ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe action figure & review

I went shopping for the highly desirable Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) toys yesterday!  They were officially launched here in Singapore at all major retailers on 30 May 2009!  And of course, the entire local toy collecting community knew it too.  I also believe that most of them (who want the ROFT toys) made sure they had no other appointments for that very special Saturday!

When I was on my way to my selected store in Orchard Road yesterday morning, I expected to see at least 10 other customers waiting at the entrance for the store to open (yes, I was that early).  Upon reaching the place, there was only 1 person waiting for the shutters to be brought up, and that was me, haha!!  I guess I was too paranoid about the potential competition for my choice ROTF toys!  Somehow I imagined that there would be pushing and shoving with other people for the ‘freshly baked’ oven hot ROTF toys and fortunately, there wasn’t such a thing!

This is the handsome and sleek silvery Autobot action figure that I picked up yesterday.  ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe was a ‘hot’ and ‘must-have’ choice for almost every other ROTF collector out there, so I made sure I got him first!  It’s just that you probably had to check through at least 20 Sideswipe candidates before deciding which one can make the grade into your collection!

Nearly every ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe had some sort of faint and tiny ’scratch marks’ on the silver paint.  I think the factory must had been very dusty and dust landed on the toy surfaces before being spray painted over with silver paint.  Then during inspection or touch ups by the factory workers, they removed the lumpy dust particles but the surface below where the dust settled were not spray painted.  Well, it’s just my random guess. 

I’ve seen the Takara Tomy versions (priced at SGD 35.00 each) of ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe at some Toy Specialty stores and they also have very fine ’scratch’ marks on them, but in less visible spots.  So it doesn’t mean that all Takara Tomy ROTF Deluxe Sideswipes are better.  They could be all from the same production lines and the same dusty environments…

On the back of the packaging, it shows Sideswipe’s robot and car modes (man, he’s 1 tough guy!), his brief description, and his stats (which I do not find useful, unless you plan to play a card game with his backcard).  You also see the blue GM logo at the base of the backcard, and that’s where Hasbro got the license to design this futuristic car mode for ROTF Sideswipe.  The Covette Stingray Concept car somehow looks like a cross breed between a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin, but with a windshield of a mini space craft!

I’ve removed my ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe from his packaging but I haven’t taken any photos of him yet.  His transformation process is nearly opposite from the ROTF Deluxe Bumblebee.  The most obvious differences are that his booth forms his chest, while his arms are with the back wheels and his legs are with the front wheels.  He stands partially on his front wheels, supported by his heels.  In robot mode, he sort of resembles a cross between Robocop and Edward Scissorhands! 

His face makes him look a little ‘matured’ and some people feel that his head looks like that of a white tiger.  Hmmm, quite true there.  Overall, I think he seems to fit in better with the Decepticons as he doesn’t look too friendly as a robot!  As usual, the instructions sheet that he comes with isn’t that clear on his transformation process, but I managed to get it figured out, thanks to YouTube once more! 

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Here’s the video review of ROTF Deluxe Sideswipe.  If you are still deciding whether to add this action figure to your toy collection, I hope the video helps.  For me, I’m glad I secured him early.  Although he is likely to be re-stocked eventually, I decided to get him yesterday, partly to satisfy my current ROTF toy craze, and partly so that my ROTF Deluxe Bumblebee has a friend!  Now the 2 of them are inseparable pals on my desk!