PSYCH!!!! ^_^
finally got a chance to pick up this guy. I got the takara one though, and while quite a bit more expensive, I don't really see any difference between it and the hasbro one other than the packaging and the instructions.
Haven't done the leg mod, and haven't planned to. I've had a bad experience with Exactos. I also actually prefer to swivel his hood panels on his back so they're closer to his head. Like 180 degrees of how they're supposed to be positioned in bot mode. Also poses great with Human Alliance Sam. It's like they should've just smacked a Sam figure in together with the set, they're just so perfect posed.
And for some reason, which i neglect to point my finger at it, his vehicle mode looks so good that I'm threatened by its nature to display him in that mode. Well, it would break all the rules on my shelf, and frankly, without enough shelf space, I can't even display him at all. Just waitin' on my new shelf.
I think I'm in the minority who like the weapon arm. I've longed for a Barricade to have his signature weapon, and finally they've made one. Although obviously sacrificing a hand in the process (AND giving him a forearm that looks awkward and hollow).
I'm a big fan of the goatee, and when you open his mouth it always seems like he's laughing more than he's roaring or shouting (and i don't seem to recall Barricade's movie design to have teeth, tho i really like it there anyways).
The brown in the pics is just gray in person, like most have said, and it really is great to know that it's not the color of shyt. But still, i'd like all that stupid dark tan-ish gray to be replaced with black, cuz it really makes him look un-movie accurate. Still, gray's better than brown, so it gets points for that, at the least.

So here's the end of my short little, pointless little rant, and I'd totally recommend picking him up, whether you're a movie fan, a Decepticon fan, a barricade lover (lookin' at you TRANS_CRAZY), or even an alternators fan, he's a must have in any collection.

Overall, 8.5 over 10

 

 

try this mod if it can work for you. no blades necessary.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/293519-ha-barricade-leg-mod.html

 

that doesnt fix his posability problems at all. the only thing it does is make his legs look different.

 

Xacto not needed. Flush Cutters FTW.

~Matt Booker

 

just awesome, thanks has-tak

 

yeah, tried that, but what i really wanna do is the other mod to his legs. The one that needs to use an Exacto. But nvmd, i think i just found the solution. Some guy on Youtube says to use a nail clipper. A BIG nail clipper.  

 

Perfect/\/\/\/\. Or if you have a dremel tool with a grinding wheel attachment... that's what I used. 20 seconds tops on each hip and his legs poses come off much better.

 

sorry to sound NEWB but what's a flush cutter?

and no, they don't sell dremels in Malaysia  

 

That's okay, cause Flush Cutters are cheaper anyway.

Flush cutters are kind of like pliers or wire cutters, except where a normal pair of cutters does this > < with the blades, flush cutters have a flat side like this _\ /_.

The reason you want that over the regular cutters is because when it cuts the plastic, it leaves the flat side smooth and the excess is pushed up into the V.

I'm not sure about Malaysia, but I found them in the craft section of Walmart, near the beaded jewelry making supplies. So see if there's any jewelry or craft stores near you, or use the internet and search for Flush Cutters.

Some places also refer to them as Sprue Cutters.

I use them alot and then clean up any excess with a sharp blade.

Oh and Barricade is much better with the hip mod, so don't be afraid to do it.

~Matt Booker

 

thanks. Guess I'll be well off searching for em tommorow then  


EDIT: just in case, uh, do they sell them at Ace Hardware?

 

Probably. Like I said, they're kinda like pliers or wire cutters. If they don't understand 'flush cutter' just describe it. The main difference is they have a flat side. Search around for some pictures so you know exactly what you're looking for.

~Matt Booker

 

yeah, okay. Thanks for your help  

 

I got a pair at Radio Shack for cutting leads after soldering on PCB's.

I just got this figure. It is now one of my favorites. I just really wish he also had a left hand :/

 

Got mine today. It looks like a freakin' Alternator, way better than HA BB, my new favorite.

 

In short, HA Barricade rules. Upon first fiddle, the legs were a bit too skinny for my liking, but now I don't even care. He's that awesome. Looking forward to Mudflap and Jazz, and anything else that may come after.

 

Just got HA Barricade today. It's official... he's now my favorite HA figure, as well as my #1 favorite Barricade figure. He is just so full of awesome!

 

Found him yesterday.

I wish I WISH he had two hands... The lack-there-of on his left arm really bugs me, and just seems like laziness on Hasbro's part. Then there's the funkiness going on with his hips, but that's an easy fix.

I really do like him, and if he had two hands he'd be pretty damn perfect... but without it, I gotta say I'm less impressed than I thought I would've been.

 

For more pictures, click on the image above

Robot Mode: Barricade's basic design in robot mode hasn't changed all that much from his original Deluxe incarnation, though he is now at a Voyager / Alternator scale. He still has the standard hood-as-chest design, the sides of the car form his arms and the rear forms the legs. The increase in size has given him better detailing, though, as well as improved posability and a somewhat more movie-accurate look.

Barricade has also improved in terms of weapons. Whereas the first Barricade only had his snap-out claw for arms, the Human Alliance version has much more to offer. Apart from the snap-out claw, which is improved by a wheel with spinning blades that can double as fingers, Barricade now has two guns he can unfold from his hip, as well as a triple-barreled gun on his right shoulder. Also, he now has an actual hand on his right arm. And you know I'm a sucker for hands.

The only slight drawback I can find on this figure is the design of his hip, more specifically the way his legs are attached. The oddly angled attachment doesn't impede him any in a standing pose, but running poses are a bit more difficult to establish, as Barricade tends to get a bit x-legged here. It's not a big thing and easily fixed, but it did bother me a bit. Apart from that, though, a pretty neat robot mode.

Vehicle Mode: Barricade still transforms into a black police car, of course, and except for the increase in size and some minor details it's pretty much identical to the vehicle mode of his Deluxe incarnation. From the outside, at least. What Human Alliance Barricade has, of course, is an actual interior. Open the car doors and you find two actual seats, where the Frenzy figure can sit (see below). There is a steering wheel and a dashboard as well. No rear seats, but that would probably have been impossible. The robot legs have to go somewhere, after all. So all in all a very, very nice vehicle mode. No complaints at all.

Partner: Just like in his Deluxe days Barricade is partnered with a Frenzy figure. Frenzy is actually smaller here than he was when he came with the Deluxe figure, but he is far more detailed, more posable, and looks a whole lot better. Frenzy can drive Barricade in vehicle mode, taking a seat behind the wheel, which he can actually take in his hands. In robot mode Frenzy has two options. He can either fold together and fit inside Barricade's chest, from where he can emerge to handle Barricade's hip guns. The second option is for him to use the car seat that is part of Barricade's right arm and man his triple-barreled gun, but in order for that to work Barricade has to fold up his right arm in a somewhat strange way, so personally I prefer the first option.

Bottom line here: This is the best version of Frenzy I've seen yet. He beats out the Fast Action Battler and the Deluxe figure add-on by a long shot.

Remarks: Though Barricade has not appeared in the Revenge of the Fallen movie itself, he is represented in the toyline in several incarnations. As a matter of fact he is the only Decepticon currently present in the Human Alliance line, which is only logical seeing as there aren't that many Decepticons allied with human beings (Dr. Arkeville has yet to appear in the Movieverse). Barricade isn't either, of course, but Frenzy is at least built to human scale (in the movie, I mean), so he gets to fill the place usually filled by a human driver. Barricade and Frenzy were probably the Decepticons with the most screen time in the first movie, so it's nice to see them back together here, even though Frenzy is definitely dead.

So what can I say about this toy? Not much, except that it's easily the best Barricade figure yet. There are some minor things that could have been improved, such as the leg-hip attachment, but overall I'm very much satisfied. Barricade is the only Human Alliance figure I've bought so far (I got two others as presents) and I don't regret it for a second. So in my mind, if you're going to buy just one Human Alliance figure for some reason, I recommend it be Barricade.

Rating: A-

 

I have to say I'm pretty surprised to see this toy hanging around the retail stores as much as he is.