Here we have Sandstorm in his ground vehicle mode, which depicts him as a Baja buggy closer to the original toy with the cage bar of the cartoon design. Making a more refined take of the old toy's alt mode was for the best given how plain the cartoon model was. And a good thing too since the alt mode is pretty good for the most part. While rough around in some areas due to the parts of the robot mode being a bit visible, this is consistent with the Season 3 aesthetics of the Transformers. The two shades of orange are different, with one being a more traditional shade and the other having a reddish tint. The latter is meant to fit with this mode specifically, though some of the traditional shades of orange poke through the back. The monster tires are made of PVC, and the rollbar cage on the back not only makes the spoiler look puny, but also makes it look like there is an engine in the back of the Baja buggy. So a bit too much like an old Lego set in terms of aesthetics but it's fitting for most Transformers in the mid-to-late 80s. Oh, and both guns have dedicated storage spots.
The side of the car doesn't bother hiding the small plastic wheels that will eventually be used for the helicopter mode. Speaking of, the helicopter's front halves are in the back, and while they may be used as bumpers, this still means we have quite the unusual design for a Baja buggy. The arms hang between the tires but at least the hands are tucked away, and the panel near the doors helps hide them. Also, the cage could go down more than it currently does.
For a size comparison with another Baja buggy Autobot, here he is with Beachcomber from last year's Legacy Evolution line. While the peace-loving Minibot has a more traditional design, complete with a rollbar look over the seats and fog lights, it's clear that they both had different design choices implemented to go with what was present at the time they each came out. Though the fact that the 1985 lineup had a UFO, dinosaurs, bugs, and a base with a made up rocket and tank doesn't really help our son of a Beach. The PVC tires that Beachcomber and Sandstorm both have are neat, but I really hope they don't rot over time, like with the RID 2001 Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Autobot Brothers having cracks in their rubber tires.
And here he is with Siege Springer, who will soon be replaced by the SS86 version for anyone who'd want to get a new version of a rarely-reused figure, even if the retooling here and there doesn't quite justify the Leader Class pricing. Sandstorm is higher up from the ground than Springer is, though it's all because one has monster tires and is meant for offroad driving while the other really isn't. Also, those cockpit sizes are quite a stark contrast, it's so funny.
Transforming him into his helicopter form is quite involved, as it's a case of turning the toy inside out in a case similar to Siege Astrotrain. I like how you have to tuck away parts of the dune buggy from within or underneath the helicopter mode, though they are still fairly visible in some angles. In defense of the alt mode's engineering, it is challenging yet rewarding as we get quite a nice-looking Pave Low helicopter that reminds me both of Armada Hot Shot and one of the orange versions of Grindor that came with an HFTD Bumblebee whose windows were green. The shade of orange used for this mode is my favorite out of the two, on top of how more refined the aerial vehicle mode looks compared to the ground vehicle mode. Apart from bits of the Baja buggy being visible from underneath, the one issue I have with this altmode would be how wonky the blade propellers look, with the way they simply don't even give how the figure transforms. At least the base that the propeller is attached to is a different shade of orange from the rest of the body. Now the cage serves as somewhat of a rescue stretcher, made to either take smaller figures or to capture them. Rotating the winch allows you to either lower or raise the stretcher.
For a helicopter mode size, here he is with Siege Springer yet again, whose helicopter mode is nowhere near as convincing as Sandstorm's, even if one is moreso meant to look futuristic. I say this because it's literally having the back of the car altered to look like a mermaid tail while the front pylons are shifted to the back. Sandstorm's altmode is generally more successful all around, though both have different guns present on their sides, which is synergy, I guess.
Because of the way Sandstorm's propellors transform, you can almost recreate the first step of Blackout's transformation in the 2007 movie.
As for the transformation of the robot mode, Sandstorm once again turns inside out as you go halfway into the Baja buggy mode before you instead reposition his arms nd chest into place while folding some of the helicopter parts away (though I might have missed out on two pieces in the back!). The legs can extend, though they are stiff for the first few times. The resulting robot mode is generally accurate to the character design, having a good level of sculpt work while adhering to the Sunbow aesthetics (not to the same extent as the Masterpiece figures). While he has a backpack that's pretty wide and deep given the way his altmodes both work, it is at least fairly hollow when viewed from behind. In fact, the lower legs are also in a similar case where they aren't as dense as people may think when you view them from the sides. It's almost like they're supposed to fold on the back but they simply cannot. It's an interesting case of not leaving the thighs and forearms hollow while the backpack and lower legs are instead. The black legs and the orange upper body makes him look like a Home Depot employee.
His head sculpt is not cartoon-accurate but is instead based on the G1 toy; it is actually a mix between the two, with the helmet being more like the cartoon while the mouthplate is moreso from the original toy. I don't mind this a lot since it's at least a unique look that gives the impression that Sandstorm would deploy a mouthplate if G1 characters had this ability to deploy/retract them. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, waist rotation, front/back hip movement, in/out leg movement, thigh rotation, knee bends, and ankle pivots that can hinge down due to transformation. Annoyingly, the chest detaches due to the peg being shorter than it should be; there is a mod where you can alter the stability of the toy without any issues.
Aside from the guns, this figure can now be posed ready to throw the cage at any unassuming foe, though I wish he had articulated fingers so he could make it look more like he's properly holding it. Also, the tailfin/spoiler can come off if it bothers you, but it's negligible at best given how small it is.
For a size comparison, here he is with Siege Springer, and it's reminding me that the SS86 version won't be any taller than its previous form so that retooling better be enough to justify double-dipping at twice the price. Speaking of, Sandstorm is a good figure (and I'd argue he's good in ways similar to his Thrilling 30 counterpart), but he is NOT Leader Class price good. While the figure does so much good, I can't help but feel that if we got a similar figure like this in the Siege line or the Thrilling 30 line, we'd probably get an equal or slightly lower quality version of what we currently have. I recommend getting him at a lower price.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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