Landmine

Height: 13cm to top of head in Robot Mode; 8cm to top of body, 15cm front-to-back in Vehicle Mode.

Articulation: 13 joints in Robot Mode: swivel neck; 3 joints in each arm- double-jointed shoulder, ball-jointed elbow; 3 joints in each leg- ball-jointed hip, hinged knee, post-knee swivel. Various other joints associated with other modes.

Accessories: Missile Launcher, Cyber Planet Key (Earth Planet).

Colors: Molded yellow, brown, pearlescent blue-gray, black, and clear blue plastic. Painted red, silver, black, orange, metallic purple, white (Autobot symbol detailing), chrome silver (Earth Planet emblem) and sky blue (eyes).

Release Data: Released late June/early July 2005 with an MSRP of $9.99. Still widely available as of this writing (September 20th, 2005)

Gallery: 7 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

Formerly introduced in Transformers: Energon, Landmine was one of the niftier toys in the line. Eschewing the ability to Powerlink with other Autobots, Landmine instead had a detachable base which doubled as armor for his Brute Mode. His recolor Landquake is still available as of this writing, very likely at clearance prices, and I'd classify them both as Very Good.

That tangent aside, the Cybertron incarnation of Landmine is seemingly supposed to be the same character, though there aren't really a lot of similarities. Simply put, the new Landmine's Vehicle Mode is not nearly as unique as the Energon version, though he does have some interesting features of his own. Also, having been knocked down two price levels, he's considerably shorter. Neither of these factors makes him a bad toy, though, as you'll see.

Vehicle Mode

Unlike the unique truck mode that Energon Landmine sports, Cybertron Landmine becomes a very recognizeable bulldozer. I don't believe he's based on any known model- though I may be off-base there, seeing as I'm far from well-versed in bulldozer design. However, he's close enough in design to many existing models to live up to the "Robots in Disguise" tagline.

Landmine rolls smoothly, having four big wheels and a smaller set of guidewheels on his feet. The scoop is articulated- being attached to the arms as it is- and can raise and lower relatively well, though the transformation mechanism for the arms causes the fists to poke out if the scoop is moved too far in either direction. There's a hardpoint on the rear of the Vehicle Mode to mount the missile launcher (though it kind of looks odd to have it there) and each rear wheel has a slot for a Cyber Planet Key.

Paint and Detailing

Landmine is fairly well-decorated- almost all his parts are molded in the intended colors, with paint reserved for detailing. The red highlights break up the yellow nicely. Also, the scratchy silver highlighting on his scoop is a nice touch- it looks pretty much as if the yellow "paint" has been scraped away from use. The only flaw with the paintjob, and it's a minor one, is that the paint on the lower legs doesn't quite meet the center seam on my figure.

Vehicle Mode gets 8/10

Sculpt and Deco gets 8/10

Robot Mode

Landmine is a good bit shorter than Hot Shot, but he's also thicker and more solid-feeling. Also, his arms are a good bit better than Hot Shot's- for one thing, his arms swing outwards without having to swing his shoulders up. For another, the demands of the transformation give him a little bit of forward shoulder swivel in much the same style as modern Mobile Suits in Action. The ball-jointed elbows work as well as ever, and the scoop-halves on his elbows stay out of his way for the most part.

As usual, Landmine features ball-jointed hips and hinge knees. He also features post-knee swivels which, coupled with his broad feet, allow a bit more range than Hot Shot is capable of. However, there are limits, as like most Transformers he lacks ankles. Overall, he's about average for his price class in terms of articulation, and an average Transformer is not a bad thing to be.

One small feature I'd like to bring attention to: in Vehicle Mode, there are a pair of small gray plates on either side of the cab of the bulldozer. In Robot mode, these swing down, revealing a hidden centerplate as well. Together, these all define Landmine's waist and lower torso nicely. I'm not even sure why I like it, except to say that it's a neat idea.

Robot Mode gets 8/10

Accessories

-Missile Launcher

A pretty nicely-detailed but otherwise standard piece. If it's supposed to look like something other than a missile launcher when attached in Vehicle Mode, I'm not sure precisely what. It fits both hands and hardpoint neatly, though the peg's a bit shallow for my taste.

-Cyber Planet Key

Landmine's Key is that of the Earth Planet (seriously, that's how it's written on the cardback). The Key is blue with a sunrise design on it. Landmine has a slot for his CPK on each of his rear wheels, and when the Key is inserted and turned, saw blades pop out. When they're in the correct position, a small flywheel allows you to turn both saws at once.

In Robot Mode, these aren't all that useful, being on his back as they are. In Vehicle Mode, he's supposed to face backwards once the buzzsaws are flipped up into position. The addition of the missile launcher completes Landmine's Attack Mode. I feel this is a much stronger use of the CPK than Hot Shot got, and a third mode is definitely the kind of thing I'd like to see it used for on future Transformers.

Accessories get 8/10

Closing Remarks:

Landmine works well as a toy, and does at least put you in mind of his previous incarnation. He's as well-articulated as any other TF in his class, and the accessories, while not all that extensive, are standard for the line. His Cyber Planet Key feature is definitely his most distinctive feature, and to my mind the best part of the toy.

I paid about $1 above MSRP for Landmine, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I think it's a reasonable price for a Very Good toy. In my opinion, Cybertron is off to a solid start.

-RAC 9/20/2005