But on to my review. The Air Raid/Wind Sheer is another 2 pack but 2 basics this time packaged as a deluxe on a standard card. Both jets are visible along with 2 missiles. There is a third but it is included with the product catalogue.
I would have liked more missiles as the Cyberjets came with 2 each. But each bot can hold one in robot mode (in the laucher) or 2/1 in the vehicle mode so it is not that bad to have "lost" one missle.
Both Transformers are redecos from G2 Cyberjets which were neat looking jets that transformed very posable robots. So that makes them perfect candidates to be reissued. There is a third Cyberjet mold which is available with Universe Soundwave.
The Cyberjets were reissued several times during G2 even with classic G1 names such as Jetfire, Air Raid or Strafe. And now they see reissue again, either in Universe or Robot Masters.
What is cool to note is that there were no twisties used at all. So removing them from the packaging was very, very easy. A real relief for me as I dislike twisties.
Air Raid
One of the Aerialbots returns for his second incarnation as a Cyberjet. It is also the fourth Aerialbot name to be re-used in Universe. First we had Silverbolt, then Fireflight followed Skydive and Air Raid. All is left is Universe Slingshot. ;-)
Air Raid is a redeco of the Cyberjet that used to be known as Skyjack or Air Raid. So the name choice is highly appropriate. But Air Raid looks nothing like his predecessor as he is a dark blue in plane mode with red and silver stripes on the nose and wings. The missile launcher is brown and the window and landing gear are lime green. An Autobot Symbol is stamped on top of the plane, just above the cockpit.
The action feature is limited to the missile which can be put in the launcher and then pushed out. It flies reasonably far so it is a pretty cool feature. The missile laucher can also be rotated or swiveled so that is a nice bonus.
The other 2 missiles fit below the wings but they look odd as they are a but too long and worse, the color does not match the plane aside for the window or landing gear. The gear can be extended but that is a given nowadays.
Transformation is rather simple one must just get the hang of it. Do note that Air Raid is rather fragile as the part that holds the front of the plane to the rear is a bit weak. It could just be my Air Raid but for the safe side I urge you to be careful.
1- Grab the front of the jet to hold it in place and flip the legs and the brown piece forward. 2- From underneath, flip both arms to the side. This will reveal the robot head. 3- Twist the forward section around and gently pull it out. 4- Flip up the head. 5- Push up the nose of the jet to form the robot chest. When the forward piece is vertially lined up push it in and then fold it down. It is a bit hard to explain but you will know how to do it once you see it.
I have not found a way to lock Air Raid's chest into place but it does not really matter. Due to the wings being "backwards" Air Raid has a dynamic appereance. He looks very sleek and speedy.
Colorwise he did not change much though grey was added to the colors for the feet and the fist. He has very cool red detailing on the face. The red on the chest stands out nicely to the blue and the red dots on the legs look really nice too. Of course the prominently featured Autobot symbol (now on the chest) is the icing on the cake.
In all a very cool looking robot mode. Air Raid's right arm is the missile launcher but he can also hold a missiles as a lance in his left fist. He has 9 points of articulation, all of which are on ball joints so he is very posable. The only problem is with his right arm because the aft wings from the jetmode can get in the way.
In closing, the only bad thing about this figure is the loose connection. Mine already has a stress mark. But again, if you are careful that barely matters. The lime green looks odd (would have preferred neon green which I am a fan of) but not too bad.
At least he does not have the colors some Universe figures were cursed with. ;-) Air Raid is a really cool plane that transformes into a super posable robot. Add to that the neat colors and detailing and you have a winner in my book. Air Raid gets a 4 bt only for the loose part and his chest not locking into place.
Wind Sheer
If the name Wind Sheer sounds familiar, then it should even though this is not a G1 name. Would have been nicer if they had used a G1 name like Windsweeper but it is no big deal. Instead they used a name which was seen in Armada as the name for the Mini-Con that came with Wheeljack. Wind Sheer was also a jet during Robots In Disguise.
Wind Sheer is a redeco from Hooligan or Jetfire. He is mainly grey with the same brown that was used for Air Raid for the wings and the launcher. A slightly darker brown is used for the camoflage pattern. Green shows up on the window and landing gear and on Wind Sheer it does not look that out of place. A Decepticon symbol can be found just above the cockpit.
Play value is the pretty much the same as with Air Raid, retractalble landing gear, missile launcher. Wind Sheer's is atuallly locked into place looking just a bit better. The missiles lauch just as far.
I almost wish for glow in the dark missiles. Not only would it look cool but they would also be easier to find. :-P
But Wind Sheer has one fearure Air Raid did not have, adjustable wings! A very welcome feature indeed and Wind Sheer is the only Cyberjedt to have it. All this combines into a very neat vehicle mode. Note that I just realized that one cannot attach the missles to Wind Sheer's wings but they look silly so that is no big miss.
Transformation is a bit simpler than Air Raid but still fun. flip the legs and the brown piece forward. 1- Flip the legs and the brown piece forward. 2- Rotate both 90 degrees arms to the side. 3- Fold the nose down to form the robot chest. On Wind Sheer it will lock into place. 4- Fold up the arms to the shoulders.
Wind Sheer is probably the most stable of the Cyberjet molds. His main colors are the same but he also has grey on his feet and fist. Though his symbol is smaller than Air Raid's it still looks very cool on his chest. A little brown on his face would not have hurt though.
Posability is just as good as Air Raid or even better as he does not have too large wings on his arm. His head is not really able to move to the sides but he does have adjustable wings which well compensate for that,
His wings can be left down or flipped up giving Wind Sheer a "flight mode". One would think all Cyberjets can fly but these wings should give Wind Sheer a bit more maneuverability and speed in robot mode. I imagine.
In closing, Wind Sheer is just a tad better than Air Raid. Cool jet mode with neat robot mode plus the adjustable wings and you have a grade a Transformer. I give him a 5.
Final comment: Even if you have the Cyberjets you should get these. They are cool Transformer toys with cool an realistically looking altmodes. For Jets they have little to no kibble which is a huge plus. And what is even better, you get an Autobot and Decepticon in one package!
The only real downside is that these can be hard to find. On eBay they are generally sold for scalper prices though I found one for the store price which I am really happy about.
But if you can find them in stores, you would be a fool to pick them up. And no one likes to make a fool of himself so you know what to do. ;-)
Reviewer | Ferry Rudolph |
Date | February 19th 2005 |
Score | (10 out of 10) |
Reads | 8559 |
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