Transformers Studio Series Lockdown review

Lockdown was amazing in Age of Extinction, and while he may look nothing like his Animated form, I kind of find the differences of their appearances pretty clever, with the Animated version being more monstrous-looking in a show that's more "kid-friendly" while the Movie incarnation looks more like a man in a suit compared to the more alien Decepticons in the realistic Movie continuity. Despite that, there was a ROTF Lockdown figure that looked closer to his appearance in Animated. While the original Deluxe Lockdown (and the ROTF figure by extension) were able to pull off a Deluxe figure with a tall robot made from a normal-sized car, the AOE Deluxe couldn't quite do that right. It not only relied on a transformation that was more well-known used on DOTM Roadbuster, but it also made him barely taller than, say, AOE Bumblebee.

While fans may be happy with Peru Kill, an unofficial Masterpiece incarnation of the character, those that wanted a better-done version of the character made for the Deluxe and Voyager collection had to either get a knockoff of the Deluxe that scales in robot mode or wait for 4 years to pass so there can be a new stab at the character in Deluxe scale, which means it's time to take at Studio Series Lockdown!

Here we have Lockdown in his Lamborghini Aventador mode. Such a slick altmode with the gorgeous gunmetal gray, the headlights & windows looking slick, and the tires actually being pinned on instead of relying on the ones that peg in. It's such a beautiful altmode that makes you think it'd belong in a toyline that has die-cast metal cars with opening doors, interiors sculpted nicely, and perfect accuracy to the real model.

It's a nicely done take of the character. In fact, I prefer the look of this over TLK Hot Rod's altmode. This one just feels more like a car that a businessman that isn't boring would ride in. I can almost get nostalgic from seeing the promo pics of Lockdown's altmode as revealed by Transformers movie director himself, Michael Bay.

But this is a Transformers toy, after all, so we gotta add some random crap on this car on the exterior, right? For weapon storage, there are two slots that his hook and blade can attach onto. 

For a vehicle comparison, here he is next to his AOE form. While the original AOE toy's altmode still does look good, it's ruined by a paint job that doesn't look as appealing on a car like this. Also, there's the Decepticon insignia that doesn't add to the look, especially when Lockdown was never a Decepticon to begin with. The worst part is how the windows were blue, which makes this AOE figure have a color crisis compared to the Studio Series version.

Transforming Lockdown is pretty involved, and with a transformation that isn't borrowed from another figure. It's more a case of straightening the limbs and collapsing the backpack, though at least it's a bit more different here than previously. Also, remember that there's a slight hinge on Lockdown's chest, so he can a bit more definition on his chest than if it were flat.

Lockdown's robot mode is pretty good. From the front, it's got a much more powerful look, certainly capturing his man in a suit appearance that the original Deluxe never had. From the side, the feet do look weird, and his arms are sadly obscured by the door panels, though thankfully the arms look decent. The backpack doesn't look that decent from the side, but at least from the back, it's not as chunky looking as it is on Jazz, as it's more broken up here.

Headsculpt feels right this time for Lockdown. The eyes are green, there's the folded up mask, and all the details that Lockdown's face should have on a toy are nicely sharp, without that stupid half-assed look that the original AOE figure had.

Articulation is alright. Head is on two joints (on a ball joint on one end and a hinge on another), shoulders are on ball joints, and the elbows bend and can swivel on the ball joint. There is a waist swivel, and the hips move back and forth, though moving them and the waist swivel is tricky as one gets in the way of the other. There is a thigh swivel, bends at the knee, and you can slightly hinge the feet forwards if you want.

For his accessories, he can hold his weapons with either the slots or his 5mm compatible hands. I do like the display options that are available, but I wish he had some firearms thrown into the mix. Maybe some added paint on the weapons would be nice too, though I'm glad they look good.

Here we have Lockdown next to his original AOE self. The differences give me vibes of those "Doctors hate him!" memes, especially when he manages to look a lot better than his original figure. I feel like a fool for getting too excited for this version of Lockdown when it first came out, especially now that we have a much better version of the character to display proudly!

While that version does come with the arm cannon, it's still not too elegant because of the missile feature making the toy look awkward. That and how there's a big protrusion for the 5mm port and weapon storage.

The figure has been repainted once, in the form of Shadow Raider, who was a faceless grunt on Lockdown's ship. I guess it'd be weird to see this figure have the exact same colors as Studio Series Lockdown, but while orange is a nice color, it's not really suitable for a character called "Shadow Raider". Maybe a metallic purple would have worked.

Overall, this version of Lockdown is great to own, even if there are some minor issues that pull it back a bit. It's nice for fans that collect mainline figures than 3P options can have a better-done Lockdown compared to what's been made in 2014. If you see this guy, pick him up!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐