| They are Mini-Cons...
that turn into a SHIELD. A SHIELD! Think about
that. Either they have to be incredibly tough or incredibly
stupid. It's the the Transformers version of soccer players
covering their crotches when they have to be part of the wall on a
direct kick. If they're incredibly tough, then why don't
they make ALL Transformers like that? Talk about a body
shield... yikes. I don't envy them their combined mode at
all. But enough of that, how to they rate individually?
Dirt Boss:
This one is my favorite of the three, partly
because he comes apary in so many ways. He makes a decent
robot, except for those strange arms. I think I'm more
impressed by how he becomes part of Skyboom,. 7
Downshift:
Certainly the shoddiest of the three. This
robot mode looks bad, his legs come off WAY too easily (especially
as part of Skyboom). He looks like a Go-Bot, in all
honesty. His vehicle mode seems redundant in this group, but
who am I to judge? I've probably just insulted some racing
enthusiast. But then, Dirt Boss looks like an SUV -- why the
heck is he even part of this team? Eh. 4
Mirage:
Predictable, Mirage is the F1 race car.
He's also a repaint of Starscream's Mini-Con, Swindle. More
accurately, he's a retooling of the same mold. The head is
markedly different in shape, also adding a slot that allows him to
combine into Skyboom. The spoiler is also different in
shape. And lastly, he has waist articulation; in fact, his
legs don't look right unless you swivel the hips around 180
degrees, but strangely the feet still come down the same
way. In fact, except for the wheels and transformation, no
elements between the two are exactly identical. Still looks
really stupid as part of Skyboom. 6
Skyboom (Combined Mode):
Stupid name. Stupid, stupid name.
Sure, the whole thing looks very aero-dynamic, but still.
Again, the thing breaks off quite frequently where Downshift's
legs attach to his hips, but the way he combines with Dirt Boss is
pretty neat. Still a stupid, stupid, stupid idea for a
combined mode. 5
So wait... Star Sabre is the most powerful force
a Transformer can wield, and Skyboom is the only thing that can
defend against it. Unstoppable force, immovable
object... But aside from that, think about this: any single
transformer who possesses both is for all intents and purposes
invincible. That is so fucking ridiculous. They can
destroy anything and nothing can harm them. This
"all-powerful" Mini-Con thing is getting old fast... |