Transformers Generations Legacy Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Toy
Item No.: Asst. F3075 No. F5760 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Wheel blaster, two-part Energon star thing Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Motorcycle Retail:$24.99 Availability: August 2022 Other: Doesn't light up but is otherwise fun
Just because a toy gets marked down doesn't mean it was a bad idea. I got so many Transformers over the last few years that I still have tons that need to be reviewed, and some still need to be opened. G2 Universe Road Rocket came out in a wave with Cosmos [FOTD #2,601] and a smattering of repaints, some of which had alternate heads, in a year where a lot of product was hitting all at once. At $25 per deluxe, it doesn't matter if it's good or not - the shortpacked toys (Cosmos) will sell out immediately, anything deemed a shrug (Blurr) will eventually go on clearance, and the rest will vary from market to market. There's a small contingent of fans who love Transformers Generation 2 stuff and will buy most remakes of those toys - myself included! - so I ran out and bought this as soon as I heard she hit stores. I never had the original, but I had the Robotmasters yellow version - so I wanted this red one.
She's a red repaint of the blue Prime Universe Arcee, another great toy who stood around on my desk forever and never got a review. Road Rocket differs from her thanks to the colors, a new head, and a new chest plate. Like Arcee, much of her robot armor pops off - almost all the red bits are removable. Articulation is pretty good, with rocker ankles and pretty good clearance for most of the joints. She's skinny, so there aren't a lot of panels or bulk to get in the way of a knee or an elbow. Her center of gravity is great, and she's a breeze to put in a fight pose without falling over. Getting some of the parts in place can be a hassle, particularly the front tire and the steering area - but once you do, it's a nice red and blue robot figure with a black skeleton. The G2-style light-up eyes are present with some clear blue plastic to give her some life.
When you update most G1 or G2 figures, there wasn't a ton of detail to begin with - so this 2022 update looks just fine. There's no bulk, and there's no light-up buzzsaw accessory, but that's life. You get a round ninja star thing - painted, this time. It can pop apart to be arm blades, or combined to be a round circle thing so nobody gets stabbed.
Transformation is a bit of a hassle, but it's not awful. Getting a robot wadded up to a bike is not the most fun I've ever had, but it looks acceptable. Things generally panel and peg in place, leaving you with a perfectly nice robot in disguise, minus the electronics of the 1990s. Back when Road Rocket was smaller, cheaper, and somehow both more and less impressive. Today, adult fans supposedly only want articulation, and Hasbro delivers. In robot mode. The bike has a kickstand and moving wheels.
I assume she won't stay in bike mode for most fans - you can't see the G2 Autobot symbol on her neck in bike mode, but it is pretty stable and you can mount the star on it. It's not bad, but like most vehicle modes it just doesn't have a lot of action features to encourage you keeping it as a vehicle.
With the deluge of redeco figures over the past year, I had to specialize a bit - early G1 guys are exciting, G2 guys are exciting, Diaclone... those maybe I can live without. Road Rocket adds to the relatively small sub-collection of G2 toys in the modern era, which makes it kind of easy and fun to collect without being an overwhelming mountain of similar plastic. I like her - but you can get her below SRP on Amazon or eBay now. And for $15-$20, I'd recommend getting one.
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