Toy Review - RID-15 Strongarm (Warrior)

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

STRONGARM
Series - Robots In Disguise
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - Warrior (similar to Deluxe)
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - scheduled for March 2015 (out in Asia & America December 2014)
Approximate Retail Price - AU$?? (probably about $30) US$15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Police Pickup Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - game "barcode"
Main Colours - Blue, white, black
Main Accessories - gun

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tran...5/rid15a08.jpg
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Fun mold. Let down slightly by the boxed-in hands/forearms, but otherwise solid (despite a greatly simplified deco).

Something about the colours, the shellforming backpack and the big simple black plastic wheels make this toy feel too cheap, like a My First Transformer. Which is a bit unfair. It's good to see some variety in female Autobots but I think this character would have been better served by a Transformers Animated deluxe designer and budget.

The boxed-in hands, as Maruten mentions, are a poor touch and feels like something that belongs on a Legion class toy not a bigger one. It's a reminder that Warrior class is not quite Deluxe, despite the price tag.

Except for Grimlock, I think this may be the best warrior class figure of this wave.

A really nice looking mould let down by numerous design flaws described in Paulbot's post. One of the feet on mine also won't fold in all the way, compromising the vehicle mode; but this appears to be more of a QA issue rather than a design one.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22..._shoulders.gif

Added some photos of Strongarm here. I finally managed to get that foot to fold in all the way, but I had to use a LOT of excessive force and it makes a loud snap whenever it goes through. :eek: :rolleyes:

I checked out Paulbot's at the meet yesterday, and I agree that it feels like a very cheap toy - I think the reason for it is that the alt mode is pretty empty/hollow, leading it to feeling too light for a toy that size.

Not having seen the RID cartoon, I was surprised to hear her character was the 'rule-abiding rookie' - from the toy I would've guessed she was more the 'Bulkhead/big brother-sister' character. I admit that that comment is probably more about me that the toy, Rorschach style.;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by M-bot

Not having seen the RID cartoon, I was surprised to hear her character was the 'rule-abiding rookie' - from the toy I would've guessed she was more the 'Bulkhead/big brother-sister' character. I admit that that comment is probably more about me that the toy, Rorschach style.

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Think of her as Ultra Magnus' daughter, fresh from the academy.

She's ends up being one on of the bulkiest warrior class toys but she's the smallest robot on the show (outside Fixit)

Well Strongarm is my 3rd figure from the new RID line and I'd have to say easily my least favorite (my other two are Steeljaw and Grimlock).


Pro's:
*A femmebot: The Transformers needs more female characters and it's good to see a strong one here instead of this skinny tiny ones we usually get (everyone else is a car and they are a motorbike etc). With the full lips and the set of the optics she does look female, the two individual chest plates help.
*Alt-mode size - looks far bigger than either Grimlock or Steeljaw in their alt-modes
*Ummm.... um...... the blue bit of plastic on the end of her rifle to replicate laser fire is kinda funky?

Cons:
*Too stocky. I don't think femmebots need to be slim (Strika is cool for example) but thats the way she is portrayed on the box art and while in the cartoon she is not skinny she is certainly not this blocky.
*The colour scheme of the alt-mode is quite uninspiring. Looks washed out.
*The alt mode itself is a real let down. It screams shellformer and it looks like it should belong to a hillbilly TF who is gonna chase the Duke boys through Hazard county! Not a by-the-book femmebot rookie. She will definitely be staying in robot mode on my shelf.
*Transformation is dull and some bits are unnecessary. For instance the instructions make you fold her chest plate down to her hips, even though doing so in no way changes the way the toy looks or operates in alt mode. Its like they felt they had to put an extra move in in case people yelled "too simple!"


Overall, unless you like to collect the relatively rare female characters, or you are into cop bots or the new cartoon, you can give this figure a miss.