Here we have Smokescreen in his vehicle mode. It is an unlicensed approximation of a McLaren MP4-12C, which will amusingly get the spotlight for an incoming Transformers review for a different line. As with most Prime vehicles, the aim to be stylized yet somewhat realistic helps keep this figure to be as consistently well designed in alternate mode as humanly possible. I also appreciate that the windows have a dark tint to make the robot junk less visible. He should have some orange for the headlights to represent the turn signals, and the bumper could use some color to break up the white on the front bumper as well as the vents and added black on the back of the car. The blue paint apps are a bit splotchy in some edges, mostly on the front, which makes the quality control not exactly up to TakaraTomy standards. Either way, this alt mode is so good.
The paint apps Takara added to the figure are greatly needed, whether it's the proper checker flag or the rims Hasbro skipped. That being said, the blue should fully wrap around the rear wheel, the checkered flag pattern should fill in the door, and a red trim is missing. I'm sure the blue should be metallic, but close enough.
His gun can peg on the roof or either side of the spoiler, but I am missing the missile. It amusingly looks like a Lego stud shooter, but clearly nothing like the blasters that come out of his arms.
For a size comparison, here he is next to Bumblebee from the First Edition line. Though Transformers figures started experiencing size decreases during the 2010s, al beit not to the same extent we see today, Smokescreen manages to be in a scale almost comparable to the FE line and moreso than the PRID line. I believe that the scale is accurate to the way they appeared in the show, especially with how the altmode Smokescreen has is sleeker and lower in profile than the Urbana 500.
Transforming Smokescreen is in-between the simplicity found in most PRID Deluxes and the more complex engineering from the First Edition line. The legs are pretty straightforward as you merely separate them, bring the feet down, and hinge the panels in place; the upper body is a whole lot more involved, especially with the door wing assembly requiring that it doesn't clash with the front wheels that will attach to the spine. We have a bit of cheating in the form of the faux chest and the car kibble on the forearms, which the previous owner tried to mod by making them removable, but it looks fine with the parts on there. In fact, Smokescreen's robot mode is done very well in spite of the faux chest and arm kibble. I always loved how he captures all 3 elements of the G1 Datsun brothers into one package; in addition to the Smokescreen elements already there, we have the white body and red forehead chevron from Prowl, while he has some of the more youthful side of Bluestreak (though it's all I got since he is less popular than either Prowl or Smokescreen in general). While many complained about the car kibble on the forearms, they are not super obvious like the wings in Classics Megatron. If the figure was retooled to accommodate them differently, then maybe having them on the back to fill it in better would have helped. The feet are arguably worse due to the way they're angled weirdly. If they had some ankle joints as well as some toe-ticulation, maybe they would look easier on the eye. You can especially see how clunky they come across from the side. He is also missing some paint apps in both mode, like the headlights and the Elite Guard emblems (which were at least in one episode only, tbf). Strangely, he has an Autobot insignia on the faux chest but not the hood halves in altmode. So still not perfect 100%, but baby steps in the right direction.
His head sculpt is shaped accurately to the show, yet even with the blue eyes, silver border, and red chevron, it's hard to make out any details on his face, especially the mouth. Takara should have painted the face properly instead of just the edges surrounding it. His articulation consists of ball joints at the neck, shoulders, and hips, hinges for the elbows as well as the knees, and swivels for the biceps, waist, and thighs. He has a second shoulder joint used for transformation but it can be helpful for some poses.
As far as reuses are concerned, we previously had the Hasbro version that was questionably inaccurate in so many ways. The yellow eyes and headlights, the blue on the head, the different door decals, the red on the forearms and knees, the lavender windows, who came up with this deco?! Sure, development for the later two seasons of Prime changed quickly, and Smokescreen's toy is likely part of the shift in development that made inaccurate sense for Beast Hunters, but we have so many questions regarding the way he's colored. He came with the Shadow Quill Armor and Electronet, which are optional rubber parts that attach onto either mode. This was done so fans can have a regular Smokescreen toy instead of having permanent spikes like on most Beast Hunters toys.
As for Prowl, this guy is honestly better than Hasbro Smokescreen, no doubt thanks to the added color break-up in the shoulder pads, chest, and the more logical darker blue windows. The blue headlights in both mode don't match the yellow ones in vehicle mode, and the back of the car is still underpainted, but the siren and the new head sculpt make up for it in some ways. He lacks the rubber armor parts, though.
If Hasbro Smokescreen is in 4th place, Prowl in 3rd, and Takara Smokescreen in 2nd, then who gets to be in 1st? That honor goes to Barricade, who is exclusive only to the Transformers Figure Subscription Service. Not only is the Movie Barricade homage already sexy in alt mode, but the mix of black and purple makes him even better in this design. He looks even better in these colors than Skywarp ever did. Not pictured is an Arms Micron representing Frenzy, further homaging the Bayverse homage.
And finally, this is the 2014 generic Transformers line repaint representing Protectobot Streetwise. While the alternate mode is okay, the robot mode is far too ghastly with the all white and very very light gray parts. He easily represents the worst use of the Beast Hunters Smokescreen mold by a longshot. He also came with repaints representing First Aid from an equally underpainted PRID Ratchet and a Groove from a barely changed Cyberverse Arcee, even though Animated Prowl in the Groove colors would have helped.
For a size comparison, here is Smokescreen next to First Edition Bumblebee in robot mode. I already loved the First Edition Bee mold, and seeing him alongside the Beast Hunters Smokescreen mold (with the proper colors) makes me happy since we have seen them as pretty close buddies from time to time. They should be the same height but it still works regardless. That being said, if you want to get a version of Smokescreen that is accurate to the show, finding this figure second hand is going to be difficult. I have seen him pop up every once in a while on eBay, but not as commonly as Hunter Optimus Prime. The mold could be better, but I think this is one of the better post-First Edition figures Hasbro made. His color scheme should be more complete, but if you're lucky, you can get this figure for less than $80. Happy hunting!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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