That said, one caught my eye last time I was in Forbidden Planet - Ghost Rider. I'm a bit of a closet fanboy for the character (I even liked the movie...the first time I watched it, anyway), and in the packaging, it certainly looked like Hasbro had stepped up their game with this toy. Let's see if it lives up to those good first impressions, eh?
Lookin' good...
You can probably already see why I bought this one; there's an obvious connection between character and machine. Of course, it's an obvious connection - Ghost Rider's famous for his bike, so let's have him turn into his bike! - but it's a damn sight better than any Venom-into-a-hotrod schtick this line has otherwise pulled. Not to mention, it's a pretty good likeness for the cycle driven by Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider, albeit with a touch of the movie-style bike mixed in.
Comfy!
A little detail I love to see with Transformers are touches that make the vehicle mode seem more like something that could actually be used by a human - steering wheels, opening passenger doors, etc. The Marvel line hasn't seen a great deal of that up 'til now, but the sculpted padding on the seats here is a step in the right direction.
Not something you want to see in your rear-view mirror.
Not much to say about this shot, I just love how they got the classic 'shield' on top of the forks.
Yes, we can see you behind there.
Well, there had to be some problems somewhere...the designers couldn't find a way to stow the head away inside the torso or anything, and the strange sliding joint on the neck (which tries to make the head slide in under the shield) doesn't quite work as well as they may have hoped, leaving the flaming top of the head quite visible. Dang. At least it obscures the face.
Something tells me this thing isn't a hybrid.
Unless it runs on a combination of brimstone and sinful thoughts.
It's a Hell-Cycle, it needs massive exhaust pipes. Also note it's got two wheels at the back rather than one - clever way of giving the bike enough stability to remain upright without a kickstand. Rolls along the floor quite smoothly, too.
I didn't bother taking any photos of the transformation, because...well, I tend to make an arse of doing that. My fingers aren't as dextrous as they were when I was 12 or so. That said, it's a lot simpler than pretty much any of the movie-line TFs, albeit still with a few joints that you'll wind up pulling free by accident and will have a devil of a time getting back into the original position. But with a little bit of luck, within a couple of minutes you'll end up with something like this...
RARGH!
Not bad, right? Okay, so I'd prefer him to have two functional hands rather than one plus a giant wheel, but it's hardly a deal-breaker (and not the first time I've encountered such a thing with TFs). Besides, there's more than enough cool details present in this mode to overlook that.
"Look into my eyes!"
I love the head, I really do. Rather than just directly copying the regular Rider look, they used a little bit of imagination and went for a sorta flaming Terminator look. I'd say it reminds me of the '2099' future Ghost Rider except it's actually much cooler than that spindly-fingered lump of silliness.
Possibly the only Transformer who could disguise himself
simply by going to a Judas Priest gig.
I don't think the normal Ghost Rider has skull-shaped kneepads but, dammit, he should, if this is any indication. No idea how this guy can stand on legs made of pure fire either, but...uhm...it's hellfire so it's magic and stuff. Yeah. Magic fire legs. There's your excuse.
"Frank Castle is dead. He died with his family.
Also, I'm not him."
Yeah, that torso seems awfully similar to a certain other Marvel anti-hero to me...admittedly, I wouldn't be too keen on a Punisher TF that changes into a bike (he should, by rights, become his old Battle-Van) but I'd be very surprised if Hasbro don't go ahead with the idea anyway, 'cause boy do they love repaints.
Few people get to see the Ghost Rider turn his back and leave.
Mostly because, by the time he leaves, everyone is dead.
Just so you know what the other side looks like. The legs do 'flare out' quite a bit, a la G1 Grimlock, but it doesn't totally ruin the look, and gives him a nice steady base for poses. Certainly, it's a much less cluttered back than most movie figures.
"Okay, Cap, you grab the other end, and Tony, get ready
to start skippin'!"
Nobody likes a Transformer without weapons. Hell, nobody likes a superhero that doesn't fight, either, so it's just as well Hasbro remembered to arm this guy. First and foremost is his signature chain, one end of which fits into his hand nicely. It's quite flexible, though the weighted 'mace' bit at the end makes it arc downwards most of the time. You can still make it work for battle poses, however.
Also, the 'mace' can plug into the side of his big orange hand-wheel, which does...
This!
Buzzsaw, baby! Okay, maybe the teeth don't extend as far as I would've liked, but it still looks like a saw, right?
All in all, I've been very impressed with this figure. His articulation's pretty decent by TF standards, his weapons are cool, his design is lovely, and I haven't given myself an ulcer transforming him. The quality of the plastic does still feel a little cheap (perhaps because it's too shiny?) and his sliding neck joint can make getting his head in the right position a bit of a pain, but those're faily minor niggles, and I'm confident in saying this is by far the highlight of the Marvel TF range. Because it's the only good one.
Rating for Ghost Rider TF: 8.5/10
"ACK! Megatron never mentioned the Autobots had one of...of...
...whatever this is!"
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