Transformers Studio Series Dropkick review

While I prefer the design of Bumblebee movie's Dropkick over the MV1 game drones, I kind of wish he wasn't a triple changer since he and Shatter would be hard to tackle in plastic with both modes at once. As my friend Carnivius said, they don't make sense since the alt modes are far too different from each other to even work. The best option would be to have their Deluxe figures done up with one altmode at a time, so let's see the first of likely four figures based on the alt modes of Shatter and Dropkick, beginning with the latter's helicopter mode!

Here we have Dropkick in his helicopter mode. It looks pretty solid, though mine has some warped copter blades. It's an altmode that does look basic, though I do like the blue highlights and the pirate flag. It's small, it's simple, but it does get the job done. Almost feels refreshing to have a helicopter Deluxe that ISN'T a reuse of Alpha Bravo (though I know some customizers probably used that for a Combiner Wars version of the character).

I have found a new mode for it, where it can become a bunny of sorts. Maybe if this was yellow it could almost look like the Beast Chopper Zord's Jackrabbit mode from Power Rangers Beast Morphers.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is next to Studio Series VW Bumblebee. Yeah, the altmode sizes look stupid here.

Here we have Dropkick next to fellow helicopter Decepticon, Blackout. Initially, I felt that the altmode felt really small and thin for a vehicle like that, but it actually works now that it's put next to Blackout. A better size difference than putting Dropkick next to Bumblebee.

The transformation is finicky, to say the least. The parts on this toy are really small, and sometimes they feel really annoying to line up or move around without them popping off. Then there's the vagueness of where some of the parts go, and when they should be tabbed in place for the robot mode. Is it as bad as the awfulness that is ROTF Blazemaster? Nope, but it's still weaksauce.

Here we have Dropkick in his robot mode. It's not that good looking. The head looks really small compared to other Deluxes, the arms don't look right, the forearms have some bad kibble, and the legs not only look real skinny when put under this toy, but they also made the hips look too far apart, making this guy feel dated than he should be. Oh, and I should note that my figure's slightly mistransformed in the back, sorry. The lack of car parts does make this toy look inaccurate, though one can't expect triple changers at this size since the alt modes would be half-assed.

The side and rear views of the figure don't really help the look of the design. There's a massive amount of gray parts, and the back looks really uneven here. And remember my comment on how the back is somewhat mistransformed? The blue parts should be facing up, not down.

The head sculpt looks really puny, likely due to the size of the cockpit. This feels like a knockoff version of the toy from the same company that made some bootleg DOTM and AOE toys, like the ones you get from Aliexpress. There's very little sculpting and while the eyes are present, they don't even look like they're prominent. If this was a Scout Class toy from years ago, I wouldn't mind the half-assed sculpting, but even those headsculpts look better than this.

The articulation of the toy is about what you'd expect for a Deluxe. Ball joint at the neck, ball joints at the shoulders for moving front and back, hinges in and out, a swivel at the elbow and a bend too. Hips are on ball joints, they swivel above the knee, and the knees bend.

For his accessories, he comes with two guns. They're really basic and are two different colored pieces of plastic. They have barrels that hinge out, but beyond that, not much else to mention.

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is next to Bumblebee. The size doesn't look too bad, but if I were to pick one good toy of the two, Bumblebee is the answer to go with.

Overall, this Dropkick figure is the worst Studio Series toy of the entire 2018 entry, and could likely remain the worst toy of the line. The inaccuracies, poor design, and lack of effort in making this toy a worthwhile Deluxe are things that irk me with how this thing turned out. Maybe I'd like it more if it was reused in a different way, right? For now, don't pay full price for this toy unless you just have to own this toy. Buy some chains to punish him, too.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐