Dark of the Moon Leadfoot

Review by LimeWire:

Prelude: Remember Roseanne? Then you should know John Goodman, who played her husband Dan in the TV series. Why do I tell you this? Well, because Leadfoot is kind of the John Goodman of the Transformers. He’s squat, he’s big, he looks funny, and can be brutal in a big way. Even his face is – to me at least – something of a John Goodman homage. So here we go, the review of John Goodman... eh, I mean... Leadfoot.

Alternate Mode: Just like his Wrecker colleagues Topspin and Roadbuster, Leadfoot, too, becomes a Nascar Chevrolet Impala. In his case it’s the car number 42, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya. Formula 1 racing fans in Europe might remember him, the guy was the less-successful one of the two BWM pilots ;-). Fortunately we don’t have the standard Nascar form here, though (which was cut out of the movie entirely), but rather the Stealth Force / Brute Mode variant.

The good thing about both Leadfoot and Topspin’s Stealth Mode forms is, that they are sprinkled with numerous yet unobtrusive Mechtech ports. Additionally those two figures have more than just two oversized Mechtech weapons, they bring along a number of smaller, yet cooler-looking guns, too. Oh, and in case you plan on hating Hasbro for not painting their figures, you should also plan on suing Takara for forgetting to put on the Nascar logos. I guess the Japanese don’t want to pay licensing fees. Anyway, Leadfoot is the first figure where the Mechtech weapon (taken from Deluxe Ratchet, btw) doesn’t look out of place in vehicle mode.

Robot Mode: The transformation is highly innovate, interesting and – for me at least – something really new. The front of the vehicle forms the legs and feet, the sides and the rear wheels form the arms. Nothing special at first glance, yes, but the interesting part is that the two segments have to change places. Just thinking about it ties my brain into knots. Thankfully the whole process is surprisingly simple and nicely done.

Once you’re done twisting everything into place, you get one of the coolest Deluxe class figures of the DOTM line, for me at least (and disregarding Wheeljack and Soundwave for the time being). Squat, big, powerful, and somewhat funny in appearance, the John Goodman of Transformers. The flabby belly of his on-screen appearance is fixed in place here, but still nicely implemented. The articulation is astounding, as is his firm stance. The red highlights and the silver and beige accents fit together very nicely. Can’t say much more here, I believe the pictures speak a plain language.

Gimmick: Nothing special here, just a lukewarm reuse of the weapon Deluxe Ratchet introduced. I would have wished for something new here. I do have to say, though, that the weapon fits better with Leadfoot than Ratchet.

Conclusion: A clear and full recommendation. Even the somewhat plain-looking Takara variant is a keeper. If you want the more screen-accurate version, you’ll need to sit on your ass for another few weeks or months until the (limited) Hasbro variant comes out. Me, I’m saying go and get the Takara variant and some Nascar decals, that’s all you need for satisfaction.

Rating: A-