Beast Mode:
In beast mode, Skyshadow combines elements of a dragonfly and a lizard. Although he appears to be mainly ground based (as indicated by his four lizard legs), kids can imagine him as a flier on Megatron's team as well! His color scheme is made up of several colors. His main body, upper legs and tail are green while his lower legs and head/neck area are dark blue. Bright orange patterns surround his eyes and run down his neck and backside. The "dragonfly wings" and frill on his head are a nice translucent orange color. Although the color combination sounds a bit garish, it actually works well. The orange is a nice contrast to the otherwise very dark and dull greens and blues.
This beast mode has a surprising amount of poseability. As a beast, Skyshadow has seventeen points of articulation which include his beast mode mouth opening and closing, wings moving and legs with ball joints. This beast mode is well detailed with lots of scaly patterns molded into the plastic. The two wings which sweep out towards the rear tail in this mode can open and close by use of a small peg on the top of the back. Push the peg back and the wings open, push it forward and they close. The long, smooth tail design harps on the dragonfly aspect of this design. A nice feature of this beast mode is that you can flip it over and the bottom of the beast mode still looks very "creature like" rather than just revealing nothing but robot parts. Now flip up the wings on front of his chest. Very nicely done beast mode.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
To begin the transformation to robot mode, first lift up the middle piece on the beast mode back connected to the wings sweeping to the rear. Next, flip up the tail and pull down the beast mode head. Next, straighten out the rear beast mode feet to reveal the robot mode legs. Then fold down the front beast mode legs and then swing the upper chest down to align the arms properly. Now swing up the head and tighten it up by inserting the peg on the tail into the hole in the back. On the right arm, swing the beast mode head back to reveal Skyshadow's three claws. The robot mode is now complete.
Robot Mode:
Skyshadow's robot mode looks much more organic than mechanical. His color scheme remains the same, except much more coloring and detailing can be seen on his lower legs, mid body and head. Most mechanical details seem concentrated on the legs where mechanical parts and apparent "hydraulic" parts reside. As a robot, Skyshadow has fifteen points of articulation In this mode, Skyshadow has two primary weapons. One is built into the left arm which is the same action feature that can be used in beast mode. Pushing the tab at the end back and forth opens and closes the large claw. The other action feature is based in the head. The head has a missile which mounts through the mouth. Pushing the missile from the rear launches the missile fairly well without a spring.
Good detailing, a creepy beast mode and an almost even creepier robot mode distinguish this Predacon as one of the most scary looking. It's great to have two action features in one deluxe and the level of poseability just adds to the fun. Skyshadow is recommended. A
Updated Thoughts (February 13, 2022):
Looking over my old review of this figure, I really have nothing to add. This figure is a triumph of design, engineering and deco. The sculpt has a ton of detail including scales, bumps and other organic details. The action feature works to this day and is really neat. All this with a wonderfully creepy look in both modes! If you can get your hands on this figure at a reasonable price, I absolutely (still) recommend it!
