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Series: Generation 1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Triggerbot/-con
Year: 1988
Things are never as good as they seem.
A wheezing, whining ingrate. As welcome as a rash of rost-rot. The worse things get, the happier he is. Enjoys complaining about everything. Equipped with vast memory storage capacity and shell-resistent armour. Also equipped with infrared probes that penetrate and analyse enemy circuitry. Armed with two high-impact laser blasters and a distortion modulator that scrambles enemy cerebro impulses.
Robot Mode: Crankcase is in many ways a typical robot for his time. He's neither particularly posable or detailed, nor does he offer much in the way of play value past his defining gimmick. In his case the gimmick is two cannons that can be deployed over his shoulders via a trigger. The trigger mechanism is a bit worn out on my version of him, but he did spend many years in an attic. Posability is restriced to his arms, which can move at the shoulders, that's it. So while Crankcase may be average for his time, he's a pretty boring figure from today's point of view.
Alternate Mode: Crankcase transforms into a boxy little jeep. No particular complaints about the vehicle mode, apart from the fact that I would have liked a bit more detailing here. The trigger gimmick is operational here as well, of course, though it does seem a bit strange for the guns to flip out as part of the windshield. Still, a decent vehicle mode, if nothing more than that.
Remarks: My wife and I found Crankcase while cleaning up my in-laws' attic. Turns out my sister-in-law had several Transformers when she was little and, being all grown up now, she was only too happy to give him to me, knowing how big a fan I am. Now Crankcase isn't anything special as a figure. At best I'd call him average for his time, but considering how he came to me he does get a tiny little bonus point, pushing him into the average rating.
Rating: C-
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