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 Override

Name: Override
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Racing Champion
Sub-Group: Speed Planet

Long-time champion and leader of the Speed Planet, Override is always ready for a race. Acceleration is her only ideal, but she respects anyone with the guts to challenge her. She's faced and beaten thousands of upstart speedsters in her time. Though at first suspicious of the intentions Hot Shot and the Autobots have for her world's Cyber Planet Key, Override is only too glad to help once she realizes what's at stake.

I was reluctant to buy this one. I love car-based alternate modes, but this "futuristic" look they decided to give Speed Planet natives didn't appeal to me at first. Now, though, I'm thinking that maybe I was a little prejudiced. They are quite nice to look at, and the fact that they don't have to look like anything in particular leaves room to make the robot mode good looking without endangering the vehicle mode's credibility.

Alternate Mode:
This mode screams speed. With its sleek curves, you can see that Override means business and she will not stop for anything. The first thing you'll notice are the fat front fenders. They're responsible for the look of speed on the vehicle. The big rear, probably where the engine or motor is located, is where Override gets all of her power. Thus, you can assume this vehicle is rear wheel drive.

As far as the paint job goes, red and white are the primary colors for the body. There is some gold on the front and on the spoiler, and also some highlights the base of the cockpit. Some black has also been added to even out the car as a whole. The windshield is transparent red, as are the tires, which are mounted on some of the best-looking rims I have seen on a Transformer yet. They have seven spokes, and somewhat resemble Enkei's "Arashi" set of rims.

There is however a big problem with this mode: the head of the robot is very noticeable on top of the car's frame. It doesn't even try to blend into the car's look; it's just partially there. The underbelly of the car reveals Override's arms, but not much more unless you're really looking for it. The Cyber Planet key flips open a set of twin blasters on the sides of the car.

Robot Mode:
I liked this mode at first, but the more I looked at her, the further I buried her behind better-looking bots on the shelves. It's not as if she was ugly: on the contrary, she's pretty cool. The legs are big and bulky, as I like them. The arms are complimented by shoulders that I don't like (the weak spot for most robot modes in my tastes.) The head has a good mold, and balanced colors run through the body nicely. The problem lies in the fact that the torso is too square, which is made even worse because the arms are positioned on the sides, making the body far too wide.

Once again, red and white are the primary colors, but the black and gold are more noticeable in this mode than before. The head has sweet red fins on the top, as well as what I like to call a crest (the thing on most Transformers' foreheads.) Her face itself is orange with blue eyes. I had no idea this was supposed to be a female at first, which is mostly because of the body's shape.

When it comes to poses, this one's not all that bad. The legs turn without compromising balance, and the arms allow a wide array of positions so you can aim the blaster into any direction you desire. What I will say is that the weapon is way too big. It's understandable since it was designed for the vehicle mode, but it should have been given some modifications to make it look less pathetic in robot mode (as they did with Clocker's weapon). The nice thing is that, if you really dislike the weapon, you can still store it on her back and be left with a somewhat good-looking robot.

The Cyber Planet key once again flips open the blasters on the weapon, which is a prerequisite if you plan on using the weapon in this mode.

Overall, I'm happy that Hasbro/Takara have designed something brand new, creating almost endless opportunities for new robots. The futuristic speed theme is awesome, and this robot is better than my prejudiced mind expected it to be. Although I have my problems with some of her features, I wouldn't want my collection to be without her. Also, she has made me regret not getting Crumplezone when I had the chance. I'm hoping there will be more Speed Planet Transformers in the near future as the concept is very smart.

Transformation: 2 for me. From what I saw of my brothers, though, maybe 4/10 since they had problems getting the back to work out properly.
Durability: 4. She has spring-loaded arms and another spring for the back, and they might break. Also, the toy is quite loose in its robot mode and some of the plastic seems cheap.
Fun: 8.
Price: 7. She has her problems, but she's worth it.
Overall: 7. The perfect example of the Speed Planet theme.