Autobot Landmine (Deluxe-class)
Review by EVA_Unit_4A
Landmine’s vehicle mode (back) is based on that of a real Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) lightweight scout, manufactured by Chenowth Racing Products, Inc. It is an off-road sandrail vehicle designed for hit-and-run tactics, as well as fast reconnaissance behind enemy lines, and it is favored by United States special operations units for its light weight, speed, easy maintenance, and reliability. The DPV was later surpassed by the Light Strike Vehicle (LSV), also manufactured by Chenowth. Being a sandrail vehicle means that the DPV does not carry protection for the three occupants (driver, passenger gunner, and top gunner) from small-arms fire, but does protect them from high-speed and roll-over accidents. Today, they are designed to carry a wide variety of light weapons, typically one M2 Browning .50cal machine gun, two 7.62mm M60 machine guns, or two AT4 anti-armor launchers. On the other hand, Chenowth is also well-known publicly for producing a wide variety of sandrail vehicles similar to the DPV with different capacities in weight, engine performance, and cargo & passenger capacity for both sport and private use. In this case, Sector 7 modified the DPV so that they would carry protective armor for the vehicle itself and the occupants within, while retaining its speed and off-road maneuverability. They also added two supplemental fuel tanks which rest next to the top gunner seat to extend its range beyond the standard 210mi (338km). The vehicle mode is molded primarily in an odd dark blue/green ABS, with black ABS for the bumpers and rail guard in front, back, and either side. (In the movie, the armor of the DPVs that Sector 7 used was painted gray.) The four identical tires are also molded in black, but the inner rims are that odd blue/green. I can’t show it very well, but the suspension system behind the wheels is all light gray. Above the front bumper are what looks like some additional lights, and armor guards for the shock absorbers. The passenger compartment has only a front windshield with armored blinders above, but no other windows or doors; opting for a solid outer shell-look. It is very cramped in there, but- trust me- there are two silver high-back seats inside along with indents in the dashboard for a steering wheel. (Nice!) Because of how things work, the third seat for the top gunner was not included in the toy. However, his topside dark gray machine gun was, which features an ammo clip feed belt dropping out of the right side of it, paired handles, a targeting scope, and a silver mount to hold it up. (Because of the size of those toy shells, I think it might be a grenade launcher, even though the ones in the movie were very obviously machine guns.) Directly behind the driver seat are two silver pressure tanks, presumably used for fuel. And then behind them on top are exhaust pipes and a horizontal radiator grille, before being rounded out by the back bumper with turning & brake lights painted on. All across the armor are black markings for Sector 7, the vehicle’s ID number (52), two black-and-white US flags above the back wheels, and an easy-to-overlook black Autobot symbol on the hood right behind the front bumper. The reason for all the S7 markings is that- according to his profile on both the back of the toy’s packaging card and online, Landmine was originally a human-built DPV until he was accidentally granted life by the AllSpark at sometime during the Mission City battle. This is also why Landmine was marketed under the “AllSpark Power” line- recognizable by tiny spots of light blue paint and plastic on various parts of his robot body. Landmine has several features in vehicle mode. The first are the wheels- each one has an independent spring suspension system that allow the wheels to slide up and down about a quarter of an inch. The wheels raise the vehicle up high enough that you can really slide him around, even on carpet, without it quickly losing speed while dragging on the ground. Nice! The other is the machine gun mount- it can both swing side-to-side, but has two silver bars with independent joints that can slide it forward/back a little, and point it upwards as well!
‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly unique to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Deluxe-class Landmine, there are two Automorph functions:
- When you first pull the sides and seats of the passenger compartment out (which form his arms), you have to pull out on the two front wheels to release their grip on them. Then, when the arms are free, springs pull the wheels further into the nose, which becomes part of his upper torso.
- After his legs and feet have been extended, the two halves of the back bumper flip down and forward. At the same time, the horizontal grille panels slide downwards towards his feet a little bit.
You can’t just pull the arms out, and expect the wheels to behave all by themselves (should you expect that?); you have to adjust one at a time before you attack the other side. Similarly, when reversing the process, you need to pull the wheels out before the shoulders can slide back in. Also be aware- the connection on those back bumpers isn’t very good, so they tend to pop off easily if too much pressure is applied.
Landmine’s robot mode (back) also looks like it jumped right off the movie screen. He’s got detailed paneling and supports all over the inside of his arms, upper legs, and inside the lower legs. The upper torso retains most of the nose of the DPV, except where his head folds through it; the front wheels- due to the Automorph feature- slide a little closer together to form the sides of his waist. On his back hangs the windshield and roof. The arms are formed by the side fenders and floor; the seats extend out to form large hands with claws. The back half of the DPV forms the legs, with those two fuel tanks forming the feet, and the back wheels sliding around to form its heels. “AllSpark Power”-blue highlights are inside Landmine’s head, neck, lower arms, upper legs, and shins. Additional section of dark gray and silver reveal themselves in this form as well. Poseability is quite advanced. Most joints are ball-and-sockets, including the head and wrists. The shoulders each have two joints, one of those just from the transformation, but it can still be an option if you’d like. There is a swiveling waist joint as well. The hands are adjustable- the ‘thumb’ is the size of the other four fingers put together. The four fingers are molded into one piece, but they and the thumb move the same way with two jointed segments each. The legs are equally flexible, and include ankle joints that can pitch forward and backwards. An interesting bonus in the feet are that- in combination with those large back wheels- two smaller wheels underneath the fuel tanks allow Landmine to roll around like he’s wearing inline skates! (Ehh- back wheels are a little tighter in robot mode, but still--!) The machine gun from his vehicle mode- which is officially called a “cryo-shock rifle” (must be an S7 feature of some kind which was altered by the AllSpark Cube)- can be used two different ways:
- it can remain attached on his back, and then flipped to point over his right shoulder; or-
- it can be detached and he can grip it with either hand
Unfortunately, Landmine can’t get a firm grip on the rifle, so you have to kinda play around until it’s comfortable enough that it won’t go anywhere. (Me? I keep it over the shoulder.) I should note that Landmine is one of the very few movie-specific transforming toys that actually uses a handheld weapon rather than having it integrated into the arms or chest or something. For that matter, less than half of the Cybertronians in the movie use hand-held weapons- Optimus Prime, Jazz, Blackout, and Barricade).
And now it’s time for a segment we haven’t seen for a while now…
What the Instructions *Don’t* Tell You
[fanfare sounds]
(Ahh- I still got it...) The Deluxe-class Landmine set has four marks in this frustrating category, though they’re really minor if important things:
- When extending the legs, the rear bumpers need to be rotated down towards the feet so that the knees can fully extend.
- When pushing in the back wheels and then flipping them forward, they snap into holes behind the fuel tanks (now the feet).
- The machine gun is shown as locked tightly against the wrist and/or lower arm, but this is not so. They also don’t show that it can remain on the back.
- If you do not look closely right after opening the toy from the box, you can miss that the front wheel supports press in against the shoulder armor panels due to how the springs work; they slide up against two tabs. When extending the shoulder into robot mode, the wheels retract automatically as the arms are drawn away. But, when reversing the process, you need to remember to keep pulling the wheels out until after the upper arm panels are locked in place, and then realigning everything. If you don’t, and the wheels are allowed to retract completely, the tires will rub up against the panels and won’t turn correctly.
But the instructions don’t tell you any of this… Like the Deluxe-class Decepticon Dropkick before him, this is another excellent example of a toy being well modeled after the complex CGI character styles from the 2007 film… even though he doesn’t appear in it. Well, his vehicle mode certainly does, but this character does not. If they hadn’t made toys from the officially-licensed “Transformers: The Game”, they could have made characters that may not have appeared in the movie itself, but were based on vehicles and other objects that did. (Deluxe-class Autobot Longarm is another example of this.) The parts are detailed with rivets panel lines, non-functional support structures, layered armor, and most of the vehicle parts being well distributed throughout the robot mode so that their functions aren’t easily apparent. Those fuel tanks are a great example of this- you don’t expect them to become the feet since they appear asymmetrical in vehicle mode, but then line themselves up when transforming him. Same with the hands- aside from the fact that he has functional hands (!), in vehicle mode they really look like padded seats for driver and passenger. The lower arms, though, are no bigger than the hands, which is kinda disappointing. On the other side of that, it is really hard to realign those seats inside once everything’s put back together. You need a pencil or something to help get it back straight, and it can get to be really frustrating at times with bigger hands; that is really my biggest problem with the toy as a whole. Same with the machine gun/cryo-shock rifle weapon- it looks nice, but you can’t really get him to hold it very solidly. I can’t say how accurate the toy is to the real DPVs seen in the movie since we only see snippets of them, but at a glance he’s recognizable as such even if all his details don’t match that closely. (In the movie they’re all black, but the toy is this weird-ass green/blue/gray-whatever-you -call-it.) Now, I know that this is promoted under the “AllSpark Power” sub-line, but really, that electric neon blue isn’t really out of place amongst the weird green, silver, black, and dark gray. An eye-catcher certainly, but not trashy or distracting; it was applied conservatively. (What was overdone was all those S7 & 52 labels- you don’t need that many!) So, I recommend getting Landmine; he will fit in quite comfortably with the other movie figures.
Posted 15 March, 2008 - 02:24 by EVA_Unit_4A |
Comments
9 comments postedNow, you see- this is why I hate my digital camera... That toy is usually no less than 1-2" away from that wall, and the damned auto-focus (which I cannot manually override) still insists on focusing on the most-irrelevant part of the picture! Pisses me off to absolutely no end, and it's been a constant battle for me since Day One here at CDX. On top of which, I do not have the space, experience, or money to get real shooting equipment like a light box that Josh or Atom uses. Or- heaven forbid!- a wall that is painted plain-ass white instead of greasy yellow sh*t.
(FYI, it's a Nikon CoolPix 2500. It ain't even mine, but without it, you wouldn't even know who I am here in CDX.)
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CollectionDX Staff
I feel your pain. About the auto focus : try to focus on something close to the detail. It might sound stupid, but sometimes, by focusing on something else, the autofocus focus exactly where you wanted in the first place...
Yeah, I've noticed that a few times, though it doesn't always work.
Sometimes I place a large piece of white construction paper behind what I'm shooting, and that helps trick the camera.
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CollectionDX Staff
I've been less than thrilled with my pics lately, too. Even with the light tent, I've been experiencing too much glare and I've always struggled with consistency to begin with. I took a bunch today that seemed ok, but I'm not sure why one day they seem fine and another they don't. I'd love to be able to grab a good camera this year at some point.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Awsome how can I get my toy review to look exactly like this page?
O.O!
Did- did I just hear someone call one of my reviews... "Awesome"? And then-- And then, ask how they can model their reviews after mine...???
(*faints*, falls to the floor with a crash!)
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CollectionDX Staff
(recovers after Josh holds smelling salts under his nose)
I'm not quite sure what exactly you liked about this review, so I'll do a broad overview of my reviewing process... and hope someone doesn't steal it and use it against me. :P
Well, first of all- and this is nothing against any of the other CDX writers- I find that a toy review with a bunch of pictures but no detailed text seems to lack a bit of depth. When I want to know about a toy or model or somethin', I look forward to what they say as much as they shoot. And I use that philosophy when I write my reviews.
The other big thing is to know what the hell I'm talking about! Some things, for example, I have no verse in, so I do a bit of research before [and while] I begin writing. A good example of this would be the Power Animals line from Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger (2001)- the 25th-Anniversary Super Sentai series. I have never seen a single minute of GaoRanger, but I looked in a lot of my online sources for episode and toy reviews by others. Then, once I feel confident and sufficiently familiar with the material, I begin.
In that same vein, I find that improvization can be useful at certain times where a lack of information is present. Most of the "real-life" overviews I've done for the [entire] Lego Exo-Force line are not official statements, facts, and published materials from The Lego Group; I make a lot of that stuff- strategies, weapons, why the Battle Machines are made, etc.- up simply based on what I've read and what I see in the toy's shape and function(s)! But, at the same time, I do my absolutely darned-best to stay within continuity as I improvise so as not to conflict with the original materials [too much].
For me, it is very important that I have some kind of opinion of what I'm writing about before I even consider writing. Even if I hate something, that's often enough to motivate me to find the words to describe it to y'all. But, if I were to go an review, say, a vinyl toy (like that CDX-exclusive Sky Deviler), I really don't think I could do it since that is in no way interesting to me. I might be able to write something, but it wouldn't be with nearly as much enthusiasm as I normally have. And that is a very big part in my motivations to cover something. I need to be able to tell you why I have the opinions that I do.
I also always try to reserve writing about my personal judgments and opinions until the last paragraph-or-two of the review: I remain objective as I describe the details and functions, and then I let loose.
I don't swear above PG-13 (and even then sparingly), and I always, always use proper English, and never netiquette. (Personally, with a very few exceptions, I can't stand netiquette and IM-speak. Abso-friggin'-lutely hate that!)
Once the review is written up on MSWord, I make a physical copy to keep by my side as I take the all-important digital camera up to my bedroom-
(*jaws of CDX readers drop*)
-and shoot the pictures.
(notices all the weird looks directed at him)
Alright, alright, alright... don't let the flies in. -_-;
Since I am fortunate to have a 15sec silent video capability, I use that sparingly to demonstrate larger moving features. (Which also means that I get a lot of odd and negative comments when they're viewed out-of-context on YouTube...)
I always make sure that I have lots of all-around lighting when I shoot- including natural daylight (sunny or overcast) through the windows, and the room's own lights overhead- to eliminate shadows and bring out details. Then I- heh- attempt to adjust the shooting properties with the camera's own [inadequate] settings. I then use the the printed review to guide me as I shoot, and to remind myself of what I was thinking as I wrote. When I first started writing for CDX about three (now four?) years ago, we had a pictures-per-review limit of eight, so we had to be real choosy what we shot. But since then, Josh has given us free reign to take as many as we want. (Well- I mean, he hasn't complained since he lifted the limit... so I guess I'm doing okay so far!)
In the past, when I was just a newbie at writing here, I would e-mail all my pictures and text to Josh, and then he would post it under my name for me. (He still does that for others, BTW.) But since I got an elevation in access privileges about two years ago, I can post and review as I see darn-well please.
When granted that new access, I had to learn some of the programming codes, to do things like make Italics and bold, center text, insert pictures, create links, and separate paragraphs.
I hope I've answered some of your questions (and others'), but- again- you weren't very clear in what you liked about the review above. Oh- that is also something that I really crave when I'm writing: that feedback from other readers! the more I get... the less I faint. ^_^;
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CollectionDX Staff
I certainly take no offense. It's all a matter of personal taste and opinion. What do you want to get out of CDX as a reader and what do you want to get out of it as a contributor? Although in depth reviews are great, I like that CDX functions as a database as well. I'm sure I have published (and will publish) reviews more to say "Look, this exists" than anything else. Sometimes it's with a certain audience in mind and sometimes just to show something different. Like I might want to show a machinder collector a rare or strange bootleg that I found. Maybe they'll say "Hey, I don't have that. I'll start looking for it". Or maybe they've found it and want to check theirs against mine for variations, etc.. I think there's great value in just having the pictures online, especially for vintage stuff and oddities.
Personally, I find too much text to be a turn off when I'm not thoroughly interested in a toy line. If a reader isn't interested in the stuff I publish, it doesn't take them long to look over it and move on to something more in line with their interests. I want to have enough to please the fans, but not so much that it scares off the people who are only mildly curious.
And of course, 99% of what I collect is incredibly simple anyway. I've got some reviews in queue for toys with exactly ONE point of articulation! How much can I possibly describe that?!?! HAHAHA
Anyway, I think we've talked about this in email before. It's the great thing about the site. With so many writers now, you get all sort of different styles, viewpoints and toys. :)
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
I recall that someone here reviewed a 12" Frankenstein's Monster non-poseable doll a few months ago. I actually got mine from a Japanese exchange student years ago as a birthday gift. As one of those really awkward presents that you can get on birthdays or X-mas that you aren't allowed to refuse or snicker at, I quickly migrated it to a box in my closet where it remains to this day. I can't even get it out of the house as a white elephant, ya know? (Our only other previous Japanese student got me a transformable Brave Saga robot that was then-new that was perhaps the beginning of my collection as it exists today.) Anyways, there's no possible way I could review that, let alone a figure that only has a waist or head joint. I can think of only an extremely-few exceptions...
Anyways, I try to get in as many pictures as I can get away with nowadays. I also include text links inside the review, along with thumbnails 'n such to break up the monotony. I know I can go on-and-on once I get started! When I'm done with the first draft, I also try to shorten or remove things a bit.
Of course, if people left more frequent feedback when I ask for it, I would have been able to adjust my habits early on...
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CollectionDX Staff