Dave's Transformers Rant Clear Spychangers: Hot Shot REV Mirage Ironhide WARS Crosswise Okay, yet ANOTHER set of recolors of the original six GoBots molds from Generation 2. I'm not really going to discuss the toys themselves, since I've already reviewed these molds a couple times. I'll concentrate on how they're different from the previous RiD releases, plus provide the new techspecs. CAPSULES They look nifty, but they're also the most expensive versions to date, at $3.99 "auto-markdown" prices as Kay Bee exclusives. Really only bother with these guys if you have plenty of money of are a completist. RANTS It's worth noting that the packaging for these is the best seen for a low-price-point toy in a while. Individual card art (well, touched up photos of the toys), techspecs, the whole nine yards. And the package art is a good thing, since Crosswise and WARS are packaged with each other's guns, and the group shot (of the opaque versions) on the back shows several figures with the wrong guns too! [Later note: I have been corrected, Crosswise and WARS come with the guns that the original versions had back in the 90s. However, they never looked right that way, and swapping them is the correct way to go in my opinion. Not only does this fix the colors, but the Gearhead/WARS mold looks better with a drum magazine "tommygun" weapon.] And for the first time in a while, I'm going to be careful about opening the packages (yeah, as I write this part I haven't opened 'em, wanna record impressions of packaging before I do that) and save the cards. A note about the techspecs. They have the same numbers as the Japanese versions of the characters from Car Robots, and I believe the notes are also approximately translated (with names changed, of course). But since I never included the translated notes in my Japanese review, here they are now. The toys are packaged in vehicle mode on a nested blister. The blister is about twice as big as that of a Hot Wheels car, and displays the car tilted up and to the side a bit. The toy's name is on a bit of card in the blister, rather than on the main cardback itself (even though the card fronts are individualized). There are no twist-ties. AUTOBOT: Hot Shot Altmode: Sportscar (Porsche, to be more specific) Function: Spy Changer commander Motto: "I can take the heat!" HOT SHOT is the leader of the SPY CHANGERS and has worked beside OPTIMUS PRIME for a long time. He comes across as rough and tough, but his hard exterior hides a caring, concerned nature underneath. He can manipulate fire at will. STR 7 INT 8 SPD 8 END 5 RNK 8 COUR 7 FRB 6 SKL 8 Avg 7.125 Hot Shot is made of dark smoky plastic and clear colorless plastic, with the same paint apps as on his opaque verison. At first glance he doesn't look translucent, but that's mainly because his dark bits are very dark, and his silver bits are painted. He retains the light-piped eyes of the opaque version (despite being generally clear, the rest of these have painted bits blocking the lightpiping...in Ironhide's case, the eyes are the only part that doesn't light up). The clear plastic is a bit more rigid than the opaque stuff used in the previous versions, leading to some floppy joints, especially in the hood. AUTOBOT: R.E.V. (Race Exertion Vehicle) Altmode: Lamborghini Diablo Function: Spy Changer Tactical Officer Motto: "Plan well, win easy." R.E.V. is the tactical officer of the SPY CHANGERS and an advisor to HOT SHOT. As smart as he is fast, R.E.V. never misses a detail. He can leap from one building to another with such ease that he looks as if he's flying. His main weapon is a shotgun. STR 6 INT 9 EPD 8 END 7 RNK 7 COUR 6 FRB 5 SKL 7 Avg 7 The use of amber/gold clear plastic instead of a pure yellow helps make this one look like it's made of gemstone. Amber and red with black paint apps and a little red paint (but less red than RiD REV) make this one of the better looking ClearChangers. Someday I may even dig out my original Firecracker (which is mostly clear red) and stand them side by side. Or you can look at tfu.info for comparisons. R.E.V. also suffers from looser joints in this edition. AUTOBOT: Mirage Altmode: Race Car Function: Spy Changer Spy, Bodyguard Motto: "You can't hit a speeding target!" MIRAGE is the fastest of the SPY CHANGERS and an excellent marksman. His speed makes him great at spying out enemy plans - he's in and out before anyone's the wiser. His distinguished services include bodyguard and spy. He uses a sniper rifle. STR 5 INT 7 SPD 9 END 5 RNK 7 COUR 7 FRB 4 SKL 8 Avg 6.5 My first impression of the clear colorless plastic used for ALL parts of this toy (save the wheels) is that it makes the face look kinda wrong. The entire head is painted blue, so the clear face is nearly invisible against the back of the head unless you look down on it from about 40 degrees above horizontal. The blue and red paint apps are mostly solid, but fade in a few places to be slightly translucent. Mirage does not suffer from floppy joints, at least on mine. It does tip forward easily, though. I suspect the density of the plastics is different than on the original designs. AUTOBOT: Ironhide Altmode: Pickup Truck Function: Spy Changer Transport Expert Motto: "Let's move out!" One of the strongest of the SPY CHANGERS, IRONHIDE is usually peaceful and intellectual, until he gets pushed beyond his limit. Then, everyone had better stay out of his way! He is also an expert at transportation. He uses a shockwave rifle. STR 8 INT 8 SPD 5 END 8 RNK 7 COUR 7 FRB 5 SKL 6 Avg 6.75 Either I got a defective one, or the mold is starting to decay. Mine won't stand up in robot mode. Anyway, most of the body shell is clear colorless plastic with black cow patterns and red Ox symbol and red truck bed. The underbody pieces are smoky dark clear gray, and the core piece is the same golden clear as R.E.V.'s bodywork. There will now be a short delay while I Dremel the heels of this puppy down so it can stand on a flat surface. Back. Seems to work okay now. AUTOBOT: W.A.R.S. (Wicked Attack Recon Sportscar) Altmode: Stock Car Racer Function: Spy Changer Warrior Motto: "I dare you to come and get me!" W.A.R.S. is an aggressive warrior who loves to fight. He is covered in thick armor and specializes in body-slam attacks. His violent actions frighten both his allies and enemies. he has a machine gun that fires non-stop when in battle. STR 7 INT 6 SPD 8 END 9 RNK 7 COUR 9 FRP 6 SKL 7 Avg 7.375 Comes packaged with Crosswise's gun. The outer body work is clear red plastic (a bit lighter than that used on Firecracker, IIRC), with golden clear underbody and smoky gray clear body core. Yellow paint along the bottom of the door panels, silver paint all over the face, and generally has the U.S. WARS paint apps. Looks almost as good as REV. A little loose, but not a real problem. AUTOBOT: Crosswise Altmode: Sportscar Function: Spy Changer Scientist (or, well, geek) Motto: "Lighten up!" CROSSWISE is a quiet and mysterious SPY CHANGER. He's completely dedicated to the AUTOBOT causes of peace and protection of all life. He keeps very much to himself and so not much is known about him. He is very technologically inclined. STR 6 INT 8 SPD 7 END 7 RNK 7 COUR 7 FRP 5 SKL 6 Avg 6.625 One might ask, "What's the point of a clear version of Crosswise? It's already clear!" Well, not exactly. First, the core torso/legs piece of the original Crosswise is opaque, and this one has clear red. Also, the paint inside the colorless clear pieces of the original Crosswise is darker than that on the new one. The difference is enough to easily tell the two apart without even having to check the legs. Comes with WARS's red gun, and is not noticeably floppier than the previous version.