Toy Review - DotM Human Alliance Roadbuster

[griffin]

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

Toy Review - Roadbuster w/ Sergeant Recon


Series - Dark of the Moon
Sub-line - Mechtech Human Alliance
Size/class - (Deluxe)
New/remould/redeco - new
Wave - 2
Released here - not yet (released US May 2011)
Approximate Retail Price - US$30
Approximate Size - 21cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Weaponised Nascar racecar
Main Features/Gimmicks - Human figurine, Missile Launcher
Main Colours - Green, white, light & dark grey.
Main Accessories - Recon figurine, missile, launcher.

[SharkyMcShark]

A random bump I know, but I watched Mad Max over the weekend and have been thinking about this figure.

This is seriously a fantastic piece. I know it's been literally five years since it came out, I know it didn't even warrant getting reviewed by anyone on this forum when it was first released, and I know that aftermarket prices for it run close to $80 AUD, but to my mind even at that price it's worth it.

The vehicle mode is detailed and dangerous looking. It bristles with armament., and there's just about enough paint on it.

The transformation is involved, but makes sense. There's a lot of bang for buck here, and it's not a figure that uses fake parts. This is one of the best representations of a movie transformation that you can get in plastic. The fact that the vehicle mode is to a large extent broken up anyway by the StealthForce style helps.

The robot mode is poseable, heroically proportioned, and bristling with weaponry. Yes, the head looks a bit goofy without the visor, and the hand articulation is slightly odd. I don't really have any major complaints though.

Sgt Recon didn't even make it out of the package before it went into the rubbish bin in 2013 when I got this.

Yes, I know this is massively necro posting, but this is seriously one of my favourite figures and I can't believe there's no user reviews for it on this site!

[DaptoDog]

A random bump I know, but I watched Mad Max over the weekend and have been thinking about this figure.

This is seriously a fantastic piece. I know it's been literally five years since it came out, I know it didn't even warrant getting reviewed by anyone on this forum when it was first released, and I know that aftermarket prices for it run close to $80 AUD, but to my mind even at that price it's worth it.

The vehicle mode is detailed and dangerous looking. It bristles with armament., and there's just about enough paint on it.

The transformation is involved, but makes sense. There's a lot of bang for buck here, and it's not a figure that uses fake parts. This is one of the best representations of a movie transformation that you can get in plastic. The fact that the vehicle mode is to a large extent broken up anyway by the StealthForce style helps.

The robot mode is poseable, heroically proportioned, and bristling with weaponry. Yes, the head looks a bit goofy without the visor, and the hand articulation is slightly odd. I don't really have any major complaints though.

Sgt Recon didn't even make it out of the package before it went into the rubbish bin in 2013 when I got this.

Yes, I know this is massively necro posting, but this is seriously one of my favourite figures and I can't believe there's no user reviews for it on this site!

I do regret never collecting these Human Alliance figures. And doubly so for those of the Wreckers, I loved those guys in DOTM. I did at least get the Roadbuster and Topspin deluxe figures.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I never understood - still don't - why Hasbro didn't choose either Weaponed-Up or Realistic alt-modes for each size-class/subline, and then stick with that across each line. Surely having a bunch of Deluxes loaded with guns and a bunch of more-realistic HA figures would have worked better than two mixed lots of Best-Out-of-Three...

[GoktimusPrime]

HasTak were inconsistent with the other price points. Deluxe Roadbuster was unarmed, but Leadfoot and Top Spin were bristling. Legion Class Top Spin was unarmed but Leadfoot and Roadbuster were bristling (Leadfoot's the only one that's armed up in all price points).

I actually prefer the unarmed versions because they look more like robots in disguise. I doubt anyone would see a Nascar racing around with guns hanging off it in real life. I know that the armed up versions are more movie-accurate though. But the inconsistency between having them either "clean" or "armed" within each price point was weird IMO. Either do one or the other and keep the same among all three Wreckers in the same price point, e.g. have all of them be "clean" as Legion Class figures and "armed" as Deluxes etc.

I've never paid much attention to the Human Alliance line (not my thing), but I just looked at TFwiki and apparently there was never a HA Topspin toy made. That must suck for HA collectors wanting to complete the set of DotM Wreckers.

[Krayt]

HasTak were inconsistent with the other price points. Deluxe Roadbuster was unarmed, but Leadfoot and Top Spin were bristling. Legion Class Top Spin was unarmed but Leadfoot and Roadbuster were bristling (Leadfoot's the only one that's armed up in all price points).

Incorrect..... HA lead foot got the short end of the stick here.... So there is a "clean" car version of each if you get one from each size