Transformers Prime Deluxe Knock Out

Transformers Prime, a toy-line that has had...some hiccups, and whose Japanese counterpart  opts for Microns and stickers instead of shiny paint and/or added show accuracy. Then there's the odd choices, such as blue Frenzy AND red Rumble BOTH of which use the alternate head, Hasbro Sergeant Kup and Thundertron vs. AM Ironhide and Leo Prime, and the toys Hasbro couldn't work into their line: Breakdown/Swerve/C.Y.L.A.S. (Silas) Breakdown, Gaia Unicron, and Jet Vehicon. (although they're kind of making up for that last one with Cyberverse Legion Air Vehicon) Wave 3 of the line came with two brand new Decepticon figures. Let's do...Knock Out, who seemed to get a bit of hate initially as far as the toy was concerned. Not sure why, but I'm reviewing him anyway.



Knock Out Is a small, sexy sports car. He wouldn't settle for anything less. He's not just an automobile, he's an automobile enthusiast, after all. Red, black, and clear plastic (slightly tinted) make up the plastic colors in this mode. Dark red makes up a ton of the paint, with silver, gunmetal, and a tiny bit of gold on the vents to round it out. The wheels clip in and have no paint on them whatsoever. Bummer, but not a deal breaker. His energon prod weapon can peg onto either side of the car for storage, though I usually don't do this. For a size comparison, let's pit him against Bumblebee! ...No? Alright, alright... This guy should do:



Okay, that is kind of small...but still larger than a Scout. But Knock Out can fix this by converting to robot mode, a process which is very unique and fun. The end result is...



Huh? What the...? This...this is horrible! What monkey at Hasbro decided that this was how he should be transformed? And the revealer gimmick doesn't even work! Let me try again, this time ignoring those stupid instructions.



Much better. To achieve these results, first fold the doors back over before folding the roof down instead of turning the hand. Pop the hood forward relative to the front of the car so that it overlaps with itself, then pull it open which will let the head spring out properly. Finally, while holding the head into position within the collar, raise the side panels and lift them up and over the center. Slots are provided so that it can comfortably lock in and give the proper look.

Dark silver is the only new plastic color revealed, which is for the parts that weren't part of the vehicle for the most part. As for paint, just silver on his face and red on the clear plastic optics. He's also got a pair of holes on his back to give options on how high you want his energon prod to poke up from behind when storing it. It can split in two, which gives him two weapons to use! ...Or, a way to get him to hold it in the middle via feeding one half into his hand and attaching the other half after. Not very exciting, but it's something. Size comparison with...uh...



That guy. They're about the same size. Knock Out features about 19 points of articulation, including ankle tilts. His waist armor kind of blocks how far up his legs can go, but he's still got more than enough to hopefully beat that Dinkleberg - wait, wrong show. Shoo, fairies...unless I can get wishes. No? Phooey.

So, do I recommend Knock Out? Oh heck yes. I don't understand the hate this toy gets. Car mode gets the job done and is absolutely crammed with robot parts. Robot mode is very articulated and looks very much like the character from the show...physically, anyway. (again, Reprolabels has the solution if you wish to pay a bit more on a toy you've bought) ...No, Knock Out, you may not perform lobotomy on the haters. If you've got a certain big blue bruiser from Japan, then you need Knock Out. Because this:



Is awesome. *cues Happy Together song* Seriously. It's like Crumplezone without Ransack. It's just sad without both.

Damn! Hasbro had the transformation process WAY OFF!  I kind of expect that from 3rd party manufacturers, considering they're based in China (*cue Fansprojects Down Force*), but I've come to expect better from Hasbro. I never had the pleasure of transforming this fella'. I ended up selling mine (MOSC) along with about a dozen more Prime figures (all sealed) to Matt over at Transformerland.

Not all are based in China. Fansproject, Maketoy, and Perfect Effect for example I believe are based in Japan. Though it wouldn't be the first time they've screwed up on the instructions, albeit not as blatantly bad... All versions of the '07 Voyager Ironhide's instructions say to pull the heel down for the automorph. BAD IDEA. You're supposed to pull the back of the truck bed for the foot, which will operate the automorph. And Universe Sideswipe I recall having the same instructions as Sunstreaker but an OMFGWTFWBBQ of a mistransformed robot.

Detective Barricade wrote:Not all are based in China. Fansproject, Maketoy, and Perfect Effect for example I believe are based in Japan. Though it wouldn't be the first time they've screwed up on the instructions, albeit not as blatantly bad...

I don't currently own any MMC products, but given their connections seem to have a firm grasp on the English language, I'm hoping the instructions leave little-to-no doubt on the transformation process. And I didn't know that about FP, MT and PE being Japanese based. Learned something new today!

There's usually little written on MMC's instructions, although the comics have wonderful, wonderful Engrish, about the only thing I had trouble understanding what to do on KMC Cyclops (the only MMC product I have right now) was how to fold the wings. Even then, it's more of something that isn't easily conveyed on a piece of paper. That one has been the craziest design from them, and their Reformatted figures shouldn't be any more difficult to figure out (nor any less satisfying to convert) than Mech Ideas' Demolition Crue Apex/Geminus.

KMC Cyclops is a BEAST!    I watched the video review when (I forget who) someone had the prototype. All the tabs and just the overall conversion process was a bit too intimidating for even me...lol. I have Hexatron coming soon, if I can figure him out I'll be happy.

yet another great review DB. So much great info