-Submitted by: Omegus Prime | Overall Score: 9 Among the interesting extras for Galaxy Force that Takara did, among Red Excellion, Black Fangwolf, and Police Gasket, were the versus packs that featured remlded Armada toys. Each was molded after a character of the past, from G1 to Beast Wars 2, and among them was Beast Wars 2 Longrack, remolded out of Armada Hoist.
Vehicle Mode
First off, let me say I love the brilliance in some of these choices for Armada remolds, they do a great job of hinting back to the former molds these characters had... but Longrack is sheer brilliance.
Longrack in BW2 was a giraffe, and using a steam shovel to revive the character is perfect choice. He retains the same colors as BW2 Longrack, promarily a dark yellow using shades of brown for detail. Red and light grey also color the figure's various parts and details. In terms of paint, the brown that would be giraffe spots is now warning stripes and the cockpit windshield, good ways of scattering the color.
The mold itself looks a lot like Hoist did, the only noticeable remolding was to the crane arm, now accomodating a Planet Key slot and a new back section. The change here is in color scheme, and given how understated Hoist's was, it's a huge improvement by itself.
The mold actually has articulation in this mode, The crane arm can move up and down. To extend it, you'll have to use his key, more on that below.
Robot Mode
In robot mode, Longrack is an impressive sight. More light grey enters the color scheme, and a bit more brown, but otherwise there's nothing you couldn't see in vehicle mode. Paint aps are limited, but well placed the character doesn't look too dull... well, except in the legs, they could have standed a bit more.
The second part of the remold here is visible, the head. Smaller than Hoist's, it not exactly like Longrack's but it's unmistakeable who it is. The smaller size gives the body an even more imposing look than Hoist has, looking very powerful and imposing. The colors are as close to Longrack's BW2 arrangement as the mold will allow, and between color arrangement and the tall red and green head crest, there's no mistaking who it is.
For articulation, Longrack has 12 points, 13 if you count the thumb on the shovel arm. Hoist was released later in Armada where articulation was in demand, so he can accomplish some nice poses to take advantage of his form.
Planet Key
Longrack comes with the Autobot Cybertron key. He's the first in the line to include it, since Overhaul and Jetfire got different keys instead, supposedly to keep Starscream's Cybertron key unique.
Inserting the key into his key slot in either mode allows the shovel arm to move forward. Now if you have Hoist, you realize you didn't need to use anything like this... The concept of Hoist's Minicon gimmick was to unlock the same feature, problem was it came with that gimmick already activated, and you never needed to use it ever. This represents how it should be used and makes a lot more sense.
Overall
Longrack makes for a great figure. If you never got the BW2 toy, this is a great way to have the character. And if you missed Hoist or Universe Ransack, this is good time to get the toy as I like this version better than the previous ones.
Submitted By: Scantron
Longrack
Notes
- Longrack is a repaint and remold of the Transformers: Armada figure Hoist. As such, this review will only cover the differences between the two figures. See my review of Hoist for more details about the original mold.
- This figure is an homage to the Beast Wars Neo figure Longrack. Similarities between the two figures will be noted throughout this review.
Vehicle Mode
In this form, Longrack is a backhoe. The main colour of the body and flanks is construction yellow, with the same shade appearing on the tread mechanisms, shovel arm hydraulics and the counterbalance on the rear of each flank. Medium grey appears on the treads and is the main colour of the passenger’s side counterbalance. A lighter grey is used for the main section of the shovel arm and a set of panels at the rear of the vehicle. The scoop shovel, front grille, front wheel and panels on the passenger’s side flank and driver’s side counterbalance are red. A brown-grey appears on the connector between the driver’s side flank and counterbalance, the guard around the front grille, part of the shovel mechanism, a few panels on the central body and the driver’s compartment windshield. A red Autobot symbol on a white background is set on a red panel atop the passenger’s side flank, while the light on the front of the driver’s side flank are neon green. Dark brown is used for a set of diagonal stripes on the driver’s side flank. Finally, copper detailing highlights vents on the driver’s side flank and adds detail to the passenger’s side counterbalance. The colour scheme is one of the references to the original Longrack, with yellow, red, brown and grey all being used on the namesake figure. Although I don’t like the yellow as much as the white on Hoist, Longrack still has a great colour scheme. The yellow, grey and brown shades are realistic for a construction vehicle and the yellow helps to highlight the background mold detail, although not as well as the white on Hoist. Most of the colours work well together, with the brown and medium grey areas breaking up the red and yellow, keeping the vehicle from looking too bright. One minor complaint about the colour scheme is that the diagonal stripes are only on the driver’s side; this detail would have looked much nicer if it appeared on both flanks.
All of the background sculpting detail is identical to Armada Hoist, giving Longrack a good set of mechanical details, vents and hydraulics. The remolding in this mode is restricted to the passenger’s side flank and counterbalance. The outer half of the flank has been enlarged and a Planet Key slot added for triggering the gimmick (see below). Longrack’s Key slot on this figure is one of the nicer ones in the line, with lots of mechanical detail, including pipes and what appear to be rivets. The counterbalance has been completely replaced with a piece that approximately three times the size of the counterbalance on Hoist, as shown in the pictures below. Rather than being a cube, as on Hoist, Longrack’s counterbalance is molded roughly in the shape of an inverted ‘W’, with a set of molded circles, panels and indentations. The bar that connects the counterbalance to the flank has also been extended to about double the length of the original release. The Minicon hardpoint pegs that were located on the passenger’s side flank and counterbalance of this mold’s original release have been removed by the remolding on that side, but there are still two hardpoints on the driver’s side. Although I think the new Planet Key slot looks good, and the larger size of the counterbalance sets off the bulk of the scoop shovel, I’m not sure I like the new counterbalance. The increased size of the counterbalance, and the length of the connector bar, makes it stand out too much, especially when compared to the size of the driver’s side flank. Having one entire side of the vehicle so large gives Longrack a lopsided appearance that was mitigated on Hoist by having both counterbalances the same size. I’ve also noticed that the increased weight of the passenger’s side makes Longrack prone to tilting in that direction when the vehicle is rolled. Unlike Hoist, the rear wheels on this figure do roll on smooth surfaces, but the front wheel still won’t turn. The function of the scoop shovel has been altered, but this will be discussed below in Gimmicks and Weapons.
8/10
Robot Mode
Longrack’s transformation to robot mode is the same as for Armada Hoist. The only difference in articulation is that Longrack’s head can tilt back 45 degrees, due to increased clearance on the neck ball joint. All of the other joints function the same and are just as tight as on the original release of the mold. In terms of colour distribution, Longrack’s toes, legs and hips are grey with copper details and most of the upper body is yellow, with detailing colours as described for the vehicle mode. Longrack does have a bit less paint detail on the lower legs, particularly the shins, making these areas look a bit plain. There does appear to be a lighter grey paint application on the side of each leg, but it’s difficult to see unless up close. A bit more copper on the vents and kneecaps would have added some more character to the toy. The new head, described below, has a light grey helmet, with yellow face, green and red forehead crest and green eyes. Yellow and brown are also used on the head for additional detailing. As in the vehicle mode, the colour scheme is designed as an homage to Beast Wars Neo Longrack; rather than both figures having the same shades in the same places, Cybertron Longrack uses the same colours as the namesake, but distributes them in a way more fitting for this new mold. The most obvious direct colour links between the two figures are that both have grey hips and a red right hand. The only new remold in this form is the head, which has been converted into an homage to the Beast Wars Neo namesake. The most obvious links are the shape of the helmet, the forehead crest and colour of the face, although the two figures also share some brown details on the side of the head. Another reference to BW Neo Longrack is the shovel arm, as the namesake figure also has a large right arm, with a piece that extends high off the shoulder. Other than the aforementioned lack of paint detail on the legs, I really like the appearance of Cybertron Longrack. The colours used still work well together, with the yellow on the torso and grey on the legs clearly separating the two halves of the body. The new head mold looks very nice, although the shape of the helmet reduces the size of the face and makes the head look too small for the body, despite being the same size as Hoist’s head. Part of this effect may be due to the increased size of the right arm, though. As in vehicle mode, I think the counterbalance is a bit too big and extends out too far. While it does look odd, the extended counterbalance doesn’t get in the way of posing the toy and isn’t a functional impediment.
9/10
Gimmicks and Weapons
The remold to the shovel arm is not simply an aesthetic change to the figure, but also introduces a Planet Key slot, bringing the mold’s gimmick in line with the overarching theme of the Cybertron line. Longrack comes with a standard Cybertronian Autobot Planet Key, consisting of a clear plastic background, painted silver border and central red Autobot symbol. To activate Longrack’s gimmick, simply insert the Key into the slot on the outer side of the shovel arm. With the Key inserted, push the counterbalance forward, causing the shovel to extend outward a couple of inches, as on the original release of the mold. As on Hoist, this gimmick replicates the motion of a backhoe in vehicle mode and a punching action in robot mode. The difference between this gimmick and that on Armada Hoist is that, without the Key inserted, Longrack’s shovel is locked in place and will not move if the counterbalance is pushed. One of the only serious problems I had with the Hoist mold was that the Minicon-activated gimmick was rather pathetic and seemed tacked on. This remold fixes that problem, retaining this mold’s well-designed shovel gimmick, while making the Planet Key a vital piece for the function of the toy. However, the counterbalance can run into the top edge of the Planet Key, depending on how the shovel arm is turned.
9/10
Overall
Although I don’t like Longrack’s colour scheme quite as much as that on the original release, this is an excellent remold and repaint. Both modes look good, with an aesthetic that references a somewhat obscure character, while retaining the play and display value of Armada Hoist. The remolded shovel gimmick is the highlight, however, and makes this toy far superior to the original release. Longrack is easily the best of the Cybertron line’s Armada remolds and is highly recommended.
8.67/10 |
