Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown

Review by Caked-Up:

Robot Mode: This robot just screams dangerous without having to do anything but stand there. Other figures look menacing in a certain pose, Lockdown can just stand there and look menacing. Now let’s start with the crazy level of similarity with his namesake from Transformers Animated. To sum it up, they are nearly identical, surprisingly without using the same mold. Hasbro has done a fine job with this homage and they used a whole new mold.

The largest problem with the TFA Lockdown was the sheer lack of posability. It may not be your favorite, but the chicken legs used for the ROTF Lockdown are far better than the original. His legs can stretch/straighten to the point he towers over Voyagers (remember he is a Deluxe class figure) so you get to decide how you want him to stand. All of that height makes him very thin in comparison. Additionally, his head is by far the most posable head in all of Transformers history. It has two ball joints and a swivel joint. However, his only downfall is the posability of the arms. The hook’s piston assembly impedes his left arm by the elbow and the shoulder kibble on both limits (but not much) some forward to back motions. Finally, due to his transformation there isn’t any waist motion.

Just as everything else, ROTF Lockdown’s weapons are a nod to the TFA Lockdown. The hook is cool, but the chainsaw would have been better. And the Engine Blaster is back, but is separated from the hook hand; a wise decision there, Hasbro. When you move the hook up into position the Mech-Alive feature makes a piston recede.

The overall design of Lockdown resembles “Frankenstein’s monster” and it reflects the character’s habit of taking trophies from his victims. This concept was present in the TFA edition, but was too subtle, only the legs had different touches. The ROTF edition takes the asymmetrical idea and runs with it. Aside from the feet, chest, wheel kibble, and head, all of the body parts are different shaped and proportioned. Even his robotic buttocks do not match from left to right. When you get the chance, check out the light piping in his eyes, it has to be the best piping ever and adds to the menacing image. His overall color scheme is a deep green and black with gold highlights. He has spikes adorning the roof, doors, hood, and each wheel. All of them but the wheels are painted silver. The only downside to his overall build is the material his hands are made of, a soft rubbery plastic. It was done to prevent breakage, but it still feels funny. A side note on his transformation, the car door on the right hand is supposed to rotate upside down. The directions do not show this.

Alternate Mode: Lockdown still transforms into mixture of muscle cars at a Goth convention, but this model shows the malicious nature of the character. Overall he is still very similar to his TFA counterpart, but he looks much sleeker now. There is a great amount of detail present with red transparent plastic on the windows and headlights, as well as the aforementioned spikes. The back window has slats covering it like the ones that were popular in the 80’s. His cow catcher and spikes are much more prominent, but they are unpainted. They do work well with the overall color scheme. A minor detail is that you can see the back of Lockdown’s head through the windows.

Conclusion: This is my absolute favorite Decepticon and Deluxe Movieverse mold. I know that he is a homage to a character that is just over two years old, but it is an awesome homage. He has the air of a deadly bounty hunter and the feel of a machine that has modified itself like the “Frankenstein’s Monster.” Nice details in both modes, but the hands don’t feel right on this toy. All in all he is the adult collector’s edition of a newer Decepticon that is actually cool without being overpowered or crazy. I highly recommend him to any collector.

Rating: A

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