Road Rocket Review Capsule

Road Rocket is a character from Generation 2 previously released in the USA under the same name. He was red and blue before, and now he's yellow with flames. It's a nifty toy, and if you've never had a G2 laser cycle mold before, this super-posable light-up toy is a nice one to add to your stash.

Introduction

While not a huge surprise due to its inclusion in a poll, nor not requested by many fans in the USA because the mold was sold here just a few years earlier, Road Rocket makes for a nifty import if for no reason other than it's a nifty yellow color.

He's pretty much the same highly posable mold that was used for G2 Road Rocket as well as the Wal-Mart exclusive Sideways.

Robot

Like many Robot Masters, this is a repaint-- but not a bad one.

The character doesn't have a lot of personality, sadly, mainly because nobody really wrote any stories about poor ol' Road Rocket. Sure, he looks cool, is highly posable, and has a light-up blue buzzsaw on his arm, but is that enough in this day and age, where all toys have elaborate backstories? Or at least, in theory?

We're going to go with "yes." It's a 10-year-old mold done in a new color scheme, and it's as good as if not better than a lot of recent TransFormers releases in both the USA and Japan. While he can't stand in outrageous poses without tipping over due to some weight issues, he can move around nicely enough that you won't feel like it's a particularly dated toy.

Vehicle

In vehicle mode, Road Rocket is a motorcycle, and a bright yellow one with flames to boot! Is this exciting, or is this stupid? You decide.

It's roughly scale to the likes of G.I. Joe figures and was also sold as part of Japan's Microman line in the 1990s, so your four-inch action figures may ask him for a ride at times. Since he has moving wheels and a light-up piece near his moving kickstand, there are worse ways for your small plastic men to get around.

Accessories & Gimmicks

Unlike the bulk of the Robot Masters line, poor old Road Rocket has no original accessories for this release-- just a light-up saw weapon which, unfortunately, does not photograph well. It is removable, but odds are it was not meant to be. As such, please consult the above for photos.

Packaging & Tech Specs

This toy came packaged in regular Robot Masters packaging, but unlike the first wave of toys there are a lot more twist ties this time around.

Not only does it look fairly nice, it's sturdy, dynamic, and has a lot of information on it. For example, the character stats are right on the front of the packaging-- a first. Unfortunately, they also added the clip-n-save card on the back, instead of having a trading card inside the box that's pre-cut and all of that. It's a nice box with a lot of layers, but it doesn't have the abundance of plastic trays that you saw in some of the earlier toys.

Fin

We like it-- but then again, we love the Robot Masters concepta lot more than most people. He's nicely articulated but doesn't really remind you of another older character from the cartoons, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It's nice to see old molds brought back without having to call them, say, Bumblebee. We really like this toy and if you don't have this particular mold in your collection, you could do a lot worse than buying this release.

Reviewed and photographed by Adam Pawlus
Sample received in January, 2005 from a Japanese toy dealer for about $15
Reviewed on February 10, 2005.