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The price of details

Transformers Binaltech Tracks

A photo of Transformers Binaltech Tracks in robot mode.

I was delighted when the first pictures of Binaltech Smokescreen appeared online because I assumed the line would feature updated Diaclone Car Robot with superior articulation.

It was a rude surprise when I discovered that the increase in vehicle scale didn’t necessarily mean a dramatic increase in robot posability. The Binaltech robot modes do have generous amounts of articulation but the posability is often impeded by vehicle mode kibble. This is a common problem with Transformers but the problem has been exacerbated in the Binaltech line by the interior details of the vehicles. Tracks, for instance, includes a steering wheel, a gear shift, a handbrake, seats and even an articulated(!) rear-view mirror.

It’s clear the designers chose a larger scale primarily to model the vehicle modes as accurately as possible and I assume this was done in order to convince sceptical car manufacturers to agree to the licensing request.

If it was up to me, I would ditch the interior details and improve the robot mode. Accurate die-cast toy cars are common but well-designed posable robot transformers are not.

Posted in Pix, Toys, Transformers.