TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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

Auros' review of: Signal Flare

Name: Signal Flare
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Energon gathering / Communications
Sub-Group: Omnicons
"My imagination is the key to winning."

Signal Flare is an Autobot Omnicon and one of the greatest energon welders of his kind. His Omnicon brothers depend greatly on his skills and experience. In vehicle mode, he projects a powerful energon beam from his radar dish that can take the shape of massive tools or weapons. Signal Flare is a silent warrior that prefers mastering the artistry of his energon weapons to battle.

Signal Flare was one of the few basic figures released so far that I had absolutely no intention of buying. The figure looked ugly in both vehicle and robot mode and just didn't appeal to me. However, due to Hasbro taking ungodly amounts of time releasing the different waves of Energon figures (and then only two to three new figures in each wave), my desire to have a new Transformer introduced Signal Flare to my collection. I can't say that I wasn't surprised by the toy and actually don't regret the impulse buy.

Vehicle Mode:
Depending on how you look at it, Signal Flare's alternate mode is either cool or mundane. Without the red energon disc, the vehicle mode looks like some sort of armored, mobile artillery, but with the disc, it seems to be some sort of mobile communications receiver or something. From my imagining of a child's perspective, the mode he's packaged in (as a communications receiver) is less desirable and actually affected my impression of the figure. Either way you look at it, this mode really looks cheap. Something about the areas made of the blue plastic looks really low-quality like what you'd see in a knock-off figure. The robot mode's arm also pokes out rather conspicuously from the rear of the vehicle. So you have plastic that looks cheap coupled with a design that ultimately does little to create a "robot in disguise."

Robot Mode:
Despite having a cannon for an arm and thus being asymmetrical, I do like Signal Flare's robot mode. The figure has a decent range of motion and, with some practice in regard to balancing, can be put into some neat poses. Aesthetically, the figure is quite pleasing in this mode and lacks the "cheap" image found in the vehicle mode. The energon disc can be removed and attached to two other parts to form what can only be described as an energon pizza-cutter. Seriously, that's the energon weapon the Autobots get from this Omnicon. Signal Flare's arm cannon rotates slightly with movement of the arm and the detailing on it is pretty good. The robot mode is good enough to warrant purchasing the toy since it is fairly inexpensive and it looks pretty good on display and is actually fun.

Transformation: 6 - Terrible instructions really made this one helluva confusing first transformation. Just awful instructions.
Durability: 8 - Nothing seems to be that easily broken at least.
Fun: 9 - Surprisingly fun.
Price: 10 - Well worth the price of a basic.
Summary: 8 - Decent little figure here.