We may or may not need roads at times, but we can generally say that I lied about not delving into the Collaborative line. If anything, I just wanted to get one of the better options, and after seeing how Maverick and Ectotron turned out, I'd at least want to give BTTF a shot since I was interested in owning a version of the car. Not saying that the Ecto-1 was bad, but the DeLorean is an honestly cooler car if you ask me. If anything, it makes for a nicer car to take advantage of for Transformers, but that being said, it should make for a good figure, right? Let's see how Gigawatt turned out.
Here is Gigawatt in his vehicle mode. It's a very faithful replication of the iconic vehicle from the movie, with the gray paint, the subtle trim on the front, the black wiring around the sides, and the dark blue windows. The back is likely the best part of the overall package, especially considering how painted it is all throughout. The seamlines of the figure are subtle enough so as to make this feel less like a Transformer and more like a model vehicle. The silver rims are especially appreciative, and they're pinned on instead of being snap-on. Honestly, compared to the X-Jet and Maverick, with the former being too toyetic and the latter being too ugly for the plastic colors, Gigawatt and Ectotron are rather premium as far as details are concerned. I even like that the figure looks to have a matte gray paint job to make it a more realistic look, as a full-on silver that Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe would have won't fit this car specifically. While you can lift the seats as you would in the real vehicle as well as the movie, there is no interior for him (which isn't a concern for a figure this size). Additionally, you can peg on the lightning rod on the back to replicate the time Marty McFly had to return to 1985 with the ability to channel the power of a bolt into the car's flux capacitor.
There are two details worth mentioning because we don't get small tampographs like this (apart from Earthrise Wheeljack's sponsor decals): the license plate is of Californian origin with an additional text that says "OUTATIME" while the latter is the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor that was not only used to convert house waste into energy but was also what helped in modifying the vehicle for flight capability.
The flight mode is accessed by hinging the pieces that hold the tires down (but the front ones have two pieces that you may want to go halfway because the assembly has the black pieces holding the tires and they are best left in the same positions that are on the back for consistency. No flight stand is included, but you can always borrow one from a Figuart or one that has a similar peg size.
For a size comparison, here he is in-between Masterpiece Movie Bumblebee and Barricade. If you recall, Ectotron's size was that of a Voyager, meaning he'd scale with your Autobot Cars from G1 and the Bayverse cars if you're interested in having Hollywood Rides that turn into cool robots. Gigawatt, being a heavy retool of Siege Sideswipe, is undersized, so he's definitely going to fit in better with your Studio Series and WFC figures instead. It's a shame too, because the details are almost as good as a Masterpiece figure if you ask me.
Transformation is almost similar to Siege Sideswipe, being that he uses the same skeleton, but he has a few new tricks of his own: mainly the side panels having pieces behind the shoulders, the gull doors being part of the backpack, and the chest piece flipping around to reveal the flux capacitor as well as the front wheels holding away entirely. The latter helps clean up the chest nicely, but the former is not executed well; it flips into place thanks to two small clear tabs that are not only too short in length but also too brittle thanks to the use of clear plastic; one of them snapped right off because the method of transforming the chest is not entirely clear nor is the step designed to be done in a smoother manner; there's no proper tab or tolerance that makes it easier to do than without, especially considering that the step in question can't even function properly. That being said, the robot mode we end up with is...interestingly executed. It's certainly got that look of Sideswipe without the character-specific details that make him feel like a refined character. Obviously, the DeLorean was never given a robot mode because it was never a Transformer to begin with, but Gigawatt does feel more like generic robot that turns into the car in question rather than a proper Transformer that becomes the vehicle; it's a weird analogy, but it's more in the vein of those Citroen C4 robots but with better proportions. The chest is definitely on the same bulk that the Spy Changers had, which makes him look even blocker than Siege Sideswipe if you ask me. I do commend that the flux capacitor is painted nicely as well as including the three different dates that apply to the first 2 movies at least (1985 for the next destination, 2015 for the current time, and 1955 for the time he just visited). Weirdly, the shins have none of the same paint applied onto the chest, and while I don't need them to paint the flux capacitors on the knees, at least make them feel a little less underdone. At least the chest, blocky as it is, has a good amount of color breakup to help it work. The back of the legs do have the same paint used for the vehicle mode's back, funny enough.
Head sculpt is kind of like if this was G1 Sideswipe with the silver/gray of Movie Sideswipe with goggles. It's not a particularly interesting head design, but it does the job okay considering there was no pre-established character for the DeLorean. The articulation is the same that is found with Siege Sideswipe, including a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots.
The weapons he comes with are not the same ones that any version of the Sideswipe mold came with, but he instead has a new gun that looks kind of like Siege Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster, and it's also blast effect compatible just like how this guy has 5mm ports on him like Sideswipe before him! You can combine the Mr. Fusion piece with the rifle, but it doesn't let the handle go all the way down. I also found out after taking the images that the piece itself can fit onto the forearms and look like a wrist (which is better than it not being able to stay on the gun over time). Oh, and the shoulders can use the lightning rod as some form of whip that doesn't look good on it, if's more like a fishing line than anything.
I want to like this guy because he does have a neat idea for being a Collaborative product, and he is nowhere near as frustrating as Ectotron or ugly like Maverick (X-Spanse and Dracula are different because they're not based on real vehicles), yet there are some aspects of this guy that definitely show he is more of a novelty than a fully realized figure. The vehicle mode definitely has its priorities set, which kind of makes the robot mode feel underdone compared to the balance that Siege Sideswipe made between focusing on vehicle mode qualities and robot mode qualities. Not to say that Gigawatt is bad as a Transformer, but he just feels like a mixed bag. If you do want this guy, be sure to get him at a good price; I paid $32 because that is the price he normally receives for the increased part count and paint, but he's not an improvement from Siege Sideswipe if we're being honest (and don't pay more than the normal price, for Pete's sake).
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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