General Information:
Release Date: February 2021
Price Point: $19.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Shared Exclusive (BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Hasbro Pulse etc.)
Accessories: Blaster, Shoulder cannon/weapon
While he is new to the Generations line, the character of Deep Cover has origins going back to the Diaclone toy line that predated Transformers. In that line, the mold that would eventually be used as Sideswipe had several decos, one of which was a black police car version of the New Countach LP500S Diaclone figure. Fast forward to 2003 and e-HOBBY wound up releasing several "reissues" of G1 figures as their Diaclone inspired counterparts. One of these was the "new" character of Deep Cover! It would be over a decade later until he received the Generations treatment via this Selects release.
Like Tigertrack, this figure is a redeco of the Siege Sideswipe figure with the addition of the hand held blaster from Siege Red Alert. Check out my Sideswipe review for my detailed look at the sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the sculpt for this release.
Accessories:
Like Tigertrack, Deep Cover includes three accessories. Two are the "rocket launcher" (non working) and "rocket/blaster" that were included with Siege Sideswipe. He also includes a third weapon: a blaster using the same sculpt as the one included with Red Alert. The result is Deep Cover having the "complete" set of weapons that the original Diaclone Lamborghini figure he is based on. The "rocket launcher" is made up of black plastic with silver paint. The "rocket/blaster" weapon is painted white. I think it is great that Hasbro put this set of weapons together for this figure. It pays proper homage to the original figure but also adds to the value of the purchase since this is a straight up redeco with no retooling.
Packaging:
Deep Cover is packaged in the standard rectangular cardboard Selects box, with one significant difference. Inside the box, the figure is not sitting in a plastic tray like previous Selects releases. Instead, this is the first release in the line aimed towards Hasbro's commitment to use less plastic in its packaging. Deep Cover is tied to a cardboard insert using recyclable string instead of plastic stretch ties. Packaging is not exactly the main selling point of Selects so I have no problem with this change, and I appreciate any move towards being eco-friendly.
Robot Mode:
Deep Cover's color scheme is quite different from other uses of this sculpt. He is mostly made up of black, white and blue plastic. The black makes up a lot of the upper body including his torso and shoulders. White is used on parts like his forearms and thighs. These colors are largely inspired by the "G1" Deep Cover figure which had similar colors, though that version used vacuum metallized silver for the arms.
Like many G1 toys, the original Deep Cover has a lot of stickers on it. The designers tried to emulate some of them with tampographs and paint on this figure. These details include a distinctive gold shield with a star inside of it on the chest and a white and red Autobot symbol on his chest. He also has red and silver paint on his knees, calling back to a sticker on the "G1" Deep Cover figure. In another callback, his feet are silver, a callback to the vacuum metallized silver feet on the original Deep Cover figure. I really appreciate the various callbacks to the first Deep Cover figure, though after this many uses of this sculpt I would have liked at least one more deco point like say, the orange dots on his feet or the blue stripes on his forearms. He doesn't look bad mind, you, but when it comes to homage details like this I take a "the more the merrier" approach!
All eighteen points of articulation are still nice and tight on this figure. All the attachment points for weapons (including the slots on either side of the head, the arms and legs) are in good shape, with weapons fitting nice and snug. I have not experienced any quality control issues with my copy of this 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:
Deep Cover's vehicle mode mostly shows off black and translucent grey plastic. Some blue parts stick out on the sides and middle, which is a bit of a shame as it breaks up the black in a way you generally don't want to see in vehicle mode. What is nice however are the details carried over from the original Deep Cover. This includes all the details from the robot torso (now the front of the vehicle) and the gold shield designs on the sides. The sides of the wheels are also painted silver, a nice touch that you don't see on every figure nowadays. Another nice touch? The rear lights are painted red, which contrasts beautifully against the black plastic. Usually Hasbro leaves the rear lights unpainted, so it's cool to see a figure where this detail is not left out. I would have liked the top of the cabin section to be painted black but given that there is an attachment point for a weapon there I can totally see why they did not do so.
The attachment point on top for weapons is nice and snug as are the ones ont he sides, so no issues there. You can still arm up this figure without a problem!
Final Thoughts:
I know it would be very easy for fans to get tired of this sculpt at this point. It has seen multiple uses as Sideswipe and then Red Alert and then other characters. That said, I have a deep affection for Diaclone based characters and this guy definitely counts. The deco is also cool in its own right. If you're not tired of this sculpt yet, this guy is definitely worth adding to your Autobot army!
Pros:
- Love the Diaclone-based deco.
- Includes all three accessories intended for this sculpt.
- Excellent Q/C with tight joints and plenty of pinned in parts.
- Fun homage to a figure and character that is fairly obscure in Transformers history.
Cons:
- I would have liked a couple more paint apps on the arms and/or feet.
