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Skid-Z and Wind Sheer  (RID)

Jason Maust is back with another Transformers review today.  Thanks, Jason!  Let's get on to the review...

Well, I am back with another Transformers review by way of Michael.  Thanks again for letting me put my random thoughts on your great site.  I have gotten a lot of positive (and an occasional negative) e-mails for my Megatron review.  I am glad to hear from everyone though.

I was recently at Target when I noticed a brand new 2-pack of Transformers on the shelf containing Skid-Z (Autobot F-1 racer) and Wind Sheer (Decepticon F-22 Raptor fighter plane).  The gimmick with these is that by pressing on a certain area, a spring loaded device changes them almost completely into robot mode.  They are small, easy to play with, and most importantly, FUN!  They remind me of bringing Generation 1 Transformers to school and playing with them in the cubby hole in my desk in third grade instead of paying attention to Math.  I will rate each one separately, except on the packaging and value ratings.

Packaging- ***
The package for these two is exactly like the ones that Prowl, Side Burn, and X-Brawn came in, except the bubble is slightly larger and there are 2 file cards on the back.  Interestingly, Wind Sheer is NOT a Predacon, the box says DECEPTICON and he features Decepticon symbols.  Now, I have only seen a few episodes of the cartoon, so I am not sure the reason for this, but apparently there may be a separate villain group (at least in name) than the Predacons that have appeared thus far.  The package is very attractive and the bubble seems very strong and less likely to dent or discolor than Prime and Megatron. 

Like all of the other Transformers, all writing and description of the character and show are written in 3 languages, allowing for less detail about the character and the show and also crowding the back of the box considerably.  Especially with two file cards, they had to shrink the writing even more. 

Articulation- Skid-Z***, Wind Sheer***/1/2
Skid-Z has good articulation for his size (less than 2.5 inches tall in robot mode).  He has neck and knee joints, as well as ball joints in the shoulders, elbows, and hips.  His wheels spin well also.  I took away a little bit though because his front wheels have a tendency of restricting the flow of the arms.  This is minor though. 

Wind Sheer has excellent articulation at the same size.  He features the same joints as Skid-Z, however his knees are also ball joints, making him very moveable.  His arms and legs are unobstructed from moving freely into many different positions. 

Transformation- Skid-Z**1/2, Wind Sheer***
Some people may say that the Transformations are not complicated enough to make these figures worth buying, but I believe that the easy transformations makes them more fun to play with.  To transform Skid-Z, all you have to do is lift up on his spoiler and the spring flicks him in to robot mode.  That is pretty much it.  Nothing great, kind of Go-Bot like (which is not good, no matter who you talk to).  However, I think it is part of the charm of these, so I still rated it high.  The only bad thing is the mechanism that locks it in place does a really good job it.  I felt like I was going to break it when I lifted the spoiler.  So use caution there.

Wind Sheer is pretty much the same, though you have to rearrange his arms and legs a little.  Wind Sheer’s transformations is a little more complex, but barely.  However, you never feel like he is going to break, so that is good. 

Sculpting –Skid-Z**1/2, Wind Sheer***
The weird thing is if you look at Wind Sheer’s head really closely, he is the spitting image of Generation 1 Megatron.  Now of course the head is much smaller, but it has the same basic shape.  I do not know if they are reusing an old mold of something or not, it is just kind of odd.  Anyway, the sculpts on both are good, but very simple.  One impressive thing is that Wind Sheer has three landing gears that fold down in F-22 mode.  It’s a nice little extra.  Both of them have light tubing in their heads to make their eyes light up, so that is another nice feature.  Overall, 2 simple sculpts, though Wind Sheer offers a bit more detail with his lines in plane mode.  As someone who knows a lot about jet fighters, I can testify that from the top, they did a dead on job of making an F-22. 

Paint – Skid-Z**, Wind Sheer**
Now, its not that the paint job is bad on these two robots, there just wasn’t a lot of paint to put on them.  From a technical difficulty standpoint, these were very easy to paint with no fine detail.  Some of the paint is slightly but noticeably smudged in spots.  If you are a big stickler for paint, then you will not be impressed.  If you are buying them to play with though, then you really won’t notice.  I almost gave Wind Sheer an extra half just because he has an original Decepticon logo on his wings.  Heck, it might be worth buying it just for that feature alone.  Skid-Z has a big Autobot symbol on his chest that can be seen in both mode and gives it a definite Gen 1 feel.

Accessories – Skid-Z***1/2, Wind Sheer***1/2
Now, for such small robots, I really didn’t expect any accessories at all.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that each robot came with a pretty well designed gun that fits firmly in their hands.  Now the guns alone do not deserve such a high rating, but each gun splits into 2 halves that fit firmly inside the inner legs of their owner.  This way, when they are in vehicle mode, you never have to worry about losing them.  They will even stay locked in place in robot mode, so if you are having them fist fight, the guns will still be in a safe place.  I did not expect this feature when I bought it and was very happy when I discovered it.

Value-***1/2
I bought mine for $10.  That means with a 2-pack that I paid $5 per Transformer.  While they are not as detailed as the 3 Car Brothers, you can’t beat getting an Autobot and a Decepticon in one package.  Perfect for small children new to the idea of Transformers because they get a hero and a villain.

Overall-Skid-Z**1/2, Wind Sheer***
If you are currently looking for Transformers that are simple and fun to play with, you can’t go wrong with these.  If you really enjoy the complex transformations of Megatron and Prime filled with dozens of different features, these are going to fall really flat.  But, I must once again emphasize that these really FEEL like they are to be played with.  These are the kind of Transformers you take to a playground or sand box with you.  Personally, I love them, especially Wind Sheer, but I have always loved the jets the most. 

Where to Buy
You can find the Skid-Z/Wind Sheer 2-pack at Target.  I have not been able to find it at Toys R Us or Walmart, but by now it may be out there, who knows.  Ebay will probably have some as well.

If anyone has any comments on the review, feel free to email Jason at maust@madisoninnovations.com.


Figure from the collection of Jason Maust

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