Dave's Robots in Disguise Rant: Dreadwing Released as a Target exclusive, this is a recolor and slight remold of G2's only triple-changer of the same name. However, whereas the G2 version (hereafter referred to as "G2") gives the name Dreadwing to both the combined jet and the bigger component, the new one (hereafter referred to as the party of the sec...er, as "RiD") only gives that name to the combined jet. The big robot is called Dreadwind (after half of the G1 Dreadwing duo) and the smaller one, called Smokescreen in G2, is now Smokejumper. Anyway, most Targets seem to have gotten goodly supplies of these, I just hadda wait until I had time to drive to Topeka (our new Target won't be open until July). Sadly, my review of G2 seems to have vanished from the net, or I'd include a copy of it. CAPSULE RiD Dreadwing: It's a good mold, worthy of its repeated reuse (in Beast Wars II and the very limited prototype run of Megatron ATB), but not without its flaws. However, this version, while fixing some of the problems of the original, is made of inferior plastic, causing many new problems. If you've been at TFs long enough to have a G2 version, it's not really worth getting this one unless you're a completist. Otherwise, recommended, shading towards mildly recommended. $24.99 at Target RANT No techspecs provided. Judging from the colors used, I'd make them wingmates of Thrust, despite the fact that they're sold as RiD and not Armada. The box is the same type used for GigaCons, but notable for a lack of picture on the top edge and for having "Robots In Disguise" on the logo. It uses Armada colors, however. Rather than packing in sticker-cards like Armada or having regular techspec cards like RiD, they print the card art on the inside tray of the box, so you have to cut them out. The art is okay, no great shakes, but it does show an alternate means of mounting Smokejumper's guns in robot mode. Quick history to expand on the comments above. This toy's original version was introduced as part of the Hasbro Presentation at the very first BotCon. The guy picked it up off the table, twisted the launcher trigger... and fired six missiles in rapid succession across the stage. As I think Jameel said, he had us in his back pocket at that point. Sadly, the springs were weakened a bit as part of safety mods (the missiles were also made less brittle...the originals tended to break on firing, creating small chokable bits). Still, this was the first ever U.S. Transformer with a rotary launcher, plus Smokescreen was the vanguard for the Cyberjets, super-poseable jet TFs. It had a few flaws, but it was a bold step forward. A little while later, at the very tail end of G2, there were plans to recolor a bunch of G2 toys and give them G1 names. The GoBots (Spychangers) and Cyberjets got this treatment, but then they cancelled the line in favor of Beast Wars. Still, a few prototype casts of a Megatron ATB set were made, with Starscream being the renamed Smokescreen. The innuendo possibilities of Starscream ramming up Megatron's backside were immense, I assure you. There's a few of these still around, making the rounds of eBay and BotCons. When Takara was looking for stuff to use in Beast Wars II while waiting for enough Beast Wars second season to become available for translation, they ended up using a mix of Beast Wars toys, a couple of new molds, and a lot of G2 stuff (including the never-released second two Autorollers). One of the reused G2 molds was the Dreadwing ATB set, released as Starscrem (pronounced Starscream) and BB. Starscrem was the small jet and brains of the operation, BB was his big dumb henchman. This set had colors VERY similar to those of the Megatron ATB set, and probably the best colors of the lot. It has recently been re-issued in Korea. And now, finally, we get the RiD version. Hasbro's using RiD as a line for recolors/reissues for store exclusives, at least until they get Universe rolling, and a few other G2 reissues are coming out under the imprimature. Okay, on to the toys. Making up my own techspec-y stuff, since I doubt they'll ever issue official ones. If they do, I'll add 'em. DECEPTICON: DREADWIND Function: Land/Air Artillery Support Altmodes: Mobile Artillery, Stealth Bomber Mini-Con: Smokejumper (just kidding!) Quote: "Roger that. Splash in five...four...." DREADWIND is a study in contradictions. Designed to attack from hiding, firing long-range missiles either under cover of terrain or protected by stealth systems high in the sky, he's an unrepentant brawler as well, never happier than when he's using the unconscious form of one AUTOBOT to hammer another. Left to his own devices, he will abandon most of his advantages in favor of mixing it up in melee. Only the constant supervision provided by SMOKEJUMPER keeps him back at long range, where he's immune to return fire. His rotary launcher can fire six long-range missiles in 1.4 seconds, although he's then without a ranged attack for the long minute it takes to fully reload. As a result, he often borrows one of SMOKEJUMPER's pistols if he can't stay well back from the fight. STR 9 INT 5 SPD 8 END 9 RNK 5 COUR 9 FRP 9 SKL 6 Avg 7.5 Bomber Mode: Since he comes packaged mostly in this mode, I'll start with it. This is based loosely on the B-2 Stealth Bomber, but more angular and with a lot of undercarriage junk that would ruin any normal stealth systems. The wingspan is just a hair under 12" (30cm), and the wedge shape is 6.25" (16cm) long from nose to lack-of-tail. There's a big gap in the rear for holding Smokejumper. Big engine units are slung underneath, with the rotary missile launcher running down the center of the underside, turning what had been a sleek flying wing into a 3.25" (8cm) tall chunker. Wheels fold down from the engines, and the launcher itself forms the nose skid. The top side is mostly a dark olive green, just a TINY bit darker than the color used in Thrust's Mini-Con Inferno. There is liberal use of transparent red plastic on the top, both on the wings and in the cockpit, plus on the leading edge of the wings. Tech-y stickers (yes, this is the first toy in a while other than G1 reissues to have a sticker sheet!) add a but more red to the topside...the effect is non-boring without being garish, a definite improvement over the blue and black camo of G2 Dreadwing. The undersides of the wings, plus parts of the engines, are a very light gray (as are the missiles). The engine cowlings and rotary launcher are a pale grayish green, much like the color of the Statue of Liberty, if more towards olive. Three Decepticon symbols are printer (tampo process) on the topside. One at each wingtip, one on the cockpit. Note that the wingtips fold up for artillery mode, and they're a bit floppy. Of the 14 missiles that come with the toy, 12 can be used in this mode. Six load into the rotary launcher, and three clip onto each wing. The wing-mounted drop-missiles work like Armada Jetfire's (well, his work like Dreadwing's, really), but due to the plastic not working as well this time around (either it's cheaper, or not the right type for the mold), it's hard to get them all to stay in long enough to load them all. Pushing down on one of the clear red buttons on the wing makes the missile pop down, like releasing a missile from a hardpoint. The missile themselves are cunningly designed to have three ways to be held in a launcher: side-fins for the drop-launchers, standard notch for Smokejumper's launchers, and a thin pin sticking out the back to snap into the rotary launchers (more on this later). The rotary launcher fires the missiles rapidly when you turn the rear section in what I'd call a forward rotational vector (clockwise when viewed from the rear). The rear pins on the missiles keep them locked in nicely, an improvement over the original's (which would fall out if you tipped the nose down). However, this does seem to rob them of some range, since they're held in place by friction, not latches. Best range is about a meter, I'll present a statistical comparison later. The missiles themselves are light gray, non-brittle, and about 3" (8cm) long. The front is rounded like a q-tip, with four trapezoidal fins right behind the head. The main shaft is most of the length of the missile, 3/16" (a little over 4mm) in diameter. There's a groove along the length of the shaft, a feature the G2 version does not have. There's a notch all the way around the shaft at the rear, for locking into Smokejumper's launchers. Finally, there's a short, thin pin about the same diameter as the central peg of a Mini-Con's PowerLinx connector, another new addition. These missiles can be used in any of the launchers on this toy, but cannot be used in G2's rotary launcher. G2's missiles do not work in either launcher of this toy, but will work on the wing drop-mounts. Transformation to Artillery Mode: The wings fold up automatically when Smokejumper goes into or out of his slot, or can just be popped out of position manually. Pushing a button on the engine cowlings makes them snap open into treads (autotransformation gimmicks were kicking in at this point). Then pull the rotary launcher up and around, et voila! Mobile Artillery Mode: It's called a tank in the instructions, but it's not even close. It has treads and a big gun, and the resemblance ends there. This is very much a "third mode" like Transmetal would later have. Not really a proper form, but it kinda works. It's 6" (15cm) long, 4" (10cm) wide all folded up, and 4.75" (12cm) tall at the launcher. The treads are light gray, as are the sidewalls formed by the wings, giving this mode a slightly lighter overall color. My version's cheaper plastic results in the launcher being slightly askew in this mode. And it's pretty ugly anyway...it's telling that BB rarely used this mode in Beast Wars II. While the rotary launcher works in this mode, the wings are now only for storing extra missiles. Transformation to Robot Mode: A lot of folding and snapping, some of which may seem like it's about to break something. Pretty fast once you get the hang of it, though. Oddly, with all the snapping going on, it's odd that there's no way to secure the chest. It just folds down and rests there, nothing keeps it in place except gravity. Robot Mode: 6.5" (16.5cm) tall at the head, the colors balance very nicely in this mode. Dark green chest and forearm shields, light gray upper arms, thighs, toes and head, light green forearms, shins, collar and over-the-shoulder rotary launcher. The cockpit forms the abdomen, with prominent Decepticon symbol there. The head has the lightpiping glowing eyes trick (one of the first US toys to do so), but is kinda dull without stickers or paint apps. The G2 version had stickers for the helmet crest, but they, well, sucked. This mold was one of the early superposeables. Universal ratcheting joints on the shoulders, ball joints on the hips. The upper arms rotate, the knees and elbows bend, and the head turns. Unfortunately, there's no heel spurs, and the wings form a big enough backpack that the toy tends to tip over unless posed leaning slightly forward. Also, the huge torso tends to make the poseability less impressive. The rotary launcher is over the right shoulder, and works well there. A slightly different face, and they could have released this as Soundwave rather than Megatron in the abandoned G2 rename-fest. As with the artillery mode, the wing hardpoints are only storage now, and missile there tend to get in the way. And fall off. A lot, with this version. Additionally, the fist holes are the right size to let Dreadwind hold Smokejumper's launchers. Dreadwind Overall: A fairly clever toy, if a bit bulky. One of the flaws of the original version has been fixed, but the cheaper plastic creates flaws of its own. DECEPTICON: SMOKEJUMPER Function: Artillery Spotter Altmode: Wingless F-22 Quote: "No, Dreadwind! Don't...sigh." SMOKEJUMPER originally thought his pseudo-gestalt assignment to DREADWIND was a plum command opportunity. He later realized it was some sort of punishment meted out by the cosmos for sins committed by his spark in a previous incarnation. One does not so much command the massive DREADWIND as babysit him. In theory, SMOKEJUMPER is supposed to use his superior speed and stealth systems to spot targets for his partner, and it sends a pain through all the diodes on his left side whenever he sees DREADWIND charging into the target zone, swinging an improvised weapon. SMOKEJUMPER has a lot of trouble at low speeds, having sacrificed his main wing surfaces to the process that lets him combine with his partner to form the DREADWING jet. His twin missile rifles are nearly as powerful, shot for shot, as his partner's rotary launcher, if with a slower rate of fire. He often has to relinquish one when his partner runs out of ammo in a heated fight. SMOKEJUMPER doesn't much like his life anymore, but has too much of a sense of duty to abandon his assignment. STR 6 INT 9 SPD 10 END 7 RNK 7 COUR 7 FRP 8 SKL 8 Avg 7.75 Originally, I thought Smokescreen (the G2 name) was a completely made up jet. But now I can see that it takes the basic elements of an F-22 and just removes the wings to make the dagger-like craft we now have. Jet Mode: 6" (15cm) long, with a wingspan of only 3.25" (8cm), its main wings are essentially gone, and there's a little bit of stretching as well. Launchers pegged to the sides "replace" the wings. Most of the upper part is dark green, with light green elements along the centerline and a clear red cockpit. A Decepticon symbol is tampo-printed on the nose, and another atop the intake vents just ahead of the tail. The launchers and underside are light gray and light olive green. The undercarriage garbage is pretty subtle compared to Dreadwind. The lines on the top are a bit interrupted by a big peg that resembles a Mini-Con hardpoint (but isn't), part of the rivet for the robot head to attach. Landing gear folds down from front and sides, but the wheels do not actually roll. The launchers pegged to the sides can be fired in this mode, and have a respectable range. Transformation: With a few twists, this is essentially still the basic Veritech-ish type of transformation the later Cyberjets also adopted. Transforming back to jet mode can be frustrating, especially dealing with the wing chunk. Unfortunately, this mold relies on some really tight tolerances on the joints to make the transformation solid, and this plastic doesn't cut it. Robot Mode: 5" (13cm) tall and well-proportioned, this mold blew me entirely away when it first came out. Universal joint shoulders, upper arm swivels, full-range bending elbows, ball joint hips, knees that bend a little sideways in addition to the usual bending, and feet that pose at both toe and heelspur. Oh, and the head turns, of course. In the original mold, an incredible amount of stable posing was possible. This version, sadly, has many loose joints and tends to sag. The shoulders especially require stiff transformation joints to avoid flopping around. The color scheme in robot mode is almost identical to Dreadwind's, a VERY nice touch. He also has lightpipe eyes, and lacks the cruddy helmet stickers of the G2 version. Smokejumper's two launchers can be held in the hands like oversized pistols, or you can clip them onto the forearms by sticking the underslung laser sights onto the base of the tail surfaces. I think someone worked out how to do that with G2, but it wasn't me. }-> There's now a notch into the launchers, so you can only load the missiles in a single orientation...not sure what that buys you. It also means that these launchers cannot use G2's missiles. Smokejumper Overall: Still an impressive toy, but the floppy plastic hurts it a lot. DECEPTICON: DREADWING Function: Air Superiority Components: Dreadwind and Smokejumper Quote: "We own the night." Combining the determination of DREADWIND and the nimble mind of SMOKEJUMPER, the massive bomber DREADWING has the best of both worlds...if only he could stay combined for more than a few minutes at a time before personality conflicts forced a separation. Unlike most combiners, DREADWING has no robot mode, only a vehicle mode. The physical combination unlocks several systems that would be too much for either DECEPTICON to use alone, improving almost all aspects of their aerial prowess. The rotary launcher now reloads in a scant 4.2 seconds, allowing an impressive rate of continuous fire if he's careful. Additionally, the combined stealth systems allow nearly true invisibility, and at night only the most advanced sensors can even catch a faint impression of DREADWING. One problem with the inevitable separation is that it sometimes forces DREADWIND to transform to ground mode, which can be a problem if they're high enough to make a big hole but not high enough for DREADWIND to transform before making that big hole. STR 7 INT 9 SPD 10 END 10 RNK 8 COUR 9 FRP 10 SKL 9 Avg 9 Dreadwing: Basically, this is just Smokejumper plugged into the back of Dreadwing. Inserting or removing Smokejumper causes Dreadwind's wings to flip up for ground attack mode, and many copies of this toy also have the flaw that the wings will only barely stay down (or not stay down at all!) in combined mode. This is, needless to say, a Big Problem. Toy Overall: An inferior copy for the most part. A few improvements, but hampered by plastic that's either just plain cheap, or is not the right stiffness for the mold. If you have the original, you probably don't want to drop $25 on this copy, but it's a good enough toy that if you don't have the original, it's worth picking up. And now, as threatened, a statistical analysis of the launchers. I fired all launchers from 3" above the floor, pointed up at a 45 degree angle (or close enough). Six shots with each launcher, measuring only the distance, not the deviation from straight ahead (which was comparable for all launchers). For each launcher, first the average range, then the standard deviation, is listed in centimeters. Not gonna muck about with inches for serious math. }-> Rounding to the centimeter, but even that is probably false precision. G2 Rotary: 160cm, 23cm RiD Rotary: 88cm, 17cm G2 Rifle: 188cm, 17cm RiD Rifle: 105cm, 17cm Keep in mind, the G2 version was fired many times in the year after I bought it, and has then sat in storage for nearly a decade. So this is old, worn-out performance compared to new. Striking difference, yes? Weaker springs and the friction of the pegs in the rotary launcher probably explain it. I talked to a friend of mine who has the Korean Starscrem/BB set, and he did some test fires. The numbers were between G2 and RiD...but then I found he'd been firing them horizontally from 1" above the floor. I bet they'd fire pretty far at 45 degrees. :) Dave Van Domelen, just spent two and a half hours writing this....