I, too, have the floppy missile launcher problem in bot mode. I wish they would stay up though, reminds me of G1 Z-cars with the launchers on the side of the head. Definitely one of my favorite Cybertron molds to date though, considering that I don't like the line as a whole. I only plan on getting Downshift and Wing Saber, of the ones that aren't out yet. I'll add those to Evac, Jetfire, Crosswise, and Hot Shot.

 

Crosswise is awesome. I don't think it comes close to being in the class of the RiD car bros, but he is one of the best deluxes to come out since those three. The read kibble is annoying but it can be overlooked. I love the robot mode, the car mode and the weapon (that projectile is cool looking!) Overall Crosswise is an easy A.

 

I *finally* picked up Crosswise yestaerday and he is everything I hoped he'd be. Yeah the shoulder launchers are kind of floppy, but he is SO cool otherwise in both modes. Love the fun transformation scheme. Definitely feels like a smaller scale Alternator to me. Highly recommended. 

 

Crosswise is a tiny, tiny gem.

A lot of people have been making comparisons between Crosswise and the Alternators line -- and that rings true, to a point. The transformations are equally complex, and the figures have decent to awesome amounts of articulation. The difference is that Alternators are required to have actual car interior that doesn't suck -- whereas mainline TF's can get away with being pure shellformers, with arms, legs, and even heads visible through the windows. Crosswise follows that rule to the letter.

A more accurate assessment would be that Crosswise is a hybrid Alternator/Car Robot. The Car Robots are notorious for fiddly transformations involving tiny, tiny tabs and slots, car parts visible through windows, and lots of kibble -- but they also have fab looking alt modes (if you ignore the bot kibble), and decent articulation as bots. Crosswise fits that to a T as well, with one crucial difference -- he's got a lot less kibble, and what's there doesn't suck. In that respect, he's a lot like the Alternators.

Yeah, I know -- the door runners on giant hip pieces would seem to cancel out that argument entirely, and I WAS expecting horrendous kibble going in from the pictures -- but the truth is it's not bad at all. The official instructions have the runners pointing straight back and up -- and in that position, the hip pieces aren't on the hips, and the figure's proportions look just fine. Plus, once you realize the door runners conceal RAIL GUNS, the whole thing makes sense -- he's hauling around giant, pointy weapons on his back.

Once you get past that, there's little to no kibble arguments to be made. Doors on shoulders? Looks fine and doesn't get in the way of anything. Giant roof shield? Folds out of the way, and doesn't interfere much with movement. Trunk as a back? Um ... that's not actually kibble.

If it really bugs you that much, you could try the super glue solution mentioned previously ... though I suspect that would significantly affect how the alt mode holds together.

Transformation is classic Car Robots. Lots of tiny tabs which may or may not fit together properly, with lots of parts that have to be exactly in the right position at the right time, or the whole thing goes south. I don't mind complicated transformations, and once I figured out what tabs were holding what parts together, it really wasn't that bad. (Hint: Pivot the doors inwards so they're out of the way of the door runners when you swing those back.) You might have issues getting all the tiny tabs lined up for alt mode, but not all the tabs are essential; as long as the doors are in the runners and the hood is snapped up tight against the windshield, you're fine.

The Cyber Key manages to be almost out of the way. The bad news is you'll probably need to remove it to give you enough working space while transforming; the good news is it stays well in place without engaging the gimmick, so you can store it in the slot.

Weapon-wise, this guy is loaded. Cyber Key deploys two missile clusters in both modes, plus you've got the spoiler weapon and the two rail guns in bot mode. On mine, the right missile cluster tends to pop up off the shoulder and flop around a lot, but a slight tap settles it down.

The only real downside to the package is the giant, fugly blue flame/missile thing. Again, another Car Robots touch. I hated it on Prowl, and I hate it here -- but unlike Prowl, you can leave the missile off entirely, and the weapon looks fine without it. And it does make a decent exhaust flame as a jetpack.

All in all, a steal for the price. I do wish they'd stuck with the Smokescreen name, but it doesn't change the quality of the product.

Final Grade: A

-XCN-

 

Another good (but not great) deluxe for the Cybertron line. Car mode is cool. The bot mode is nice but a bit too kibbly for me. Still not bad for $10+.

 

I like him allot , got him last night. My 1 issue is the RID style flame missile . Makes it goofy looking IMO.

 

I just got this tonight and i think it's my favorite Cyb figure (well maybe tied with Sideways). I don't mind the kibble at all,and i really like the lower arms, the clear visor, and the ability to turn the head up/down. The only thing that sucks is trying to turn it back into a car.

 

I couldn't be happier with Crosswise. His downsides - namely the stupid looking tack-on spoiler and blue plastic flame - are easily left off of the car mode and hence easily forgotten in my drawer of TF parts.

But man, one great looking alt mode and a brand new take on the hood-as-chest 'bot design. I love it. The shoulder missles are a great G1 Datsun bros. homage as well.

And yeah, I have one floppy missle launcher. The right launcher stays nice and tight to his shoulder, but the left one hovers a few mm above his shoulder and bobs up and down. Really annoying but whatcha' gonna' do?

Crosswise is an easy "A". I hope this is a sneak-peak at what we can expect from Neo-G1.

 

While I'll agree that the colors are in fact perfect (well....I'd have prefered a clear windshield and windows but whatever) I say re-paint this bad boy 'til the cows come home! A great mold always deserves some spiffy color alternatives. I googled the Bugatti Veyron and found some color scheemes that would look great on Crosswise:







C'mon Hasbro...you know you want to.  

 

that would look great as jazz.

 

After reading this thread, I was pushed over the edge, and got him.

He's everything I wanted. Seriously, this is my favorite toy since, I don't know, Universe Nemesis Prime? An excellant car mode, great Force Chip, and once you figure out how to TF it, a nice Transformation into an excellant bot. Well articulated, well detailed, and well armed. I have absolutely no problems with him, and I think he's well worth it.

 

Crosswise is one of my Favourite Charecter,The Chucks is the reason why he isn't my Favourite Toy,but still a great figure as a Bugati Veryon,I give it an A-.His Bio says he's a bounty hunter and i like them to,Kickass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go on Ebay and Buy it today.