The Energon Pub

Hurray for me, I found Sidearm Sideswipe today with 50% off! Bought on sight and so forth.

I know the first Sideswipe sucked donkeyfeet... But Is the DOTM version secretly better? So many choices, did I make the right one?

Of the movie Sideswipes I own, I would rank them as:

1. Sidearm SS
2. ROTF SS
3. DOTM SS.

Sidearm would be nearly perfect if it weren't for the bogus red flames. Wish I had the Takara version. Great figure. He looks great holding the DOTM SS mechtech too.

ROTF SS isn't bad at all in my opinion. His feet take some getting used to, but he will stand and pose nicely. He has swords. He isn't a bad mold. He's mean looking.

DOTM SS isn't complete crap. But he isn't all that great either. The most obvious part is the dull gray plastic. Suckage. Another part is instead of the rear end making up his chest area, DOTM SS actually uses the front end for his chest. I really didn't like that. He's also overly simplified. He lacks detail compared to the two other figures, where his design pretty much cut costs so that he A) had a huge mechtech weapon (which is actually pretty awesome) and B) to make him easier to transform this time around. He does have decent swords though.

I think ROTF Sideswipe is actually a very nice figure. Sure he has some trouble standing up, but once you know how he works you can get some cool poses out if him.

Not sure where you heard he sucks balls, but he really doesn't.
He's leagues better than DOTM that's for sure.

DOTM sideswipe is a mess of gaps and holes in Vehicle mode, and the lack of paint makes the robot mode look really bad, almost unfinished.

SideArm and ROTF SS benefit greatly from the nice shiny metallic Silver paint.

SideArm Sideswipe also gets the benefit of more stable feet, and guns instead of arm blades.

While I like the guns, I think the blades look better.

ROTF SS



Side Arm SS


DOTM Sideswipe


All in all, DOTM is the worst of the lot.

FWIW, the Walmart-exclusive Sidearm Sideswipe repaint, the blue one w/ all the race-car-like sponsors, is really really cool, if you can get past the Allspark blue.

I bought the first Sidswipe and could not get past the flaws. It annoyed me to no end. The feet are horrible and the alt. mode didn't want to stay together... Looks aren't everything.

The Sidearm version all of that fixed. I'm happy I left the DOTM version in the store.

How's that HA version?

Sidearm Sideswipe is the best. I didn't bother with the HA. Sidearms has got great poseability (for a chicken leg) and is really accurate. Also, the transformation is genius.

Side arm SS has by far the better mold looking at all 3 of those. His head alone is more detialed then the other 2 put together.

DOTM Sides' makes me sad D;

He looks like a goblin O__o

Universe (Classics) Sideswipe smokes them all...

HA Swipe has an incredible alt mode, but the bot mode is mediocre (at best) and his backpack is half the alt mode.

Kibble wrote:Universe (Classics) Sideswipe smokes them all...

HA Swipe has an incredible alt mode, but the bot mode is mediocre (at best) and his backpack is half the alt mode.

Agreed, but I meant the movieverse Sideswipe.

BTW the MA version always did look like crap to me. Given the standards of that line... Hasbro, I am disapoint.

Blurrz wrote:Takara SA SS. Game set match.

If you have him, could I please have him?

All this dislike for DOTM Swipe is unwarranted. He can pull off some stellar poses, he's pretty stable and has a flight mode the others can't pull off. His lack of paint is a little off putting, but nothing your favorite color in a jar can't fix.
The Mechtech weapon is pimp too, once you take the spring out.

I'll admit, I like ROTF Swipe's alt mode better, but those four unnecessary ball joint things that attach to the legs on ROTF and Sidearm are really dumb. I'm glad the DOTM version omitted them.

Oh yeah, and I'm probably the only one that likes the tribal fire design on Sidearm Sideswipe.

DofM SS has a great bot mode, but his alt mode sucks. Sidearm SS is great, but the lack of his signature blades costs it some major points. The original and HA are ok if you modify them a bit. Overall it's a tough call which one is the best since they all have pros and cons.

Blurrz wrote:Takara SA SS. Game set match.

Well... Indeed.

DISCHARGE wrote:Oh yeah, and I'm probably the only one that likes the tribal fire design on Sidearm Sideswipe.

I'm with you, it helps to differentiate Sideswipe and Jazz in displays and it reminds me of the Rebel Alliance symbol. Sure it's not movie-accurate but there are worse decos out there
http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/8/87/WMBombRunBattleBumblebeeGrindor.jpg
http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/c/cd/WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg

Speaking strictly about molds, I think the DOTM Sideswipe is superior.

DOTM SS is the most pimp ride in ALL of Bedrock! Some 3rd Party should make little Fred and Barney figs to sit in him. Even better if they made them with little wind up legs and could actually move Sideswipe along!

Does Darksteel count? I think it beats all versions of SS.

GuyIncognito wrote:Does Darksteel count? I think it beats all versions of SS.

Depends... I was considering the characterrepresentation and the mold on it's own. Maybe a good reason for me to hunt down a Darksteel?

Blurrz wrote:Takara SA SS. Game set match.

Very much agree. That is the one you can't beat. After that, the best is RotF. After that....don't bother. And for the record, the DotM version is a joke-could have been better with some shininess, but it still is total ick.

Kibble wrote:DOTM SS is the most pimp ride in ALL of Bedrock! Some 3rd Party should make little Fred and Barney figs to sit in him. Even better if they made them with little wind up legs and could actually move Sideswipe along!

seeing as how you could see right through him, that might work.

well, unscrew that backpack, and HA SideSwipe Is pretty nice ya know.

I'll agree with the others who have said that Sidearm SS is the best version. The only issue I've really had with him is that his head seems too small for the body. But, a quick head swap with ROTF Sideswipe and the problem is (pretty much)fixed!