[TFW2005]

Originally posted by: Sol Fury @ TFW2005.com

Quote:

We are now proudly sharing with you a gallery of the recently released Transformers Generations "Thrilling 30" Autobot triple-changer, Sandstorm! Sandstorm is a heavy remold of the previous wave's Springer, and we do mean "heavy remold" in every sense of the expression, thanks to a lot of remolded parts and a complete new backpack section with a new tailfin and the toy's signature VTOL fans. It is, quite possibly, the single most ambitions remold seen on a Transformers toy yet.

Sandstorm's three modes are all very well realized. VTOL Aircraft mode is a complete different mode from Springer's helicopter; the twin fans give the vehicle a unique look (plus, it's not the kind of alternate mode we often see on a Transformer, which is a plus). Dune Buggy mode makes use of those fans as huge rear wheels and the new tailfin gives the cab a bit of an armored look, which makes for an interesting car mode. Robot mode is the one that most closely resembles Springer - if you ignore the twin fans giving Sandstorm a rather impressive backpack. While nice looking, the fans do cause a few issues with stability - though to the designer's credit, Sandstorm can still hold most poses fairly easily. The tailfin officially sticks up, behind the head, in homage to how the Generation 1 toy was designed - but in a stroke of genius design, you can easily fold this part down into a more discrete backpack if you don't care for the choice.

In short, everything about Sandstorm comes up trumps, with the sole negative point being the way the backpack makes it a little hard to balance the toy occasionally. The deco is well-realized and nicely homages the original, the vehicle modes are both fun and interesting, he feels like you're buying a new toy rather than a remolded Springer, and you get a fairly substantial Autobot for your money. To top it all off, he was designed by the awesome Transformers comics artist Nick Roche!

Open the link below to check out our gallery:

Generations Voyager Sandstorm Gallery

Original Source: TFW Generations Sandstorm Gallery @ Transformers - TFW2005.com.