Siege Battle Patrol

Prelude: It’s still a mystery to me why Hasbro chose to sell the Micromaster Patrols in packs of two instead of four, because does two bots really make a patrol? That aside, while I was never a big fan of the G1 Micromasters, the nostalgic 80s kid in me is glad to see them again (though come to think of it we were already in the 90s for most of them). Anyway, War for Cybertron Siege brings back the Micromasters (well, half of them) and part of the first wave is the Micromaster Battle Patrol, consisting of Flak and Top Shot (the Autobot formerly known as Big Shot). Maybe we’ll see Sunrunner and Sidetrack in the next installment of War for Cybertron.

Robot Modes: Flak and Top Shot are two tiny little robots (hence Micromasters), but do a pretty good job for their size. Both have knee-joints and ball-jointed arms and legs. No elbows, but that can be forgiven at this size. The detailing on both is pretty well done (again, for their size) and both sport four different colors. Flak is a bit leaner than his partner, lacking the big backpack, and thus a bit better at posing. Top Shot, on the other hand, has a gimmick in robot mode in that he can flip his backpack around and utilize the big cannon from his vehicle mode. His high shoulders restrict his posing ability a bit, but not by much.

Overall I like both these robots very much. They are bulky, they look tough, and you can easily see that they become military vehicles. So basically no complaints here. Very nice Micromaster robots.

Alternate Modes: Flak transforms into a mobile missile launcher (or rather a Cybertronian vehicle sporting a very, very, very close resemblance to an Earth-built mobile missile launcher), while Top Shot becomes a mobile artillery cannon (or rather a Cybertronian… ah, you know what I mean). Both vehicles look as realistic as you can reasonably expect in this size class and there are no traces of the robot modes to be found. Top Shot even has a twisting turret, so to speak, and Flak can raise his launch tubes, too. Nicely done.

Both vehicles can combine into a big blaster, to be held by one of the normal-sized Siege figures (or any figure with 5mm fist holes, really). The blaster looks pretty cool, despite the fact that you can see Top Shot’s face on top of it, and looks good when wielded by another figure. If you want you can also use Flak as a single-robot-weapon, too, as he has a handle of his own (usually used to plug into Top Shot). They look much better combined, though. So bottom line, a very nice weapon mode.

Remarks: The Micromaster Battle Patrol had a brief but significant appearance in the Marvel UK comics. They were lured into a trap and captured by Thunderwing, who used them to reverse-engineer the Micromaster process and create the first Decepticon Micromasters. The Battle Patrol was rescued by the Race Car Patrol before they could be disposed of, but the damage was done. Their Japanese counterparts, the Battle Patrol Team (same bots, different colors and names) briefly appeared in the first and only episode of Transformers: Zone, were they tried (and failed) to protect the powerful Energon Z from the Nine Great Demon Generals. No matter which continuity, the Battle Patrol can’t seem to get a win.

Of the three Micromaster Patrols included in the first wave of Siege toys, the Battle Patrol ties with the Air Strike Patrol for first place in my book. They work in all three modes (robot, vehicle, weapon) and have no flaws worth mentioning. Pretty perfect considering their size and price class. So unless you really don’t like Micromasters at all, there is nothing wrong with getting the Battle Patrol (just don’t expect them to win any battles).

Rating: A