Review – Transformers Terradive
From the 2010 “Hunt for the Decepticons” series, this Transformers Terradive* is technically a movie-based toy, but the overall look is fun enough that I’m willing to look beyond the movie-inspired head and enjoy the transformation and poseability of the figure. It’s not perfect, but this is a clever design that works quite well.
Jet Mode
Amazing! I am a sucker for swept-forward wing jets, so I had no choice but to go with my gut and instantly fall in love with the Transformers Terradive* jet mode.
The pics above and below show the toy in its jet mode, and as you can see it’s got all of the futuristic jet-like features we could hope for. In staring at the Transformers Terradive* I find myself hoping that the Transformers Collectors’ Club will produce a version of the mold inspired by the 1986 G.I. Joe Conquest X-30 (see yojoe.com) . . . but that’s probably too much to hope for.
Transformation Design
While far less intuitive than the Transformers Generations Warpath* toy mold (last reviewed here) I must say that Hasbro’s designers were quite clever — without going overboard — when designing the transformation process for Terradive*. The forward wings adjacent to the cockpit become parts of the chest, the primary wings end up on the legs, while the tail wings are on the robot’s back.
Exactly how all of these jet parts end up where they do on the robot involves the arms folding out of the fuselage, the legs dropping from beneath the jet’s body, and the cockpit extending forward, splitting, then folding back on itself to form the jet. It’s not as much fun to work through as Warpath, but the transformation process works well and everything easily aligns and locks in place so this transforming robot is challenging but still enjoyable to play with.
I Wish there Was a Different Head!
As I mentioned — and as you can tell by the pics — Terradive* is movie-inspired so the head’s a bit bug-like and weird, not at all a robot-like head designs of Transformers Generation One. I really wish that someone would have created a replacement head for the robot, but the rest of the design is cool enough that I often forget that I’m staring at a movie toy.
Closing Thoughts
Hasbro has used this mold multiple times, so with some work you shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding Terradive* or one of his mold-mates. The two Transformers Collectors’ Club versions — Depth Charge and Machine Wars Starscream — are a bit pricier, but from what I can tell both designs are out there and waiting to be snatched.
This is only one of the three versions of the mold that I’ve got, so you can expect to see this design back again at battlegrip.com . . . and very soon. Check back tomorrow!
This is a great transformer. I can’t remember what made me buy him, because I was staying away from the movie toys for the most part, but I fell in love with him after a few transformations.
He and Cyclonus like to team up and wreak havoc among my other deluxe figures.
@clark – ” . . . but I fell in love with him after a few transformations.”
Agreed that his transformation design gets better the more you play with it. I still like the Warpath design better — I think that toy also stands easier and has better balance — but am happy enough with Terradive that I’d like to snag that Machine Wars Starscream.
The second version of this mold was a Dark of the Moon-carded Target exclusive named ‘Space Case’. This figure was cast primarily in a translucent, ice blue plastic, and though it sports the same stupid ‘glyph’ paint detail that plague many of the moviebots it also is the only release of this mold (so far) to use the alternate head.
I’m not sure how much Space Case is going for now, but if you like this mold but hate the head, you should check it out. It’s my fave.
@Todd – Fortunately, I’ve got Space Case. He will appear on the site soon. I’d also describe the plastic as “ice” and love how it looks.