In the Vice's Grip: 1-2-3 Transformers Charlie Chopper
I found Charlie Chopper at the Lakewood, WA Target today. Policeman Pete was there as well, but being on a budget limits the hobby cash. besides, the wife "liked the orange one."
Robot Mode
Charlie is packaged in robot mode, just as Roy and Pete are. There is a small city scene on the interior of the box of people leaning out of windows. Charlie's there too in chopper mode.
In robot mode, Charlie is just under six inches tall. In recent years, orange hasn't been the most flattering of colors on TFs, but on Charlie it's pretty nice. He proudly wears on both shoulders his badge, which is a multi-colored circle with aviator winds in the center. It says Charlie Chopper with a big "A" in the center of the badge. These are stickers and
the first stickers on an general American release in I don't know how many years. I like the look the air intakes give him on his shoulders. Also, his face is not nearly as goofy as Roy's. It looks more robotic, yet still cartoony.
He's articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows and right thumb. Yes, he can give you the "thumbs-up" sign. The thumb can also be used to hold his life ring. He is articulated in the hips and knees, only sideways. I wish a ball-socket could have been used for the hips since he tends to be looking
upward and with the way his chest is positioned, it looks as though he's leaning backwards.
The shield is actually not a bad accessory. Although documented wrong on the package, Charlie can hold it on the outside of his left arm. It gives him a little more of a heroic look. It also doesn't look too bad on the pocket of your shirt. :)
His cockpit, in the middle of his chest triggers the phrases to help the young ones save the day in a big way. There different opening phrases each time, but the closing phrases remain the same.
"Yahoo! Let's fly to the rescue!"
"Leapin' Lifters! Let's go to chopper mode!"
"Twistin' Turbines! I think the need an airlift!"
"Jumpin' Jet-Rockets! You're a great wingman!"
The "Yahoo!" and "Leapin' Lifters!" etc. are interchangeable but the latter half of the sound bytes stay in that order.
Transformation
It's as easy as 1-2-3! :)
1) Close the legs together.
2) Straighten the arms.
3) Rotate the cockpit up and around the robot head.
Chopper Mode
Charlie is now a little over three inches high and five and a half inches long. His intakes have "Rescue" stickers above the Tonka logo. The propeller is just under five inches across and spins very well. There's also a hook that flips out from underneath the cockpit to hold the life ring. I did find a place for the shield in this mode. Underneath, in-between the robot
hips is a small, square indentation that securely holds the shield.
And not to be outdone in this mode, Charlie-boy here has a new batch of phrases in chopper mode. You can also get these sound bytes in robot mode by depressing the small orange button behind his head.
Chopper sounds
"Let's go to robot mode!"
"Chief, we're ready for airlift. Over."
"Ten-Four, buddy. We've got the sky covered. Over."
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really like this toy. Charlie's solid in both modes and there's a lot of play value there for the younger crowd. The only down side is the price. $14.99 seems a bit steep for the size. But, when you add in the sound bytes I suppose it's not bad. I can't wait to get Pete and hope that there are a lot more of the 1-2-3 line in the works.
Reviewer | ViceGripX |
Date | January 13th 2002 |
Score | (8 out of 10) |
Reads | 7965 |
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