This Countdown figure is based on a mold that's been seen before, and while I think he still looks good, a stricter adaptation of this "Generation 1" homage would have been an improvement in both robot and vehicle mode. As it stands now, the tech "texture" is a little complex and overly intricate to fit the era that's being alluded to, but it's still an attractive sculpt that does have a lot of details worked in. In vehicle mode, he looks appropriately like a missile carrier, with panels, gas tanks, grooves, as well as the big honking missile/laser that's attached to the top. It may look a little too advanced to be a convincing earth weapon, but they got the idea right, and the general shape is there. The wheels are barren, but I would expect an actual military vehicle to look much the same. Overall, this is a well made alternate mode that looks like it was the starting point of the design, and the robot form followed suit afterwards; it's complete, shapely, and mostly accurate to its real equivalent.
    The robot mode, on the other hand, doesn't work quite so well. It's evident to me that it was designed around the vehicle mode, because some spots just look absurd, mainly the huge gap between the front of his legs and the actual leg. You can easily fit another figure in the gap of his legs. His accessories are tucked away inside, but such a huge break in the sculpt isn't necessary, and it looks pretty silly. His legs are altogether just huge, and though they hold his weight well, they do look a little hefty in comparison to the rest of the figure. I even like big-legged robots most of the time, these just don't have the right shape to look good with huge calves, instead coming out as some monster "cankles". His proportions seem off all across the board, with such a short torso and small head, but it's only obvious when he's posed in a straight boring stance, because when brought to life in a dynamic pose, he actually starts to look pretty cool. All of the details present in his vehicle mode transform right into robot form as well, because he has a detailed "texture" look with lots of technological shapes coming out in his sculpt. These do add a certain three-dimensionality to the figure, making him catch your eye more easily. His head is a strange shape, with a pronounced Jay Leno chin and a huge helmet styling. I don't particularly like it, although that's just a design issue with me, as the sculpt quality is high and all of the cuts and shapes came out very crisp and clean.
    Countdown has an arm attachment accessory, that has two attachments of his own. It plugs into either arm quite easily, and looks good for what it is, which is a weird arm attachment. It's not particularly stylish in design, but there are some sculpted additions, and it functions well with Countdown. The massive attachment at his shoulder slides on with ease, equally easy to remove. It's big and commands attention, but it has a nice shape and loads of carved in tech details, so it looks okay. I prefer Countdown with it than without it (I don't know what that says about me), as it ties his overall appearance together a little more nicely, visually distributing his bulk around, making his proportions look more reasonable. The only kibble that's problematic is the aforementioned leg issues, and a rather large extension out his back, but that's a necessary evil to hold up his rocket, so I can't complain too much.  

Sculpt Score: 8 / 10

      Countdown has very few paint applications; he's mostly just cast in the proper color of plastic. This includes a basic red, a few places with a simple black, off white, and a small section of gray. All of the dark blue sections are painted on with good coverage, and the color came out great, although maybe a little too close to the black sections to differentiate in standard lighting conditions. The red may be just one shade too close to orange, but both the simple black and white look fine. There are some segments of silver that add an effective metallic contrast to an otherwise very plastic looking figure. Some of the cut lines for both the silver and blue sections are too wavy, yet they thankfully avoided any random splotches of paint where they don't belong. His Autobot decal (on the lower right leg) came out very clean, although there is some excess white paint (or possibly glue) overlaid on his eyes. There is some element of his color design that bugs me; even if it's simple, he still comes off as very chaotic looking. Something about the composition between paint and sculpt makes him look too chaotic. All things considered, this is a relatively straightforward paint job, and you really can tell. Countdown doesn't look bad, but nothing was done to make him stand out either, so he ends up looking very trivial. 

Paint Score: 7 / 10

      Countdown has a number of joints that do help him find some interesting poses, but a few key ones are missing, especially some type of ball jointed shoulder that allows him to move his arms straight out to his side. It's very hard to position him vibrantly when his arms are stuck straight down or forward all the time. Looking at his shoulders, adding that extra sideways hinge couldn't have been too difficult, and really augment the figure in a negative way without it. His legs are a little better off, but because his ankles are stationary, it's hard to pose him with legs out, because his feet won't go flush with the ground, and balance becomes an issue (not helped by his gigantic missile). Thankfully his leg hinges are all click joints, to help hold the weight of his upper body, but it can still be a problem in some very dramatic poses. All of the articulation works well, tight enough to hold up his arm attachment, and even tight enough to hold a figure off the ground with the claw arm attachment. His neck is only a swivel, and that's going to limit the life you can add through poses somewhat, although for the most part, it's fun posing him in some dynamic way amongst other Transformers, even if the alterations to his stance are just subtle. All of the joints necessary for his transformation were quite smooth, and made the transformation a simple affair that was totally hassle free. His missile can move up and down in both forms, as can the small guns on the front of the carrier (or on his left knee). The wheels roll smoothly, and he can pick up quite a bit of speed across a flat table.

Articulation Score: 7 / 10

 

Fun Score: 10 / 10

     As a Toys R Us exclusive, there is really very little one can do to get this toy any cheaper than he is. I think I paid roughly $27 for him, but he's listed on Toys R Us' website at $29.99, so that may be the standard price, and is the going rate for Ultra Class figures anyway. He is a rather hefty figure, especially in comparison to the previous Universe 25th Ann. figures I've reviewed previously, so he should add some scale-appropriate differentiation to anyone's display shelf. I'm not sure he feels like a $30 figure, but he does have some weight, and there is definitely a lot of plastic being used here. Plus he comes with light up features and a number of accessories, so there is some value. I would say he's worth his price for kids more so than collectors, but neither group will feel totally ripped off. Some more attention to paint, along with a few engineering steps forward on articulation would have upped his score somewhat. The packaging is nothing spectacular; it includes a short biography and statistics that do enable play more than without those additions. The real test is whether or not he'll remain an enjoyable figure for a while to come, and since he's well constructed and play/fall safe, he is a strong value, just not a perfect one in these tightened purse-string days.

 

Value Score: 8 / 10  

Summary

8 - Loaded down with details in both his excellent vehicle mode and proportionally challenged robot form. 

7 - A rather simple paint job with a few problems here and there among a few strong points too. 

7 - He's missing some key points that would add so many options, but the ones there work well and allow for some personality to come out in his poses.

10 - He transformers, but he also has cool action features and a play-worthy scale and articulation model.

8 - Might be priced just a little too high for the otherwise durable figure that includes some extras and lots of plastic. 

Countdown may not be a perfect figure, but he has enough strengths to outweigh his minor faults. 

P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one). Comments on this review also earn you a chance to win a toy at battlegrip.com, but need to be received by midnight on June 27th to be eligible.