No, not the Energon basic tank, but the ORIGINAL Kickback--the Insecticon!
Insect Mode Kickback is clearly meant to be a grasshopper (well, he could also be a cricket, or a locust--but he looks more like a grasshopper to me, dangit, and Im writing this review--take that, all you stupid cricket and locust fans! Hee hee hee!
), albeit a grasshopper who can roll around on four wheels (two on his front legs and two on his rear legs).
Hes also got a fair amount of playability in this mode--since he can pose his front and rear legs, his antenna, and his wings. In fact, hes not too bad in this mode even by the standards of todays basics (unless you just cant stand bugs--when I was a kid I was kind of puzzled by the idea of the Insecticons). He also has a yellow hatch where, in his days as a Diaclone, a small Diaclone pilot could (and can) sit, as well as very large chrome grasshopper (ha!) wings, which can be moved up or down until you find a position you like.
Size-wise, hes in line with a modern basic-size toy, just under 4.75 inches long and about 2.25 inches wide at his widest point.
Transform to Robot Mode:
1. Flip the rear legs up. Move the wings up and out of the way.
2. Push the front legs together and rotate them forwards a bit to form his arms. Rotate his head forwards.
Robot Mode Kickback is a pretty nifty little robot. Apart from his antennas and chest compartment (which apparently often break) hes very solid, with a die-cast torso (painted black) and a solid design for his arms and legs. He also has a pretty good head sculpt--Armada fans, note that the facial sculpt bears a strange similarity to Armada Red Alert. Color-wise, hes mostly black, chrome, silver, and purple, although his decals do add in some red and blue. The rubsign is on the right wing.
Since he doesnt have hands, his weapon slides on over his arm (just like Rumble and Frenzy). It also doesnt get in the way of his poseability--Kickback is well ahead of the average for a G1 toy, with 7 points of articulation, thanks to his transformation (at the hips, shoulders, and elbows--his head can also move, and his legs are separately articulated, not one piece), although its hard to balance him or pose him in any sensible way with hip movement but no knees. (Unless you make him look like hes just about to go for a walk.)
Not counting his wings, Kickback is around 3.25 inches in height, not quite as tall as the vast majority of todays basics (although not much different than the squat Energon Insecticon).
Final Word All the basic-size Insecticons are more interesting to me now than when I was a kid (when I thought they were lame, compared to the Dinobots, and wasnt happy to get a Bombshell as a gift from one of my grandparents, although I wasnt dumb enough to say anything), and are also a good value, regularly retailing at $15 US or under for NM toys (this one was picked up for a mere $8 because it had some slight chrome wear on the wings and a bad decal on one leg--but the paint is intact and the joints are tight!). Any of the three would make a good addition to your collection, but Kickback is one of the better looking and more poseable toys, so I have no problems recommending him.
