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Tow-Line in robot mode
From the front
Vehicle mode.
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TOW-LINE
PRICE POINT/SIZE: DELUXE 2-PACK
DIFFICULTY: ADVANCED
FUNCTION: AUTOBOT TOW TRUCK
MOTTO: "Follow the rules."
'Tow-Line learned the rules of the road while pretending
to be an ordinary tow truck, before Megatron's invasion. He believes in
following the rules to maintain a tight force and still uses traffic codes
to keep things in order. his strong tow hook can lift and transport anything
large or small. He can also knock down opponents with a mysterious, unseen
force.' |
Strength:
Intelligence:
Speed:
Endurance:
Rank:
Courage:
Fireblast:
Skill: |
8
6
5
8
6
7
7
7 |
Tow line is
essentially a re-release of the Machine Wars figure Hoist. The mould was one
of four 'flipchangers' released in that line, all of which were repainted
and re-released in versus packs for Robots in Disguise - Tow-Line with
Skyfire and Skid-z with Wind Shear.
VEHICLE
MODE:
Tow-Line's vehicle mode is a two-tone green tow truck with translucent
orange windows and a purple hook. The exhaust pipes on either side of his
cab, his grille, and various other details are painted with silver, and
along the side of the cab and aft is an orange lightning style line with
purple shadow that ends at the back with the words "Towing
Service", just in case you didn't spot it. The front wheel guards and
underside of the aft are a different color green to the rest; a couple
shades greener than aqua is the best way I can describe it, the rest of him
is caught somewhere in between yellow and green with the result being a none
too pleasing colour. If you peer inside his tray you can see his robot mode
arms clear as day, they add a splash more purple thanks to the hands. The
plastic wheels have two different patterns - one for the front wheels and
one for the back, which is odd. one change from the Machine Wars version is
the Autobot symbol on his hood.
The wheels of
the truck roll fairly well on most surfaces. The hook is completely
inanimate and, really, utterly useless.
TRANSFORMATION
(ROBOT MODE):
Transforming this little guy is really quite simple. Grasp the tray at
either side of the hook and then pull the hook up. The sides of the tray
will automatically swing forward and the cab will fold down. all that's left
for you to do is fold them the rest of the way and separate his legs from
each other. His gun is made up of the front grill of his vehicle mode and a
pistol which hides away nicely on the underside of the vehicle. pull the
grill off and fold the gun out, place in either fist and Tow-Line is ready
for action.
ROBOT MODE:
Nothing in the way of colour is added in this mode, his visor is the
same translucent orange as his windows, his forehead, forearms and lower
legs are the same greeny-aqua colour, and his mouthpiece is silver. his
hands - as stated - are purple, as are the pieces that connect his elbow to
his shoulder, though they're largely hidden, and his pelvis.
Tow-Line has
11 points of articulation, three on each arm, two on each leg and his neck.
He doesn't balance overly well, but he is just light enough and his feet are
just big enough that he can stand in a few more dynamic poses. I'm glad he
was packaged with Skyfire, because alone I'm not sure he would have sold all
that well. Although he does have one of the better transformations of the
flipchangers.
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Skyfire head on
Obligatory action shot
Vehicle Mode
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SKYFIRE
PRICE POINT/SIZE: DELUXE 2-PACK
DIFFICULTY: ADVANCED
FUNCTION: DECEPTICON JET
MOTTO: "As you command"
'You can always count on Skyfire to get the job done. He
is totally dedicated to Megatron's evil plans, and is unswerving in his
loyalty to the Decepticons as he is straight and true in his jet flights.
Skyfire's strength and determination make him look like one big, mean flying
machine when he's coming in to strafe Autobots into crumpled bits of sheet
metal.' |
Strength:
Intelligence:
Speed:
Endurance:
Rank:
Courage:
Fireblast:
Skill: |
7
6
9
8
7
7
7
7 |
Skyfire is a
repaint of a mould used in the Machine Wars line known as a flipchanger. The
point to this line was that they transformed simply by flipping a certain
part of their vehicle mode up or down. All four of the Machine Wars
flipchangers were released in RiD, with the others released as Tow-Line,
Skid-z and Wind Shear.
VEHICLE
MODE:
In vehicle mode Skyfire is a typical fighter jet. He is mostly grey with
black and purple details on his wings, tail, nosecone and top. His
translucent orange cockpit cover is a vibrant addition to his colour scheme,
brightening it while still leaving him looking ominous and deadly. The black
lines that run along the sides of his nosecone to just behind his cockpit,
couples with the purple and black details on his wings accent his sleek
shape. Each wing is graced with a purple-on-white Decepticon logo.
On the
underside of Skyfire's vehicle mode, under the nosecone and on each leg, are
purple landing struts that can be extended to rest the Jet on. While you're
under there you'll notice there's a lot of robot mode showing, this is an
unfortunate by-product of his transformation gimmick.
TRANSFORMATION
(ROBOT MODE):
Skyfire transforms simply by pulling the nose of the jet down. from
there you simply have to fold the limbs into the right positions and remove
the two pieces of his gun from the back of his legs. Attach them together
and put them in either arm.
ROBOT MODE:
a lot of purple comes out in this mode. His upper arms, legs, hands and
head are all purple. Some details are also visible on the end of his wings
and the landing struts on his legs. The black lines on either side of his
nosecone are still visible, and his orange visor couples with the cockpit
cover on his chest to brighten the mode a lot. His gun - which is about
twice the size of his forarm - is the same flat grey colour as his back,
forearms, shins and torso.
Skyfire has
eight points of articulation; those being his knees, pelvis, shoulders and
elbows. He's decidedly back heavy, and his legs don't offer very much
support since the heel is largely missing, so his posability is fairly
limited, though he is a cool looking figure in any case.
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