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Lambor Review

-Submitted by: mag_jr.

Another Series 1 character from the World's Smallest TF line, Sideswipe (No. 2) takes a shot at being the smallest possible transforming toy version of the original G1 Sideswipe toy.

Vehicle Mode

G1 Sideswipe is a bright red Lamborghini Countach (not a heavily modded one, like Sunstreaker, but a stock one, whatever stock means for Lamborghini, anyway), and here's what has to be the smallest variation on that toy that actually does anything--not that anybody other than Takara was trying to make anything this small, anyway (not even knock-off companies).

Still, WST Sideswipe is pretty cute--he's an accurate repro of the original, down to having the windshield wiper molded onto his windshield, although (for obvious reasons) the clear parts are now just black spray-apps onto red plastic. The only decal detail retained is the Autobot faction symbol tampoed onto his trunk lid (the Countach is a rear-engine vehicle, so what passes for storage is in the front--mostly a tire kit, I'd wager), but if that bugs you, Reprolabels offers G1-faithful decal sheets for many World's Smallest TFs, including Sideswipe.

Sideswipe is two inches long, and, amusingly, actually sits much lower than Bumblebee (when the full-size toys are actually closer in ride height). Think Micro Machine sized.

Robot Mode

In keeping with the theme of the line, Takara has designed Sideswipe to transform almost exactly the same as the original--his legs no longer separate because they're molded as one piece, but since Sideswipe didn't have leg articulation anyway, no big deal. The chrome vac-metal has been replaced with silver paint, and his windshield piece has a tendency to pop off (so does his head, with alarming frequency considering how tiny it is), and his arms are now firmly attached to his door panels instead of being separately articulated pieces, but he is otherwise a pretty faithful downsized version of Sideswipe. You can pop any dislodged pieces back in--Takara didn't glue anything, so it's all done with pegs--but to lose anything off a toy this small could be disastrous, so be careful when you transform him, because he's extremely tight and it's not hard to accidentally pop or pull something off.

As far as detail goes, unless you buy the decal sheet, don't expect any of that to be present--he's got white upper legs, black lower legs, a black waist, silver bits, and everything else is mostly red--and there aren't any weapons, which is a silver lining considering how tiny (and easy to lose or break) they'd end up being. Like Bumblebee, he stands at about 2 inches tall.

Final Word

WST Sideswipe is a nifty novelty toy, despite its shortcomings, and it's hard to get worked up over its quality issues when he costs so little (generally about as much as Bumblebee, or a little less). He's more of a conversation piece than something to play with, so in that context he's not a bad one to pick up.

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