Order Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Sideways

I am a G1 fan and haven't seen either of the live-action films, but I do like the new transformers in the movie toylines. My son, who is 5yo, and I can play with toys together, which is fairly rewarding. My son bought Sideways along with Blowpipe as part of a WalMart boxed set with his birthday money. These characters are from the new live-action movie toyline, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. I'll review Blowpipe separately and focus on Sideways here.

My son's boxed set came with Sideways in robot mode, although I believe that he is in alt mode when sold alone. The robot mode is very striking in an insect sort of way - there are translucent wings that point up and back, and backward-jointed legs. I'm reminded of Kickback in a way... I like how the movie has Decepticons that are less anthropomorphic; a giant robot who has insectoid rather than human characteristics is frightening in its alienness. The car mode is also very nice; it looks sleek and powerful, with an attractive color scheme. I know some people don't like the pink tinting to the windows, but I think it adds an organic appearance that contrasts nicely with the gray of the metallic parts.

I knocked off a star for the "sawblade" preventing the tires from contacting the ground. Sleek looking cars ought to roll, and I consider it a serious design flaw to have such a useless body detail obstruct the whole process.

I considered taking off a star for the difficult transform. It is really, really hard to manipulate Sideways so that his shell joins where it ought. My son popped off pieces a few times and then lost interest. It really is too challenging for younger children. However, I've become increasingly enamored of this toy just because of the challenge. Getting the car roof to lie flat while getting other pieces to fit properly requires some practice and forethought, and it really is a thing of beauty when it you do it right.

In summary, I find Sideways to be a challenging but rewarding toy for the older crowd. For children with difficulty doing fine manipulation, Sideways will require too much dexterity and will end up as a pile of parts. Fortunately, the boxed set my son bought had Blowpipe, which lends itself much better to younger hands. Get more detail about Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Sideways.