Transformers Siege Mirage review

Mirage is seen as one of those characters that is mainly there to fill up the 84 Autobot crew, though he had at least one spotlight episode where he was seen as a potential traitor in the eyes of Minibot Cliffjumper. Still, there's something that has to be said about Mirage that makes him kind of an appealing character, maybe not with personality but in terms of design. The F1 Formula Racer is pretty unique compared to the other guys, and I always dug the decals that he had; makes me think of the time I used to be obsessed with Hot Wheels before I delved into Transformers. Now, Mirage has had plenty of offerings before Siege, like most G1 characters have, with the Classics and Combiner Wars lines giving this guy some updates worth mentioning (there is a Robotmasters version of Mirage, but it's not quite that important). Will this figure trump the other sorta-kinda traitors?

Here we have Mirage in his vehicle mode. Right off the bat, I want to mention that the toy has parts comprised of translucent plastic, mainly with the blue. I would have preferred if it was all opaque, though I do appreciate the execution; plus the blue is dark enough to not be noticeable in some instances. As for the rest of the toy, it's got the typical elements of an F1 racer, albeit with Cybertronic wheels, a massive engine on the back, and Citane's markings that look alien this time. I guess some may find the spoiler to be a little higher up than it needs to, but what I find odd is the front fin of the altmode; it looks upside down, and kind of contrasts with the faux chest he has. Yeah, we'll get to this guy's transformation later. At least the Autobot insignia and the silver for the spoiler are applied nicely, though the white paint used to complete the look of the front portion of the altmode could use another layer.

Overall, this is not too shabby, even if there are some oddities aforementioned above along with the robot chest seen in some angles. Also, I can see how some fans may find the spoiler of the altmode to be a little too raised up, as it looks a little mistransformed. Otherwise, not a bad F1 racer.

The gun and missile launcher can attach onto the spoiler, and they kind of look a little ridiculous even setting aside the fact that the toyline is all about war and other weaponry gimmicks. Also, if you notice the pictures above, there is not a single sight of battle damage added on the toy! It's one of those things about the Siege line that makes you question how much has been used for some toys. For figures like Soundwave, I don't mind the use of battle damage since it has a large amount of it (even if it's on details painted over parts that are molded), though figures like Impactor and Ironhide barely have any damage added. This guy, along with Refraktor to my knowledge, are spotless. I will say that the Walmart Netflix lines do have the right amount of battle damage

The transformation is very different from the G1 version. Instead of extending the back to make the legs, using the sides to form the arms, and using the front to make the chest, the toy instead does its own thing by making the back turn into the chest, the engine and spoiler becoming the arms, and the front becoming the legs. This does make him a little more deviated from the old toy (and the way he transformed in fiction), but at least the toy doesn't have any compromises, and hey, I don't mind it since it still leads into a pretty nice robot mode. It reminds me of how Energon Prowl transformed except in a method similar to G1 Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Sunstreaker.

Robot mode looks the part for Mirage, from the color layout to the proportions. The torso may seem a little wider than normal, but at least the rest of the toy works fine for an accurate version of Mirage. The spoilers being on the shoulders does seem like an unfamiliar trait of the character, but he wears it well, and thankfully, the rest of the toy's blue parts aren't quite as translucent as the legs are. From the side, the legs do have the front tires and fin jut out a bit more than I'd like, though he's fairly clean from the back, along with having a back that looks kind of cool

Head sculpt looks fine, though he does look a little like he has a blank expression compared to some of the other Autobots with either serious or noble faces. Also, the blue paint is a little messed up on the left eye.

Articulation is the standard for Siege. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back on swivels, in and out on shoulder hinges (with the shoulder guards on hinges of their own), swivel at the biceps, and bend at the elbows. Hands move inwards but only for the transformation. The waist swivels, the hips move front and back, thighs swivel, knees bend, and the ankles hinge and pivot.

You can give him the shoulder cannon and gun he's known to use in the media he appeared in all with the use of 5mm ports. I do wonder why he and Hound can have both rocket launchers and guns while Sideswipe doesn't. 

This figure was reused at least twice. This is the three-pack version of Mirage, done up in a Holomatter form that not only has a different deco but also a newly retooled head, giving him a bit of a toy accurate look. This version of Mirage comes with a Decepticon Impactor and Aragon, exclusively on Amazon. I don't really plan to get this figure or the pack he comes with right away; Mirage doesn't sound like a bad option to get, but I have to admit, I'm happy with having regular Mirage for now.

This is the Decepticon version of Mirage, which is said to be based on his appearance in the Netflix series when he disguises himself as a Decepticon. Now this is the version of Mirage that I want to get even if I own the original version. Maybe there can be a creative story I can make where Shockwave clones key Autobots, or Mirage's Decepticon disguise fuels Cliffjumper's suspicions in thinking he's a traitor.

Eventually, an Earth mode version of Mirage was going to happen, and he is now both retooled to capture his appearance and is also opaque. I feel like I should be excited for him but I'm just not feeling it after things like the proportions being even blockier than it should be and how mishandled the toy feels. It's one of those things that feels unusual, but it is worth mentioning that he comes with Beast Wars Grimlock, a reuse of the Dinobot mold.

And here we have another Wrecker, Leadfoot, who may not have the rotor weapon his old toy was known for, but at least it mostly fits the transformation and character design he generally has. I do find the new headd a little amusing in terms of how it makes him look more like a Genericon in comparison to the signature colors and head sculpt Mirage is known for.

And the Legacy reuse continues with an unexpected character in the form of Crasher! Reusing the Holo Mirage head sculpt, we get an unexpected repaint themed after a Gobot. That's pretty neat, though she isn't labeled as being from the Gobots series thanks to the legal ownership issues that are just as complicated as Ms. Pac-Man's. She is set to be in the next wave of figures in the Velocitron Speedia 500 subline.

And if that wasn't enough for Walmart, Mirage received yet another repaint for the store's Toxitron Collection subline, depicting him in snot green and hot pink with gator decals based on a canceled G2 repaint, and one that makes him look like a reverse-colored Green Goblin. His rims are unpainted, though.

Let's compare Mirage to some of his other figures, with the G1 version, the Classics version, and the Combiner Wars version. This guy, along with probably Sunstreaker and Ironhide, is among one of the G1 Autobots to not have a fairly consistent look between his other action figures. The G1 figure does have that 80s charm, but let's face it, aside from the decals, the toy has no hope to win thanks to its fragile, and I do mean FRAGILE rod used for the waist swivel. Combiner Wars Mirage is obviously a retool of Dragstrip, but by that, I mean he's got a head swap with the Mirage colors. That version's blue is a little too light compared to the others. Classics Mirage was said to be the best version of the character by fans at the time; some may like him to this day, and I appreciate the articulation and design choices, but man does that design scream anime more than anything, and more so than the other Classics Transformers. Even if the CW and 2006 guys aren't terrible, you certainly can be happy with Siege Mirage.

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is with a few other Siege Autobots I own, Hound and Sideswipe. I guess the thing that's worth mentioning is much like how they looked nice in the G1 line, they look fine in the Siege line, too. I do plan on making a display for the Autobot Ark crew at some point, so don't forget to wait for that. As for Mirage himself, I don't think this guy really has any issues at all. In fact, aside from me feeling the translucent plastic isn't that needed for the legs (and the potential fragility it could have), I like this guy the most out of the Siege Deluxes we've gotten so far, and he's up there along with Ironhide and Impactor. I can't wait to get a new Jazz to replace the slightly taller than normal POTP version, Siege Bluestreak at a cheap price, Earthrise's Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Trailbreaker, and Cliffjumper, and whatever else plans to come out for the other Minibots. Mirage may be a little hard to find, but if you see him, definitely pick him up!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐