G1 Skids (Encore)

Robot Mode: At first glance Skids is just one more car-hood-as-chest G1 Transformer, we've seen hundreds like him. But while that is true, Skids does feature some details that differ from the usual early G1 'bot. First off the wheels on his legs fold in, giving him better stability. Second he is one of very few G1 Transformers whose weapons snap onto his forearms instead of being put into a fisthole (the only other G1 TF that comes to mind here is Shrapnel). Oh, and for a 'bot who supposedly isn't really hot about fighting a war, he does carry quite an arsenal (shades of Perceptor). Two guns plus a missile launcher. More than he can carry at any one time, since they all go on his forearms.

Posability-wise Skids doesn't offer much. He can move his arms at the shoulders and that's it. He's very nicely sculpted, though, and I especially like his head. This could pretty much be Optimus Prime's head without the mouth guard. Very nice. The paint job of blue and red also fits him quite nicely. So the bottom line is, as with many G1 toys, a nice robot mode that, while clearly subservient to the vehicle mode, is still very nice to look at, if not exactly perfect for playing with.

Alternate Mode: Skids transforms into a blue Honda City Turbo, a mini-van type vehicle. Like with most Diaclone-based cars the vehicle looks very solid and there isn't a hint of robot to be seen (except from underneath). The doors open and while the interior doesn't exactly look like that of a real car, it's still better than having robot parts stuffed right behind the windshield. Sadly there is no place to store Skids' weapons here, but I can't think of many G1 figures where that was possible. So all in all a nice, solid vehicle mode. Not a revelation, but good.

Remarks: What can we say about Skids? His role in the G1 cartoon series was restricted to background cameos. He played a somewhat bigger role in the Marvel comics. First because he was the first Autobot to have something of a "relationship" with a human girl (see this picture here) and second because he was the unlucky bot whom the universe chose to shunt into limbo to make room for the time-travelling Galvatron. As a result Skids spent the largest part of the Marvel comics run floating helplessly in limbo and was a serious psychic wreck when he finally returned. Suffice to say that, for the most, it really sucked to be Skids. He does have the distinction of being one of only two Autobot Cars (along with Tracks) from the 1985 toyline whose mold wasn't used previously.

Not having much in the way of character value, Skids must be rated mostly on his toy's merits alone. Skids is certainly an interesting toy. Clearly fitting into the early G1 waves, but with a few tiny little specialties. He's not an extraordinary Transformers figure, but for the G1 fanatics among us he's worth getting. Being a G1 fanatic myself, I snatched up the Encore version as it came out. There is also a Commemorative Series version from 2004 out there, so getting your hands on one shouldn't be much of a problem.

Rating: B