TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

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Box Art:

Knightdramon's review: Sentinel Prime

Name: Sentinel Prime
Allegiance: Autobot Elite Guard
Function: Commander

I've been on the fence about animated toys from the get-go. At first I pondered about getting the five Autobot main cast, then decided to try my luck and just get Lockdown. Unexpectedly pleased by the figure, I went ahead and ordered pretty much anything that was available at the time; deluxe wave 4, voyagers Screamer, Lugnut, Grimlock, deluxe Cybertron Prime and lastly Ultra Magnus.

Even before released, fans have been skeptical about Sentinel Prime [part of wave 4]. Many thought that he was extremely short; that's wrong. He's just the right size for a deluxe. Being one of the two original moulds in his wave, how does Sentinel fare against his Autobot brethren?

Vehicle Mode

Sentinel Prime's first toy appearance features a snow-plow monster-truck of sorts. He measures almost 14 centimetres from one end to another, being half of that in height with the lance\shield combo equipped. The dimensions are satisfactory as he's bulkier and taller than deluxes Jazz and Bumblebee.

There's some sculpted details, though not as many as you'd expect. There's detail on the fat tires, some ridges beneath the doors, minimal panel lining on the front end and some sculpting on the rear windows of the cab. Most of the detail comes from the use of colours rather than sculpt.

The main colour is a very nice, pleasing pearly metallic blue. Some orange plastic is used for the snow plow and for some parts on the rear end of the truck. Gray is used for the bumpers and black for the windows and headlights\taillights. Yellow and gray paint are on the snowplow, redeeming the plain pieces of plastic and a nice tampographed elite guard insignia is on the engine bump on the hood.

There's not much to do with him other than roll him around, truthfully. The snow plow can be moved right and left due to the way its joints are constructed, and the all spark baby blue shield and lance can store on the back of the truck for a semi-attack mode.

Robot Mode

Sentinel's transformation is not complicated, the only tricky part being trying to align the back wheels to the front wheels' locks. Sentinel is close to 15 centimeters tall [6 inches for our American friends]. As you can see, he's a fairly modest size for a deluxe figure.

With the exception of the baby blue shield and lance, he gains no new colours in this mode. He's primarily metallic blue with black and gray used for some parts of the limbs and torso.

There's still very little detail on the figure when it comes to the sculpt, except for that awesome head unit. The paint applications on the head are FLAWLESS. Kudos to Hasbro for not messing up, as there's four colours besides the base blue. Sentinel is depicted with what some view as a smirk, I tend to familiarize with it as a tough-bit grimace. The laughably big chin is toned down and appears as almost a natural part of the helmet.

There's not much besides basic articulation on this mould. Sentinel boasts 13 points of articulation, almost evenly distributed. The legs feature ball jointed hips with sockets just below for slight rotation and swivel knees. The arms boast lots of articulation due to the way they are formed, but lack a very basic swivel joint that would allow for some kick-ass lance poses. Unless the whole arm is raised at the shoulder, there's no way for the lance to point sideways [sort of like Cyb. Scourge]. The head is on a ball joint with slight restrictions on the movement.

Keeping the trend of the Autobots in the animated universe, Sentinel features no firearms. He's instead equipped with a lance and a shield, lending him a medieval approach to battle. Any other colour than the baby blue [or all spark blue] used on them would make them infinitely better, but those two are all the accessories he's got.

Overall, Sentinel is a pleasing addition to the Autobot figures. I didn't expect to like a figure with such a basic design that much, but I honestly did. It rounds up the current elite guard quite well [comprised of Bumblebee, Jazz and Magnus]. Recommended for people who want a Prime with a different take on their shelves.

Transformation: 5. Nothing too complex besides the arms, fairly straight forward.
Durability: 9. Nothing except the small antennas on his head and the spiky parts on the shield appear to be able to break off.
Fun: 7. Eh, he's ok, I imagine some kids will have a blast with him and the other figures of this line.
Price: 7. Next to the movie deluxes or even animated Bumblebee, he feels less complicated for what you pay. I got him for around 11 USD a good two weeks before US retail release.
Overall: 7. Fans should get him for their elite guard rooster; I got him basically because he's the first Sentinel Prime to appear in toy form.