Revenge of the Fallen Mixmaster

Robot Mode: Mixmaster in robot mode is a figure that balances on the fine edge between being interestingly complex and annoyingly kibbly. He just about manages to stay on the right side of said edge, though. Despite having a rather bulky vehicle mode, Mixmaster's actual robot body is relatively lean and thin. He has very long legs with big feet, a rather short and stocky torso, a head which you can put into different positions to give him more or less of a hunchback look, and finally there are the arms. Long, long arms which carry about two third's of the vehicle mode as kibble (the final third hangs on his ass). The mixing drum from the vehicle mode splits into four panels and there are two on each arm, along with the rear wheels of the truck mode.

Originally this turned me off a bit, even though I'm not usually opposed to shellformers. It takes some practice, though, to get Mixmaster's various kibble parts into positions where they look good and don't get in the way too much. There are, in fact, at least two different variations here. You can keep the shell pieces of the mixing drum close to the arms (one each for upper and lower arm), giving him an armored, powerful look. Or you can spread the upper arm shell pieces behind him, where they almost look like wings. Personally I like the first option better, but that's a matter of personal taste. But no matter your taste, the wicked claws the arms end in just look cool and scary. Just saying.

Mixmaster also has further kibble on his shoulders and has a huge cannon pointing straight up from his back. The cannon is actually meant for his third mode (see below), but with a little doing you can get it working in robot mode as well. Mixmaster has to bend over a lot, almost walking on all fours, but he's posable enough (especially the head) to make it work. See the fifth picture above. So all in all a very cool-looking, very posable robot mode. Kibble-phobes and shell-former-haters might be put off, but the bottom line for me is a positive one.

Alternate Modes: As you might have guessed from the name, Mixmaster transforms into a cement mixer truck. All the various kibble parts of the robot fold together very nicely, creating a very wholesome looking vehicle mode that shows no trace of the robot hidden inside. The mixing drum can't spin, of course (that would have been a truly awesome engineering feat), but a small gimmick is included here anyway. You can flip out that thing at the truck's rear where the cement flows out of (can't think of the name right now) and pretend to let cement run into or onto whatever is behind it. Not spectacular, but a nice little gimmick. The truck looks very good overall and even though the giant Decepticon logos on the mixing drum somewhat ruin the disguise effect, it still looks pretty cool. So no complaints about the vehicle mode.

Mixmaster is a triple changer, though, so he has a third mode to transform into. I would have categorized it as little more than an add-on if not for the fact that this is the only mode where Mixmaster's huge cannon really comes into play. Having consulted various sources such as the instruction sheet and several online picture galleries, I've found at least three different ways this mode can be put together. It's pretty much a loose collection of parts. Still, I've found one way that more or less satisfies me, which is what you see in the pictures above. More or less a big cannon on wheels, the third mode is a mobile weapons platform of sorts and can either roll on its on or be 'manned' by a Deluxe- or Voyager-sized Decepticon. I really considered this third mode completely useless at first, but after multiple tries at putting something half-decent together, I now find myself liking it for some reason. Something for the tinkerers and kibble-philes.

Remarks: Like most of the Constructicons, Mixmaster has multiple contradictory appearances in the ROTF movie and accompanying comics. He was there when the Fallen betrayed the other Primes and was apparently killed by Jetfire. He was also present twice during the final battle of the ROTF movie, once as himself and once as part of Devastator. Both versions met a sorry hand, as Devastator was blasted to pieces by a human rail gun and the singular Mixmaster was shown a first-hand demonstration of how they brought the pain in Jetfire's day. He did get to transform into his third mode for a few seconds first, though, so maybe that helped ease the pain a bit.

As for toys, Mixmaster is well-represented in the ROTF line. He has two Voyager-class figures (see below for the repaint), a Legends incarnation and a non-transforming vehicle drone as part of Supreme Devastator. There might be RPMs and Fast Action Battlers, too. I'm too lazy to look that up right now. The bottom line for this toy is, though, that I like it very much. I would have liked it even better if there were just a few less free-swinging panels and parts on him, as his kibble skirts the edge of being bothersome, but only just. So definitely another fine Voyager-class figure in the ROTF line-up. Worth getting.

Rating: B+

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