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Human Defiance Barricade


Yuyuyami

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I found this guy today at Target, along with Mindwipe, who I'll be reviewing later.

 

HDarricade is an oddity among the HA line in that his transformation is extremely close to his Deluxe counterpart, so much so that HDarricade feels more like a streamlined and more well thought out version of his Deluxe toy, as opposed to being an entirely new design, like most of the HA figures are. This is a GOOD thing, because the deluxe toy had a great concept, but was poorly executed, whereas the HA figure is well executed, though the legs require a simple mod to avoid sucking. I'll get into that when I talk about his robot mode specifically.

 

 

Alt Mode:

 

HDarricade's police car mode is my favorite of all the HA figures so far: It's made from the same silky, sturdy plastic that HAmblebee and HAks are made from and, unlike HAks, its paint scheme makes it look like a model instead of a neon kid's toy. The police car itself, though, is also to the most solid of the HA cars so far. None of the transformation parts shift or wiggle and none of the plastic is unsupported, which is in drastic contrast to HAdeswipe, whose alt mode bends and shifts from simply being held. The interior is the most clean of all the HA toys, as well. Both seats are identical and there're no robot parts between the seats. And finally, HDarricade rolls extremely well, which surprised me, considering that his rear right wheel turns into a spinning blade of death gimmick, which, by all normal conventions of Transformers, should have killed the wheel's ability to roll.

 

HDarricade's alt mode itself is good enough to justify purchasing him, so it gets a solid 10/10.

 

Transformation:

If you've ever handled the Deluxe Barricade figure, then you know how this guy transforms almost exactly. However, with HDarricade, the transformation isn't frustrating or overly simple. There are enough extra twists and turns that makes him MUCH easier to transform and give him that extra depth that the original was missing.

 

His transformation is fun and intuitive, so it gets a 9/10, with a point knocked off for the grill not deforming as much as it should.

 

 

Robot Mode With Hip Mod:

 

HDarricade's hips each have a piece of plastic that keep them from going straight out horizontal, which means HDarricade's legs have the Marvel figure hip syndrome. The solution is to simply shave or dremel the pieces of plastic away. Once this is done, you'll have an excellent figure that can pose well and look intimidating.

 

With the Hip Mod, HDarricade's robot mode is a little shorter, but he can actually stand without looking like he's sitting on an invisible chair after having been kicked in the nuts. HDarricade is intimidating. His open/close mouth gimmick make it look like he's screaming all the damn time and his huge frame makes him more massive than HAmblebee, albeit a tiny bit shorter.

 

HDarricade has some interesting poseability, but once you get used to it, like with Animated Swoop, you'll come to understand its genius. The only exception are the hinges right below the elbow: Each arm has this hinge, but only the saw arm can use it and it completely kill the elbow articulation. I suppose it could be there simply to make the transformation easier, but I can't tell.

 

The most impressive thing to me about HDarricade's robot mode is how impossible it looks for him to be able to transform. He looks like a big revoltech instead of a Transformer, especially with his saw hand, which is menacing to the extreme. The only part that gives it away is the roof of the car that hangs off his back.

 

With the mod, this is an excellent, though not perfect robot mode. I give it an 8/10.

 

 

Robot Mode Without The Hip Mod:

Without the hip mod, the robot mode will frustrate and annoy you. There's really no purpose in writing more about this, since you're going to do the mod anyway if you get him. Just accept the mod as part of owning the toy and re-read the above section.

 

I give the robot mode without the hip mod a (Why the hell would you NOT do the mod)/(DO THE GODDAMN MOD). It's that damn bad.

 

 

Overall:

 

If you've done the mod, you have a wonderful figure that will delight you for years! The average score for this figure, assuming the mod has been done (HA! As if someone WOULDN'T DO IT) is 9/10 and that is just right. If you don't mind shaving away a tiny bit of plastic, there's no reason not to get this guy. If you're against shaving away that tiny bit of plastic, then let someone else get this guy while he's still hard to find.

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Yea, I just bought the last one at a local New Jersey Walmart.

 

And I did both the hip mod and the waist mod. You might as well do both while you have the crotch open...

 

Even though his upper thighs do move up and should make him shorter, you can "straighten out" the many bends in his lower legs to actually make him stand up taller... Just trim off the grey nubs on the inner thigh connectors. And shave off a bar on the waist connector for 180 degrees waist rotation.

 

 

Decent figure. Nice size and conversion is pretty straight forward. I'm not a big fan of the spinning blade arm. Only becuse it is too long and makes his long arms even longer... Like giving a tall person platform shoes and a top hat.

 

Details are great (as always for movie figures). Paint apps are OK. The head is great, but I still believe more paint could have used on the arms, neck and legs. Oh well, looks like I'll touch him up with my paint pens...

 

I could care lesss about Frenzy or the human figures.

 

Car mode is super sweet and the front "arms" are such a sweet touch. Nice job Hasbro!

 

 

Score: (w both mods) 8 / 10

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I got mine tonight at a local Walmart. He's a great figure. I haven't done the mod yet, but I intend to soon.

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