Friday, June 27, 2014

#59: Transformers 4 Age of Extinction - Strafe


Since today marks the release of Michael Bay's latest assault on the senses here in the US, here's the final Dinobot which appears in the movie: Strafe. Perhaps not surprisingly, not all the Dinobots that appear in toy form are in the movie. The movie line up is Grimlock, Scorn, Slug, and Strafe. And why do they have dinosaur altmodes in the movie? After having watched it, I couldn't tell you. They just kind of show up with no explanation for their altmodes.

Strafe's robot mode is pretty cool. He's got two swords and a crossbow. Since he can't hold three weapons at once, there is the option of plugging them into his back, or they can hang off of the "cape" that his wings form. I wish his wrists would rotate, which is an oddly consistent complaint about the Dinobots so far.


Getting him into pteranodon mode is pretty easy. Mostly it's just unfolding the wings, then reconfiguring the legs so they're shorter. When I first saw pictures of the toy, I thought that it was mis-transformed, leaving him with two heads. I really don't understand why he has two heads in dino mode, it just seems pointless. Same goes with the tails. Speaking of which, they are a soft plastic, and the way they're packaged leaves them bent, but I think they'll straighten out.


Given the substantial wingspan Strafe is sporting, it's fortunate that they can also be folded down as if he were crouched on the ground and using them to support his weight.

As for the movie itself, it was another Michael Bay Transformers movie. It was big, dumb, and loud. Like the movies or not, this one won't change your opinion. This outing seemed a little more joyless than the previous entries. Optimus Prime continues to be the least heroic Prime of the various media. On the upside, there was less cringe-worthy "humor" in this one, although it's not entirely gone. I keep watching them because it's Transformers, and I'm a sucker. At least this one had Dinobots!

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