VEHICLE MODE:
Rapid Run's vehicle mode, like the other members of the bullet train
team, is a stylised version of a Japanese bullet train (Shinkansen).
He's something of a departure from the aesthetic of the rest of the
team; whereas the other two members are predominantly white and blue,
Rapid Run is grey with gold and black details. His cockpit window and
passenger windows are all metallic silver, the cockpit is surrounded
with black, making it stand out more, similarly the side windows are
covered with a black line running down the length of the train, followed
underneath by a gold line that stands out quite well on the grey and
black background. more Gold can be found on the tip of the nose and in
two lines on the back of the roof. A large Autobot symbol is emblazoned
on the top of the train, and the words "Rail Star Cybertron"
are written on either side underneath the cockpit.
As with the other two Railbots there is quite a lot of
engraved detail on the body of the train; especially on the bottom
running along the sides where things like hatches - probably for luggage
or maintenance - vents and so forth. The engraving is deep enough to
stand out, which is a good thing because I get the impression that a was
would only have made the figure look darker, unless he was washed in
silver, which would be unlikely. His eight small wheels (four front,
four rear) roll well on hard, even surfaces like wood linoleum and tile,
but are too small for carpet or uneven surfaces like most outdoor
terrain.
TRANSFORMATION (ROBOT MODE):
Firstly, hold the front and back of the train and pull the back out
to extend his legs, now remove the shield/grenade launcher, remove the
grenade from his underbelly and set both aside for the moment. spin his
waist around 180º so that it faces the right way and pull his black
feet back to extend them, then fold them out. Fold down the rear wheels
as heel supports to stand the figure. fold out the sides of the train
just behind the cockpit to reveal his arms; extend these then fold the
cockpit down into the cavity left in his chest. pull down the nose of
the train, fold up his head and replace the nose. take the rocket
launcher and fold out the sides to form a shield, fold out the two black
bits at the top, turn the handle downward, insert the grenade and put
the shield in either fist.
ROBOT MODE:
In robot mode Rapid Run's colours are more evenly distributed with
more gold appearing on is pelvis and head, and more black on his hands,
feet, upper arms and legs. the grey is broken up nicely to remove the
flatness he otherwise would have suffered. Rapid Run looks just as sleek
in this mode as in his vehicle mode, with the nose of the train on his
chest matching his head; which seems to be styled aerodynamically to
match his character. His face has been painted with silver, making it
stand out against the black of his chest and neck area, and his green
eyes have a luminous quality in the midst of all that metallic paint.
A lot more etched detail is revealed in this mode on his
sides and legs. The rockets on his feet imply that he has the ability to
fly though this was never revealed one way or the other in the show. His
weapon can be held either as a shield or as a grenade launcher depending
on which purpose you envision it serving, and can make Rapid Run appear
either as an athletic fighter or spirited defender.
Rapid Run is articulated at the knees with hinge joints,
ball joints at the pelvis, his waist can turn as can his neck, his
shoulders are ball jointed and both his elbows and wrists are hinged.
His light weight, large feet and good balance allow for a wide range of
posability though his pelvis joints loose their stiffness quickly.
Rapid Run is probably my favourite of the bullet trains;
his original colour scheme and transformation make him a lot of fun and
his ability to combine with the other members of his team to form Rail
Racer is - as always with any combiner - an excellent feature. Well
worth the price of import concidering he wasn't released in Australia.
