Toy Review - Studio Series 58 Road buster

So my initial thought is that I?m just happy to finally have a 3 DOTM wreckers in armoured form in the same scale.
(sorry if the formatting is a bit off, this is my first go imbedding pictures with flickr)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8423a171ea.jpgIMG_1783 by Silver bolt, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1ba936faaf.jpgIMG_1799 by Silver bolt, on Flickr


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f17018d148.jpgIMG_1796 by Silver bolt, on Flickr

He is bristling with detail. The chest is fake, but given the transformation I?m not sure how else they could?ve done it. I love the robot mode. He looks like a stocky little brawler, which just about suits the role he played in DOTM.

I initally thought his gun was on the puny side, and it is, but when I realised it forms the centre machine gun in alt mode, the size makes a bit more sense. I love the car mode and all the detail on it. The front machine gun can swivel and the rear missile pods can also be pointed in more directions than straight forward.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7fe96779_w.jpgIMG_1792 by Silver bolt, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...872ce34e_w.jpgIMG_1791 by Silver bolt, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ffdf0006_w.jpgIMG_1788 by Silver bolt, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b370b32f_w.jpgIMG_1790 by Silver bolt, on Flickr

I am fortunate enough to have a deluxe Topspin and I love the complexity of the transformation. The armored vehicle design gives liberty to the transformation and how panels flip and twist from vehicle to robot mode without the need for false pieces or kibble. I guess I was hoping for something similar with Road Buster.

Unfortunately Road buster, like is DOTM toy predecessor, is also a bit of a shell former. Basically fold the arms behind the back, shell covers the back and sides, flip rear of car over head, legs and feet from the front of the car. The fore arms do show in alt mode and give extra tech detail to the armoured up look.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3fab871a_w.jpgIMG_1794 by Silver bolt, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...46c91936_w.jpgIMG_1795 by Silver bolt, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a4eb5e4d_w.jpgIMG_1793 by Silver bolt, on Flickr


Mine does have some loose shoulders which makes posing a bit difficult. The only Ball joints are in the shoulders, but with the large shoulder pads there is a bit of limitation to the range of movement. Due to the transformation he does sport double elbow joints, Otherwise he has all the knee elbow hip joints etc are there. Unfortunalty there isn't a waist swivel or a sideways ankle joint. Something I've noticed as I've written this review is that its that this roadbuster is one of a few TFs that has properly proportioned thighs.
Is it one of the greatest Studio series robots, i wouldn't say so no. But is it better than its DOTM predecessor? Absolutely.

Just got mine and the arms on mine are loose. But a great figure that fills a gap in the collection. I really hope they release a Studio Series armoured Leadfoot to go with Topspin and Roadbuster. I missed out on the original deluxe toy when it was released and it doesn't help that the it was never released outside Japan either. :(

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Originally Posted by Fungal Infection

Just got mine and the arms on mine are loose. But a great figure that fills a gap in the collection. I really hope they release a Studio Series armoured Leadfoot to go with Topspin and Roadbuster. I missed out on the original deluxe toy when it was released and it doesn't help that the it was never released outside Japan either. :(

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SO many annoying things about the original Wreckers toys - they never released any size class coherently, it was always a mix of clean and armored vehicles (despite no clean vehicles being seen in the movie anyway...). That's if they were all available in the same class anyway...

And then Leadfoot being a PITA to get hold of in this country didn't help (like a lot of the DOTM toys); the 'Target' branding on his gut causing all sorts of problems. Hopefully a Studio Series Leadfoot doesn't have any licensing issues, even if it means leaving that detail off. But if they're able to make a Dino toy happen finally, then there's definitely hope for a Leadfoot.

And yes - the arms on my SS Roadbuster are loose too. Kind of not impressed with how the vehicle mode is mostly held together with 'hope' rather than tabs, but I like him well enough overall.

Don't mean to be a downer, but like a lot of the SS car deluxes the underside just kills this for me. It's literally a robot laying face down with its arms by its side wearing a car cape. Between that and the fake chest I'm not interested, which is a shame because I like the design - the HA version of this figure is one of my all time favourites.

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Originally Posted by Sutton

And then Leadfoot being a PITA to get hold of in this country didn't help (like a lot of the DOTM toys); the 'Target' branding on his gut causing all sorts of problems. Hopefully a Studio Series Leadfoot doesn't have any licensing issues, even if it means leaving that detail off. But if they're able to make a Dino toy happen finally, then there's definitely hope for a Leadfoot.

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Is there talk of a new Dino or are you talking about the old one?

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Originally Posted by Sutton

SO many annoying things about the original Wreckers toys - they never released any size class coherently, it was always a mix of clean and armored vehicles (despite no clean vehicles being seen in the movie anyway...). That's if they were all available in the same class anyway...

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^100% agree. Really wished that they were more consistent with it. I don't mind all of the Deluxes being clean and all of the Legions being armoured or vice versa -- just pick ONE. :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sutton

And then Leadfoot being a PITA to get hold of in this country didn't help (like a lot of the DOTM toys); the 'Target' branding on his gut causing all sorts of problems. Hopefully a Studio Series Leadfoot doesn't have any licensing issues, even if it means leaving that detail off.

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Clearly wasn't an issue for Human Alliance Leadfoot or that version of Deluxe Leadfoot that Silverbolt has. Is that the Hasbro Deluxe? I only have the TakaraTOMY Deluxe which has no logos.

P.S.: This review thread's poll isn't showing up on my browser. :confused:

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

P.S.: This review thread's poll isn't showing up on my browser. :confused:

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Not everyone puts a poll

Will they do all three in SS? Or is this meant to just fill a gap?

Topspin is getting a release in Studio Series. The real unknown is Leadfoot because of the whole Target branding. Presumably they will since Target and Transformers in US seem to have a strong partnership in US. Guess they'll leave it blank for international releases.

Part of me hopes that they do clean Human Alliance-type versions of the remaining two as well. It always struck me as sort of a waste the way they mixed them up and didn't complete the HA set.
Like, Deluxe fantasy lots-o-guns versions for the kids, and more-complicated, alt-mode-accurate, driver-interactive versions so that NASCAR fans can get 'em if they want. It really seems like Hasbro's marketing division dropped the ball on this one.

Love the Mad Max aesthetic in the car design (they only showed glimpses of the alt. mode in the movie) but hate it that not all the pegs fit into the holes (the ones beneath the windscreen) and I wish the cardboard backdrop wasn't the same as Sentinel Prime's (lazy Hasbro lazy). I'm glad that this toy is better than the DOTM version though.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember seeing Roadbuster on shelves for too long. I distinctly remember seeing him on shelves once, during the June Big W toy sale, and I was undecided on getting the Wreckers at the time, so I passed him up... and never saw him on shelves again.

What I've found with Roadbuster is that he's something of a pain to transform, because the two tabs used to connect the base of the windscreen to the rear end of the bonnet are obscured by the grey front of the door panel, and so you're connecting them 'by feel', which is annoying because they're not automatically perfectly lined up and you have to move the bonnet around a bit, bending the knees ever so slightly to do it. Also, pressing down on them can pop the front wheels out of position, and a couple of times after I successfully tabbed the windscreen into the bonnet, I had to pop a wheel back into position, undoing the connection. After a while, I found it can be easier to just leave the windscreen untabbed and let it rest on top of the legs, bending the knees a little to get the bonnet straight, although transforming Roadbuster correctly isn't impossible. It's a pity, because Roadbuster looks great in both modes, and in robot mode, he's my favourite Wrecker based on aesthetics alone.

Robot mode is pretty good, with lots on intricate moulding in the torso and lower legs. The arms on mine as a whole aren't loose, although one joint - the one that connect the upper arm to the elbow, is looser than I'd like.

The instructions want you to put the minigun on Roadbuster's shoulder, but the right arm is the screen-accurate position.

https://i.imgur.com/k1CeSIg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SeaY7xB.jpg

For the sake of completeness, the included backdrop is the same shot of Chicago on the LaSalle Street Bridge that came with sentinel Prime. The other Wreckers would also come with this backdrop.

https://i.imgur.com/j8UX9sL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Urv3MrC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dLd20A2.jpg

All three Studio Series Wreckers together.