Toy Review - TAV25 Runabout

[BigTransformerTrev]

Name: Decepticon Runabout
Series - Adventure
Size/class - Legend
New/remould/redeco – Redeco of CW Blackjack
Wave - 3
Released here - No
Approximate Retail Price - $18
Approximate Size – 10cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode – Sports Car
Main Features/Gimmicks – Can combine with some gestalt chests
Main Colours – Black, Red
Main Accessories – Axe/Spoiler





Robot Mode
Looks a lot more like Runabout from his single appearance in the G1 cartoon than the original toy did. The new head sculpt and little backpack really pull the look off! Decent articulation for a small figure and great colours. The only downside is the stupid damn Adventure/RID scanner badge in the middle of his chest – I hate those friggin things! The Decepticon logos on the shoulders however look great. Would have been nice if his weapon was red instead of black but you can overlook that.





Vehicle mode
Very nice, compact and great colours. Thankfully the scanner badge is on the back window instead of on the windscreen like RID Steeljaw. Lots of Decepticon logos everywhere. I personally leave the weapon/spoiler off so he looks more like his G1 counterpart.




Transformation
Small figure so very easy and intuitive, same as CW Blackjack

Overall
I really regret the one year I took off being part of the TFCC was the year they released Runamuck and Over-Run(about) and both toys have proved too expensive on the secondary market for me to justify grabbing. So this Runabout fills the gap nicely. It's nice also since the Blackjack figure was supposed to be Runabout and Hasbro changed their mind but Tak/Tom ran with it. Would have been a lot better to get him in Deluxe size but at least he works in scale with Legion Classics figures like Bumblebee and Brawn for fight scenes. I recommend getting this figure.



Some comparison pics with him and his mould-brothers - Rodimus and Blackjack

[shockNwave]

I already have Blackjack. Enough said.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I already have Blackjack. Enough said.

So? I have 2 Blackjacks and I still grabbed him

[prjkt]

So? I have 2 Blackjacks and I still grabbed him

And I think I'm going to end up with 2 Runabouts myself...

I'm actually surprised by the number of faction symbols in addition to the big round sticker (which will be coming off on mine) - there's what, six in total? Someone wants everyone to remember what side he's on.

[BigTransformerTrev]

And I think I'm going to end up with 2 Runabouts myself...

I'm actually surprised by the number of faction symbols in addition to the big round sticker (which will be coming off on mine) - there's what, six in total? Someone wants everyone to remember what side he's on.

Got any tips on how to take that sticker off? I always tend to leave residue when I try to remove them.

I do understand if people don't have an overwhelming connection to G1 not getting this figure if they already have Blackjack. For years I would never buy recolours of toys, even if they were recoloured into characters I liked. It's just these days the toy companies reuse the molds that much I don't seem to have much of a choice

[prjkt]

These ones don't leave any residue. Not like the old G1 types which I'd just rub quite a bit until all the residue had rolled up into something I could pick off

[crankcase76]

Tea tree oil is a good sticker/residue remover, just be careful as the paint could react with it and thats not good . This works really well with G1 toys, don't even have to take the sticker off. Just us a cotton bud and apply it to the sticker. Give it a little while to adsorb in it it falls right off, no residue at all. If you are appling new stickers just make sure that all the tea tree oil is removed or they will come off again. I wipe them down with a warm damp cloth then dry them. Works every time.

[prjkt]

just picked up mine from the post office, good little figure, no surprises when compared to Blackjack, other than the colours, will take some comparison shots sometime soon

[prjkt]

here we go




As you can see I took off the scanning app sticker, pretty much no residue left behind from this one, obviously designed to be easily removable in this case. I have covered up the smaller tampographed symbols with Reprolabels' Hologlow stickers as they look cool, waiting on my next order for the bigger symbol as I've run out of stickers.

If I get the chance, will snap a shot of him as Menasor's chest.

[DELTAprime]

I'm so bummed I missed this guy and Override.