General Information:
Release Date: August 2021
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Walgreens Exclusive (with limited quantities sold on Hasbro Pulse)
Accessories: Blaster, Rocket Launcher, Rocket
Official Product Information in italics below from Hasbro Pulse:
With the ancient and highly advanced F.O.S.S.I.L. (Fossilized Osteo-Skeletal Shield Integration Loadout) technology, Fossilizer bots, infused with primordial energy, break apart to weaponize their allies. Use Deluxe Fossilizer figures to beastify the Red Alert figure with bone armor! (Sold separately, subject to availability.)
This G1-inspired toy converts into Earth emergency vehicle mode in 17 steps. Comes with a lightbar that attaches to the vehicle mode, shoulder mounted rocket launcher, and particle beam blaster accessories. Combine the particle beam blaster and lightbar to form an axe weapon accessory!
Includes Transformers Generations War for Cybertron: Kingdom Deluxe Class Red Alert figure, 3 accessories, and instructions.
- Worlds collide when the Maximals and Predacons join the fight, coming together with the Autobots and Decepticons in an epic battle that will alter their destiny forever
- Unleash the primal power of the beasts with the ancient and highly advanced F.O.S.S.I.L. technology. Sentient Fossilizer bots, infused with primordial energy, break apart and weaponize their allies. Use Deluxe Fossilizer figures to beastify this Red Alert figure with epic bone armor! (Each sold separately, subject to availability.)
- This G1-inspired Red Alert toy converts from robot mode to Earth emergency vehicle mode in 17 steps
- Comes with a lightbar that attaches to the vehicle mode, shoulder mounted rocket launcher, and particle beam blaster accessories. Combine the particle beam blaster and lightbar to form an axe weapon accessory!
Ages 8 and up. Warning: Choking Hazard - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Backround:
In early 2021, news leaked online that the Walgreens chain of stores would be receiving a new exclusive figure: Red Alert. However, there was never any official announcement. Then in August 2021 he suddenly popped up on the Walgreens site, however he was never in stock very long (fans have told me he was in stock for about 24 hours). Hasbro Pulse listed the figure briefly but sold out within 24 hours. For the next year or so, store sightings were sparse and by Q2 2022, Walgreens had taken the listing for the figure down. Then suddenly in August of 2022 the listing went back up, though the item was out of stock. A couple weeks later it came back into stock and as I type this in September 2022 it is still available! I speculate all the Pandemic related supply line issues contributed to this odd release.
This figure is a redeco and retool of the Kingdom Sideswipe figure which featured Sideswipe in his "Earth Mode". There has already been a Siege Red Alert showing off his Cybertronian form, so this makes perfect sense as a follow up. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
Red Alert is packaged in a standard Kingdom style box, complete with an angle on one side and the Ark/Volcano background. Red Alert himself is shown in both modes. The front shows him in vehicle mode charging into battle while the side shows his robot mode wielding his axe weapon. The back of the box shows Red Alert in both modes and calls out a 17 step transformation. Like other Kingdom releases, there is a stylized Autobot symbol above him and his vehicle mode is set on a graphic that looks like some kind of portal.
Accessories:
Red Alert includes four accessories, all of which originally came with other sculpts:
- Rifle: This rifle is the same one that came with Siege Red Alert, Deep Cover, Tigertrack and Kingdom Sideswipe. This time out it is cast in black plastic with no paint details.
- Rocket Launcher: This non-functional launcher is the same one included with every iteration of this base design since Siege. This piece is made up of black plastic with no paint applications.
- Rocket: The actual rocket is the sculpt used with Kingdom Sideswipe which lacks the peg from the Siege version of the rocket, giving it a more streamlined appearance (but taking away its ability to be held as a blaster by itself).
- Lightbar: The lightbar included with the figure is the same one that was included with Siege Red Alert. This piece is translucent red plastic with some white paint. This has a peg on it that allows it to attach to the top of the vehicle mode and to the rifle to form an axe weapon.
All these accessories make Kingdom Red Alert one of the most complete versions of the "Lamborghini Autobots" and I'm happy he has all these accessories.
Robot Mode:
This version of the "Lamborghini Autobot" sculpt features several new parts. Here's a rundown:
- Head: Red Alert features a distinct head sculpt. I am pretty sure this is the same head sculpt as the one used on Siege Red Alert, but while staring at it I would swear there are very slight differences between the two (mostly in the size of the "chin" piece) but that could be a result of paint applicaton differences. The most notable difference in the sculpt from Sideswipe is how high the "horns" on top of the helmet section go. This is based on the G1 animation model's head and it looks great. The helmet section is painted red while the face is painted silver. The eyes are metallic blue.
- Chest: The panel that makes up the torso and the front of the vehicle mode. This piece is much smoother than the Siege version. It is designed to resemble the front end of a Lamborghini Countach LP500S and definitely evokes the G1 animation model.
- Back: The back piece is entirely new, featuring some mechanical detailing behind the windshield piece similar to the details on Earthrise Sunstreaker's windshield.
- Back of the Legs: The pieces that form the back of the lower legs are new, resembling the rear portion of a Lamborghini Countach including layered panels in the middle.
While Red Alert already made an appearance in Siege, the colors on this version of the character are quite different. Siege Red Alert had a lot of white plastic and black, which fit with the kind of drab theme of the war weary bots in Siege. This version however is meant to be more influenced by the G1 cartoon model, so the white is brighter, the black panels on the legs are now grey and the elbows, forearms and thighs are all a bright red color. There are still black parts including shoulder joints and the waist area, but the are bright and contrast beautifully against the red thighs. The chest features an Autobot symbol and a shield symbol with the letters "F" and "D" flanking it (referencing "Fire Department"). I really love how the colors on Red Alert pop. They're visually striking and for those wo didn't like the "dirty" aesthetic of Siege this is a nice, clean contrast lacking in "battle damage" paint.
All the joints on my copy of Red Alert are nice and tight. The weapons all attach without a problem and hold on nicely to the figure.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing open the front panels on the lower legs.
- Swing the feet up into the lower legs.
- Rotate the waist around.
- Swing the front of the vehicle mode up.
- Swing the arms up.
- Swing the small panels on the back panel out.
- Swing the lower legs up over the thighs, then swing the lower leg panels back into place.
- Swing the arms down, then swing them up at the elbow.
- Swing the fists inward (but not all the way).
- Swing the arms into the bottom of the vehicle.
- Swing the flaps on the sides down.
- Swing the panel from the mid-body of the robot mode down.
- The weapons can be attached to the ports on the sides and top of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
Red Alert's vehicle mode is where his new parts really come together. The front end now loks like a sleek, Earth-based vehicle while the back has layered panels that look very similar to those on a real life Lamborghini. The back even has angles that come very close to the real life vehicle but there is one big omission: a spoiler. The design of the vehicle features grooves that clearly indicate where a spoiler could have been attached, but this appears to have been abandoned during the design phase. My guess? This was due to a combination of cost and risking potential licensing issues by having the vehicle look too much like an actual Lamborghini.
This vehicle mode could have easily been rather boring since the primary color is white. However, some of the black plastic parts from the robot mode peek through here and help break up the white. There are also parts like the vents on the sides painted black that further offer up some color variety. Add to that the red on the lightbar and hood and you have a really striking looking vehicle.
Final Thoughts:
Kingdom Red Alert has had a weird road to being widely available, but I'm so happy he is. He's a fantastic figure and between having all the accessories associated with this base tooling and a fantastic deco this is a must have for your collection!
Pros:
- All the new parts are really beautifully sculpted, coming very close to the real life Lamborghini design.
- Includes all the accessories intended for this sculpt.
- Excellent deco.
- Despite going through many reuses, the base tooling appears to be holding together well.
Cons:
- Obtaining this figure was a tad challenging for a while, but he's readily available at the moment.
