>>8676791There are downsides though, and they are a lot slipperier than his very tangible upsides.
Quite simply, he's too damn small. In two ways.
Firstly, his engineering is very very almost too intricate for his size, resulting in a lot of pegs and holes that don't quite fit together, resulting in a lot of uncomfortable massaging of plastic to get his vehicle mode *just* right. I ended up shaving down the pegs that hold his arms by his vehicle mode sides, because they kept popping out of place. That, plus locking them in place *before* snapping his legs into their final vehicle mode configuration, helps keep things solid, but I really shouldn't have to go to these lengths to get that to work. I can't help but feel that if the toy was just half a centimeter bigger, then the plastic would have a little more natural play and the tension between tabs wouldn't be such an issue. As it is, transformation can feel a little like negotiating a hostage situation.
Finally, and the biggest problem for me; he just flat doesn't feel like a 30 dollar toy. He *does* feel more than a Deluxe, but he's literally a smallish Deluxe with a couple extra gimmicks, and those gimmicks really don't add up to ten extra dollars of enjoyment to me.
He almost makes me wish for a $25 "Deluxe Plus" price point. For that, I'd gladly pay!
As it is, if they released this figure without the visor or swappable hands, and took out the effects parts and maybe a weapon or two, and released him as a standard Deluxe, then yeah, solid, 9/10 figure, super easy recommend. The way he is now, he's a little more Caveat Emptor, and he brings up a lot of uncomfortable questions about the semsntics and expectations of price points for me.
I mean, *I* bought him at full price and don't regret it, but if any other figure tried this, I don't know that I'd bite a second time
