Cliffbee.com Godbomber Toy Review

Individual Review




Name: Godbomber
Series: Japanese Generation 1
Allegiance: Cybertron
Function: Armoured Warrior
Alternate Mode: Road Convoy Trailer



TRAILER MODE
Height: 13.5cm Length: 21cm Width: 10cm

   A silver & shiny grey trailer, with black, red & blue bits, Godbomber's basically an extra trailer for Super Ginrai. The bulk of the trailer is grey, with red fins on the sides, blue fins on top, a big black missile launcher on top (with a chrome silver missile), and a shiny silver front, with a black hook to attach him to Super Ginrai.

   Godbomber has six wheels, two at the front and four at the back. He rolls fairly well, despite the small size of the wheels compared to the trailer, though he wont roll very far due to the weight. He has Autobot/Cybertron symbols on either side, and headlight stickers on the front. The front has three windows in it, combining these with the front wheels and headlights gives Godbomber the appearance of a standalone vehicle - even if it does look like a shipping container on wheels (c8

   Despite the rather odd look of this vehicle mode, and the fact it's fairly dull, it's Godbomber's better mode. Keep in mind it's really designed to complement Super Ginrai rather than be a standalone vehicle.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE

   Take the trailer apart and reassemble it, basically. The silver front pops off, to become the back of the robot, the blue bits on top pop off to become the arms, the top becomes the chest and the two sides the legs. The only transforming to do is pop the head up from the chest, swing the feet out of the legs, and swing back the red fins to form the shoulders. Place the missile launcher on his left shoulder, or in either fist.

   The transform is very disappointing. There's more assembling than transforming. Unlike some similar TFs such as Omega Supreme, it's not a very satisfying transform.

ROBOT MODE
Height: 25cm Width: 16cm

   Godbomber's robot mode is primarily grey, with the outer thighs & arms blue, red fins on his shoulders, and a black missile launcher. His head is black with a silver face and yellow eyes. The shiny silver has pretty much disappeared, since it's all on his back now.

   He's got an Autobot symbol on his chest, and fairly good facial detail. But he's got very short thighs, arms that are very hollow looking, and big featureless shins. The missile launcher works pretty well, and fires a fair distance.

   Perhaps the biggest downfall of Godbomber's robot mode is it's lack of stability. The back has a tendency to fall off, it's not well secured to the chest. The arms fall off easily, and the lower legs suffer the same fate. For some reason the missile launcher's post is very short so it falls off easily too. Of course the arms and lower legs can move as a result of being mounted by posts, so he does have some posability. The other noticeable thing is that he's hollow and very light for his size.

VARIATIONS

   None as such, although he has been released twice, in 1988 and again in 2001 as a Generation One re-release.

OVERALL

   In 1988 Godbomber was sold both in a giftset with Super Ginrai and by himself. In 2001 Takara didn't bother issuing him (or Super Ginrai) separately. Why anyone would buy this toy by itself is beyond me - while it's not a total waste of time, Godbomber as a stand alone toy is quite frankly not worthwhile. He's big but his transformation and robot mode are bad and his vehicle mode is not all that much better. I like him, but I appreciate him as part of God Ginrai as a set, not as a toy in itself. As a standalone toy, Godbomber gets a 2/10 - although it's certainly cool as part of God Ginrai

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