Perceptor - Energon - Figure

Returning alongside their Autobot comrades, the Street Action Mini-Con team is back - this time marketed as Perceptor. High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock have all undergone upgrades and two have swapped their positions when merged into Perceptor. And while Perceptor is an improvement over his previous form, his components aren't.

---

Review

High Wire
Upgraded from a bicycle to a motorcycle, High Wire is 2 3/4" long. He is mostly an off-white with black tires and seat and slate blue head lamp and rear section. The dashboard is painted orange and the Mini-Con symbol in front is painted yellow. A Mini-Con port, which is also the top of his robot head rests on the right side of the chassis and the right robot arm is visible in the rear with the tailpipe attached to it.

To transform into robot mode, flip the seat back and fold the dashboard section down. Flip the robot head down and around 180 degrees. Rotate Perceptor's head so that it faces High Wire's back and the legs so the seat faces forward. Split the legs apart, swing the tail-pipe / right arm down and position the front fender and tire however you like since there is no real arm or hand. In robot mode, High Wire stands 2 1/2" tall and has no paint applications above the tops of his legs, making for a very boring looking robot. He does have a nice amount of articulation, however. The neck, shoulders, elbows, and hips are ball-socket joints. The waist swivels and the knees bend.

Sureshock
Sureshock went from a scooter to a quad runner. He is mostly off-white with dark blue, light blue, orange, and gold sections and highlights. He is 2" long, 1 3/4" wide, and 1" tall. There is a Mini-Con port behind each front tire and an unpainted Mini-Con emblem on the front of the vehicle.

To transform into robot mode, swing the front wheels down to the front and face them forward. Bring the rear wheel sections out to the sides and flip the rear section back 90 degrees. Flip the gold seat up to reveal the robot head and position the arms as desired. In robot mode, Sureshock is 2 1/2" tall and has a little more color than High Wire. The head is painted dark blue with a light blue panel behind it and gold eyes. Unfortunately, Sureshock lacks in the articulation department as only his ball-socket shoulders allow for any kind of positioning.

Grindor
This time around, Grindor is a small hovercraft as opposed to a skateboard. His primary color is dark blue with orange trim and gold windows. The side fans are molded in the same off-white as the other two toys in the set. An unpainted Mini-Con symbol is on the inside of the right fan. The rear fans are painted silver in an orange casing. A Mini-Con post is located in the center of his underbelly.

To transform into robot mode, flip the rear fans down, swing around 180 degrees, and position the off-white sections back. Pull the side fans out and position to the side and down, then split the front sections down. In robot mode, Grindor is 2" tall and much more colorful than his teammates. His torso is dark blue with silver paneling. His head is painted black with a yellow visor. He also lacks articulation as he only has ball-socket shoulders and ankles.

Gettai! Perceptor!
To combine the three into Perceptor, raise Perceptor's head and flip High Wire's head down. Rotate High Wire's legs out and around so they face the opposite direction. Flip Sureshock's head down and rear section back to it's original position. Extend his arms and rotate the front wheels back and in. Return Grindor's feet and arms to their vehicle mode positions. Split the torso in half and pull the black section upward. Attach the posts on Grindor into the hold on Sureshock's underside and the Mini-Con port on High Wire into the post below Grindor's head. Lastly, bring Perceptor's head forward.

Perceptor
Perceptor stands at 4 1/4" tall. Hi sonly articulation is the ball-socket shoulders and his head, which can swivel slightly and look upward. He has Grindor's vehicle mode for legs and Sureshock's vehicle mode for his torso. There isn't much visible of High Wire as he makes up the backpack. Although, his tailpipe arm can be brought around under his right arm for a Tigerhawk-style weapon.

Overall
Energon Perceptor is a nice upgrade from the Armada version, but his components are not as nice as their predecessors. Still, it's not a bad set of Mini-Cons and worth picking up.

Final Grade: B

Reviewer	Richard C. Mistron
Date	February 11th 2004
Score	(7 out of 10)
Reads	7756

Back to Reviews Index