Cliffbee.com Raindance Toy Review

Individual Review




Name: Raindance
Series: Generation 1
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Video Correspondent
Alternate Mode: Microcassette or Plane (depending how you look at it)



CASSETTE MODE
Height: 3cm Length: 5cm Width: 0.5cm

   A blue microcassette with silver painted sticker details on one side. Like all the other Transformer cassettes, he's got side "A" on the top right, as well as "MC60" on the top right (indicating that he's a 60 minute cassette), as well as the words "METAL POSITION" across the front, just below the tape window. There are two spool holes in this toy, with painted teeth rather than the moulded teeth of previous Autobot cassettes.

   While the painted teeth are a regression, Raindance's painted detail is better than the stickers found on most earlier cassettes, since while the foil stickers tended to peel, the paint isn't going anywhere. The bottom edge of the tape face is too plain, all he has there is the copyright stamp, and this is not a good place to put it.

   While the painted detail is better than on a lot of tape Transformers, the laziness of the copyright stamp and the painted teeth mean he's really only average, His tape mode is better than that of his partner, Grandslam.

TRANSFORMATION TO PLANE MODE

   Fold the sides down, extend the legs (of Slamdance), swing the legs right down then slide the legs back in, so that they form the wings. Turn him over, fold the grey panel up so it rests between the wings, which will expose the nose and canopy. Attach the bombs into the holes underneath.

PLANE MODE
Height: 2cm Length: 6.5cm Width: 6cm

   A very flat blue jet with grey tail section and chrome silver bombs underneath that serve as runners, on which he sits. Raindance is a somewhat strange jet - he's very triangular and the tail section is little more than small fins. The canopy is black and the nose is flatter than most of the jet.

   To be fair, it's a reasonable jet considering that Raindance's other mode is a cassette, but it's still squished and kind of boring. I do like the effect of the bombs as runners, and it's worth noting that without the bombs you still have a plane mode - Grandslam is nothing without his weapons.

   By this stage Transformers no longer sported rubsigns, but Raindance does have an Autobot symbol sticker between his tailfins. Previous Autobot cassettes had only rubsigns, without actual allegiance stickers, so it's nice he scored this sticker.

   Considering that it has to become a cassette _and_ Slamdance's legs, this is a decent plane mode, although it's fairly uninspiring. Part of the problem is that this is effectively Raindance's robot mode, and without a face or recognisably sapient form, he's a little soulless.

VARIATIONS

   None that I'm aware of. Sold with Grandslam, and pretty much always associated with him, since they combined to form Slamdance.

OVERALL

   A cassette that transforms into a jet is only ever going to have limited appeal. He's decent for what he is, but the lack of a robot mode hurts. Really, the only reason to get Raindance is to form Slamdance, and he's tricky to find, so whether or not you want to pay the going rate is up to you since you really have to get Grandslam as well - 5/10

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