Name: Axer
Series: Generation 1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Bounty Hunter
Alt Mode: None (was a ground vehicle of some sort)
Thanks to Griffin for loaning me the Off-Road Cycle component for this review.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 10cm Width: 4.5cm
A grey figure with blue thighs and head, violet feet, arms and groin along with red eyes and mouth. Axer has some neon yellow on his chest and ankles, which is awfully bright and doesn't mesh well with the subdued but still light grey. Matters aren't helped by the bright red paint around his waist. There's a Decepticon logo on his left shoulder, which is a sticker (as they tend to be for Actionmasters). I don't think much of the colours, the bright colours just don't work well, while the violet and blue seem incongruous next to each other.
There are some yellow headlights on his chest, violet wheels moulded on the outsides of his boots and two more unpainted wheels (or wheel-halves) on his back. The antennae on his head remind me of handlebars while there's a red patch on the top of his head which could be a windshield. The boots look very much like a bike's saddle. I'm wondering if Axer's meant to be a bike with split wheels. The two pairs of lights on either side of his chest look quite car-like, making his suggested alt mode quite ambiguous. I'm going to hedge my bets and say he's a motortrike (c8
Axer's poseability is the same as every other Actionmaster - his head turns, arms rotate and legs have G.I. Joe poseability (fully poseable hips, knees bend 90 degrees). Mine (which I got second hand) has really loose hips, but I doubt this is a common thing since my Circuit is ok. The white sidegun of the bike can be used as a handgun, but Axer needs another colour like he needs that metal T-bar in his groin to snap.
Off-Road Cycle
A crimson and white dirtbike with black plastic tyres, a detachable crimson and white sidecar on the left side with a small single black wheel on the outside. There's a smoky transparent windshield, which is only about 5mm high, a silver painted saddle and some orange and yellow flame stickers. It's not a great colour scheme, although there's nothing awful about it either. Thankfully the crimson and white makes up about 90% of this bike, since crimson clashes with most colours.
There's not a lot of play value here. The front wheel doesn't move though the rear wheel and sidecar wheel both roll, although not well. There are two missiles that sit on the left of the front wheel, and while they don't fire they can detach. There's a white gun that attaches to the right side of the handlebar which can rotate to aim.
I don't really think that much of this bike, even if the bike itself is okay. The sidecar is impracticably small and I would have liked to see a moving front wheel of some sort. There is a tiny wheel at the base of this wheel which rolls, but that's not enough to impress me.
Transformation to gun emplacement is fairly simple - split the front wheel, swing the rear wheel to one side, fold out the outside of the sidecar, swing forward the tailpipes to form missile launchers, fold down the front wheelguard. Detach the missile and place them into the launchers, with the back of the saddle becoming the foot of this gun emplacement.
I have to admit, I'm rather unimpressed by this gun emplacement - it's not much more than a mashed dirtbike with some missile attached. Even if the missiles were to fire, things would be better. There's nothing inspiring here at all, sadly. The bike mode is okay, even if it's colours do clash with those of Axer himself.
VARIATIONS
None that I know of. Circuit is a repaint of Axer, with a different vehicle.
OVERALL
One of the least inspiring Actionmasters of 1990 - Axer's colours don't gel well and the Off-Road Cycle is a bit of a dud, I'm afraid. The ambiguous former alt mode doesn't bother me - thematically he's quite cool despite the mixed signals. Having he might have been cooler if the picture was clearer. Not really worth your money unless, like me, you find the robot itself for a low price - 4/10
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