X-TRANSBOTS MX-23 FIORAVANTI > REVIEW

Preamble

As far back as I can remember, I have always liked the Omnibots. Which is curious as I have never actually had any physical experienced them, that is to say I have neither owned nor played with them. There have been numerous occasion where I could have owned them when I got back into collecting, but something else always seemed to take priority. For those that may be unaware, the Omnibots were offered as a mail away promotion billed as the ‘Reinforcements from Cybertron’ in 1985. To my knowledge, these mail away figures were never made available here in the UK.

So when X-Transbots announced they were to bring the Masterpiece touch to this trio of Autobots, I wasted no time in placing those all important pre-orders. The first of this trio to arrive was Fioravanti, otherwise known to us as Overdrive. 

Box & Accessories

The usual box presentation from X-Transbots, nice glossy artwork of the character adorns the front face while we get a battle scene and Tech Specs to the rear, something we are all familiar with by now. Designated as MX-XXIII (23) Fioravanti comes to us housed in a two part plastic clam with Instructions, Collectors Card, Weapons and Blast Effects accessories.

Of the accessories, they are well made but I’m personally not much of a fan of this particular type of add-on, which is ironic given my penchant for translucent plastic. I feel they fall into the same bracket as light piping for an eye feature. All well and good on ‘lesser’ figures, just not appropriate for Masterpiece I feel.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow, but by now I think most collectors take to YouTube to watch the transformation sequences, rendering their continued inclusion somewhat surplus to requirement. Although, I do still appreciate them being there.

These point asides, not much more really to comment upon with regards the packaging & accessories.

Vehicle Mode

Transforming into a Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer the vehicle mode is sublime, X-Transbots have done a great job here reproducing such an amazing car. This will be a recurring point, but in hand this figure does have some weight to it. There is definitely a good proportion of die-cast here, of which I’ll mention more of later. In car features include; opening doors, seat and stering wheel detail, pop-up headlights and rubber tyres. But there is more, because as we all know, Overdrive is a Triple-Changer! So there is his flight mode to discuss. Much like the original, wings flip out from under the car, the bonnet lifts to rotate out the twin guns and then we have intake vents which also rotate out of the roof. Now it could be argued that Overdrive isn’t a Triple-Changer in the strictest sense, much like Tracks or even Perceptor. To this I say balls to you! There are three modes on offer, it’s a triple changer. As for the overall finish, there is a mix of painted and coloured plastics here but they match really well with little difference to note.

Transformation

Be careful… It’s X-Transbots! I’m not being mean or attempting to throw shade, but we all know how X-Transbots figures can be at times. That said, you handle him carefully and not go in ham-fisted then you will have no issues. My copy in hand is in good fettle and all joints are reasonably tight, not overtight but just enough to hold and not cause an issue. But like I say, be mindful that there are some small pinned parts that rotate so don’t force them. I’d avoid the Instructions and go view a transformation video over YouTube, of which there are a few of now at the time of me writing this review. Also please note that some parts may become loose, don’t worry as these parts are the ones that are held by small screws, which can be tightened, but again don’t over tighten as you’ll strip the threads. These points aside, it’s a good transformation and after a cfew goes, you’ll have it down good.

Robot Mode

So the robot mode in my opinion, is just as tasty as the vehicle mode. Everything folds up and away in a manner that leaves this mode looking neat and tidy. Sure, there are a few gaps here and there, like in side profile you can see the car interior on the upper torso and then from the back, the innards of the lower legs are on show. But so what? I prefer this type of aesthetic to the slavish cartoon accuracy image anyway. This figure looks like it is a robot made up from a car and not just a robot with the front of a car sticking out from its chest or feet. Ironic I know, considering Fioravanti has a car bonnet chest, rear of the car for lower legs and the car doors on the upper arms. But, it’s my review and I can talk bollocks if I want to. Articulation is good and affords a wide range of dynamic poses, of which I’m sure other better reviewers will have on show. I’m a sucker for my basic heroic poses so feel free to browse elsewhere to get an idea of what's on offer in that department. Just don’t forget to come back for the rest of my ramblings. But yeah, it’s a great looking robot with good proportions and scales well with other Masterpiece figures.

Closing Thoughts

The die-cast! It feels to be everywhere, no joke. The wheels, the thighs, the forearms, the feet and some of the panels to the back of the lower legs. This is what gives Fioravanti its heft. The paint application where it is, is great and even, no blemishes or overspray. Good articulation that enables some great posing opportunities, that die-cast helping in the balance too. 

I’ve made no mention of any negative points as yet, I do have some but they are very minor points. They are: I’d like a locking mechanism for the wheels in the upper torso when in robot mode. Also a locking mechanism for the plate the head is attached to, one for the hands as they slide out of the lower arms and finally one for the tops of the upper part of the lower leg. But this final one you could argue doubles up as a double joint for the knee to get you a more dynamic joint. That’ about it for the down sides to be honest, well for me anyway.

This figure is what I want a Masterpiece figure to be. A real world looking vehicle, a robot mode that captures the essence of the character but retaining the characteristics of the vehicle whilst remaining robot looking. Reading that back it might not make much sense but it’s the best way I can describe it to be honest. I’ll try again. To me, the current batch of Masterpiece Transformers seem to have lost that mechanical nature of a vehicle and robot. This is due to the influence of the animation models dictating the current course the line is taking. Not doing right well here am I, okay one more try…

I remember when I first got Mastermind Creations Backdraft (Inferno) from their Perfection Series line. When I opened it up and laid hands upon him, it was an emotional experience. For in that moment I was a 10 year old kid again. What MMC had managed to do, was give me as an adult what I felt to be a natural evolution of the original toy line. 

This is what I feel X-Transbots have achieved with Fioravanti, and I like it and on that note I eagerly await the remaining Omnibots.

Oh, before I head off, I'd better make mention that Fioravanti is available in various different flavours, the are; a plain yellow, a yellow racing type and a red racing type, as well as the plain red one I have.

And that’s about it. The rest you can gather from the photo’s or by heading over to Omegalock and buying one for yourself.

Right, I’m out of here. I’ve been Edd, he's been Fioravanti and you’ve been awesome for spending a little time reading my ramblings. 

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