Dave's Go-Bots Rant: Wave 3a

     Strong-Bot (Dump Truck)
     Buzzer-Bot (Motorcycle)
     Flash-Bot (Off-Road Truck)

     The fourth in this semi-assortment is Scrap-Bot, a green recolor of the
original Strong-Bot.  It is not the green remold available in Japan that has
steamroller hands.  The other half of the wave is the new Speed-Bot Racer and
a trio of recolors (Cop-Bot, Reptron in black, Tigertron).

CAPSULES

     Strong-Bot: Really nifty little dump truck, kinda weak robot mode.
Mildly recommended.  $7.86 at Target.
     Buzzer-Bot: Good cycle, okay robot, eerie resemblance to the first
Buzzer-Bot.  Mildly recommended.  $7.86 at Target.
     Flash-Bot: Really good vehicle mode, good robot mode, interesting twist
on the original Speed-Bot transformation.  Recommended.  $7.86 at Target.
     Scrap-Bot: Excellent mold, definitely worth picking up if you don't have
the original Strong-Bot.  


RANTS

     Y'know, they can't seem to settle on what to call these things.  Every
new wave brings a new set of trade dress and new names.  Now they're just
Go-Bots, no "Transformers" in the name.  Target's shelf tags list them as
Gobotropolis toys, and they have a new faction symbol (also seen on the other
new Go-Bots like Hauler-Bot).  The cardback is now orange and yellow with a
stylized "atom" symbol that also appears in the new logo.  Several twist-ties
hold each figure to the cardback, and they continue to be packaged in robot
mode.  
     The names continue to be stickers insied the bubbles, but the cardboard
insert with the Go-Bots logo is individualized to each figure.  The proof of
purchase on the bottom names the figure, and the co-sell picture does not
show the picture in that package.  All eight of the new basics are shown in
co-sell, plus Beast-Bot and an Aero-Bot Racer recolor of Mirage-Bot.
Speed-Bot Racer (new sports car mold) is shown to come with the driver and
gaspump-bot minifigs that came with the Deluxe Speed-Bot formula racer.  The
"new" recolors are a black and silver Reptron (still called Reptron),
Prowl-Bot repainted slightly as Cop-Bot, and a red and silver Cheetor repaint
named Tigertron.  I mention these because I am unlikely to buy any of these
recolors.  
     The upper right corner of the cardback has a short clip-and-save bio of
the toy.  Isn't it odd that the Armada toys no longer come with bios (and
they take their own sweet time posting 'em to the website), but the Go-Bots
still have 'em, even after all the name changes and packaging changes?

     They've given up on the II or 2 designations in this iteration of the
line, and are just treating these all as alternate morphs for the same
character, kinda like different outfits for a GIJoe.  The cartoon, which I
have yet to see, bears this out.  So Strong-Bot and Buzzer-Bot now have two
known forms each.


GO-BOT: STRONG-BOT
Altmode: Dump Truck

     The strongest and toughest of the GO-BOTS team, he can take on the forms
of the biggest and strongest machines he can find!  His power and
determination make him a go-to GO-BOTS member in any situation.  Stand back
when he's in dump truck form, because when he starts something, he won't stop
till [sic] it's done!

     Vehicle Mode: A cute chunky yellow and yellow-orange dump truck 4.5"
(11.5cm) long, 3.75" (9.5cm) wide and 3.25" (8cm) high.  This is the shortest
of the vehicle modes by a noticeable amount.  The wheels are gray with silver
hubs, the driver's compartment windows are metallic bluish gunmetal, as is
the rigid grille struture.  Headlights are silver.  A little bit of red is
visible here and there.  The new Go-Bots symbol is painted in red over the
right side headlights, and a teeny little red one is right above the radiator
grille.
     The wheels roll well, and there's only a little bit of robot kibble
showing in this mode.  The dumper part moves on ratcheting joints, revealing
more red inside.

     Transformation has the dumper part unfold into legs.  Rotating the front
end around unlocks the arms, which spring out to the sides and stay sprung.
The legs can be pulled apart, but the feet are angled on the assumption of
the legs being together.

     Robot Mode: 6" (15cm) tall, this is one of the tallest (if not THE
tallest) Basic Go-Bot.  His head is a squashed version of the original
Strong-Bot's head.  The fists are gray and the upper legs and sides are deep
red.  The eyes are green with silver "bags" under them.
     The hips are hinged but only bend back, not forward.  The knees ratchet
and the toes can point, although neither of these things help much in making
stand-alone poses.  Springs hold the arms out to the sides, although they can
be dropped a little and stay in place.  They also ratchet-swing at the
shoulders, so the arms can point forward or back.  The waist does not turn,
although it can rock back and forth a few degrees each way.

     Overall: I like the chunky dump truck, but the robot mode is pretty
disappointing even on the scale of Go-Bots.  If you're not already into
Go-Bots, this is not going to be the one to convince you (the original
Strong-Bot might, though).


GO-BOT: BUZZER-BOT
Altmode: Motorcycle

     This sneaky and persistent GO-BOTS member is an expert at solving the
most difficult problems firmly and fairly.  When he buzzes into motorcycle
form, he uses his keenly developed sense of sight to look beyond where most
can see.  So when help is needed, he's the first one aware...and the first
one there. 

     Yep, they're definitely playing up the Waspinator/Thrust thing from
Beast Machines here.

     Vehicle mode: 6" (15cm) long road rocket motorcycle.  He has the green,
violet and yellow of the insect Buzzer-Bot, plus gray, darker gray and silver
parts.  A yellow Go-Bots symbol is painted on the left side of his seat.
There is no kickstand, and the wheels are not wide/flat enough to let the
cycle balance on any but the flattest, stillest surface.  You can detach his
arms from the front wheel hub and use them as stabilizers, but it doesn't
look good.  Oh, all of the violet is painted on.
     There is almost no obvious robot kibble in this mode, just a little bit
of his grin visible under the dashboard.

     Transformation: Bend the front down, which reveals the robot chest and
automatically flips up a dashboard panel that had been covering his face.
Pry the arms away from the front wheel hub and they spring the rest of the
way out, then rotate them forward.  Pull the rear half of the cycle apart to
make the legs.  There is no provision for folding down toes or heel spurs.

     Robot Mode: 5.5" (14cm) tall, his face is actually a little higher off
the table than insect-form Buzzerbot's.  This is clearly the same character,
with the same basic chest design, same abdominal ridges, same face, same
basic shape of arms and legs.  The front wheel hangs off his back, fixed in
place, and the rear wheel is split in half between the legs.  The feet are
just the exhaust openings, so he's pretty wobbly.
     Shoulders ratchet, but springs hold the arms out to the sides (not as
far out as Strong-Bot's though).  The rotation is free to move about 270
degrees, blocked by his helmet horns (handlebars).  The hips ratchet forward
only, to 90 degrees, and spread a few degrees just to separate them.
     If you're careful, you can raise both legs without dropping the visor
over his eyes, resulting in a sort of sitting tri-wheeler mode (very
appropriate for a Thrust-analogue).

     Overall: A decent toy, if not quite as good as the original Buzzer-Bot.
Hm, sensing a trend here, yes?


GO-BOT: FLASH-BOT
Altmode: Offroad 4x4 Truck

     Action and thrills are what this hotshot robot is all about.  When in
truck form, he's off in a flash, showcasing his legendary off-road driving
skills.  No terrain is too tough for this power-charged pickup who can always
shift into the right gear to take him anywhere.

     Vehicle Mode: 4.75" (12cm) long jacked-up 4x4 pickup with rollbar and
big spotlights on the roof.  The main body is a vivid teal-blue and the
underside is mostly dark gray.  The wheels are the same slightly brownish
gray (taupe?) as all the other wheels on Go-Bots, with silver hubs.  There
are gunmetal running board, rear bumper and spotlights, yellow rollbar on the
covered-over pickup bed, silver grille and headlights, bluish-gunmetal
windows, red signal lights/taillights and a red Go-Bots symbol on the engine
turbocharger housing.  Whew.  There's also a little bit of yellow visible in
the front.  There is no robot kibble visible at all.
     This is a nice roly-poly offroader, and takes only a little care to get
into a somersault when rolling down pillows or other soft obstacles.  Oh, and
the spotlight bar can be raised and lowered.

     Transformation is VERY similar to the original Speed-Bot.  Pull back
legs to release the arms, which spring out a bit.  Then turn the legs around
as a unit to make the head flip up out of the engine block (as opposed to
rotating up as in Speed-Bot).  You have to be careful here, as there's no
firm grip on this piece, and it'll stay undeployed against even a little
force.  Finally, fold the read bumper out as toes.  The legs can be separated
if you want.

     Robot Mode: 5.75" (14.5cm) tall.  His chest is yellow with a red Go-Bots
symbol.  His head is a mix of metallic blue-gunmetal with silver "hair" and
faceplate, orange eye-visor and a sort of orange smirk.  His now-visible
fists are gray.  You may want to reposition his spotlights in this mode so
that he's not so obviously happy to see you.
     Poseability is a mixed bag.  The arms move at the shoulders, but can
only swing forward about 45 degrees from straight down (or 90 degrees
straight back, oddly).  The legs tend to collapse like Speed-Bot's because of
a very week tab that snaps them into place.  The legs can only spread out
sideways, but unlike the limited range of most Go-Bots, Flash-Bot can do the
splits.  He can also stand on one leg sort of doing a side kick, but the
roundness of his outside heels means he'll fall over if you go for too much
dynamism in the pose.

     Overall: Very nice vehicle mode, robot mode a little better than you
might expect for a Speed-Bot style mold.  Probably the best overall of the
three new molds...it lacks some of their strengths, but also lacks some of
their weaknesses.

     Dave Van Domelen, gonna have to expand his Go-Bots onto another shelf or
put some into storage now....