Third Review

Alright, now that the pictures appear to be up and running again (check out my previous ones if you wanna go see the other Transformers) I thought I'd take a look at the third and final Transformer I picked up off of Amazon.

A scout-class figure, Brakedown has a great alt design, a smooth robot form, with an original color scheme. He is one of the better Transformers to come down the Cybertron line so far, and definitely the best one for a budget.

Apparently one of the last original molds to come from the Speed Planet, Brakedown's alt mode is a drag racer. It's an original design, reminiscent of both Crumplezone's alt, yet seems to pull it off better than the clunky Decepticon. Also, the brown, grey, and copper coloring is a breath of fresh air. The Planet Key function doesn't work as smoothly in this form, but can be accomplished with the removal of and replacement of a piece. A minor quibble, though.

Robot mode is equally sweet. Described on the website as one of the original settlers of the Speed Planet, the face has an air of age and maturity, complete with a Lincoln/Ahab style beard. The wheels on the shoulder are the only point of the figure that isn't proportional to the rest of the body, which is well-designed. The only small thing I tend to change with my personal transformation of Brakedown is to push the grey bar on the back down, giving a cape or cloak kind of look to the figure. The Planet Key feature works with the weapon, flipping out a blade that also works with the vehicle mode. This weapon-key correlation is similar to Override & Clocker, but it looks so much better and less clunky on Brakedown.

The only beef I have with the figure is the size, but this is due to the storyline developed by the series. Despite the fact that he's an old Transformer, one of the higher-ups among the elite of the Planet, he comes in at about half the size of almost everyone else on the planet. If they had either re-written him as a younger 'Bot, or designed him in the Deluxe price range, he would be the perfect Cybertron figure.

But, hey, like I actually watch the show. Brakedown is a great figure, the best of the Scout-class figures, and my favorite of the series so far.

I'm trying to decide where I want to set my budget for the next month or so. There are definitely figures that I can hold off on till Christmas. But, damn, if I don't want some of the ones coming out here soon. Especially with a brand-spanking new Target opening this weekend, which is bound to have some new Alternators.

Saving money sucks.