Revenge of the Fallen Brawn

Robot Mode: First let me say that ROTF Brawn here doesn't resemble his G1 namesake all that much, but does share quite a few similarities with RID X-Brawn, who is by far my favorite character from that series. Not the least of which is the fact that ROTF Brawn, too, is very much a shellformer. Pieces of his vehicle mode hang off his shoulders, back, and legs, while very little of the actual robot body actually becomes part of the vehicle mode's outside. So if you dislike shellformers on general principles, I can already say that Brawn is not a toy for you.

Personally I don't have a problem with shellformers if the kibble doesn't get in the way too much. Brawn manages that part. Not brilliantly, but he manages. The biggest kibble is on his back and shoulders, where it doesn't get in the way much. And it certainly doesn't distract from the fact that Brawn looks completely bad-ass. There is certainly no mistaking him for a peaceful bot, this guy here is built for warfare. While he's bigger than most incarnations of Brawn, he does retain their general stature: Short and stocky. He looks muscular and powerful even without bringing his weapons into play.

Speaking of weapons, Brawn carries two handguns (which he actually keeps holding in his hands during the transformation), which can be stored in the kibble on his shoulders (not documented in the instruction sheet, btw), as well as a big weapon on his back that can flip down over either shoulder. I'm a sucker for shoulder-mounted weapons as many among you may know, and those handguns look pretty cool, too. So I like Brawn's guns very much. Combine that with great posability (despite the kibble) and what you end up with is a very good, kick-ass robot mode.

Alternate Mode: A surprisingly simple transformation turns Brawn the robot into an armored N.E.S.T. assault vehicle. Not sure what this exact model is called (if it's even a real one), but basically it's a big Hummer-type car with a big rifle on top. The rifle can flip upwards to shoot flying targets. The entire car looks very solid and wholesome, with no trace of the robot mode visible. And while the level of detail is not quite Landmine-level brilliant, it's still quite good and leaves little room for complaint. Not really that much more I can write here. A good, solid vehicle mode.

Remarks: Brawn is one of my favorite characters across the various series where he appeared (G1, RID, Animated, ROTF). I love that little guy who figures he's tough enough to take on just about anybody, no matter how much bigger they might be. While Brawn did not actually appear in the Revenge of the Fallen movie (which is probably a blessing for him), he is part of the N.E.S.T. Global Alliance subline and his profile text paints pretty much the picture we know of him: Tough, eager, and ready to kick Decepticon skidplate. Never change, Brawn!

Rating this toy isn't easy. Personally I like it a lot and I'd give it an A- without having to think too long about it. I am aware, though, that many people will probably be put off a bit by Brawn's kibble. So leaving my personal opinion aside, I'll set the final rating a bit lower for that. Doesn't change the fact, though, that I like this figure a lot and fully recommend him to just about everyone. Except for shellformer-haters and kibble-phobes.

Rating: B+

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