Movie AllSpark Power Barricade Review
I picked up this one solely to shove it in people's faces and yell "ARE YOU EBAY USER LADIESMAN217!?!?!!?". That and I think the Frenzy gimmick is kinda cool.
If you don't know, AllSpark Power is basically a subline in the Movie main toyline where characters are repainted with certain parts done in a rather garish shade of blue (I call it AllSpark Blue) to represent them being supercharged by the AllSpark. Other than the toys that are repaints of earlier molds intended to represent new characters (like Overcast), or old characters totally repainted to represent a change in their body (Jungle Bonecrusher and Deep Desert Brawl), most are simply deluxe toys with AllSpark Blue on certain parts of them. This doesn't exactly work well, with some exceptions.
Barricade is one of them.
NOTE: As I don't have any other Barricades, nor do I see any previous review thread, I'm treating this as a full review instead of a 'compare to other Barricades' review.
ALT MODE
Barricade, like several other Movie toys, transforms into a licensed replica of a real-world vehicle, in this case a Saleen police car. I really like this mode, since it looks spot-on like a real car. There is no robot-mode kibble to give it's identity away unless you turn it over. Yeah, you can see through the windows, but the way his legs fold, it looks like seats.
Like most police cars, he is black, with white doors. The doors have 'POLICE' written in large letters on them (they don't open, by the way). The car also has the markings from the movie, from the Decepticon-police insignia to the 'Punish and enslave' text on the back. 'SALEEN' is also embossed on the back.
He rolls well (mine tends to have the right front wheel inexplicably in the air), and that's about it for Barricade in car mode. Except, there is also...
FRENZY
Frenzy sort-of-transforms into Barricade's car grill (sort of because it's his base that forms the grill). His transformation is simple-the head folds back, the body folds back under the legs, and you're done.
The box says he ejects from Barricade, but he doesn't eject so much as falls out. All you have to do is open the front bumper and pull Frenzy out.
In this version, he is painted red with black (re-igniting the Frenzy-is-blue-Rumble-is-red argument), unlike previous versions. He is not very articulated-his head, arms, and legs can move (in the head's case, only because of the transformation), and that's about it. He still looks like a rejected Star Wars droid.
Though he's ultimately not a very good toy, Frenzy is still a fun addition to Barricade. Now back to the big guy.
TRANSFORMATION
Barricade's arms are formed by the sides of the car. His legs swing down, and the car bonnet separates to allow his head to swing up. The car windshield flips down across his back and then you're done. There are no automorph features.
I find it hard to transform him back to car mode, because his legs, which form the rear part of the car, are very tricky to get into the right position to connect with the hood.
Of note are a few extra features not in the instructions. His feet have a flip-up part that gives him claws like a Velociraptor, and his hands can fold out a bit more.
ROBOT MODE
Barricade looks extremely alien, unlike any other Transformer. Think the offspring of Depth Charge and Rampage. Large arms, large upper body, small legs. The head looks vicious. He has amber light-piped eyes (unlike the other Decepticons, who mostly have red), which are sort of muted in brightness. His 'horns' are rubber instead of plastic.
He is still nearly-all black, although now the AllSpark Blue is visible (in fact, aside from the red of his car lights. Surprisingly for such a garish colour, it doesn't clash with the black. Rather, it complements it rather well. The parts with AllSpark blue are the face, the waist, parts of the legs, and some of the arm parts. It looks somewhat like Braveheart-esque warpaint.
In his left arm is a spring-loaded punch (FALCO PUUUUNCH!!!!), triggered by a button. It isn't the kind of gimmick that's set off by looking at it, fortunately. The punch is strong, though. Though I haven't tested it on anyone except the unfortunate Frenzy, I think he could knock down other Transformers with it.
In terms of articulation, he can move, though due to his top-heavy body, he isn't very stable. Mine has a loose right leg, so he tends to slip over. He cannot move his head.
I think Barricade is the best emulation of the movie aesthetic in deluxe-size.
EXTRA
Like the other deluxe movie characters sold in the AllSpark Power line (with the exception of Jungle Bonecrusher-guess his feelings on that), Barricade comes in a cylindrical case with his name embossed on the lid, as well as a Decepticon insignia. For those of you who like to display their toys in their packages, this is ideal.
OVERALL
Obviously, unless you don't have Barricade yet (or you have Recon Barricade but not regular Barricade), or you're a completionist, you're probably better off not picking him up, since he's a simple repaint. If you don't, then he's worth it, especially for the car mode.
7/10
