Dave's RoboRiders Rant

     Boss

     Apologies to the Lego fanatics who follow my reviews, I've had this toy
for a few weeks now but just never got around to reviewing it.

CAPSULE

     Boss: Very nice primary mode, a triple RoboRider with big fat tires.
Secondary mode is kinda weak, and looks more like it was just thrown together
to have an alternate mode.  Recommended.  $19.99 most places.

RANT

     I'll start with the alternate mode, which seems to be the only picture
to make it into the ads.  I have not built it, and don't really plan to, as
it's not that impressive.  It's a combiner vehicle with a glider that docks
on a motorcycle.  The glider has wings that can be positioned using the
suspension units of the RoboRiders, and the cycle has fat tires front and
back.  Neither part has the wheel launcher.

     Anyway, now the good mode.  Boss is construced as a triple RoboRider,
three more or less normal RoboRiders that snap together into a reversed trike
formation.  The main colors are black, grey and orange.  The central
RoboRider has a Throwbot face and uses the wheel launcher as its front
wheel.  The other two are "drones" that have no faces and no launchers.
     The central component is between six and seven inches (15-18 cm) long,
depending on how you have the suspension set.  The faceplate is mounted on a
Throwbot head piece, but a RoboRider head is mounted behind it as a sort of
engine block.  A flame-belching thruster design is painted on the top of this
piece.  The front wheel is the Wheel Warrior in its launcher.  The rear wheel
is a big fat rubber tire just over an inch thick (2.7cm) like the type used
on Millennia.  The rubberband suspension is typical of some RoboRiders, but
is not strong enough to support the combined form (more on that in a bit).
The looks are a little marred by the linkage pieces sticking out to either
side.  Of course, the major size difference between front and back wheels
is a bit of a flaw as well.
     The two drones are mirror images of each other, unless you mess up in
building them, in which case they're identical.  }->  They're a little
shorter than the central component, and have the fat tires in front, with
launcher wheels (but no launchers) in back.  They have no faces, but have
headlights on their fenders (stickers) and a sort of cannon muzzle where the
face might be.  The also have the thruster-styled RoboRider heads atop their
engine blocks, and rubber band suspension.
     When snapped together, the combined Boss is about 8" (20cm) long, again
depending on how the suspension is set.  I find it works best to have the
drone units' rear wheels also touching the surface so that all three
suspensions are engaged.  Of course, this makes the reversed trike into a
weird five-wheeler, but hey.  If you don't do this, the suspension remains at
max stretch and has no bounce.  The launcher wheel is always off the surface.

     Overall, Boss is definitely an "ultra" RoboRider in spirit and design.
While the alternate mode is pretty weak, the main mode is well worth the
price.  

     Dave Van Domelen, quite enjoyed "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"