By: Saber   

SabertronToys@aol.com

www. SabertronToys.com ~ Website Coming Soon: May 25th 2009!

     Well, it looks like the rumors are true.  After hundreds and thousands of blog entries, & countless hours of sitting around talking Transformers at campouts, the truth about Silverbolt's “alternative mode” have been revealed.  Oh, and for those of you keeping score, Darkwind is an homage to a Generation 1 figure called, Darkwing, which when combined with Dreadwind, forms Dreadwing (whew).  With that being said, Silverbolt's "South Beach Metro Repaint," Darkwind, "comes out" in a time where an "alternate mode" lifestyle is more acceptable than it was back in the 1980's when the original Silverbolt, with those curiously questionable, iconic lips were first molded.  "Darkwind's" new paint job is an eyebrow raising, pastel purple, mixed with shades of pastel blues, with a strike of pastel yellow, and yes, even some pastel grey!!!  Hasbro must have worked overtime coming up with this color scheme...  My guess is that Hasbro got so bored collecting the thousands of shipments of Toys R Us Exclusive Silverbolts that sadly either went unbought or were crushed on display shelves by those 50 lb white elephants also known as Unicron!  Anyway you slice it, Darkwind's Silverbolt mold remains exactly the same, so if your a big fan of the first one, you'll be a fan of this one...but you may have trouble finding shelf space for him (on purpose).  Mojito’s anyone?



     MOLD – Darkwind’s jet mode is a sporty SR-71 Blackbird look which makes him pretty realistic.  His legs blend right in and almost magically disappear when in jet mode, but his arms, on the other hand, are not easily explained as they remain popped out with some silly little wings to make them look more official.  Attention electronic fans, Darkwind is chalk full of Buzzes, Blips & Bulbs!  Although I'm not a big fan of electronics on any of my Transformers, anytime you can make your bot make a "Transforming" noise during Transformation, I'll make a seriously big exception.  Darkwind is very easy to transform and I found the "Transforming" noise very delightful as his eyes glow red when converting him to robot mode.  The rest of the electronic s lights (turbo thrusters) & noises, (shooting / thrusting), I could do without, but if your a fan of electronics, SR-71’s or G1 Darkwing he's for you.



     COLOR – Fans of the G1 Darkwing, he’s baaaaaaaack!  Personally, I like my color schemes to be identical to what the bots alternate mode is supposed to look like.  For example,  a police car is supposed to look like a police car, ala’ Barricade, a planet that devours other planets is supposed to look like a planet that devours other planets, ala’ Unicron, and so on.  I've never seen a pastel fighter jet, but at the same time, I've never looked for one either.  They must be parked at the Transformers Cantina on South Beach?  Nevertheless, if you see Darkwind in the skies above you, fear not, it could just be the Utah Jazz’s new team travel jet!



     POSEABILITY – I love me some head turning bots!  Darkwind has the ability to "look where he shoots."  His arms move nice and freely which is very helpful when posing him on your shelf.  Darkwind’s major obstacle is that his legs have to stay a little past shoulder width apart to keep him from falling over.  You can blame the Martinis from Club Cybertron if you want, but don't wait for Darkwind to stand straight when he's hungover either.  If you move any one of his legs 2 "clicks" forward or 2 “clicks" back, Darkwind's disco tech at 6:00am alternate mode kicks in, and you'll have to call him a cab.




      WEAPONS/ACCESSORIES –Darkwind comes with a rifle that has some sort of a triangular base that shoots out a pastel blue “Electrostatic Bolt!”  His rifle connects underneath his cockpit in alternate mode, perfect for blasting  your unsuspecting sibling our spouse!  With all of that being said, I am a fan of weapons that shoot, but Darkwind’s gunlooks more like Neptune’s Triton as opposed to a rifle.





     SABER’S SUMMARY – If you’re a completist, like I sadly am, you will collect all 3 versions of Transformers Classics Universe:  Silverbolt, Henkei: Silverbolt & Darkwind.  In my opinion, if you had to choose one of the three, pick up the Henkei:  Silverbolt version for the simple fact that his paint scheme is a much better representation of the Generation 1 Silverbolt.

Stay Tuned for Saber’s Next Review:  Transformers Animated Samurai Prowl!