Voyager Blackout - TF Movie - Figure

When pictures of the Transformers Movie Voyager Blackout appeared online a while back, I was amazed at how awesome this figure looked. Not wanting to wait any longer to get one, I won one on eBay and got it this morning. I was not disappointed with what I got.

Note: My pictures may not be the best quality, but I'm reviewing this from my college dorm room and used my cell phone camera, so bear with me.

This mode can be summed up in one word: excellent. Blackout is the closest we'll ever get to an Alternators version of a helicopter Transformer. Blackout's alt. mode is that of a Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low military transport helicopter, and resembles a real one almost perfectly. The detailing is great, and there is no robot kibble visible at all, unless you flip him over. The color scheme is mainly cobalt blue, with some black parts as well as yellow and red paint on some minor areas. There are wheels on the underside of the 'copter, if you want to roll Blackout around for some reason. A neat gimmick involves a miniature Scorponok that is stored on the underside of the 'copter tail. Push a button, and the "cage" pops open and Scorponok drops out. Scorponok himself is decently detailed, though lacking in paint apps, being mostly pearl white with some black.

My favorite feature of this mode is the spinning rotor. By pushing a button on the tail, the rotor spins, a nice addition to an already superb vehicle mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

Transforming this guy is very easy. I had no problem transforming him without any instructions. Transformation is about the same level as Classics Voyagers. There's no need for me to go into any detail, it's simple enough. His "Automorph" feature is that his head and chest flip up into place when you rotate his hips up. Nothing amazing, but still neat.

Another fantastic mode. Color scheme gets more black in this mode, as well as some silver and the same pearly-white color found on Scorponok. He's also got red light piping for his eyes. Blackout just looks really cool in this mode. He's got about 21 points of articulation -though his poseability is somewhat limited by the helicopter kibble on his back (but other than that, there's nothing wrong with this mode.) This toy does look a lot like the Blackout seen in the movie trailer, which is a good thing. Blackout has no handheld weapons, but his Scorponok-deploying gimmick works in this mode (I guess he drops Scorponok off his back in the movie, so this is appropriate) and his rotor assembly can be used as an over-the-shoulder blade weapon which is cool.

Blackout is a must-have figure for any collector, Transformers fan, or anyone who likes the Movie. While some people dislike the movie designs (I think they're great) Blackout is one of the coolest Transformers released in a long time. His alt. mode is almost on-par with Alternators in terms of realism and quality, with a couple of nifty gimmicks included. Transformation is easy. His robot mode is awesome. In my opinion, Blackout is the best helicopter Transformer, hands-down. An issue that has come up is Blackout's size. He's the same size as the Classics Voyagers. If he's a little small in robot mode, he more than makes up for it in alt. mode.

Blackout was well worth what I paid for him, and will be well worth the Voyager Class pricepoint once he hits shelves. Highly recommended!

Reviewer	Nick
Date	March 27th 2007
Score	(10 out of 10)
Reads	22943