Another brief feedback on a great figure... Aside from the kibble in shuttle mode and the weird looking train mode there's not a lot to hate about him... If they did a little detailing on the back of the kibble on the wings in shuttle mode and made them look like additional thrusters, I think that would've helped a lot... Mine had problems with the shoulder ball joints popping out, but nothing a little clear nail polish couldn't fix... Gotta say robot mode is the best... Transformation is very fluid between the modes... 8.0 out of 10.0 for me...
Yes the shoulder joints are a bit poppy mcpoppykins. Great toy, but to me horrd colors, WAY too much white. Great Bot Mode, SUPER Shuttle Mode but kinda MeH on the Train mode for me. He woudl've been way better for me if he was in he Anime colors.
I like this one a lot and I actually prefer the white/black/purple colour scheme due to the better contrast, compared to the purple/grey cartoon palette. The transformations are neat, the train mode came out a lot better than I'd expected and the poseability is good in robot mode. My only complaints: (i) In robot mode, the 'gauntlets' don't lock in place and keep sliding back over the fists when the arms are manipulated. (ii) Some black paint on the rear thrusters would help all three modes; I'll be taking my paint pens to that area very soon. (iii) It seems to me that the shuttle fin/chest plate needs to rotate 180 degrees when transforming to train mode, but it's not mentioned in the instructions. (iv) Needs thigh swivels.
Astrotrain needs paint ... badly. Besides that, he's a decent figure. His shoulders tend to be a bit loose, the shuttle engines don't peg to anything in the vehicle modes, and he feels "cheap" (esp. compared to Bumblebee), but he's definitely the best version that's ever been done. He's quite literally an updated G1 figure -- down to similar transformations, even having the shuttle engines in the rear of the train. Plus he can store his weapon in EVERY mode -- how cool is that? I was a bit worried about the whole "bullet train nose on the wings" bit -- but in person it's not as bad as it looks in photos. Train mode looks better than I expected. Bot mode is the weak link -- due to saggin shoulders, train noses that won't stay out of the way of the arms, a head that's REALLY tough to pry out, and a complete lack of paint apps (esp. on the head). He looks and feels like a test shot. However, he's quite fun to transform between the various modes, which is what counts. A couple of undocumented bits: the chest wings actually swivel 360 degrees-- and I believe they're designed to do that solely for train mode. This is not noted anywhere in the instructions. Also, the front landing gears can double as heel supports in bot mode, should you need them (you probably won't). The gun only fits in the right hand, due to the extra peg that lets it attach flat to the bottom of the shuttle. Overall, a fun figure, with rough fit and finish. Needs a bit more work and some floor polish on the joints. Grade: B- -XCN-
Awesome Robot mode, Great Shuttle mode, meh train mode. Solid figure. VERY reminiscint of the G1 figure. At times it feels just like the original one. I give him a B+/A-
Really good figure. As mentioned before, I don't like how the engine piece doesn't lock in either alt mode. Also, his right shoulder joint isn't strong enough to support the weight of his gun, but I guess that can be fixed with some nail polish. Overall, I like and recommend it. Great update to the original.
I agree with the Great Robot Mode, Great Shuttle mode, Mediocre Train mode assessment...but still it's a convincing triple changer with a robot mode that isn;t a complete brick, so I love it. I have the loose shoulder joint problem as well, but I'll fix it with some nail polish. I also wish the hip joint (or whatever you want to call the piece that connects the legs to the torse had a 360 degree swiveling joint, but it's a small complaint....I also love that they left him keep his BFG he had in his G1 form Still not quite used to Astortain being white, but it's grown on me. # 4 in my first wave of Classics rankings with an A++++
Nice figure, but one of the weaker classics. The train nose kibble is really aggrivating on the arms...it needs to lock somehow. I'm considering moving it..permanantly. When Astrotrain hits retail in my neck of the woods, that is. Legs have nice joints, but are impaired by the back kibble. Wings can fold back to make room for the arms, but the legs are stuck. Train mode is ok, not as good as the shuttle. The shuttle is excellent. Good figure. A-
I just bend his arms at the elbows... That keeps the kibble off the arms at least... But if I want to straighten his arms, then the kibble tends to want to head back towards the arms...
Floppy arms, constantly wanting to break when you touch it chestpiece, makes me give him a solid C+, perhaps B- Definitely not the best of the wave 1 Classics, but certainly not a bad figure really.
Well I just tried to transform my Astrotrain and I can't...because he was assembled with two friggin' right shoulders! Yes that's right, My Classics Astrotrain was built with two right shoulders. As a result, he will not line up properly in any of his modes. And there is no way to fix it, I'm just going to have to exchange it. You can see the two right shoulders from inside the package, sadly I didn't notice till I got home. Notice how this missassembly makes the right side of the shuttle too high. The right side should be even with the wings like the left side is. So make sure to see if both sides are EVEN before you buy Astrotrain! Here is a pic of Bot mode and you can see that his shoulders are both stamped for "R" and because he has two "R" shoulders, one is higher than the other: Oh woah is me!!
Just got mine. Shoulders are fine, but one hip is kind of loose. Train mode deffinitely looks better in person, than in photos. Shuttle mode is better, though.
I kinda wish for a gray "E-hobby" Astrotrain, but it's a nice toy, though a bit 'mushy' with all the joints in the shoulders/arms/chest/head. Not my fave of the Classics, but still a solid "B" at the very least. Classics Rankings: 6. Astrotrain 5. Rodimus 4. Starscream 3. Megatron 2. Optimus Prime 1. Bumble-beeyotch!
I just got all of wave one today. Thank you ebay. What's all this fuss about a floppy chest piece? I read these reviews today before recieving my figures, and I was expecting the worse from ol' Astrotrain (one of my faves from G1), but lo and behold, I have to disagree with most of the sentiments here. Astrotrain is terrific. I love his head scupt, his poseability (why so many complaints? about this He has more than Starscream or Rodimus... ?) Head is on a nice ball joint (a trait only he and Megs share). They gave him a huge rifle just like in G1 - love it, and it stores beneath Shuttle mode, cool. Yeah, one of the shoulder joints is a little loose, but doesn't seem to be as bad as what people are saying. Perhaps mine is better than most. Great job Hasbro/Takara !!
havent bought this one yet, but the nosecone arm kibble bothers me a little. I am hoping for anime colors and might hold out for them.
