Transformers - "Robots In Disguise [2001]" Side Burn (Supercharge Mode) Review - video Dailymotion

Runestone Reborn

Hopefully that deco just makes him a narcissist...  Sixo's review of the Autobot Brothers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqXNnh3f1KQ

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00:00Of the 12 community polls I held last year, for 2001's Robots in Disguise, you all voted

00:28which of the three Autobot brothers I should review this year. Honestly, I hope I got Prowl,

00:33he's pretty ni-

00:35MOTHERFU-

00:36Sideburn is the youngest of the trio, so it's hardly news that the turbo-revvin' young

00:40punk transforms into a flashy sports car. Sideburn was initially released in blue and

00:46white, but a power boost from Ultra Magnus in the show resulted in a deco change, which

00:51naturally they made a toy of, known as Supercharge Mode. If you're wondering, these are the

00:57versions of the brothers that I own. Here we have a nice red, with an orange-yellow

01:02gradient on the flames, done in a blue outline. Translucent...amber? For the headlights and

01:08windows. And lastly, silver and gold chrome for the engine and wheel rims. The Autobot

01:14sigil on the roof is absent from the Japanese release. I should point out, in the cartoon,

01:20Sideburn has a thing for red sports cars.

01:23The car model itself is the Dodge Viper GTS. Not just loosely based on it, I mean it is

01:29an actual Dodge Viper, in its shape, structure and details. The lengthy front section, the

01:35design of the bumpers and lights, placement of the hood vents, the engine block, well

01:40sculpted as it is, is usually hidden on the real deal. It might not be exact, but it's

01:45close enough that all Hasbro releases of this mould, following the original blue Sideburn,

01:51sport the Dodge Viper logo for licensing. The mould originates from Takara's Car Robots

01:56line, and all Takara's versions lack the emblem. Presumably things are or were different

02:01in Japan. On a side note, the brothers sport rubber tyres, a rarity these days, with tread

02:08patterns and Sideburn has TF Cybertron branding on the sides. You may notice the windscreen

02:15doesn't sit as flush as it should. It looks like it's supposed to connect to the back

02:19of the engine. Which leads to… this mould's infamy.

02:24Sideburn, or Speed Breaker as he's known in Japan, was the first full project of Takara

02:29Tomy designer, Hironori Kobayashi. Nothing against the guy, but it kinda shows. Some

02:35cite this Sideburn as one of the hardest toys to transform. For me, it's not so much complicated,

02:41as much as it's just kinda clumsy and inelegant, thanks to all the car kibble clashing with

02:46each other. Don't expect full transformation guides from me, but for a couple tips, with

02:51his left arm deployed, rotate the waist 90 degrees, swing the armature forward then up

02:57into position, and then spin the waist back. That I don't mind so much, it's the right

03:02arm that'll get you. Following Sixo's review of the clear plastic variants by Takara,

03:08after swivelling the arm out, unfolding it, and positioning the front bumper as such,

03:13curl it round so that the right wheel ends up underneath, then you hinge said wheel within

03:18the chest. It's a clever trick, but in the process, you borderline have to force the

03:23wheel past the chest piece, to the point where the tyre might slide off, and considering

03:28the rubber tyres on certain Transformers are prone to deteriorating, I'm frankly grateful

03:33this copy is still intact. These are things to keep in mind, and might make the transformation

03:39smoother. If not, I honestly wouldn't blame you.

03:43The R.I.D. toys were first released in Japan, where the series is known as Car Robots. I

03:49bring this up because overseas, Car Robots came immediately after the Beast Wars Neo

03:54toyline, and if you're aware of Neo's design philosophy, you'll know a few of

03:58its cast were shellformers, where panels that make up the alternate mode hang off the robot

04:03without proper integration into the design. With the Autobot Brothers, X-Brawn, left arm

04:09aside, is relatively clean. Prowl has his share of car parts, but Sideburn easily got

04:15it worst. It's not so much that the kibble exists, as the roof makes a decent shield

04:20at least, it's that the rest of him isn't exactly polished, especially the bonnet halves,

04:26hanging off the back on long stems. Sideburn's actual robot mode is fairly lith, given what

04:32he turns into you can call it athletic. Vehicle panels notwithstanding, you have one of the

04:37front wheels fixed to his forearm, and the car engine decorating his chest. Also the

04:43head sculpt is asymmetrical to match the rest of him, with his visor only covering his left

04:48optic. Deco-wise, the figure explodes in orange and white, along with a darker red, a touch

04:54of yellow, and more gold chrome, including on his drag knife accessory. Said weapon has

05:00two posts that allow him to wield it as a gun or a blade, and can also store away on

05:06this peg behind his waist in both modes. Then there's the exhaust bowgun. The car's

05:12rear bumper detaches into the launcher, while the exhaust pipe forms the missile.

05:17Articulation-wise, Sideburn is cram-packed with ball joints, at the neck, shoulders,

05:22hips, knees, and ankles. You also have swivels below the shoulders, hinged elbows with a

05:28fantastic bend, even if, like classic Srodomus, they look broken in the process. The swivels

05:34above the knees provide an equally effective bend. Unobstructed waist rotation? Even the

05:39kibble is poseable in a sense, like the shield, which can collapse against his arm. That said,

05:45the car parts are still intrusive from time to time, like his shoulder being hindered

05:49by the front bumper. Also, some of the hinges and ball sockets are made of clear plastic.

05:55Lovely.

05:56I'll admit, I've warmed up to the toy a fair bit since buying it a while back, but

06:02Sideburn is still my least favourite of R.I.D.'s Autobot Brothers, mainly for being the least

06:07refined in robot mode, though still visually interesting, and not exactly the most pleasant

06:12of figures to transform. The car modes are winner, especially in the super mode deco.

06:18Shame it's only a part of the toy.

06:21Before I cover the other brothers, I have some fan vote polls to catch up on.

Transformers - "Robots In Disguise [2001]" Side Burn (Supercharge Mode) Review

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