Transformers Prime: Airachnid review - Updated
Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 6:39 pmI got my shipment of Wave 4 in today from Kapow Toys in the UK.
Here are some of my views on Transformers Prime: Deluxe Airachnid.
Sadly I think she could be the poorest in the whole TFP line.
In that statment I include RID Bumblebee and Optimus, which are ok figures essentially if not as good as the FE ones.
I need to check out more pics of her but the copter mode is good. Pretty accurate and has an opening cockpit with seat! The rotors spin easily.
Unusual by the rest of the RID standards is she has 2 molded on Decepticon purple logos. 1 tiny one on the cockpit nose and 1 on her chest. Something that has been missing from everyone until now.
It's quite a compact alt form but about the same length as Starscream.
The stinger guns have 2 handle pegs so can stick out or go flush against the sides. I think it looks better without them on at all or storing to the side. I don't really think the weapons work well at all. An interesting design but I suppose we've seen worse.
The robot mode is not much fun. She has half a head! Which slides up from the chest with the rear of the cockpit. It's actually attached to the seat. So this means a large hood backpack which spoils the whole look. There has to have been a better way. If they let it pop out like Ratchet it would have been nicer.
The face is quite a good representation but that's what it is, a face not a head. Due to the backpack it can hardly move from left to right. The backpack spoils it looking like the show for me. I think it's on a ball joint but it's pointless. Even if you pulled it off there is still the seat stuck on. Light piping doesn't seem very effective on her too.
As for articulation: No waist swivel, the legs bend nice at the knees.
The hips can move but it's tiny. They are on a seriously useless ball joint.
The side black panels go up to the top of the waist so the slightest movement backwards makes them hit the backpack. Move the leg forward and it hits the waist area. Push too far and it pops off the joint.
The leg can swing out and the knee is on a pin joint. You can basically have her leg slightly bent in front of her posed and that's it. I think this is where it fails the most. No kneeling poses for her. It's this or nothing really.
The arms have a weird fold out elbow. It barely extends any further. Shoulders are on a ball joint but all the panels get in the way. Across her chest is about all you can do.
The hands look terrible, really well childish. They fold out and have peg holes in the middle. So essentially the whole arm is a wafer thin panel and 1 joint connecting 2 panels.
I think they look really silly holding the stingers too. As it's pegged through the hand rather than a fist.
Triple battle sword? Um not really. Rotors do come off and are reasonable movable. There is a joint on each arm to bend them. They are supposed to lock onto her back but it barely has a large enough peg and constantly comes undone. This is a serious annoyance to me. With the smallest effort it comes out of the peg and rotates down. You can't really pose it in many ways. If you have the blades touching the ground she has to be leaning back.
She has 2 paint apps, black with some purple. I've just seen the box back shows purple and yellow on the legs which is photoshop BS. Only other paint is silver face and yellow on the guns. The guns are nicely detailed.
Overall this needs a Voyager size remake in the spider mode. I dunno what the Takara AM Micron labels could add to this but will be interesting to see them try.
I give Airachnid a 4/10 for effort and will see how it grows on me.
Here are some of my views on Transformers Prime: Deluxe Airachnid.
Sadly I think she could be the poorest in the whole TFP line.
In that statment I include RID Bumblebee and Optimus, which are ok figures essentially if not as good as the FE ones.I need to check out more pics of her but the copter mode is good. Pretty accurate and has an opening cockpit with seat! The rotors spin easily.
Unusual by the rest of the RID standards is she has 2 molded on Decepticon purple logos. 1 tiny one on the cockpit nose and 1 on her chest. Something that has been missing from everyone until now.
It's quite a compact alt form but about the same length as Starscream.
The stinger guns have 2 handle pegs so can stick out or go flush against the sides. I think it looks better without them on at all or storing to the side. I don't really think the weapons work well at all. An interesting design but I suppose we've seen worse.
The robot mode is not much fun. She has half a head! Which slides up from the chest with the rear of the cockpit. It's actually attached to the seat. So this means a large hood backpack which spoils the whole look. There has to have been a better way. If they let it pop out like Ratchet it would have been nicer.
The face is quite a good representation but that's what it is, a face not a head. Due to the backpack it can hardly move from left to right. The backpack spoils it looking like the show for me. I think it's on a ball joint but it's pointless. Even if you pulled it off there is still the seat stuck on. Light piping doesn't seem very effective on her too.
As for articulation: No waist swivel, the legs bend nice at the knees.
The hips can move but it's tiny. They are on a seriously useless ball joint.
The side black panels go up to the top of the waist so the slightest movement backwards makes them hit the backpack. Move the leg forward and it hits the waist area. Push too far and it pops off the joint.
The leg can swing out and the knee is on a pin joint. You can basically have her leg slightly bent in front of her posed and that's it. I think this is where it fails the most. No kneeling poses for her. It's this or nothing really.
The arms have a weird fold out elbow. It barely extends any further. Shoulders are on a ball joint but all the panels get in the way. Across her chest is about all you can do.
The hands look terrible, really well childish. They fold out and have peg holes in the middle. So essentially the whole arm is a wafer thin panel and 1 joint connecting 2 panels.
I think they look really silly holding the stingers too. As it's pegged through the hand rather than a fist.
Triple battle sword? Um not really. Rotors do come off and are reasonable movable. There is a joint on each arm to bend them. They are supposed to lock onto her back but it barely has a large enough peg and constantly comes undone. This is a serious annoyance to me. With the smallest effort it comes out of the peg and rotates down. You can't really pose it in many ways. If you have the blades touching the ground she has to be leaning back.
She has 2 paint apps, black with some purple. I've just seen the box back shows purple and yellow on the legs which is photoshop BS. Only other paint is silver face and yellow on the guns. The guns are nicely detailed.
Overall this needs a Voyager size remake in the spider mode. I dunno what the Takara AM Micron labels could add to this but will be interesting to see them try.
I give Airachnid a 4/10 for effort and will see how it grows on me.
Plus I'm not a fan of the character.
I have not seen any NSBB recently...