Review – Impossible Toys’ Medic

Impossible Toys has released some real hit and miss toys over the years. I love their entire Quintesson series (Prosecutor review here, Scientist review here, Executioner review here), and pieces like their Alicon (review here) are incredible, but then we get some weaker designs like this Medic that bring down the company’s average. A repainted and unofficial Transformers Arcee, the Medic has a decent enough transformation that works well for G1, but there are enough issues that I won’t recommend this to anyone.

Packaging

The box is nicely designed with a large illustration on the back very reminiscent of the Transformers Generation One box backs that I used to stare at for hours. I love that Impossible Toys put the energy into showing off their toys in this manner and I’d like to see more third party manufacturers create similar paintings for their product lines. It’s a tiny thing, but it’s one of the nicest parts of the entire toy.

Vehicle Mode

A futuristic racer, Medic is about 4-inches long in vehicle mode and looks okay. The car’s an open-top two-seater, even if one of the seats was loose in the box and had to be glued into place. I like the shape and design of the car and if I had the pink version of this toy it would make a nice Generation One-styled Arcee. If it wasn’t for the plastic.

Cheap Plastic

The first real problem you run into when handling Medic is the cheap-feeling plastic. The toughness makes me think this is ABS, but the thinness and low-quality of the pieces makes me think that some real corners were cut when this toy was manufactured. The plastic has a brittle-feel to it and simply holding the toy has me worried I’m gonna snap something . . . and that’s before I even get into moving the cheap joints.

Robot Mode

Right around 5-inches tall, Medic is sized to fit in nicely with “Deluxe” Transformers. The design is okay, but something weird about the left hip is blocking the movement and preventing the leg from transforming nicely into place. (Pic, below.) A lot of people will be upset with the fact that the car basically folds up on the toy’s back — the legs form the rear fenders and the hood forms the chest, but everything else is hidden under the car — but I really think the transformation works if you plan to display this with classic 1980s Transformers toys.

Articulation

Swivel-hinges dominate the toy’s articulation with shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle, and neck joints all working neatly if feeling like they’re about to break. And the swivel at the neck is so tight I dare not touch it again; I swear I could feel the plastic starting to give as I turned the neck to one side. Again, plenty of articulation for a 1980s-styled toy; more than enough if you compare it to other Transformers toys from that era.

Paint

Splotches of green paint in the wrong places make this feel even cheaper, especially when combined with the brittle plastic and the splitting seams (look at the upper arms in the pics). The paint is simply okay and slightly worse than we get from most mass-market action figures, but all of the negatives add up to make this a bit of a disappointing toy.

Closing Thoughts

I’ll recommend the Alicon and Quintessons, but there’s no way I’m recommending Impossible Toys’ Medic to anyone. As if all of the problems I’ve already mentioned weren’t enough the transformation to robot mode doesn’t quite hold up and the toy’s back like to unlock and bring the entire thing crashing down at random moments. This one is not worth tracking down or grabbing no matter how cheap you find it.

Philip Reed has been way behind on reviews this month. Please forgive him.