Rescue Bots has been the longest running single Transformers cartoon show in history and they have finally introduced a female Autobot into their admittedly rather small ensemble. Quickshadow is a very cool character, coming across as a highly competent, British-sounding spy. For those of us that like to collect female Transformers this sounded like a figure to look forward too...

...unfortunately what we got is perhaps one of the worst quality Transformer toys we’ve had in years.


However let’s start with a few positives.

Vehicle mode


A very sexy little sportscar. There is some nice detailing in the grill with the little Autobot symbol and the blue highlights on the hood, doors and hubcaps certainly pep up what would otherwise be a bland colour scheme of white and grey. Smaller than the other Rescuebots, even Blurr looks bigger.


Robot Mode


Not bad, but quite blocky. Of course this is to be expected since it is a Rescue Bots toy. However on the TV show all the other characters look quite blocky but Quickshadow is very lithe and agile looking so it is a shame they did not go to at least some effort to represent that here. Also a little more detail in the face would have been nice as well as something to show she has optics behind the big eye mask. Scale-wise she is comparable to Blurr however is smaller than all the older Rescuebots such as Energize Heatwave.


Transformation.

Here is where it being a Rescue Bot is supposed to be the big seller for young TF fans but in Quickshadows case it’s the main reason not to buy this toy. There is only one thing you need to do to transform her, that being pull the front wheels out sideways and everything is supposed to pop into place. But she jams.



In fact she jams nearly every single time! And you can’t just push the wheels back in and try again. I thought we just must have gotten a dud but a subsequent look at various ratings of the toy on Amazon and eBay has shown that this seems to be an endemic fault with the figure. This is a shameful flaw – only one moving part and they mess it up!? Poor form Playskool & Hasbro – poor form indeed.


Worth Getting?

No. She costs the same as the older Rescue Bot figures despite being nearly half the size and the jamming spring means that the toy is almost unusable from the get-go. I’m glad to have another Femmebot in my collection but I would say this is a contender for the worst quality Transformer I have ever come across.


For my FULL REVIEW of QUICKSHADOW and more photo's please see MY BLOG HERE

 

I had similar issues with Quickshadow's transformation, but found a "works every time" method. (or at least works for me)

Basically, hold the toy at the back/legs and the front of the hood/chest. Pull the hood forward (then let go) to go to robot mode. flip/hold the hood back up and push in to go back to car. The jamming seems to come from the hood and arms getting in each others' way.

A bit much to ask an undisciplined toddler to transform the toy 'the right way' though, I'll grant.

 

I was initially excited about this when I first heard about it - cute little sportscar and another fembot for my daughter, win! But she's already outgrowing her Rescue Bots and so we decided to stop buying the new releases. Ever since they reduced the size and durability (everything after Energize) they haven't been the same. Blurr was the last one we got and while the car is fun, it's just not the same quality as the earlier releases we got for her. Sad to see that this one seems to carry the trend forward.

 

My daughter actually turns two today and it was going to be her first ever Transformer. Im glad I tested one out before I ordered her one of her own though - it would have been a major disappointment  

I guess now she will just have to wait until she's a bit older for one of the other Femmebots I've got stored in a crate for her (Gen Arcee, Windblade, Chromia, RID Strongarm etc)