Had a chance to play with mine today. I agree that his upper half seems spindly compared to the more solid Sideswipe or Bluestreak, but so far mine is holding together well enough. I like the fact that the extra shoulder hinge from the transformation gives extra motion, allowing the two-handed pistol grip in Gok's photos.
Of course, the car is lovelyI like the blue finish on the plastic.
One trick I find helpful is to not pull the bonnet apart, but to twist it apart. What I do is hold the toy bonnet-side up in both hands, one hand on each side of the front of the car, and then turn my wrists out. The upper thigh swivels will turn inwards and the bonnet halves will pop apart.