback, FOC Grimlock and now Kickback.

On the plus side, kickback's robot mode is magnificent. Articulation in almost all the right places (no waist joint) and great use of a variety of joints make him incredibly dynamic! I LOVE this robot mode. I can't get over how brilliant it is. I would ahve liked the option to make his back claws fold away a bit better if you want for robot mode. you either have to have them over his shoulders, standing straight up, or going down the entire length of his back. If the area around the ball joint was a bit different, it would have allowed for a lot more movement.

His weapons are a bit naff though. the disc launcher is HUGE. It looks very close to the game's though, which is a plus, but it is far too large for a delxue to hold. On a Voyager it looks better, but the only FOC voyagers we have are Soundwave and Grimlock. Only one fo them uses guns... I see why it is so big, the disc needs to be a certain size fro in-edibility, but sheesh, it looks ridiculous when wielded by Kickback.

His 'swords' (using the term loosely) are rubbish. They don't look like swords, and are probably too short. leave them on as wings, or get by by having hold the bade like he is going to stab people.

Still, he is very good and I have had a lot of fun with him. Poses are just brilliant! Even with naff swords. transformation is clever. Shame you won't want to though...

Grasshopper mode. What can I say? Well, the last three recent toys I have played with have all had one good mode and one really bad mode. (grimlock has 2 actually). Kickback's grasshopper mode is rubbish. Really really bad. The rear legs don't really look like legs, they don't hook in anywhere satisfactorily and just hang off the side of the body. Most frustratrating. the front legs, aside from being wrong to grasshoppers (although it IS a space Grasshopper I guess...) just flop about and there is no way to secure them down. I do like that the chest pieces over the ball joints suggesting he has a cover for the wings when not being used. Like a real insect.

He does fit in well with a wide variety of lines.

TF Prime? Colours look like the other one. - Check
FOC he is from the game, so - Check
Classics Very nice update and looks similar - Check


So I would vote, 'Only if' You really liked the robot mode because the insect mode is forgettable in almost every way. But the robot mode is incredibly brilliant.

Oh and his claws have places for weapons!

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k313/Wootnchoo/IMG_1190_zpsf60fc39e.jpg

[i_amtrunks]

After having mine for a month, I voted the same as tets; Only if.

Only if you like Transformers who only have one good mode (robot) and have a stupidly oversized weapon (ala dotm) that looks ridiculous when given to the character it came with. Funny how Kickback is a decent sized figure, but also gets a massive weapon, while other figures released around the same time are far smaller and come with no giant weapon...

He has an interesting and intimidating looking robot mode, and this is where he will stay for me. I'd not be fussed if I never got him, but I bought this wave in a case allotment. so again, only get this figure if you love the robot mode, can store the weapon elsewhere and loved the FoC game.

[kup]

This is the only FOC toy that looks decent to me. I haven't had a chance to see it in person but it certainly looks good from the pics I've seen.

[UltraMarginal]

I voted Only If... like has been said above, it's a very solid robot mode, and for most that's probably fine, given that most people display their transformers in robot mode.

The Gauntlets becoming the back of the bug is a nice touch, and the way the head/chest rotates around the structure to shift into the alt mode position is novel. overall, the transformation is interesting and not too complex.

I agree with the design choice not to fix the legs in beast mode, otherwise it would be very awkward and almost totally un-poseable. I don't quite get how the back legs and feet are supposed to be oriented, nothing really feels right.
the beast mode does look a lot like the game model though so I'm happy with that.

again, only if you're a fan of the game, we'll be getting Prime specific insecticons in the future I imagine, and they may be slightly more realised.

If these were on a throwout shelf for $10, I've be grabbing a few for my display. I hope we get more of them, with hopefully better beast modes.

[GoktimusPrime]

Just opened Kickback and had a fiddle...

Dis-ap-point-ing. :(

As Tetsuwan Convoy said, the insecticon mode is just bollocks upon bollocks. This would have to be the single worst insect-mode for a Transformer ever. As Tets said, the legs are just rubbish... the fore legs just dangle without locking in, and the hind legs are absolutely joke. But the most aggravating part for me is that the two purple abdomen halves won't stay locked together on my toy. :( It only has one tab and hole to clip in, but it doesn't adequately keep the arms together (which forms the abdomen). Epic fail.

The head looks alright, I like how the jaw is formed. And the thorax is also well designed, and the elytra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elytron) are a nice touch. Having the wing membranes detach to become melee weapons is also neat too. Sadly none of these features are enough to redeem this toy of its failings.

The toy also comes with a big disc-launching cross-bow style gun, which the membranes can stick onto the outside. This is a nice enough weapon, but I would have rather Hasbro skip this weapon entirely and just spend more resources on developing a better figure. The membrane-weapons are enough, really.

The robot mode itself is nice. Well articulated and I like how the wings become claw-arms instead of just kibble. I also like how the elytra form a decorative collar design; along with the shoulder design, it kinda gives Kickback a sort of Shogun-esque look. :) Probably my only gripe about the robot mode is a lack of waist articulation. The purple on this toy is also a bit too bright for my liking, but it's not bad by any means. The use of gold highlights on this toy is also well done, and I also like how the sides of the knees are accentuated in pink.

Overall I feel that this is a toy whose design/engineering was compromised for its gimmicky weapon. I think that it could've been better if they never bothered with that weapon, and just tweaked a few things here and there to deal with the imperfections of the figure's design. I would only recommend getting this toy if you really want the figure and you can find it at below RRP, which Kmart has atm.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Like everyone else here - love the robot, hate the grasshopper! In robot mode however he is my 2nd fav FOC toy (I love Starscream more as he seems to have a good transformation and actually have TWO good modes!) and is decently poseable. The only thing I would have liked to see would be a lot less purple, and maybe some black so the bits of purple stood out more.


However, it's probably the best Kickback toy we've had that's not from a 3rd party producer (see below pic for comparison of various Kickbacks).

http://s1294.beta.photobucket.com/user/BigAngryTrev/media/Kickback_zps31a79bc3.jpg.html

[GoktimusPrime]

Posted some action pics of Kickback (and Ultra Magnus) here (http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=337034&postcount=1939) :)

[kup]

Is the purple really that bright or is it the flash? He looks darker in other pics.

[5FDP]

This would have to be the single worst insect-mode for a Transformer ever.

Woah... with the original G1 Insecticons and Deluxe Insecticons to choose from, that's a big call.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Is the purple really that bright or is it the flash? He looks darker in other pics.

Depends. Are you talking about my pic or the ones Gok decided to one-up me with? If it's mine, it could be a combination of the flash and black background, though he is quite purple.

[GoktimusPrime]

Woah... with the original G1 Insecticons and Deluxe Insecticons to choose from, that's a big call.
All the G1 Insecticons had pretty solid insect modes. None of them had any problems with the insect legs not being able to reach the ground, or with the insect mode not even holding together properly. FoC Kickback's insect mode looks "incomplete." As Tetsuwan Convoy said, the hind legs don't even look like insect legs at all, and the other legs just dangle there as they do in robot mode. They can't lock in, let alone touch the ground and are utterly useless. And to make matters worse, the abdomen can't even close properly... so the toy cannot even stay transformed in insect mode. As soon as I release the abdomen, it just becomes undone! :(

None of the G1 Insecticons have any of those problems in their insect modes. Not even Ransack, who I consider to be the weakest of the G1 Insecticon toys... his locust mode pretty much holds together. Okay, the hip joints can be a bit wobbly, but the mode doesn't undo itself and starts falling apart back into robot mode! Some of the Beast Wars bugformers had issues with the legs not supporting the body properly (i.e. easily flopping down on their bellies) -- but at least their bug modes held together! If you look at the original Waspinator, sure he flops down, but once the legs and weapon all lock into his backside to form the abdomen, it's locked. That thing ain't gonna come apart unless someone comes along and intentionally starts undoing it.

Whoever designed this toy can go pucker their mandibles and plant big wet juicy one on Waspinator's big fat stripey... :p

[5FDP]

I'd have to disagree with you. The G1 Insecticons in insect mode were for the most part the bot modes laying flat on their abdomens with clearly visible arms, legs, and head of their respective bot modes. Not saying that's a bad thing and considering they're 30 year old toys, they're executed quite well, but it is what it is.

It seems to be the trend lately that Hasbro focus solely on the design of either the bot or alternate mode - not both, with one or the other suffering due to design limitations. There have been far too many Transformers lately with vague or poorly designed alternate modes just so they can make a kick-ass looking robot.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'd have to disagree with you. The G1 Insecticons in insect mode were for the most part the bot modes laying flat on their abdomens with clearly visible arms, legs, and head of their respective bot modes. Not saying that's a bad thing and considering they're 30 year old toys, they're executed quite well, but it is what it is.
Yeah but it works. G1 Kickback may essentially lie on his back, turn his head around to become a grasshopper, but still forms a solid looking grasshopper! The mode holds together and the legs can touch the ground. Also... FoC Kickback's robot hands are clearly visible in his Insecticon mode anyway - so he's just as bad as say Shrapnel or Bombshell with their exposed fists. And as you said, considering that those toys came out nearly 30 years ago, it's not so bad. FoC Kickback is a current toy... what's its excuse?? :confused:


It seems to be the trend lately that Hasbro focus solely on the design of either the bot or alternate mode - not both, with one or the other suffering due to design limitations. There have been far too many Transformers lately with vague or poorly designed alternate modes just so they can make a kick-ass looking robot.
That seems to be the case here. I'd say that 70% of their effort was put in the robot mode and 25% into the gimmicky weapon. The alt mode really feels like an after thought. As much as the G1 Insecticons' alt modes may have their flaws, for their time they were reasonably well executed and you could see that effort went into them (especially the Deluxe Insecticons who have really nice looking alt modes).

I'll post some comparison shots with FoC Kickback in Insecticon mode and see what you guys reckon.

[GoktimusPrime]

Image gallery:
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/toys/Generations2012/Decepticons/Kickback/

This person seems to have been able to manage to make the abdomen stay together. Maybe there's something I'm not doing right...

[ILikeSoundwave]

Image gallery:
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/toys/Generations2012/Decepticons/Kickback/

This person seems to have been able to manage to make the abdomen stay together. Maybe there's something I'm not doing right...

Mine stays together perfectly. Try turning the hands around like in the picture so they face the bottom.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I managed to make mine stay together. I guess I must've done something wrong the first time round <shrugs> So I take back my previous comments about the toy not being able to hold together in alt mode, but my other comments still stand. I've posted some comparison pics with G1 Kickback here (http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=337367#post337367). The way that the robot legs become the hind legs really feel like a bad afterthought. :(

[GoktimusPrime]

I really can't be bothered to take comparison photos with all of my various "bugformers" (most of them are in robot mode, so I'd have to transform them for the comparison shot, then transform them back later). So I just nabbed various pics off the interwebs and stuck them together into a single image to compare with FoC Kickback's Insecticon mode (even that took me over an hour to collect, crop, resize etc etc. (on MSPaint cos that's the most advanced graphics program that I know how to use :p)).

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/Insecticons/foc_kickback_insects.jpg
I've mostly compared Kickback with other Insectformers. Non-insect Bugformers are in the top-left purple box (they're all arachnids except for Retrax). Having done this, I feel that all the toys pictured here have superior bug modes to Kickback's. However I did think of ONE bugformer who is crappier than Kickback who I hadn't thought of before -- Movieverse Deluxe Scorponok! FoC Kickback's no where near as bad as him (though Movie Scorponok's a pret-ty low standard ;)). But FoC Kickback would certainly be down the bottom as far as Bugformers go -- IMHO the second worst out we've had so far.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I really can't be bothered to take comparison photos with all of my various "bugformers" (most of them are in robot mode, so I'd have to transform them for the comparison shot, then transform them back later). So I just nabbed various pics off the interwebs and stuck them together into a single image to compare with FoC Kickback's Insecticon mode (even that took me over an hour to collect, crop, resize etc etc. (on MSPaint cos that's the most advanced graphics program that I know how to use :p)).

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/Insecticons/foc_kickback_insects.jpg
I've mostly compared Kickback with other Insectformers. Non-insect Bugformers are in the top-left purple box (they're all arachnids except for Retrax). Having done this, I feel that all the toys pictured here have superior bug modes to Kickback's. However I did think of ONE bugformer who is crappier than Kickback who I hadn't thought of before -- Movieverse Deluxe Scorponok! FoC Kickback's no where near as bad as him (though Movie Scorponok's a pret-ty low standard ;)). But FoC Kickback would certainly be down the bottom as far as Bugformers go -- IMHO the second worst out we've had so far.

Who is the bright green preying mantis in the bottom right hand corner? He looks pretty cool!

[GoktimusPrime]

Who is the bright green preying mantis in the bottom right hand corner? He looks pretty cool!
That praying mantis is Manterror (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Manterror). He is a very cool toy IMO. :) Unfortunately he was part of that wave of Beast Wars toys that Australia skipped. :( I managed to get mine through a trade with some dude in Glasgow Scotland. ;)

[christalcase]

http://i46.tinypic.com/2mejhi.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/28cprau.jpg

Hmmm... I actually really like Kickback, probably my favourite out of the FOC line. The insect mode is a bit weak... but I didn't think it was as terrible as everyone was making it out to be. The rear legs are stupid looking and weird but I thought everything else was well formed. The transformation felt like a mess with things going everywhere and being so convoluted. The robot mode is quite stunning and I loved the shade of purple used. The insect front legs feel awkward as they don't go anywhere in robot mode and just hangs from his back. I think the weapon is too large and heavy for Kickback, but overall, an amazing toy and definitely worth a purchase.

[Autocon]

That praying mantis is Manterror (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Manterror). He is a very cool toy IMO. :) Unfortunately he was part of that wave of Beast Wars toys that Australia skipped. :( I managed to get mine through a trade with some dude in Glasgow Scotland. ;)

Who is the green eyed inferno looking thing next to buzzsaw?

[GoktimusPrime]

Who is the green eyed inferno looking thing next to buzzsaw?
Tonbot

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

... but overall, an amazing toy and definitely worth a purchase.
I think this is a good summary.

I've been looking at the game model and his insect mode is closer to a wasp thingy than a grasshopper really. Which makes sense since he is a flying character in the game.

If you take that in context and drop the thoughts of the grasshopper mode, it makes the insect mode a bit better. But even then it's a bit of a crappy beast mode. The robot mode makes up for the beast mode in my opinion though.

I am pretty impressed that they managed to make both modes incredibly close to the game model (including the front insect legs hanging off his back :p) and make it such a dynamic toy.

[Bidoofdude]

Tonbot

I didn't realise there were so many insecticon!:p:o
I need to read up some stuff.;):o

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Did some shots and blurb for my blog (http://tetstoys.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/kicking-back-with-kickback.html).

Lots of various photos. Wooo!

[Tallestblue]

I think the insect legs look better if you use the "Kneepads" as feet for the Grasshopper mode. basically spin the leg sections around and completely ignore the instructions. I quite like Kickback and aside from Starscream he'd be one of the better FOC toys.

[griffin]

Worst toy ever...

It has two modes - a robot that looks more like an insect, and an insect that doesn't look like much of anything.

I was really disappointed with this one, as the only saving element is that it is a character from the game. Both modes look terrible, especially the insect mode, with bits sticking out everywhere... and the transformation is over-complicated in one part (upper abdomen of both modes), while being too simplified in others (robot legs).
The robot legs were the most disappointing bit, with the chest panels being a close second (just flopping around because they can't join up or lock onto anything).
I can understand why Hasbro didn't want more than one of these to a case, as the toy is worse than it looks in the packaging.

[SuspectimusPrime]

I've only transformed this figure twice (and purposefully mistransformed (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=343270&postcount=1988) it once), and I'm already finding stress marks on the connectors that purple translucent wings snap into. One another annoying issue is that the arm guards don't hold together during 'insect' mode, which kind of prompted me to look for a fan mode. The paint aps and joints are nice and tight, and the plastic doesn't feel cheap like the FOC Combaticons.

I was originally planning on army building with this mould, but given the above issues and its terrible alt mode I've given up on multiples of the same toy. Might be persuaded back into getting another TakTom version once we see the in-hand pictures.