Toy Review - Siege Sideswipe

[Tha_Phantom]

Sideswipe
Series – War For Cybertron
Sub-Line - Siege
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here – ?? 2019?
Approximate Retail Price - $35
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode – Cybertronian sports car (based on Lamborghini Countach)
Main Features/Gimmicks – Hardpoints for fireblasts (not included). 5mm ports for additional weapons.
Main Colours – Red, white, black
Main Accessories – Shoulder/hand rocket launcher


In other reviews people have consistently said the plastic quality is better in this line than what we've been getting previously and now having Sideswipe in hand I see what they mean. He feels heavier than what you'd think, minimal hollowness, joints are super tight, a solid figure all 'round.
Transformation is not too basic, but still intuitive. Both robot and vehicle modes look great with loads of detail, aside from the battle damage paint apps (but I'll be removing those on my one).
He also has no annoying kibble to speak of. His back is nice and flat, and there are no hinged bits hanging off the arms or legs.
In keeping with the war theme of the line, he has plenty of ports to attach weapons and don't forget you can attach 5mm post weapons from many previous Transformer lines.

https://i.ibb.co/jWbJqJy/46837028-10157320811452137-8395420393657073664-o.jpg (https://ibb.co/txQLnLq)https://i.ibb.co/d2CHNCz/46828866-10157320811572137-6852934115373613056-o.jpg (https://ibb.co/Wy8Rr8Y)
Comparing him to Combiner Wars Sunstreaker you can see that HasTak have made a much better attempt at a not-Countach vehicle mode.
https://i.ibb.co/Tt2D2Lm/46785909-10157320811682137-2122133226305617920-o.jpg (https://ibb.co/jDf9fRg)https://i.ibb.co/ZK0RkRQ/46810984-10157320811817137-2429804604418949120-o.jpg (https://ibb.co/CvfpTpj)
Stick him between G1 and MP Sideswipe and he is clearly an excellent CHUG scale representation of the character.

For a deluxe I'd give it a 9/10.

[GoktimusPrime]

For some reason my images aren't showing up in the review.
You need to use the bulletin board embed codes instead of the direct image links.

[Tha_Phantom]

You need to use the bulletin board embed codes instead of the direct image links.

Cheers Gok! Got it sorted. :)

[tinyJazz]

Can this sideswipe swap heads with the universe/henkei deluxe?

[Tha_Phantom]

Can this sideswipe swap heads with the universe/henkei deluxe?

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that as I don't own that figure. I'm sure Goktimus does and maybe he will let me try out the swap when I see him next.

[GoktimusPrime]

https://i.ibb.co/cYkN87X/SIEGE-sideswipe01.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/vJrP0Zz/SIEGE-sideswipe02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/d7KSP4P/SIEGE-sideswipe03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/PDfKbPB/SIEGE-sideswipe03a.jpg


https://i.ibb.co/syScYCd/SIEGE-sideswipe05.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/WDBWF84/SIEGE-sideswipe06.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/1dgB6VQ/SIEGE-sideswipe07.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/1qFLkTZ/SIEGE-sideswipe08.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3mcz4fV/SIEGE-Sideswipe09.jpg

Thanks to Tha_Phantom for lending me his Siege Sideswipe :)

[BigTransformerTrev]

I thought he'd look worse than the previous CHUG Sideswipe in robot mode but looking at the comparison pics I think he actually looks better. A pleasant surprise :)

The only thing is the size, you can really see how the classes of figures have shrunk over the years eh! :eek:

[Tha_Phantom]

I thought he'd look worse than the previous CHUG Sideswipe in robot mode but looking at the comparison pics I think he actually looks better. A pleasant surprise :)

The only thing is the size, you can really see how the classes of figures have shrunk over the years eh! :eek:

I agree, it's a much cleaner look in bot mode than previous attempts. Almost a shrunken down MP... Almost.

Yeah its a shame that when you put him next to CHUG scale figures from recent years he is noticeably shorter. On its own it is a fine toy, but may not work for some collector's displays.

[Autocon]

Stand him on box trick ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

I agree, it's a much cleaner look in bot mode than previous attempts.
Yeah, but Henkei Lambor has a cleaner looking vehicle mode with fewer seam lines. It's because Siege Sideswipe's door panels fold up into the back whereas Henkei Lambor's doors sit on the arms (which is more G1 toy-accurate). Henkei Lambor also has a nicer looking rear end in vehicle mode where the legs are covered up, whereas Siege Sideswipe's knees are exposed -- but of course, Siege Sideswipe doesn't have to contend with those rear panels which become the knee pads on Henkei Lambor. And Henkei has a bit more paint ops, particularly on the vehicle tail, chrome spoiler and yellow indicators. The clear headlights are also a neat touch.

It's weird... Henkei Lambor is a more realistically detailed generic sports car, whereas Siege Sideswipe is a less realistically detailed car that looks more like a Lamborghini Countach. Obviously because Hasbro has the Lamborghini licence now so they don't need to skirt around the vehicle likeness as they did with Universe/Henkei. I'm not a fan of the try-hard battle damage on Sideswipe, but it should be removable with rubbing alcohol.

I do agree that Siege Sideswipe does certainly feel like a Poor Man's MP Lambor, which I mean as a compliment to the toy. Barring making the vehicle a more realistic Lamborghini Countach (but I understand that this is meant to be his Cybertronian mode, hence why I included Fall of Cybertron Sideswipe in the comparison pics ;)), this is about as close as you can get to an MP Sideswipe figure at the Deluxe price point. :) I don't particularly feel that either Henkei or Siege is better or worse than the other - both figures have their strengths and drawbacks which offset each other. Both are very nice Deluxe Class Sideswipes. I don't feel the need to get a Siege Sideswipe because I think that my Henkei is still just fine, but if you don't already have Universe/Henkei Sideswipe, then go ahead and get the Siege figure. It's a real treat. :)

[tinyJazz]

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that as I don't own that figure. I'm sure Goktimus does and maybe he will let me try out the swap when I see him next.

Cool thanks. let me know how it goes

[GoktimusPrime]

Henkei Lambor has a small screw on the back of the head and Siege Sideswipe does not, so it doesn't appear to be obviously swappable to me. I'm not game to try and pop Tha_Phantom's Sideswipe's head off of its ball joint or he might never lend me any of his toys again in the future. :p

[Tha_Phantom]

Henkei Lambor has a small screw on the back of the head and Siege Sideswipe does not, so it doesn't appear to be obviously swappable to me. I'm not game to try and pop Tha_Phantom's Sideswipe's head off of its ball joint or he might never lend me any of his toys again in the future. :p

Oh I would, but as compensation maybe you could buy me a Liokaiser limb this time. ;) :p

[Bidoofdude]

I’m in a tricky spot as I have Universe Sideswipe, which is a great toy, but this guy looks really good. I have Henkei Sunstreaker to match altmodes with Sideswipe too, which makes it even harder. The new Countach thingy looks rad too.

[reillyd]

I love the transformation, but his weapons SUCK. The missile should be white. Shapeways to the rescue?

[GoktimusPrime]

The missile should be white.
If I were Hasbro right now, I'd release a Red Alert repaint later with a white missile. <evil.laff> :D Or you could just paint it white yourself. ;)

I prefer the look of Siege Sideswipe's weapon for the G1 accuracy and versatility in being able to split into 2 weapons, but I prefer how Henkei Lambor's gun is incorporated into the vehicle mode and becomes the exhaust pipes. Siege Sideswipe's weapons just attach to the vehicle mode, which I understand works for the whole "War for Cybertron" theme that they're going for, but I personally prefer the "robots in disguise" motif.

[Paulbot]

Seeing it in person I was a little disappointed by the creamy plastic colour to what I expected to be white. Looks good otherwise.

[SharkyMcShark]

This is a great little figure. I purchased it on a whim and these are my thoughts.

- Vehicle mode is well sculpted. It's like the lovechild of a Countach and K's car from Blade Runner 2049. I always love to see painted headlights and hubcaps, but I would like to have seen the tail lights picked out and the black paint on the doors handled better. These apps sort of bleed into the black plastic window. Is there a trick to getting the legs to lock in to the front half of the vehicle so they don't keep rising slightly?

- Transformation is intuitive. It's a small scale version of MP-12, which is great to see. A touch I particularly like is the tail bumper folding into the back of the knees so you get a deep knee bend unblocked by kibble.

- Robot mode is a highlight. It is proportionally strong, posable, and stable. Something I love about this figure is the way that all the car parts get sucked back into a very slim sleek robot mode. Sometimes I find figures that use ye olde car hood becomes chest transformation end up with a bloated chest that the robot arms can barely reach beyond. None of that here! The forearms are hollow, but it's not as bad as it first looked. They're largely filled in as the hands don't need to fold all the way in for vehicle mode, so it gets a pass for that from me.

- Excellent QC. Everything is at the precise perfect level of tightness.

- It's kind of small. I don't really care. It's a dense figure that is not simple by any means.

A pleasant surprise. The only reason I picked this up was because Hound wasn't available at my local Toyworld, and I am glad that I did.

[shockNwave]

The reason I purchased this one is because he can be combined with the Cog add-ons.

Boy, did I get some serious bang for my buck. I have MP Sideswipe and know where you guys are coming from and therefore recommend this Siege version to anyone who baulks at the price of the MP version.

P.S. I know a lot of you hate the battle damage paint job but I have to love it courtesy of the SS Grimlock. It reminds me of the extra effort found on those horribly expensive third-party Transformers (good to see Hasbro trying to catch up).

[GoktimusPrime]

SS Grimlock is more weathering rather than try-hard battle damage. The "battle damage" on Siege toys aren't even consistently applied throughout the toy (which I'm grateful for as it makes it easier to remove!). Siege Sideswipe looks like he's been shot in the crotch by Homer Simpson's make-up shot gun loaded with silver paintballs.

SS Grimlock's weathering is at least applied throughout the toy and not in isolated areas. Cos I find that some collectors who love this damage look are then augmenting it by finishing off the job by hand painting the whole toys themselves, and others like me who hate it who then go to town with the rubbing alcohol to get it off. Honestly, I'd rather they just give us clean looking toys. People who prefer the damage can add it themselves (they're doing it anyway thanks to the inconsistent application).

[yoshi594]

I love this sideswipe! first thing i noticed was that he's got a heft to him. He's got a neat transformation and love his clean vehicle mode.

Sideswipe is my favourite from siege thus far followed by prowl. I'm extremely satisfied with both modes for both bots; I can't say the same for the other figures where they are mostly just good in bot mode. I haven't opened hound yet so can't comment on him :D.