Do we really need a Ricochet review? Of course we do, the Alternators world has changed since Silverstreak was last reviewed. We have more figures to judge him by and more experience with these figures. The blinds have been drawn back. There haven�t been a lot of changes between this figure and the previous but there are differences.
Vehicle Mode:
There has been kind of a stink about this figure already, mostly because the original Ricochet was a Targetmaster named Stepper, which was a remold of Jazz, who has been remade as Meister, a Mazda Rx8. Why wasn�t this figure a Mazda? I don�t know nor do I care. It could�ve easily been a Mazda since they use the same transformation pattern as the Subarus.
Anyway the car is the same model as Silverstreak, just primarily black instead of silver. I like the silver paint because it doesn�t leave fingerprints all over when you touch it. On the hood and door there are flames painted on yellow, orange, and gold. They left out the annoying Autobot symbol from the flame on the hood but it is still on the license plate on the front with a white background. The rims are gold as is the spoiler on the trunk. The rear plate is a New Jersey tag that reads, �Ricochet� above the Garden State. Nice touch putting that much detail into it. But I�m not from Jersey nor have I been there. The rear window still has the lines across it for a rear-defrost. The trunk lid no longer says WRX or Subaru. The center console is silver and the seats have a red stripe around the crease of the seat. If you examine the box closely you�ll notice that the steering wheel is on the wrong side, right, but it is in fact on the left.
Robot Mode:
There have been no intentional changes to the Silverstreak mold for Ricochet however there are a few differences other than color. On the forearms, which are now white, you can see space between the two halves. It�s not too bad and probably only visible because it�s now white. Along the same line we have the head with a much wider gap. Again not a huge deal but more noticeable. This is not the only problem some people have with the head however; lots of you have pooh poohed his white nose. It does look like he has zinc �oxide spread across to prevent sunburn but I believe the intention was that of an Anglo-Saxon war helmet with a nose guard. The rest of the d�cor is fairly straight from the gen-1 with the exception of black shoulder and hands instead of white. The Autobot symbol is only on one shoulder and has a gold background. His red eyes don�t seem very Autobot �like but maybe he�s been out drinkin�. His quote is �If I don�t catch you my missiles will,� is dumb because he has no missiles. Maybe he�s just that cocky.
Overall:
This transformation style is still my favorite. It lacks the weaknesses of ball joint ankles that tip over easily but still maintain good articulation and stability. I would still rather have 5 of this mold than most of Armada or Cybertron. Embrace the product line who�s only gimmick is good detail and articulation no matter how many we get.
Reviewer | slugpitcher |
Date | March 10th 2006 |
Score | (8 out of 10) |
Reads | 15926 |
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