| Why is it that all of the Autobots
are in bright, annoying colors, and the Decepticons look badass
and battle-hardened? Still, this dude looks deadlier than
his namesake.
If Sideways is my
favorite, then this guy is a close second. Honestly, I
hadn't planned on buying either of them. Smokescreen's
transformation reminds me too much of Hot Shot, but Smokescreen is
smaller, more compact, and has a big fucking crane on him.
Besides, his Robot Mode, unlike Hot Shot's doesn't look like
ass. It also looks quite a bit like the drawn version, again
unlike Hot Shot. So, I figured I'd take the chance.
Both Smokescreen and Sideways seem to come from a slightly
different aesthetic than the rest of the Autobots (in fact,
Smokescreen seems a little more on the Decepticon side of that!)
-- unfortunately that doesn't include not-so-loud. Besides,
he's a construction vehicle -- he's SUPPOSED to be orange!
Much like Sideways, he's very tight. Also
like Sideways, and many other Armada toys, he's not as articulate
in as many places as I would like. There are no elbows, for
instance. He has these big, massive hands, but you really
can't see them because there are no elbows that would afford them
the visibility they require. I keep trying to rotate the
shoulders to see the hands, but it never works. It's these
kind of glaring oversights that really tick me off -- if a toy
can't do what I naturally try to get it to do, and try repeatedly,
then I think there's a real problem.
Regardless, I think he's pretty solid.
Definitely my favorite Autobot so far, but I'm hoping he'll be
overshadowed soon by a better one. I think I may be hoping
for a LONG time...
|
SMOKESCREEN
LIFTOR
