[TAO's Note: Don't you wish sometimes that you could just transform and make all your phyiscal faults disappear? Take your big gut or unibrow or 13th toe (I'm not an attractive guy) and zap, they're all gone! Transformers are blessed with that very ability, but some just don't take advantage of it. As Clark is about to tell you, Silverbolt lets all his faults hang out!]
Name: Silverbolt
Line: Transformers Universe (2.0), Ultra Class
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: Summer 2008
Price: Retail: $26.99-$29.99, Online: $19.95-$26.99
Accessories: Gun with firing projectile
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$19.95
Silverbolt is very much a G1 style transformer, but that is not necessarily a good thing for an Ultra class. He has a good head sculpt, and good overall proportions. His robot mode has good detailing (from the front at least) that harkens back to the 1980s. However, he looks like a robot carrying a folded jet on his back, and he has large hollow areas left on the backside from his hands and legs being folded up. He also looks very “flat,” almost 2 dimensional when in hand. His vehicle mode looks like a jet with a robot bolted to the belly. His transformation is incredibly simple, very much like an 80s TF, but an Ultra class should not be this easy. The Silverbolt is an okay looking robot, and a pretty decent looking jet, but when you combine the two the result is rather ugly.
Sculpt Score: 5 / 10
He does not have much paint, as is the case with most transformers, but his is applied very well. However, what you will find are some very ugly colors. Silverbolt’s colors are: dark gray, light gray, black, silver, greenish gold, purple-ish maroon, and bright orange/red. The result is not attractive. I am disappointed because from his pictures online I thought he looked fine, but in hand it is a different story. The color choices are the reason for the low score, as he is otherwise fine.
Paint Score: 6 / 10
Silver bolt has pretty decent articulation, with some restriction because the wings will not allow the arms to move backwards. The main points missing are waist and the wrists. Other than that everything else moves well and he can get into some pretty good poses.
Articulation Score: 6 / 10
He definitely has his problems, but I can’t help but be a little charmed by his G1 simplicities. He does have electronic sounds and lights, but I would rather just forget about them. Apparently they are the same sound effects that Powerglide has if you have him. A more complex transformation, and a better looking jet mode would definitely improve his score. You can still get Silverbolt into most of the poses that you would want, and he comes with a gun that shoots a projectile, so that’s something.
Fun Score: 6 / 10
Silverbolt is an Ultra class figure because of his size and electronics, and therefore costs about $27-$30. Do not be fooled, he is not worth the price tag, heck he is not even worth a Voyager rating. Hasbro should have scaled him down a bit and sold him as a Deluxe figure for $10. If you really like Silverbolt and must have him, do yourself a favor and wait until you can get him for $10-$15.
Value Score: 4 / 10
5 / 10 - Looks thrown together with an ugly vehicle mode and okay robot mode.
6 / 10 - No complaints on quality of paint, but hideous colors make for a low score.
6 / 10 - Okay articulation, but hampered by design.
6 / 10 - Very 80's, which is kind of fun, but ugly colors and idiot-proof transformation bring this score down.
4 / 10 - Way overpriced for a simple transformer.
54 / 100 - This is a Fair Toy
His “robot in disguise” vehicle mode is about as effective as if he had just ducked and covered his head. He has ugly colors and his price tag has him more than double what he is worth. Nothing about this figure is great, and everything positive is only okay. From his lame accessory and electronic sounds to stupid looking vehicle mode, I am just disappointed here. All in all you can pass this figure by (and I would say any subsequent color changes) because he comes off feeling like a cheap toy.
-Clark
_________
