We’ve got another Transformers toy gallery to round out your weekend now. Today’s new gallery, fresh from the Japanese Transformers Prime Arms Micron series, is the Deluxe Class Smokescreen!
Smokescreen is a remolded version of Transformers Prime Knock Out. This presents an immediate issue with show accuracy, because even with remolding, Smokescreen lacks a few design elements from his CG model on the show – the most notable being the door wings on his back. But let’s not linger on the negatives – Smokescreen does manage to look different from Knock Out with his stickers, remolded rear end in vehicle mode and his new head. The head sculpt captures the character well – I’d have personally given him a smirk rather than a serious determined look – but it goes a good way to giving Smokescreen his own identity. The head is spot-on to the look of the character in the show. Stickers give Smokescreen the rest of his deco.
Smokescreen comes with Arms Micron S2, a Micron with a slender and “ornate” look. He’s only poseable in the arms, but that seems to be average for the Arms Microns. S2 turns into a high-tech bow weapon for Smokescreen, which I don’t recall ever seeing used in the show – yet – but if you fold S2’s “wings” in you get a laser weapon that looks like an arm cannon that Smokescreen might equip for battle. In any event, the option to make it into a “gun” or “bow” lends a bit of appeal to the character.
Overall, Smokescreen is an alright release. If you disliked the design on Knock Out there is not a lot here that will change your mind, and the lack of show accuracy is a detractor. However it could be far worse, and as of the moment, this is the only Smokescreen toy available outside the upcoming Legends class in Beast Hunters.
Check out the full gallery by opening the link below:
crasis
So I was messing with this guy just now and kept thinking the little Micron really reminded me of another TF, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Scourge without a goatee? Maybe, but… Then it hit me: this is Devcon from the G1 cartoon. I mean, *exactly* Devcon. Just compare the two. Check the lineart and the scuplting on the little guy. It's uncanny. And it makes a lot of sense as an homage, since Smokescreen's most memorable moment in G1 is his gambling episode that featured Devcon. Well played, Takara designers. Well played.
GrimlockAutobot
Ok so I finally got my AM Smokescreen un-boxed, assembled, and decaled this weekend.
I just had to weigh in.
I was critical of the use of the Knockout mold when we first saw pics.
I LOVE this figure!! It REALLY works as Smokescreen especially with the Arms Micron plugged into his back in bot mode.
I also did a side-by-side comparison with my Hasbro Knockout and the deco just makes it feel like a totally different figure to me.
Alot has been said to criticize this figure but, I'm here to say (as an original naysayer) that this is absolutely an AWSOME figure and you NEED to pick it up if you have the chance!!
Enigma2K2
No. I'm saying his alt mode isn't Knockout with a spoiler in the show!
Shogen
Torque
Sports car with a spoiler is close enough for me. Tracks isnt a Corvette, Bumblebee a Beetle, Wheeljack isnt… whatever his alt mode is.
point is, its close enough for me!
Enigma2K2
I see no one's making any comparisons of the biggest flaw… the VEHICLE modes. Will tearing the minicon in half help that?
Alucard77
You gotta go with the bloated look.
I just did this comparison using peeps pics.
All that is needed is for a third party company or shapeways to make on snap on shoulders and that would be pretty neat match.
Arashistorm
This.
Other than just looking at it, was this ever really confirmed? Chest lights and door wings, as well as rounded shoulders–I dont see what's stopping him from haveing used Bee as a basis as well, in show.
Hmm, not bad. I still kind of prefer Wheeljack's vehicle mode for hot rod, that windshield and spoiler is pretty on point.
Fenrys
Personally I'd also love to see this mold redecoed as hot rod, the faux wings would make a good spoiler for him
Raiju
Nice pictures. I always believed from the start that the Arms Micron he came with would make a decent filler for his back and give the impression of faux door wings, and after tekering obliged me with some pictures of the micron plugged into his back, I knew I was right. XD
I got this guy from Yodabashi Camera in Tokyo the other day (at Japanese retail, along with Silas Breakdown and a few AM packs; got a diecast Matrix keychain as a freebie) but haven't opened him yet. Personally, I like the look of him and Takara did the best with what they had to work with (since Hasbro has failed to deliver any new molds of Smokes either outside of Cyberverse); it's either this or nothing and I'd rather have this than nothing at all.
Transmorph633
Unfortunately since Smokescreen used Knockout's animation model as a basis I can see what Takara did for this toy. Like some others said if they designed the Knockout mold better it would have worked for smokescreen as well. I actually like what they were to manage out of the mold so its not his fault that its off from the show model its actually Knockouts.
Compewtrawn
what a BS cost cut move. Should have been his own mold
MekaGojira3k
I like Smokescreen with the chest down, it does make him look a bit wide, but he'll be even more distinctive from Knock Out.
Gunshot
Thanks !
btw, You can move the whole v-shaped blue chest piece forwards (towards yourself) and then downwards.
I noticed in your pics you have not done so like I did mine.
That helps a lot, making his head level with his shoulders, as well as making him less "bloated". You might want to try that as well if you haven't already.
just fyi.
TFXProtector
Here are my pics: http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg503/TFXProtector/2012-12-02131434.jpg
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg503/TFXProtector/2012-12-02132113.jpg
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg503/TFXProtector/2012-12-02141756.jpg
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg503/TFXProtector/2012-12-02141855.jpg
And yes, the full Micron is on his back. It's just not pushed in as deeply as it could go.
EDIT: Pics were ridiculously sized, so I made them clickable links instead. Sorry 'bout that, everyone. And yes, he does look a bit bloated with the headlights down, but in person it's not nearly as bad as it looks in pics. He has a rather broad chest in the cartoon and this conveys it quite well.
Dah Padre
The use of half the micron was a great idea. I'm using the rest of it as sort of a target master/relic type weapon. Ehh, it works for display purposes. Now I just need to make up my mind on how to display the chest. Down is closer to accurate, but it makes him seem bloated.
Fenrys
How did you get your so to go on that far? The wings on mine stop behind the wheels when transformed like that
Edit: never mind, I just noticed that you don't actually have s2 plugged in
pingth
That looks great out of the current AM Smokescreen we can be getting from Takara. I know that there are complaints that this mold doesn't work out etc but as of most things, when we are limited by what we can have at hand or in whatever situation we are caught in, I guess we try to make the best of out of it and in the case, at least for me, I guess that is possibly the best configuration we can make for AM Smokescreen WITHOUT compromising his transformability.
Gunshot
Got inspired to try out the different variations seen in this thread.
Will probably display mine like this. (I just used half the micron figure, and rested the "wings" on the tires. It is not held in place firmly, but for display, it does the job imho)
Here you can see both molds together.
If you are still on the fence whether to get this guy or not, hope this helps !