TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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

Denyer's review: Longview

Whilst I drink tea...

Name: Longview
Function: looking better in promo photos
Sub-Group: Real Gear Robots

With his highly sophisticated quantum processors, Longview keeps an eye on the Decepticons and their evil plans.

Alternate Mode:

Frankly it's a bit rubbish that the alt-modes for this line don't have any functionality (or even tactile response) where it'd be appropriate. I can understand that, as people might buy one with a function (eg, a cheap digital circuit in the watch) and expect it in others, but 2x multiplier binoculars are the type of thing you might get free on the front of a comic, so it's still a letdown.

Unless you're entertaining kids, the alt-mode isn't really good for anything and is sized for five-year-old hands. That doesn't really count against the mould -- the original 80s cassettes went down well with youngsters despite them not having much exposure to the type of foreign mini-cassettes that were being represented.

Transformation's a good balance of simple/complex, so this would make a fair desk toy. No hand holds, which is also a bit of a shame... being able to find him a ****-off big gun to hold would improve the display options.

Robot Mode:

I got this for the robot mode (I like stuff symmetrical) and the build quality isn't as good as the back-of-packaging photo suggests. The yellow plastic is cheaper, a little bit translucent, and the shoulder lenses are clipped on very lightly indeed. The lower half of the head isn't chromed, and money's apparently been saved by spraying yellow plastic with a thin layer of paint to do the feet. Which are also loose, which makes standing the bugger up tricky, and the angle of the legs adds to the difficulty of posing.

So, whilst I wasn't expecting too much, and wasn't disappointed in that, things aren't great. It was either this or the "Booster X10" Laserbeak homage, and I gave that one to a young cousin... here's hoping it was a better experience, really.

Transformation: 7/10. One of the better points of the mould.
Durability: 6/10. Feels quite flimsy.
Fun: 6/10. The joints make it more poseable than original-era figures, at least.
Price: 5/10. Five quid. I've seen them for seven. Three or four would be fair, as this isn't significantly better than a knock-off.
Overall: 6/10. You're not missing out, but it's not like the thing's terrible. It'll satisfy my urge to buy random tat for a while, anyway.