TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Aaron1rodimus' Review: DOTM Deluxe Leadfoot

Name: Leadfoot
Faction: Autobot
Function: Wrecker
Series: Dark of the Moon
Size Class: Deluxe
Release: 2011

Bio: Leadfoot was one of the best drivers on Cybertron. His appetite for speed led him to scan one of earth’s fastest cars for his vehicle mode. His second love? High-powered weaponry! The firepower carried by this Autobot is so great that much of it is left exposed in vehicle mode- a tactic devised to intimidate any Decepticon foolish enough to take him on! “Wreckers, kill him!”

Vehicle Mode

Leadfoot is the leader of the Movie-verse Wreckers. He transforms into a weaponized Target #42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevy Impala. The weapons in his vehicle mode include 2 machine guns with ammo belts, a gatling gun mounted on the roof, and two racks of missiles mounted on the sides near the hood. Nicely, all of these small weapons are unique molds. Also included is a gray and white redeco of DOTM Deluxe Ratchet’s MechTech Machine Gun/Medical Saw (donate this weapon to any TF that needs it, maybe the DOTM Specialist Ratchet if you have him – Leadfoot comes overloaded with weapons as it is!). The Takara Tomy version has no NASCAR livery on it, which is a shame, but the rocket thrusters on the back have been painted a nice silver. The rocket thrusters have Clip System Points on them. There are Clip System Points and MechTech Ports on the doors, but these are so low to the ground that it will be difficult to use them in most cases. Once Leadfoot is in Robot Mode they'll be usable.

Robot Mode

Leadfoot is a beer bellied sunglasses wearing redneck (with a Cockney accent… as you’d expect…). His Robot Mode is a nice representation of his movie model, but the shade of dull yellow plastic chosen for his legs and hands is a poor choice. Gunmetal gray would have worked better, however, there are some small splashes of silver on his legs in a couple spots. His arms move at the shoulders and elbows, his legs move at the hips and knees. His toes fold up, but this is more a feature of transformation rather than a true point of articulation. While he can probably strike a few dynamic poses, he’s not the most poseable toy you'll own. He has MechTech Ports on each arm, as well as Clip System Points on each wrist and shoulder, making him easy to arm to the teeth. Unusually, Leadfoot’s hands are not molded to be able to hold guns at all. They're just solid blocks with his fingers slightly curved. The light piping in his head is excellent.

Marks out of 10 for the following:

Durability: 7 – Leadfoot will probably hold up pretty well, just be careful of the silver paint on his head and rocket thrusters, and the black paint on his spoiler. Update: The black panel on his chest that rotates forward for transformation can snap off if you're not careful. In light of this accident, I have dropped the score for this category by 2 points. The piece will still stay attached properly in either mode, after breaking, but having such a critical flaw on a toy that’s so expensive is irritating.
Transformation: 7 – In theory he transforms simple enough, but in practice his arms and legs keep getting in the way of each other as you try to move them around. The two little pieces on his chest pop off easily, so be mindful of those. The bar on his chest feels delicate the first few times you spin it for transformation, so go gentle until it loosens up a little. Be very careful when moving the silver rocket thrusters off the black spoiler, paint from both can scratch during transformation if you're not careful. Also be careful when moving the hood, as you could damage the silver paint on his head. If you like complicated or difficult transformations Leadfoot will probably hit the spot.
Price: 1 – As of this writing, the prices for Leadfoot are completely unreasonable, US$150 and up on eBay. Hopefully it comes down someday or Hasbro manages to release this mold in the US. Don't overpay for this one.
Articulation: 6 – Leadfoot has all the standard articulation, shoulder, elbows, thighs, knees. He has no waist articulation. His head is on a swivel joint. You can get decent poses out of him, but he’s not really meant to strike dynamic poses.
Fun: 7 – My score might be a little biased, since Leadfoot epitomizes everything I love about Transformers: Using lots of guns to blow enemies away. And when he’s not doing that, he’s ripping them to pieces with his bare hands and even teeth. Take off 3 points from this score if you pay more than 75 dollars for him. Take off one point if you don't own both Roadbuster and Topspin to go with him.
Overall: 6 – Leadfoot is a minor character in Dark of the Moon, and thus is not essential to own in a movie collection. He’s a well engineered toy, and with Reprolabels you can make him perfectly accurate to the movie. That said, pricing is completely unreasonable right now. Don't try to acquire one until the price comes down. If it does, Leadfoot is good to have, and he has weapons to share with your other TFs.