Dave's Transformers Siege Rant: Alphastrike Counterforce Covert Clone Sideswipe (redeco of Sideswipe) Slamdance (retool of Skytread) Trenchfoot (redeco of Caliburst/Blowpipe) Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Gen/Alphastrike https://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Gen/DeluxeS1 - Sideswipe, Skytread https://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Gen/Battle1 - Blowpipe https://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Gen/Battle3 - Caliburst This was one of two paired $50 Amazon exclusive sets, the other being the Decepticon Phantomstrike Squadron (Skywarp and three Battle Masters). I wasn't interested initially because each set was redecos of $45 worth of toys for $50, but I kept an eye out for sales. I found Alphastrike for 35% off through Amazon Warehouse, meaning it was likely a return and therefore something of a roulette spin given Slamdance's reported leg problems. Phantomstrike sold out much more quickly and I haven't seen it cheap. (Goes to check again) Yeah, still not available. Fortunately, Skytread's foot wasn't already broken in-package, but that just means being super careful removing it from the package and inspecting it before the review starts in earnest. The two sets together form the Final Strike Figure Series. [Update: the Slamdance leg problem was not a matter of assembly so much as it was a poor casting run that left the piece riddled with fraction lines, like Gold Plastic Syndrome dialed up to 11.] CAPSULES Originally $50 at Amazon, and other than occasional Warehouse returns, still that price. Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce: The Sideswipe and Blowpipe molds were originally recommended, Skytread only mildly recommended due to a DIFFERENT leg assembly problem than this one has. Even if you get a set without defects, it's a bit expensive for two redecos and a retool, but worth picking up if you can find it at any sort of discount. RANTS Packaging: Done up in the standard trapezoidal box style of Siege, with no window. The front panel is the usual "colored pencil filter" art of the characters inside, leaping to the attack (my guess is that the Phantomstrike art fits with it). The nameplate is for the set name, with no sigils. The left side is a large nameplate, more or less, and the angled right side has the usual "launch of the Ark" art. The top has the logo, the bottom has the usual legalese. On the back are pictures of the three characters in all their modes, with a small inset of the Phantomstrike Squadron in robot modes (well, except for the Pteraxadon redeco that's in beast mode). Inside, the tray has the unusual orientation of having the figures facing the box back, rather than the front...but on further investigation, that's because someone opened it up, took it out to check, and then crammed it back in backwards, heh. All three are held into the tray in robot modes. Slamdance's weapons are tied down separately with one tie each, Sideswipe's combined weapon is in its own slot with one tie, and the Fire Blast is held down by two ties. There's two ties on Trenchfoot, five on Sideswipe, and five on Slamdance (who is combined in bot mode). The instructions are grayscale and dark red, with weapon stats for all the weapons (including Trenchfoot's weapon mode), plus sigils. AUTOBOT: COVERT CLONE SIDESWIPE Assortment: WFC-S26 Altmode: Sportscar Transformation Difficulty: 16 steps Previous Name Use: Not with this epithet Previous Mold Use: Gen:Siege Fireblast: None Weapons: Photo-Pulser Proton Launcher, Gyro Blaster, (combined) RR Gyrofuse Axleswitch Hyper-Blaster Function: Warrior Division: Ground Command Unit: Special Ops Rank: Private W-10 Photo Pulser Proton Launcher: DAM 7, PRE 13, RNG 11 W-5 Gyro Blaster: DAM 6, PRE 16, RNG 11 RR Gyrofuse Axleswitch Hyper-Blaster: DAM 10, PRE 9, RNG 10 The Hyper-Blaster isn't very hyper, is it? At least it now has stats. As a Covert Clone, he's not a mold brother, but a copy of the real thing. Is he disposable? Does he have angst about lacking a distinct existence? Why not take on a new name for himself? Hm. Color Swaps: White becomes a brighter white, red becomes black, black becomes darkish red (with exceptions listed below), and the clear plastic becomes clear red. The black bits that remain black are wheels and the W-10 weapon. Paint Apps: In vehicle mode, there's silver paint on the backside of the clear red windows, and gloss black paint on the parts not intended to be window. The intake vents behind the roof are painted dark red, and the sides have some dark red detailing that almost but not quite makes the red plastic shoulder bits blend in. The front edge (I hesitate to call it a bumper) is painted dark red and does a decent job of blending in with the red plastic on the underside of the front end. The wheel hubs and headlight slits are painted silver, and there's a red on silver medium sized Autobot symbol on the hood. In robot mode, there's silver on the face, the helmet front vent bit, the triangle on the belt buckle, the kneecaps, little details at the bottom inner corners of the shins, and the feet. The abdomen is painted white, and while there's no dark silver spatter, there's black schmutz on the lower parts of ths shins. His eyes are painted medium gloss blue. The guns are painted mostly silver, with no paint on the 5mm pegs, sockets, and a few windows here and there to make it more visually dynamic. Mold Changes: None that I noticed. Other Notes: This is basically Generation 2 Sideswipe, but with the forearms being white instead of silver. Odd that there's no G2 references in the name of the toy or his weapons (like, "second generation gyro blaster" or something). The transformation hinges on the ankles of mine were SUPER stiff, to the point I was worried that something would break. Overall: A decent callback to G2 Sideswipe, and since the reports about this set focus on Grandslam I might have just gotten unlucky with the ankle joints on this. AUTOBOT: SLAMDANCE Components: Autobot Grand Slam, Autobot Raindance Assortment: WFC-S26 Altmodes: Jet, Tank (Duocon) Transformation Difficulty: 18 steps (6 for Grand Slam, 11 for Raindance, one more to put them together) Previous Name Use: G1 Previous Mold Use: Gen:Siege Fireblast: None Weapons: JF-10 A2A Proton Missile Launcher, W-10 Smokecloak Blaster, LR Fumeblast Super-Launcher Function: Duocon Division: Ground Command Unit: Recon (the maze pattern) Rank: Sergeant JF-10 A2A Proton Missile Launcher: DAM 16, PRE 18, RNG 15 W-10 Smokecloak Blaster: DAM 5, PRE 14, RNG 16 LR Fumeblast Super-Launcher: DAM 16, PRE 16, RNG 20 Note, the instructions show both weapons going on both vehicle modes, the box photos put them both on Grand Slam and neither on Raindance, and the names imply the main tank gun should go on Raindance since it's air-to-air. Oh well. At least they're not copies of Skytread's weapons. I lucked out, mine does not seem to be badly misassembled, at least not to the point of feeling like it's about to break. Color Swaps: Turns out not to be a simple swap, Skytread had multiple sprues of red and multiple sprues of taupe. Raindance is mostly medium blue plastic, excpt for light gray plastic on the bits that are Slamdance's shoulder struts, biceps, and fists. Grand Slam is all dark red plastic (but not as dark as Skytread's) except for the pelvis piece (blue), the thigh struts (light gray) and the wheels (also light gray. Both guns are blue plastic. Paint Apps: Raindance in vehicle mode has silver paint on the cockpit framework, a panel on top of the nose, the intake-looking things on the wing roots, and some edges where the wings connect under the cockpit. The details around the 5mm socket on top of the fuselage are also painted silver. The cockpit windows themselves are gloss black with a big red on silver Autobot symbol printed on the top of the rear window. There's dark red paint on the leading edges of the wings and vertical tail part, and on the trailing edges of the horizontal tail parts. Grand Slam in vehicle mode initially looks to just have silver paint on the tank treads, but it turns out there's dark red paint on the top and sides of the front fenders, and a stripe down the middle of the "hood" under the main cannon. The shade is only slightly darker than the plastic, but a UV flashlight makes it obvious. No Autobot symbols on this half. The guns are painted all silver except for the grips and the tip of the Smokecloak Blaster (since it goes into the back of the Proton Missile Launcher). The inside of the PML's rear socket is also unpainted. So they respected the dangers of paintlock here. Slamdance in robot mode adds dark red paint on the entire head, plus silver on part of the top (to evoke the joint on top of G1 Slamdance's head) and yellow goggles. There's dark red on the fronts of the shoulders and the vent details on top of the forearms. The front of the pelvis is painted silver. Mold Changes: He has a new head based on the G1 toy's head, and made from blue plastic with dark red paint over almost all of it. The neck joint has the socket end in the torso rather than in the head, so you can just see a bit of unpainted neck plastic. Other Notes: In addition to not having a badly broken leg, mine lacks the problem I had with Skytread, the tank mode of Grand Slam forms properly without any panels refusing to close. Overall: If you can get one that isn't broken or otherwise badly misassembled, this is a good mold and a good-looking retool of it. But this is the "throw the dice" figure in the set, and since it's "whatever the Amazon worker pulls for you" there'd be no way to know if it's broken even if the box wasn't opaque. AUTOBOT: TRENCHFOOT Assortment: WFC-S26 Altmode: Foxhole Counterblast Cannon Transformation Difficulty: 5 steps (odd, since Blowpipe had 6) Previous Name Use: None Previous Mold Use: Gen:Siege Fireblast: Single yellow bolt (Caliburst style) Function: Battle Master Division: Ground Command Unit: Artillery Rank: Private Foxhole Counterblast Cannon: DAM 17, PRE 16, RNG 18 Being in a set with larger instructions means he gets to have techspecs too, unlike most Battle Masters. Meanwhile, he has one of the most unfortunate names of any Transformer, given that "trenchfoot" is a pre-gangrenous condition. Color Swaps: Gray becomes dark red, light blue becomes very dark gray. I'd call it black, but next to Clonewipe it's clearly not quite black. It's like they were shooting for him to match Clonewipe, but didn't QUITE manage it. The Fire Blast is Caliburst's, but golden yellow instead of purple. Paint Apps: The abdomen front is painted white, as are the bits on the torso top that Blowpipe has in gray. The face is painted black with a sloppily painted yellow visor. An almost invisible red Autobot symbol is printed on the left pec. No paint on any of the dark gray plastic, nor any paint that's only visible in gun mode. Mold Changes: None that I noticed. Other Notes: Really is a shame they couldn't color-match BLACK. Also, while he has zero lore aside from names, I guess they were shooting for some sort of hard-bitten WWI-style soldier stuck in a grinding war of attrition. Overall: Decently dynamic looks, compared to the other Blowpipe descendants. Set Overall: Keep in mind that this is still a bit of an Amazon Roulette...they've *probably* weeded out the broken-in-box Slamdances by now, but not necessarily the ones that will break from handling or have overly tight ankle screws. If you get a set without assembly problems, it's still a bit overpriced for what you get, but you get decent toys. Dave Van Domelen, back to Earthrise....