What the hell is this?!
Another Sky-Byte review?!
This is far too soon!!!
Last year did make sense,
To review RID 01.
Bought it early on.
T30's recent,
Because I got it in June.
At the end, but still.
Now AOTP,
Has its own haiku shark con.
Let's see if it's peak!
Here we have Sky-Byte in his shark mode. This is the first version of the character to not be sculpted in a curved pose, with the RID figure turning to the right while the T30 version bent as it it was jumping like a dolphin. As such, we can pose it in a straight line for once! The sculpted details are still a thing, though deviating from the old toy much like T30 did. They're still there, though we have more blue and less color break-up. With this matching the animation style somewhat, I am forgiving on this.
This isn't the best photo to show the articulation, but his tail can bend sideways, his jaw can open, and he can look down. His gun can tab into the bottom jaw to simulate the attack his old toy had.
For a shark comparison, here he is along with the RID and T30 versions. The original version manages to look more like a shark proper, and it does win with the sculpted details and chrome, but I don't like how the mouth is always open while the side panels don't tab in anywhere. The T30 version certainly looks dynamic, but it only works if it has a flight stand in use while the baby blue face is pretty distracting. The new version at has some articulation to its advantage, though it does rank in the middle with detailing.
Transformation is pretty close to the original version of the mold, only with more tabs to keep the back kibble in place and more symmetrical shoulder pads to keep them coherent and easier to handle. I'm sure some will complain about how samey it is to the old toy, but honestly how different were most G1 Primes, really? At the very least, it is more accurate to the show than T30. The robot mode also captures the character design very well, though that is the case with the Generations line as a whole. While it may not seem that much of a shocker to anyone who's been up to date with the current days of CHUG standards, it is at least appreciative to see some added tabs to keep the back kibble in place. Not only that, but the shoulder pads are easier to arrange than with the old figure while the shark head can now hinge downwards to be flush with the rest of the back. I also like that the left arm is shaped like the original toy but more in proportion with the rest of the body like the T30 one. Best of all, he is easier to keep balanced thanks to the ankle rockers, a flaw both RID and T30 suffered from. He even retains the sculpted asymmetry that was a signature trait of the Transmetal II line his old figure originated from, back when it was a Maximal named Cybershark.
Head sculpt is marvelously done as always with this character, and I always love seeing some silver on the shark fin crest as well as metallic yellow for the face. The white cheek guards could be painted more metallic, but the rest works. His articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, rotation above the elbows, hinges elbows bending forward (a first for this character's toys), rotation at the wrists and claw, waist rotation (also a first), universal hips, thigh swivels, hinges knees, and ankles that pivot (which, yes, are also a first). He is back to having a dedicated gun accessory instead of having it be integrated into the claw, but we don't have missile launching gimmicks. Also, it lacks blast effects ports.
His fins can be removed from the back and work as melee weapons, but something that needs to be mentioned is how the figure came packaged. Out of the box, Sky-Byte's shoulder pads are not attached onto their 5mm ports, likely due to the space needed for their cheap ass packaging. That being said, the fins are left on sprues instead of tied to the cardboard tray or in some tissue paper. Why this was done is beyond me, though it could be a way for Hasbro factory workers to start doing less for their assembly after their frustrations of being underpaid. That and they probably have some way of soon planning to make Transformers toys slowly devolve into coming in trays with pins and screws so you can put them together for those poor employees. What are you, a kit?!
For a size comparison, here he is sandwiches in-between the T30 and RID versions of the character, showcasing how much the AOTP version strikes a happy medium of both figures. While the original toy has its charm thanks to the denser plastic and overall higher level of paint combined with its chrome, it did fall short of its clunkier kibble and somewhat limited range for the articulation. By contrast, the T30 version makes for a more dynamic take on the Predacon haiku lover, though he is a bit more monstrous and deviates his transformation from the source material. This new version captures the old show much better, yet has some of the slight tweaks in engineering to keep it from feeling too much like a redundant toy. Sure, it's not like how some Prime Wars stuff was basically G1 with knees, but I know some would say "the old toy could have been reissued with some tweaks" if this felt too similar. I recommend the AOTP version if you never got a version of Sky-Byte or want to get more versions of the show's true MVP.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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