If you’ve noticed, we’re on the second page of the review and I haven’t talked much about the actual figure itself yet. I’m going to cover the differences, but I will direct you to my reviews of Sideswipe, Red Alert, & Tigertrack for all the nitty gritty details. For the most part, sculpt, articulation, etc are the same from release to release so those should do you if you have any general questions (or ask in the comments and I’ll answer below!).
There are some fun differences that make this Sideswipe unique besides his colors though. Most notably is the face sculpt. Sideswipe’s fighting robot grimace is directly lifted from the comics. I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan (I’m on record as hating screaming heads), but it’s grown on me. Also included, are two spiky wheels that can attach to the shoulder ports. If you have him in alt mode sans weapons, you’ll need to find a home for these – I don’t like that – but they do look great up there in robot mode. If I were to treat this guy like a unique character (I kinda want to), those spiked wheels would definitely change his characterization from our ol’ pal Sideswipe.
The big difference is the accessories though. Instead of the usual complement that came with all three of the previous releases, G2 Sideswipe includes accessories from the G2 comic, notably a sword and two BFGs. Remember, G2 was a 90s comic, after all. The sword is okay, but I have trouble getting it to stay secure on his back. And come to think of it, the comic look featured a bandolier. I kinda wish Takara had worked that in somehow so we could finish the look and, bonus, it could hold the sword back there. The sword is fine though and I like the relief marks sculpted into it, but it just gets less play because of the guns.
See, the guns are awesome. I do wish they were a little more snug in his hand (they have a rectangular peg & port connection, but rely on that more than the grip), but they stay in better than some of the other MPs I have. The real appeal though is their look. They look fantastic; like they fell out of the comic and popped into 3D. I have it on good authority that everyone on my toy shelves wants to hold them, even First Aid (if he had an MP anyway).
Overall, I’m happy I bought G2 Sideswipe. He’s a nice redeco of the original toy. He’s got even more awesome accessories and Takara was kind enough to include a sticker sheet with various options for his look. I can keep him without a logo, go for the G1 logo, a subtle G2 look with just the logo, or go full-on neon should I choose. Smart work. With Sideswipe and Red Alert on display in bot mode and Tigertrack holding down the Alt Mode display (one way Soundblaster comes in handy for Soundwave), I’m not sure what I want to do with G2 Sideswipe. He would look cool as a black Lamborghini alongside Tigertrack, but I’ll prolly stick with his bot mode because that’s where his uniqueness shines. The new face, the gear, he’s fun to have. So, no, despite that unsure opening, I don’t have any regrets on this particular purchase. But I am going to have to draw the line on the repaints somewhere. No matter how cool MP Deep Dive and MP Clamp Down would look on the back of an MP Diaclone Ultra Magnus.. Doh!
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Sideswipe, Red Alert, & Tigertrack!
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I was trying to avoid getting into the Masterpiece line myself for quite a while. I only had MP Grimlock and MP-10 Optimus from TRU and wasn’t able to get MP Soundwave and his minions due to scalpers, but then someone locally this past month seold me a spare Soundwave he had for sale. He also brought Bluestreak with, and within a few weeks I had Prowl, Smokescreen, and Sideswipe as well.
I have had to settle for a KO Red Alert for now, but he’s apparently getting a 2nd run like Sideswipe did down the road and already have myself prepared to get Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and Ultra Magnus…so I’m thoroughly hooked.
G2 Sideswipe is one I’ve been debating back and forth on getting along with SoundBlaster (Ratbat is my reason mainly for him as well).
You mention the lack of Sideswipe’s bandolier.. A 3rd party company is actually making it along with some other stuff he used in the comic actually, so you will get to have him look more like his comic here soon.
Once you get a few, they pile up easy! I went with just Prime for the longest time and the disappoint Hot Rod kept me out a little longer, even avoiding Prime until the TRU release. But after him, I just kept getting the cars as they rolled out and have gone back to get the post-MP10 ones I don’t have expect Starscream. It’s easy to get caught up in them!
On Soundblaster – man, I love Ratbat, but the blue on Soundwave is so dark, it’s almost hard to tell ’em apart. LOL
And thanks! I look into the bandolier. If he’s gonna be in bot mode, he could use it.
oh, NOW I’m tempted to buy into these TF MP’s!
black Lambo with red windows are the ginchiest!
At first, I thought this was a basic “cool repaint” they did, I don’t recall the comic giving SS a makeover? or even there being a G2 SS toy? I do recall the Rainbow Prime and green/purple tank Megatron and whatever Soundwave was supposed to be? (riffing on a later GI Joe tank?)
There are quite a few G2 repaints actually. I have to tell myself now not to get too caught up in all of them. lol
Sweet review and great pics, as always.
Man, I so want to get this guy, but I have to check my finances first. With that dark colour scheme, snarly face, and a Reprolabel, he would make an excellent Decepticon.
And as for what colours Lambos look bad in: puce. NOTHING looks good in puce.
Thanks!
And I don’t know, it kinda pulls off puce:
That’s more of a maroon or brick red, though. Puce is a little more browny-purply-livery coloured, I thought.
Haven’t started MPs yet but oh how want to its dunno who to start with. I always wanted that early MP Optimus but everytime had the $$$ sold out he was. Now we have MP10 Prime, sideswipe, prowl (he’s a buy since was my second TF back in the day) and Wheeljack and BB coming. If Jazz gets done he is a must as was my first Transformer ever.
A great revies and yes remember him in.G2 and he was bad ass and loved the guns. Too many choices not enough $$$$$ 🙁 well hoping can fix that down the road.
Jazz should be fantastic! Excited for him!
It looks like Prowl is coming stateside for sure, hopefully he won’t be hard to snag!
Love the pics. Poor Cable. What’ll he do now? Haha.
Like you, I was able to avoid the MP siren-song at first. It started slowly, and at this point, the faucet is on full blast. G2 Sideswipe is my favorite of this mold (I have 3 of them at this point). I love the face (is he smelling a fart or is he angry? Who knows?) and I LOVE his accessories, but the main reason I love him is that they fixed the QC issues of the others. Everything about him is just so much smoother now. Panels all glide into place (as opposed to clicking into place), no paint flaking, etc. To be honest, none of those issues bothered me with the previous iterations of the mold, but now that I can see how it was supposed to be, the others pale in comparison.
Oh, and like you Noisy, I have not put any of the stickers on mine. I don’t have any tie to the G2 figure, and I don’t want to mar the beauty of a shiny, black Lambo.
The stickers… yeah, it’s just tough. Even just a faction symbol. Can’t do it!! lol
You make a great point about the QC. I do feel better transforming him than I have on some of the others. Much close to the Fairlady Z cars!
I really hope this opens the door to more expressive MP figures. Though Bumblebee does have the alternate face, and Magnus looks to have swappable plates as well. I love options, crazy faces, and rad weapons.
As long as they’re optional, I’m game. Still hate screaming heads! lol
Psst. Deep Dive is the movie Sea Spray redeco. Deep Cover is the black Lambo.
Least I knew it was Deep something! lol
Good catch!
Great review and pics. I don’t collect MP Transformers anymore but this and MP Ultra Magnus especially are very tempting. I wonder if they will do a G2 Grimlock.
I don’t need a big blue T-Rex, but it would look awesome, that’s for sure!