TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Additional Image:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Batmanners' review of: Cybertron Mudflap

Name: Mudflap
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Decepticons
Function: Destruction Expert
Sub-Group: Earth Planet


There's nothing Mudflap likes more than demolition. A Decepticon agent planted on Earth even before the arrival of the Autobots, he managed to disguise himself well enough to infiltrate the construction industry. He uses his position to see to it that the projects he works on ultimately fail, collapsing into their foundations, their load-bearing beams mysteriously cut through. Still, as much as he enjoys destroying construction projects, he's only too glad to join the fight once the Autobots arrive on Earth!

This is one I had to wait until it got to the clearance aisle before I got it, and I'm now wondering what took me so long. It's awesome! The second I took it out of the package, I looked it over to make sure I got all those invisible elastics bands that they stick in random places, and I thought, "where the heck do they hide the sweet-looking robot on the back of the box inside that near foot-long, thin, skinny crane? This is one of my favorite Cybertron toys, and it won't be replaced by much any time soon.

Alternate Mode:
Not that construction vehicles are particularly my cup of tea, but this is by far my favorite. It's a mobile crane, with a long-reaching hook. That could have been improved with a string to lower the hook and pick up objects, but it's not that important. Its body is light blue, with dark gray for the cockpits and extension arm. The crane's base is white, which I think should have been painted silver instead. The windshield is transparent, fluorescent green, as are the missile and the hook of the crane.

It has twelve wheels which all touch the ground when transformed properly. I like this mode since you can clearly see what it's supposed to represent, and the robot mode is well hidden. The crane base rotates and lifts, so it can reach all around, and the Cyber Planet key unlocks two things in this mode: the rocket launcher next to the main cockpit, and a laser sword out of the extended arm. I don't see a use for it in this mode, except for jousting...

Robot Mode:
Another remarkable mode. It has pretty much everything a robot mode needs, without having ugly and incoherent leftovers from the alternate mode. The figure still has light blue highlights, but now navy blue is the secondary color, which was almost totally out of sight in vehicle mode. Although the joints are clickers, the arms and legs are excellent for poses -- proportionate robots are easy to pose, and this one pulls that off without a hitch. The torso is wide, the shoulders are as I like them, and the back isn't a spitting image of his transformed self.

Every bit of the vehicle mode was used to make this robot, and I find that to be the best thing of this mold. The only problem I have is that the feet are very rectangular. They do have an excuse, though: they have to keep Mudflap balanced when his heavy crane arm is fully intended.

The head is quite detailed. It has a navy blue helmet, silver face and green eyes that glow when light comes in from the right angle. The special features in this mode are, once again, the rocket launcher and the laser sword.

By far, this is a Transformer that exceeded all my expectations. Though I can always find problems with every Transformer, this one took some creativity. In vehicle mode, it would have been cool to have extendable legs on the sides to make the crane stable. The transformation was fun to do the first time, even though I had to whip out the instructions to find the head. I consider this a masterpiece, as far as voyager class figures go.

Transformation: 8. I really had a tough time getting everything right on the first time, and the transformation back to vehicle mode has a lot of small details that you have to get right in order to have him as sturdy as he should be.
Durability: 9. A point is lost for the use of soft plastic in the laser sword, which is almost always deformed. The back is unsteady in robot mode, also.
Fun: 9. It's probably just me, but I'd have played with it as a kid.
Price: 7. Though I got it on clearance, it was still somewhat expensive with the taxes.
Overall: 9.5. Nothing was left out, and everything works together to make this one beautiful Transformer.