TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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

Justin's review of: Overhaul

Name: Overhaul
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Grunt
Sub-Group: Jungle Planet

One tough AUTOBOT, OVERHAUL has never thought much of intellectual pursuits. His solution to a complex problem is generally to stomp on it until it gets simple or stops being a problem. He's never felt that he's had the respect his strength deserves from the other AUTOBOTS, but now that he's on the Jungle Planet - where might makes right - he feels right at home.

I originally was not going to buy any Cybertron toys. I saw the Galaxy Force pictures on the internet and just wasn’t impressed by very many of them. When I went to a certain toy store (with erroneous spelling within the moniker) which shall remain nameless searching for a new Alternator I caved in. Something about this little guy warmed my heart enough to make me pry open my wallet.

Vehicle Mode:
Overhaul comes packed in his vehicle mode which is a deep green Sport Utility Vehicle of some sort. This is not a soccer mom’s ride mind you, it is an off road vehicle constructed for some serious off the beaten path action. This makes sense considering the original intent was for this character to be called Trailbreaker. The lines of the vehicle mode remind me of some fusion of Energon Ironhide and G1 Brawn. Since Overhaul spends most of his time on the Jungle Planet he is a deep forest green with gold pinstripes and some reddish-brown painted windows. The mold has been given some pretty nice details considering its size including: a light bar on the roof of the truck, colored (painted) lights, and a spare tire. The spare tire was a nice thought but the execution leaves something to be desired, the tire is not even close to the size of the tires on the vehicle. The tires on the vehicle itself are molded in a flat black plastic and are unpainted as are the vehicle’s wheels. The unpainted wheels are the only feature detracting from the visual appeal of this figure’s vehicle mode.

The planet key slot is on the rear of the vehicle at about bumper level, the gimmick for Overhaul is that when in robot mode with the chip inserted completely a missile fires from his chest. The reason for mentioning this amongst the vehicle mode details is that with the missile inserted in vehicle mode it cannot be fired and its shaft sticks out an inch or so from the rear, so in truck mode your options seem to be limited to risking loss of the missile or having an awkward looking translucent orange rod sticking out of the vehicle.

Robot Mode:
The transformation to robot mode for Overhaul is straightforward, though when pulling out the arms going from truck to robot I wonder about the plastic quality. The bot you end up is now primarily forest green, black, and tan/orange with a gold pelvis thrown in for some sick reason I cannot even begin to consider. The Structure of Overhaul’s robot mode is reminiscent of Energon Ironhide since they both have truck front ends for shins and vehicle panels over their shoulders. The missile adds a nice splash of color to the figure’s chest, without it inserted there is a bland unfinished quality to the figure. The only potential problem I can see with having the missile inserted I noticed by accident. I had the figure sitting on the coffee table when the dog walked by bumping the table sending Overhaul flat on his back, when he hit the missile shot out. Though for the average adult collector this shouldn’t be a problem I would be worried about a small child shooting themselves in the eye, though the missile tip is fairly rounded and blunt it could still conceivably cause an injury.

When I originally looked at the photos on Overhaul’s box I thought that this figure would be loaded with articulation. Once opening the package it took me only a few minutes to decide that he is loaded with articulation, sort of. His range of motion comes courtesy of ball joints at the hips and shoulders paired with pin joints at the elbows and knees. With all those joints the possibilities should be endless, but due to the placement of some bulky features from his truck mode they are a bit limited. The large panels to which Overhaul’s arms are mounted limit shoulder movement so that the arms cannot be raised above chest level, this would not be a problem if it were not compounded by the arc-shape and placement of the forearms. The forearms have the rather cumbersome tires mounted to them and the hands end in claws looking similar to those sported by Wolverine. These bulky additions to the arms tend to get in the way of the legs when experimenting with poses allowed by the shoulders. Though I have been knocking this figure’s articulation I am being a little tough on him, because the bottom line is that for the scout price bracket this figure truly does posses a lot of mobility and looks great once you get him into a realistic pose.

Transformation: 6 – This guy’s transformation is nothing fancy, but it hides the robot well.
Durability: 8 – The plastic feels to be a little questionable on the quality front when pulling out the arms during transformation. The missile or planet key could get lost if you choose not to keep them both plugged in at once. The knee joints in my Overhaul aren’t as tight as I like them to be on a new figure, but have shown no problems so far.
Fun: 7 – There isn’t really anything spectacular about this figure. He is a truck that you can roll around and a robot with good articulation and a firing missile. For a child however this toy would likely be a favorite.
Price: 8 – He’s a scout so you get about what you would expect for a figure in the $7 price range.
Summary: 7 – He is not the most interesting figure out there, but there is some appeal to him that will win some people over. If you are a sucker for the basic/scout class figures you will love this one, otherwise he will bolster your Autobot ranks without taking a big hit out of your wallet.