Transformers Cybertron - Smokescreen By Josh Hechinger Nov 9, 2006 - 1:18:22 PM

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Smokescreen - Heroic Con Man. Or Con Robot, I guess.

Back in the original Transformers: Generation One toyline (circa 1985), Smokescreen was designated the Autobot Diversionary Tactician. His official bio and scant appearances on the cartoon depicted him as a liar, cheater, compulsive gambler, and charmer; the Autobots’ very own Bret Maverick. This action figure from the Cybertron toyline is homage to that fine, upstanding Autobot.

Likeness

Generation One Smokescreen was a blue and red racing car with the number “38” emblazoned on both doors. So unsurprisingly, Cybertron Smokescreen is a blue and red racing car with the number “38” emblazoned on both doors. Is it an exact replica? No, but it very obviously references and pays homage to the original beyond just the name. A collector of the original toyline could look at the figure and go “Oh, hey, it’s Smokescreen”.

Car Mode Sculpt



Smokescreen’s Car Mode is a Bugatti Veyron, a custom sports car. It is a fine looking toy car, and except for the fact that you can see Smokescreen’s head and hands through the windshield, it works on the “Robots In Disguise” level.

Robot Mode Sculpt

The first thing to note is that the toy looks much better in person than it does on the back of the packaging. The bio for the figure on the back cuts off some of the figure’s details, and makes the head look small and isolated. This is not the case with the actual toy.  

The sculpt is well done, if a little basic. As an aside, I recommend putting the doorframe parts pointing up, instead of back or forward as is featured on the back of the package. It streamlines the figure a little bit.  

Transformation
 
Ok…getting the legs out? Fine. Head and torso? Fine. Arms? Not so fine. The arms are a tremendous hassle to transform, as most of the pieces overlap each other in awkward ways, and have a habit of popping off (although, thankfully, they snap right back on). In short: parents, expect to have to help your kids out on that bit until they get the hang of it.

Outside of the arms, the transformation is smooth, as is the visual transition from car to robot.

Paint

Smokescreen is predominantly red with white, yellow, black and sky blue details. The paint applications are bright and clean, with no mistakes that I noticed. There’s even a bit of a metallic sheen to the blue areas that make them really stand out.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the red paint on the head doesn’t pop as much as the Generation one figure’s blue paint. I can understand Hasbro not wishing to be completely slavish to the original design, but it was an element that worked.

Scale

Smokescreen is a Cybertron Deluxe class figure, which means he measures roughly five or six inches tall.

Additionally, he fits in very well with the recently released Transformers Classic line, which features updated versions of various Generation One characters such as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. As Smokescreen is a Generation One homage/character himself, he makes an ideal addition to that collection.

Stability

Despite being a little top-heavy, Smokescreen is sturdy. Admittedly, his stability decreases with more dynamic poses, but keeping his legs relatively close together will keep him upright and stable.

Articulation

Smokescreen features ball joints at his shoulders and hips, a head that turns and can look up, and elbow and knee articulation. His shield is hinged, and he also features flip out shoulder rockets.

Plastic

Smokescreen is made of hard, durable plastic. He’ll probably stay in good condition even with heavy play. I wouldn’t recommend you throwing him hard against the wall, but you can fiddle with the toy without fear of irreparably breaking it.

Props

Smokescreen’s accessory is a turbo booster (for the car) and a gun (for the robot). The gun fires a bluish-black, smoke looking projectile (for obvious reasons).

The toy also comes with a Cyber Planet Key. When plugged into a slot in the toy’s back, it causes non-firing rocket launchers to flip up in both car and robot modes (it should be noted that shoulder launchers are another wink to the original Smokescreen). The key also features a code on the back, which when entered into the official Transformers website unlocks additional information and production art for the toy.

Additionally, Smokescreen comes with an instruction booklet for his transformation, as well as a fold out poster showcasing the other figures in the line and supplying the overall back-story behind the toyline.

Packaging

Smokescreen comes in a large blister pack bearing the Transformers: Cybertron logo. The red trim to the packaging indicates that he’s a member of the Autobot faction.

The back of the card shows the action figure in robot and car mode, includes a biography and statistics for the character, and shows a select few other toys from the line.

Cost

Smokescreen, like all Cybertron Deluxe figures, costs roughly $10 (give or take some change depending where you shop).

Availability

You should have little to no trouble finding this toy, as he is a fairly recent release. Wal-Mart in particular seems to carry plenty of them at every store I’ve been to.

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