Hi all. Just thought I'd give you a few thoughts...and a couple of pics... of Alt Meister. Not gonna bother with too many pics, because you all know what he looks like.
First impressions? Don't like the new box at all. It's cheap and nasty. Really needs that film over the front, otherwise it just looks broken. Won't post a pic, already unpacked it.
Car mode? Not too bad, but certainly not one of the best in the line. Not quite as much attention to detail as usual, and no mirror finish at all on the rear view mirrors. Not even the silver paint that Smokes has. Not many paint apps at all. (Almost seems like a prototype).
Couple of cool features in this mode though. Back doors are cool, as well as the back seats. Both are a nice touch. Back doors pop off a bit though. Yet another new steering axle design, and it's a vast improvement on the Subaru's. The 'axle' is above the wheels this time.. ie, closer to the bonnet. Works well and doesn't get in the way when Transforming.
The transformation is a bit of a variation on the Subaru theme, and a definite improvement, especially in the arms and legs.
I used to get frustrated with the Subaru's arms, how they only rotate in one direction, resulting in me often ending up with them facing the wrong way. They've fixed that on this one, and his shoulders don't have those little axle magnets getting in the way.
The legs are SO much easier than the Subaru's. Just a nice little fold, which works nicely with the back seats as well.
BUT... it's during the transformation that you start to realise how poor the overall quality is compared to the others. Bits pop off all over the place, especially the arms and the bonnet, but also the back doors occasionally. The plastic used seems thinner and more flimsy, especially in the bonnet.
The first one I had had an arm that wouldn't stay on at all. I had to send it back, but thankfully I now have a new one. The arms still pop off a lot though.
The muffler turning into the gun is really cool.
Robot Mode:
This is where it's at. Meister has THE most poseable robot mode so far. The only downer here is that his arms still don't swivell outwards, but he has waist turn, which makes a big difference, and great movement in the legs.He looks great, as you can see, and is totally Jazz. Cool head sculpt too, and the visor is a nice touch.
Overall, another nice addition to my Alternator collection (sorry he's a bit hidden in that pic - I'm running out of room!), but Meister has the potential to be so much better. He's a great design, and it's just a real pity that Hasbro seem to have been a bit lazy puting it together. Flimsy plastic and poor finishing let down what could have been one of the best yet.
The Binaltech versions look awesome from what I've seen (especially ZoomZoom - the red one), and hopefully they better realise the potential of the mold. If you're really into the RX8, I suggest maybe forking out for one of those. Otherwise, apart from some shortcomings, Alt Meister's still pretty cool.
| Reviewer | Cameron Sutton |
| Date | September 28th 2004 |
| Score |  (7 out of 10) |
| Reads | 13169 |
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