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The Alternators line got off to a great start with Smokescreen. The second release was Sideswipe, later remolded and released as the Decepticon Dead End. It seems Hasbro could not get the liscence to produce Lamborghini alt modes, or possibly they just chose not to, so instead Sideswipe has become a Dodge Viper. Certainly appropriate given that the Viper is essentially the American answer to Italian sports cars.

Let me get something out of the way before I go into too much more detail here. I don’t like the Viper alternator Mold. The robot mode is stock and goofy looking while the vehicle mode just tends to be bland. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t really like convertibles. Evidence of this shines through with Dead End, whose vehicle mode I absolutely love, though it’s a simple remold of Sideswipe’s which I don’t care for. Its not truly horrible overall mind you, but it is certainly one of the weaker molds of the Alternators line up so far.

With that said, I’ll continue with a bit more detail for Sideswipe. As stated before, he is a Dodge Viper convertible. The primary body color is red with black interior, a good choice of colors, reminiscent of the old G1 colors of the character. Unlike Smokescreen, Sideswipe is less disguised as he features a large Autobot insignia on the rear panel behind the seats. Silverstreak had one on his license plate but it certainly was not as dominant as this one.

The interior is nicely detailed with a few silver colored details on the vents and a few gages. The seats do not adjust like they did in the WRX mold but that’s pretty forgivable. It’s likely they only moved on smokescreen to accommodate the transformation anyway. Like all Alternators (so far) Smokescreen does feature working doors. He also has working steering on the front wheels, though it’s not connected to the steering wheel.

Transformation is actually pretty simple. Going back to car mode takes a little finagling with the doors connecting to the front and rear properly but it’s not difficult. The end result… isn’t as bad as I was thinking it was, but it’s still not quite as good as it could be.

I suppose my biggest complaint about the robot mode is the articulation. I realize alternators are not exactly super-poseable, but the limitations here, especially in the legs are just a bit much. Especially compared to other Alternators in the line. It’s not so much that he can’t kneel but more than he always looks like his knees go side to side. A lot of this has to do with the enormous heel spurs and calves I imagine. The feet can only get so close together before they get in the way of each other.

The robot mode also has trouble holding its gun a bit. It also doesn’t exactly evoke the Sideswipe of Old. The torso ends up looking more like Sideswipe’s brother Sunstreaker. There is however a “fan transformation” floating about that makes the toy look considerably more Sideswipish.

Speaking of Sunstreaker, I suppose it’s time to move on to Dead End. It seems part of the premise of the Alternators’ story is that the Decepticons use “stolen Autobot bodies”. Dead End for example, would be the spitting image of Sunstreaker if done up in Yellow instead of Black. It certainly would make a fitting set up given that Sunstreaker was sort of a “supped up racing Sideswipe” in his G1 vehicle form.

The mold changes for Dead End are rather extensive in vehicle mode and do wonders to improve the coolness of the mold. For starters, Dead End features some nice ground effects that make the car look a lot more sleek. The hood features a few more vents as well. The rear of the car no longer looks like a bland round bubble but features an angular more squared off edge and a nice looking spoiler. The most significant change is the new hard top. In general the new effects make Dead End look like one evil car.

The transformation is the same more or less as Sideswipe’s for Dead End. The hard top roof folds up into the previously empty backpack created from the trunk of the car. Due to the hard top removing the rear dash panel, Dead End has a slightly different looking chest than Sideswipe and also features a new head. As mentioned before, the new head is the spitting image of Sunstreaker.

Still, calling him “Stunticon” may have been a better choice. He’s Dead End in more or less name only. His alt mode would be better suited for Break Down, who like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker was originally a Lamborghini. However his black with red windows color pattern is lifted from Wildrider. That covers 3 of the 5 Stunticons right there. It’s almost like the designers couldn’t make up their minds.

Since the time this review was originally written and concerned only Sideswipe and Dead End, Dead End has been recolored and released as Sunstreaker. It is essentially the same toy with Yellow in place of all the Black parts. It generally looks nicer than Dead End but since the Autobots severely outnumber the Decepticons I’m tempted to recommend Dead End over Sunstreaker. Still, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker look exceptional next to eachother, especially if one goes so far as to modify their Sideswipe so the trunk becomes the chest.

Overall I’d say this is one of the weaker molds for the Alternators run. If you’re strapped for cash I’d recommend picking up Dead End over Sideswipe, though Dead End tends to be really hard to find. You might also consider just passing on this one if you’re not trying to complete the set.