#77: Transformers Dark of The Moon - Roadbuster

The final purchase from my Hasbrotoyshop order was another movie-verse Autobot, Roadbuster. Before the movie came out, there was some worry that the NASCAR bots would be redneck stereotypes. With their robo-mullets and NASCAR alt modes, it didn't seem too unreasonable a worry after the previous movie's Skids and Mudflap. Fortunately, this turned out to not be the case, and at least one of them has a Scottish accent, which is way cooler. Interestingly, the toys are officially licensed NASCAR collectibles (there's a fancy holographic sticker on the back), which is something I never expected would be in my collection.

Like most deluxe class figures these days, Roadbuster comes packaged in vehicle mode, a Chevy Impala. Being a NASCAR racer, you would expect the car to be covered in advertisements. While there is a big hood ad, and some smaller ones along the sides by the large numbers, there is still unfortunately a lot of empty space. If it bugs you enough, Reprolabels makes a sticker set that an more properly cover the car in ads, although it's a bit pricy. I'm not sure yet if I need to buy that. The mechtech weapon can plug into three spots on the car in a pretty clever way. Instead of just being holes that mar the car's looks, the pegs have a little panel that the weapon pushes in to fit in the hole. When the weapon is removed, the panels move back in place, preserving the surface. Neat! The mechtech weapon is the same chainsaw thing that Thundercracker came with.

Going from car mode to robot mode is a pretty nice process, and a welcome change from the typical car Transformer. It is certainly a nice improvement from yesterday's Bumblebee. Although the car mode isn't covered in ads, it's obvious that almost all of the paint budget went to those parts. Most of the robot parts are plain grey plastic which makes it look a bit dull. A nice wash or some touch ups would be cool, but I don't plan to get into painting my figures, so I'll live with it. I think the shoulder rocket launchers look a bit goofy sticking out like that, but they can be repositioned into different positions. They can even be deployed in vehicle mode.

Roadbuster is part of Autobot group the Wreckers, and I think I like him enough that I may want to get the other two movieverse Wreckers, Topspin and Leadfoot. Topspin is readily available already and Leadfoot is an upcoming Target exclusive (appropriately, he has a bit Target logo on his hood).