![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/itsalltrue.net\/reviews\/images\/2010\/drift0.png?w=640\")
<\/a>On our forums, I was just talking about how I’m not really into characters that are “badass for badass’ sake”, but then I turn around and do a Drift review. It would appear that my hypocrisy knows no bounds, but the truth is I haven’t had a chance to read a comic about Drift. I bought him because he looked cool.<\/p>\nI’m not really sure how much of a badass Drift is supposed to be in the comics. I am getting back into IDW’s Transformers with the launch of the new ongoing, but I haven’t had a chance to go back and catch up on what I missed. That pretty much includes Drift in his entirety. Bumblebee mentioned meeting him in the latest issue and I’m not sure what story he’s referencing. I went online to read up on him and the entries at TF Wiki<\/a> & Teletraan<\/a> tend to disparage more than celebrate him as they explain his creation and subsequent installment into Generation One history as a Decepticon turned Autobot. He definitely sounds badass for badass’ sake, so why did I buy him? It’s simple really; his toy is awesome.<\/p>\n Even though I’m not sure if I’m going to like Drift the character when I pick up his miniseries this fall, I do enjoy this toy.<\/p>\n His alt mode, which I can’t really identify as a specific car, has plenty of little sculpted details from the front grill to the exhaust, features clear windows (except for the rear window), and a nifty ‘custom’ paint job befitting his name. And he’s sleek too. In his car form, pretty much everything but the front bumper snaps snugly into place – sometimes too snug – and gives him a great overall look. He’s spent almost as much time on my desk as a car as he has as a robot.<\/p>\n I haven’t bought any non-animated deluxes in a few years, so I don’t have a good comparison shot of that class. Seaspray will have to do. They make a strange pair since Drift was designed to fit in to Generation One and Seaspray was updated out of it (but apparently is still the same Seaspray in continuity). <\/p>\n The transformation process is rather straightforward and after getting some painful figures in the last couple years, I really appreciate it. The back of the car flips out ingeniously to make his legs. I can’t really explain the process, but his knees are folded up in his trunk while his feet are the roof the car. It’s magic, I swear. <\/p>\n His arms fold out from under the hood, his doors fold down to provide sheaths, and the windshield moves up to cover his chest. It can be done rather quickly, the only hang-up being that some of the car parts that peg together tend to want to stay together. While that gives his alt mode some good cohesion, I’m a little fearful that I’m going to snap a peg here and there when transforming him.<\/p>\n Another thing I’ve been appreciating about newer transformers is the articulation. While, I love the boxy look of the TFs of my youth, I really appreciate how the modern ones can move. Drift has a ball-jointed head, shoulders, wrists and hips, double hinge elbows, hinge knees, and swivel thighs. In addition to that ‘figure articulation’ he can do a bit more with some extra “transforming” articulation in his shoulders, sword sheaths, and calves. The calve transforming points can somewhat simulate ankle joints, but one of the few ways Drift could be improved was if he had proper articulated feet.Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As much as I enjoy his alt mode, I’m a bigger fan of his robot mode. The aforementioned articulation is a big part of that, he can get into some fantastic poses, even standing on one leg with a high kick, but the sculpted details make sure he looks good in all those poses. I’m not sure how faithful the figure is to the source material, it appears to be pretty close from the few pictures I’ve seen, but it doesn’t matter to me since he looks good. I love the head sculpt – it looks like a mix of classic G1 with more of a Japanese feel. And perhaps most important, it’s a classic Autobot face. I kinda want Payload, the yellow repaint of the Decpticon Long Haul (dump truck) from Revenge of the Fallen<\/em> but I can’t get past the gnarled Bayhead.<\/p>\n With most of the pieces molded in the appropriate color, Drift doesn’t require much paint. In his alt mode, the kanji and graphics are clean as are the handful of painted car details like the brake lights, grills, and back window. In his robot mode, there’s handful of painted details and they’re all clean which translates to a sharp looking figure.<\/p>\n Of course, the thing that stands out most about Drift in package is his giant sword. It looked cool in the package nearly as long as his alt mode. When opened, it’s still pretty neat, but it’s made of a really soft plastic that you can nearly fold in half. It\u2019s still cool, but I’m worried about it drooping over time and I mostly keep it stored on his back (or his undercarriage in his alt mode). Apparently, the Japanese written on the blade translates to “Peerless under heaven”. How badass is that? Exactly.<\/p>\n From what I’ve gleaned so far from the wiki entries, the sword is for emergency purposes only or Thursday, I’m not sure which. Also, the clip that holds the large sword in place on his back actually extends from the body. I’m not sure, but I guess it’s to give some of the limbs a little more clearance. It’s a cool little feature.<\/p>\n Since I didn’t know much about Drift, I didn’t know about the two smaller swords he was going to come with. They’re made of the same soft plastic, but what blew me was how they store on the figure. When I began to transform Drift, I popped his doors open to find the swords. In his robot mode, his doors act as sheaths for the two smaller blades and when he transforms the hilts fold down to be completely hidden internally.<\/p>\n That was awesome. I was feeling a tinge of purchase guilt since I knew nothing about this Transformer that I just bought, but when I found the swords hidden inside, that washed away. So much so, that the upcoming Blurr – who reuses this mold with a new head – is also locked in for purchase. (Plus, I love Blurr. The movie Transformers are some of my favorites).<\/p>\n Overall, I’m very happy with Drift. I don’t know if I’ll ultimately like the character, but the great level of articulation combined with the sharp look and classic feel makes for an awesome toy. He comes with three accessories, all of which store on the figure (I love that) and perhaps most importantly – he can hold his big sword with both hands. Most action figures can’t do that. Think about how cool He-Man would look if he could be posed with both hands on the power sword? That’s how cool Drift is. See, Drift\u2019s so badass that his figure is badass too. <\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift01.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift02.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift03.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift04.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift05.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift06.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift07.JPG\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/images\/2010\/drift08.JPG\")
<\/p>\n