Alternators Smokescreen

Series: Alternators
Allegiance: Autobot
Year: 2003

A look can be deceiving; a touch can be lethal
The first Autobot warrior revived through the Binal-Tech Project. Save for the quantum computers of his cerebral section and his primary armament, his entire design was carried out by Japan's Fuji Heavy Industries, Inc. and STi, thoroughly reproducing all of Smokescreen's essential functions. In vehicle mode, he can reach a top speed of 230 km/h and can fire smoke cartridges from his tailpipe. He has taken on his previous role of clearing away his teammates' anxieties and fears, and in his current revival, he has come to strongly encourage other development teams and Autobot fighters.
(Tech Spec by Hirofumi Ichikawa, translation by Doug Dlin)

Robot Mode: Smokescreen in robot mode is very reminiscent of his G1 predecessor. The only real differences I can tell (from memory, not being in possession of the G1 toy) are the absence of red in his colour scheme and the lack of shoulder-mounted cannons. Alternator Smokescreen doesn't need extra weapons, though, he is very much a cool toy without them. His posability puts all other Transformer toys to shame. His level of detail is phenomenal. I'm not a fan of his weapon (really his motor block in car mode), but that's just a minor detail. Smokescreen is one hell of a toy, not for a little kid, but for a now-adult fan of the original eighties Transformers.

Vehicle Mode: If you thought Smokescreen's robot mode was detailed, wait until you see the car mode. You can open all four doors, the hood, and the trunk. There is lots of detail inside, such as the steering wheel, seats, a motor block (which turns into the gun) and other stuff. The car has real rubber tires and looks like a model of a Subaru Impreza instead of a transformed robot. If you showed this baby to someone who doesn't know it's a robot, he'd never guess (unless he looked at the underside, but that's another story). Bottom line, kudos to the designers for going to this level of detail.

Remarks: I hesitated a long time before I bought my first Alternator, but it was well worth the price. No gimmicks, no multiple transformations, no partners or add-ons, just a big robot who transforms into a car. Makes me all teary-eyed and nostalgic for the deas of yore when Transformers meant Optimus and his gang racing through the desert to stop Megatron from yet another energy raid. Man, those were the days. Today is even better, though, because nowadays the toys are in a class all by themselves. I will buy more Alternators, you can bet on that.

Rating: A