{"id":26779,"date":"2014-02-07T01:12:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T07:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26779"},"modified":"2014-02-07T10:49:32","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T16:49:32","slug":"transformers-masterpiece-red-alert-review-mp-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26779","title":{"rendered":"Transformers Masterpiece
Red Alert Review (MP-14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>I spend a ridiculous amount of money on Transformers considering how few make it to the website. I went back to check and, yeah, I haven\u2019t reviewed a Transformer since October! October! Do you know how many I\u2019ve bought since then? It\u2019s terrible. So, if I had to make a 2014 resolution, (it\u2019s late, I know), it might just be to get all these cool Transformers up on the website. In fact, let\u2019s start tonight with\u2026 well, with a Transformer I\u2019ve already basically reviewed twice. Doh! <\/p>\n

While my first MP Transformer will always be the gorgeous 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, followed by the not so awesome MP-09 Hot Rod, it is this mold that really started it all when it comes to my MP collection. When Takara debuted MP-12 Sideswipe<\/a>, I was hooked. The thought of having the all those great \u201880s cars looking sharp in their alt modes and still turning into well articulated, mostly on-model roboots? Sign me up! And I\u2019m not going to downplay it or hide it. I love \u2018em. It\u2019s almost stupid \u2013 I mean, do I really need a Black Optimus Prime (or a Black Soundwave for that matter, curse you Ratbat!), a yellow Sideswipe, or a green Starscream? No! But the originals are great toys and repaints\u2026 well, a good repaint makes me swoon. Even if it\u2019s a neon green F-15. Oh yeah. <\/p>\n

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But, not all the repaints are \u201cjust\u201d repaints. Take today\u2019s subject, Red Alert, he was a modified repaint thirty years ago and so I don\u2019t consider him a part of my unhealthy obsession with repaints so much as just a normal part of the line.* I don\u2019t know that he was a key character in much of the media, other than being famously paranoid, but I considered him an essential, a character to be snagged even if my budget was more\u2026 budgety. <\/p>\n

* – I know that Tigertrack, the yellow Sideswipe, is technically a unique character. And I can call my black Optimus Scourge (I do), etc. but there\u2019s just something different about a 30yr old character than a cool retcon to include a Diaclone version, mmmkay?<\/em><\/p>\n

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Red Alert does have some cool Diaclone back story though. In that precursor line, Sideswipe\u2019s mold was reused to make\u2026 a Police Car. When Takara was Transformerizing (that\u2019s totally a word) everything, they took things in a different direction, opting for Red Alert to be a Fire Chief\u2019s car instead. Now, putting aside the fact that a Fire Chief probably wouldn\u2019t have a Lamborghini outside of Miami Vice, this is actually a cool thing \u2013 Red Alert is one of the first original<\/em> Transformers. No borrowed deco from Diaclone here. It\u2019s a small claim to fame, but it\u2019s a neat one. <\/p>\n

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Now, I\u2019ve already covered this mold twice with Sideswipe & Tigertrack, so I\u2019m not going to get into the nitty gritty again. The sculpt is solid. The articulation is fantastic. The paint could use a little work (I mostly just worry about the paint around the windows. That\u2019s paint on clear plastic pieces and seems a little more easy to damage on all three models). It\u2019s all around well done and that\u2019s a big part of the reason Takara keeps getting me to spend $60 a pop on repaints. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Red Alert isn\u2019t all repaint though. He\u2019s got a lot of new pieces, some subtle, to differentiate him from Sideswipe. Navigating this MP line is a bit tricky. Takara likes to lean towards show-accurate while Hasbro, when it does bother to bring them over, leans toy accurate (think of Soundwave\u2019s visor color as an example). Anyway, when Takara made Sideswipe his robot mode was more toon than toy. Clearly, the toy was the basis for Sideswipe\u2019s cartoon look, but changes were made. <\/p>\n

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Strangely though, those changes weren\u2019t made to Red Alert, so Takara leaning toon accurate on him actually motivated them to make a few new pieces for the toy. They\u2019re very minor, but I\u2019m very grateful that Takara got it done. The new \u201chelmet\u201d, new shoulders with vestigial tires, and a new upper chestplate with some small details to match the old look. Oh, and a new slightly different face. Honestly, I think all those are changes Takara probably didn\u2019t have to do, but the fact that they did is pretty awesome and it further differentiates the figures when placed next to one another (which is great, because there are plenty more Lambos in our future). <\/p>\n

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Red Alert includes many of the sames pieces available with Sideswipe & Tigertrack, notably the shoulder cannon and the rifle. The rifle, being all red, was a little too vintage\/nostalgia for my tastes. It\u2019s neat, but the choice to make it red wasn\u2019t motivated by \u201cIt being awesome” and I think a little deco here would\u2019ve helped a tiny bit. The one new piece is some add-on light effects for his \u201chorns\u201d. They would flash when Red Alert was freaking out and they make for a cool effect on the toy. I probably won\u2019t have it used much, but if we get more cool things like this with the toy line, I could see trotting it back out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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