Transformers Reviews

Big Daddy

May 23, 2008 11:20 pm Ryan Deluxe, Movie Toys, Toy Reviews

Okay, time to review the first Transformer from my little project, Bring Your Transformer to Work Day. That’s right, it’s time to review that awesomely named Walmart exclusive, Big Daddy.

Big Daddy is a redeco of Cybertron Downshift, according to the Wiki. I don’t own that figure, so don’t expect any comparisons. His altmode is a bitchin’ muscle car, with orange flames against a navy blue body (I think he’s an Oilers fan). It’s quite the styling ride, which apparently fits the character. Being a Cybertron repaint, his gimmick features are activated by the nice little Cyber Planet Key (or is it an Allspark Power Key?) that was included. Lifting up the rear window reveals the keyhole, which pops a capture claw out of the front grille of the car. There’s no way to actually make it pinch, so it’s not really any good for capturing. It sure looks menacing, though. This altmode is almost enough to make me take back any mean things I said about Cybertron. But enough about that…

Transformation from Bitchin’ Muscle Car to Robot

Open the doors, and unfold the arms and hands that are attached to them. Rotate the doors so that the mirrors stand up relative to the hood.
Separate the rear halves of the vehicle, then swing it around so that the peg on the orange crotch piece links to the hole under the front end of the car.
Swing the legs down. Rotate out the heel spurs (the mostly silver bits adjacent to the tail lights), and open the panels on the shins. Press on the exhaust pipes to swing the feet out from inside the shins, and close them back up.
Swing the roof of the car down, revealing the spring loaded head under the exposed engine.

There you go! It’s a pretty simple transformation, but hey, it’s not a new mold or anything.

Big Daddy is a pretty standard Autobot, with a front bumper on his chest and taillights on his feet. He’s got a lot more orange showing in this mode, and the basic navy/orange/silver colour scheme really works on the figure. There’s no light piping in the eyes, but he does have transparent ears, if that’s your thing. His posability could be worse, but it’s nothing to write home about. He’s very stocky; most of his bulk is in his chest, which sticks out quite a bit, and doesn’t leave much car to build the rest of him out of. He’s got a couple of spring loaded guns that are functional in his vehicle mode, or as handheld or shoulder-mounted weapons in robot mode.

Articulation Breakdown

Head - None to speak of. It wiggles a bit.
Arms - Two swivels in the shoulders, swivel elbows (limited to about 90 degrees).
Legs - Ball jointed hips, two swivel joint knees (one limited to about 90 degrees), very limited swivel joint ankles

Score

Deco: Rating: . I just like it. It’s loud, but it suits the figure.
Posability: Rating: . I’ve got older figures that are more posable. Come on, HasTak, you can do better. It’s not bad (it’s no Armada Blurr, thank goodness), but it’s not up to the bar set by the movie toys, or even Beast Wars.
Transformation: Rating: . It’s simple, but it gets the job done.
Badassery: Rating: . He’s pretty much getting by on the name here.
Vehicle Mode: Rating: . This is a sweet ride, with a nice level of detail and pretty much no robot kibble showing.
Robot Mode: Rating: . I’m not so thrilled with the robot. It’s blocky, and still looks like it’s only a few steps away from a car (because it is).

Overall, he’s about a Overall Rating: . It’s a nice figure, and definitely worth buying for the vehicle mode and an enjoyable transformation, but there’s definitely more worth figures in the movie lineup.

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