Hey, let's talk about Exhaust here! I got mine in today from HLJ, who shipped this thing out lightning fast.
Box is what you've seen pics of already, what about what's inside?
Exhaust comes with a bunch of accessories. You once again get two rear-view mirrors as was the case with Wheeljack. Additionally, Exhaust includes two shoulder mounted missile launchers, the "Immobilizer" device, and his "Gadget Gun" which is the same gun that came with Wheeljack. There's also the collector card, which is sometimes a run of the mill, boring kind of thing not for me, but the art on this one is
spectacular.
How cool does Industrial Espionage sound? Cool enough to be a punk and/or ska band, that's for sure.
The car mode is cool, even without the paint that was originally intended for the front fenders. If you miss it that bad, they cut it out in a straight line pattern on those parts, so painting won't be too bad - except for matching reds, which is darn near impossible-impossible-impossible!
Don't think that every reference to Legal Adult Activities for consenting Americans over the age of 18 that have read all appropriate surgeon general's warnings were removed though. There's definitely some tongue-in-cheek stuff going on with this guy.
The launchers that were mentioned earlier can actually combine to both fit in place in the car's "Attack Mode", thanks to a molded in spot on one of them for the other's peg.
Also, in case you were wondering, it really is called the "Gadget Gun". Go go Gadget Cig:cough:aret:cough:tes!
There isn't much to say about the transformation that wasn't said at the time Wheeljack came out. Not much to say on a repaint! Still, be careful with those clear parts, as you were with Wheeljack. Anyway, the robot mode still comes out really nicely. Unfortunately the one noticeable paint flaw on mine is right there on his brow, but overall the paint apps on my Exhaust are much better applied than on his Autobot predecessor.
Pose-ability is, again, same as Wheeljack, which is to say it's good!
So I happened to notice during the transformation that the visor was what looked like a separate piece. The head is held together by just one screw, so I took it apart to see if he kept up with the tradition of having a face underneath the mask. Sure enough, there's a bot under there looking like he had a lobotomy. Actually looks a bit like Sunstreaker to me, but you be the judge!
Exhaust is a ton of fun, and really feels like a love letter to a different time - when toys could be toys, Joe Camel could sell you cigarettes whenever he pleased, and anyone could be a dangerous princess with a gun and emphysema.
Not sure I got that last part right, but regardless, this is a really fun release. Take it as such, and you'll be wholly satisfied. Essential for any Masterpiece collection (the Decepticons need some help!), for any TF collector that wants one of those "moment in time" pieces, or just for any collector that wants an amazing oddity in their collection ranks. Don't wait on this guy - rumor has it the production run is quite limited, so hit up one of our site sponsors today once they get their stock and don't miss out!