Galvatronus torso, Alpha Bravo arms, Off Road Legs and Rook skates. It'll be like Revenge of the Island of Misfit Toys, and it will be beautiful!
I can't figure out why that big hole exists in both limb modes (back of bot mode legs), it doesn't seem to have a purpose and really stands out in limb modes.
So I'm noticing the leg mode looks kinda off towards the bottom / foot area... We cant move the back kibble / truck roof down? I would simply swing the arms up to form knee caps...
Yeah I agree, if it was shorter and had less wheels, but the same general look of a more-than-four-wheeled boxy tank.
I love the irony of using Rook's combiner piece as a Hulk hand in robot mode when I use him as a leg for Defensor.
It's really ironic how these reviled replacement characters turned out, in my opinion, to be the stars of their respective waves. Didn't stop me from replacing them with the correct characters when they came out (and if and when Deluxe Groove gets released) but seems a bit unfair. One reason I'm thankful for these extra torso bots.
It don't think it's a door on the side I thought the top hatch is how you would get in. Looks great but between not seeing him yet and people driving up prices on line I think I might wait and see if we get the other groove since I think he will be Brawl and Nosecone if we get Computron.
Agreed. With the (admittedly nostalgia-fueled) exception of Fireflight, AB is easily my favorite of the Aerialbots. Off-Road is nice because it breaks the horrible monotony of the Stunticons (seriously, I never liked them because I'm like "it's just a bunch of cars. The most boring alt-mode of them all. Whee."). And Rook is the only of the Protectobots I'm getting. He looks good in both modes, has a ridiculous amount of playability thanks to the ridiculous number of options for mounting weapons, he's pretty damn unique, and is just a lot of fun. My only issue with mine is the hips are a bit loose. If I pick him up by the torso, the legs will probably give in. Stands fine, though, so I'm not crying. But seriously, a really fun figure.
I got Rook a couple weeks ago,I didnt think I was goinga like him but reviews and having him in hand changed my mind. Yes I miss Groove,but Rook isnt that bad. I love the Russion Police Officer look,. His Altmode is pretty nice too as a SWAT vehicle. I think he needs a better weapon,this feels more like a First Aid weapon then a SWAT weapon. Like others have said I dont mind the replacements characters either,theyre all still solid figures. My only real complaints are,I would of liked to have seen actual hands and not holes in fists,like Swindle and Hound are getting. The Hulk hand doesnt really work for me.The hips on mine were super loose like all the other figures I bought lately but some Future fixed him right up. I was also afraid of those panels on his forearms breaking down the road,would of like to have seen them fold up and snap in on his forearm instead. And yes I still miss Groove and hope maybe well see him over here and not be a just Takara exclusive. One can dream right.
Robot Mode: Rook is a bulky, heavyset Deluxe class figure with broad shoulders and a powerful look. Like all of the Combiner Wars Deluxe figures his chest is built around the large peg that plugs into the combiner’s torso, but it doesn’t hurt him at all. He is mostly white, black and blue with a few grey parts. The head design is somewhat reminiscent of a football helmet, I think, but I like the look. Most of his vehicle shell is on his back, but it doesn’t hinder him in any way and looks good, I think. Articulation is fully sufficient, no complaints here. One thing that takes a moment to get used to is the fists, which are extensions of the forearms and – instead of the standard fist holes – have 5mm peg holes in the knuckles. It means Rook can’t hold his weapons in the standard way, but rather plugs them into the front of his fists, which is either awesome or stupid, depending on how you like it. It does mean Rook can potentially plug in two of the big combiner hands, giving him giant, over-sized mittens. Pretty cool, though I do wish they’d painted the fists a different color than the forearms so you can actually see that he has them. Overall Rook is a good Deluxe-class figure in robot mode. Nothing particularly special or revolutionary, but no flaws or downsides, either. No complaints, thumbs up. Alternate Mode: Rook transforms into a white and blue S.W.A.T. vehicle, somewhat resembling a tank. The transformation is relatively simple, as he basically folds in half with the vehicle shell from his back covering his robot bits. Still, it works nicely and the resulting vehicle looks pretty good. It’s only from the rear where the silhouette is a bit broken up, but even here you see little of the robot mode. Detailing is quite good, though the mostly white color swallows it up a bit. Rook’s weapon can be mounted on top or be plugged into the peg hole on the front. So all in all a simple, yet fully satisfying vehicle mode. No complaints. Combiner Mode: Rook can combine with his fellow Protectobots (or any number of other Combiner Wars figures for that matter), forming either an arm or a leg of Defensor. I will do a separate review of Defensor once I've reviewed all the individual team members. Remarks: Unlike the other Protectobots Rook isn't a homage to a Generation 1 character, but rather a new one, nominally taking the place of Groove (who is still there, but not as a limb). In the IDW Combiner Wars comics one could briefly see him in his individual robot mode, standing next to a bunch of other robots who didn't really know each other and jokingly called themseves Protectobots because they were on protection duty for Mirage, when Starscream aimed the Enigma of Combination at them, forcibly combining them into Defensor. As of this review Defensor hasn't disassembled again, so Rook hasn't really gotten a chance to establish himself as a unique character yet. We'll see if he gets any further exposure in the comic pages. As a toy, though, I must say I like Rook a lot. While there is nothing terribly exciting or extraordinary about him, he is a good, solid Deluxe-class toy with no flaws. Most people will buy him just to complete Defensor (unless they're planning on getting the Takara Deluxe-sized Groove), but he is a solid figure on his own as well. Rating: B+ Source: Transformers-Universe.com
never thought of the Hulk Hands, hoping that may assist with his standing. Gonna hafta play around with him... and find the best set of fands to use
To me, he's the Protectobot's answer to Ironhide (tough armor, heavy weapons befitting his SWAT Tank Alt mode). The claw weapon seems to be a taser rifle, the two peg holes by the closed fists are cannons……..
I think his hands are the best. The weapons on them look like harpoons, meaning they'd be excellent for launching off and dragging in an enemy into melee range, or just being pointy spikes for punching-ness.
Really enjoying this brute guy. I think he works better than groove. At first I thought I would hate his hands but they are really cool. Especially since you can hulk hand him up.
Thinking about the OP's comment about CDT Hotshot, you could then make Onslaught into CDT Red Alert (and maybe Hotspot into Scattershot?) to get the whole band back together.