Huh, I looked and searched and didn't see a thread about Activators Lockdown yet. And here I am with a new toy and no camera, and my card reader for my phone is busted. I'll add pictures later this afternoon.





Overall though, Lockdown isn't great, but I think he's better than Bulkhead. The spring that holds his shoulders against his torso in robot mode is a little weak on mine, giving him floppy shoulders (Ratchet has the same problem but not as pronounced), but over all the robot mode isn't bad.



The transformation to car mode is fairly straightforward with a few twists and turns here and there. His car mode is, well, inaccurate is the nicest way to put it. It's definitely Lockdown, but warped a little. It's not quite as bad as Prime's Alt mode.



Overall, I think he's worth Wal-mart prices, but I'd avoid getting him at TRU. That's about the balance point on this one. Prime, while having a crappier alt mode, has a much more awesome robot mode to make up for it. Lockdown's just okay in both modes.


Video review is up:

 

Nice group shot.

 

Just picked this guy up and I wish I had left him on the peg. I have nothing constructive to say about any aspect of him. "Floppy mess" is the only thing that comes to mind. Bleh. Not quite as bad as Bulkhead, but that's like saying one fart didn't stink as bad as the other.

 

For more pictures, click on the image above

Robot Mode: The Activator version of Lockdown captures the general look of the bounty hunter Decepticon well, but definitely not his body shape. Lockdown in the Animated cartoon series is a big, lean character. Maybe not as big and lean as the Deluxe toy, but far from the downright chubby shape this robot here sports. Shape aside the robot is doing okay in terms of looks, posability, and detailing, at least considering his size. His shoulders are somewhat hampered by the fact that they fold all the way around for the transformation, making them somewhat loose. All in all a more or less decent robot as such, but not really fitting for the Lockdown character in my mind.

Alternate Mode: In car mode Activators Lockdown greatly resembles his Deluxe incarnation's car mode and isn't even that much smaller, really. The main differences are in some paint applications, some detailing, and the windshields. Deluxe Lockdown as transparent purple windshields, Activators Lockdown has solid red ones (same for the headlights). Another big difference, though: Deluxe Lockdown's car roof is a single piece. Activator Lockdown is built to transform automatically upon pushing of the switch (his engine block) and the car roor is actually his arms. Because of the spring-powered transformation gimmick the two halves of the roof don't hold together all that well and you tend to see a gap. The one big flaw in an otherwise decent car mode.

Remarks: I'm not generally a fan of the more "kid-friendly" Transformers, but they certainly do have their place. And there are some Activators in the Animated line that are worth getting even for the adult collector, especially those that depict characters not otherwise present in the series (such as Cliffjumper or Dirge). Sadly Lockdown is not among them. Basically he's just a small, chubby version of a much better figure and I really can't see any appeal in him except if you simply couldn't get your hands on the Deluxe toy and want a Lockdown no matter what. Seen purely as a kid-oriented figure he isn't bad, but as a serious Transformers character... not so much. I bought this toy in a funk on a day where I found absolutely nothing else to buy. Not recommended for anyone above the age of six or so.

Rating: D+

 

I agree with everything everyone said. Bought him and Bandit Lockdown to have the complete line. They were the last two I needed for the full set of Activators.