[Toys] Transformers Reveal The Shield: Perceptor

• Images provided by Seibertron. 

Got this from Jin Saotome over on Twitter, woot woot!

Perceptor is one of my favorite characters simply for the fact that I enjoy what they do with him in all continuities. I've been wanting this toy since it was first revealed to us and I'm glad to have this scientist on my desk.

Perceptor in his G1 namesake was a microscope. Since those unusual alt modes don't fly so well these days (or maybe they just think a giant robot turning into a microscope is sort of silly...) he has been turned into a truck. Not just any truck though; A Research Truck! With TREADS. It looks awesome to say the least. And despite the use of treads it still rolls pretty well, with faux wheels on the bottom.

I really dig this alt mode. Being someone who isn't a huge car buff, it's nice having something sort of out of the norm, like a futuristic vehicle or a vehicle with a little something extra added to it such as this. I also really love the shade of red they went with, it's right up my ally in terms of tint.

As is typical of Hasbro to do with their "Classics" toys such as this, they've inserted random text onto the toy as some sort of reference. In this case, his license plate reads MR 51409 - The exact significance eludes even the Transformers Wiki. There is a theory that it's someone's birthdate, but as far as I can tell from searching for answers, no one is entirely sure. Perhaps once we know, I can edit something in here.

Robot mode on this guy is good, but the journey there was not a quick one. Some of the transformation is pretty clunky and it's definitely one of the more complex ones I've had to do in recent days. But the payoff is gorgeous.

When I first saw pictures of this guy, he seemed clunky and stumpy, but of course, you can't trust the initial stock photos. He's fairly thin in appearance - fitting of the character I'd say - and also has tall thin legs. Remember to pull the legs out all the way for that effect!

Perceptor resembles his G1 self VERY heavily despite being an entirely different alt mode. All the colors are there too, right down to the chrome! I wasn't expecting chrome. The dials on his forearms also come with C-clip mounting points, which is a nice subtle way to continue that weaponry gimmick.

The drawback to being part of a line without a major gimmick is that he doesn't come with much in the way of features. Reveal The Shield is all about rubsigns from the 80s, and - surprise! - Perceptor is an Autobot. His shoulder scope has an extending missile-esque fixture, but no launchable missiles surprisingly, you'd think they would've jumped at the chance. Good on them for resisting. It also features an admittedly pointless display screen that flips up.

Perceptor in the comics is a sniper now, but he lacks a weapon suited for it. Some theorize that Blurr - who normally has no guns - was given a rifle specifically so you could use it for Perceptor, as shown above. I lack Blurr because I don't like him THAT much, but I do have a sniper rifle which came with Recon Ironhide which will suffice. The way his hands are shaped makes it a loose fit but it works.

Overall, Percy is awesome. His transformation could've been much less of a hassle, but the look of both modes makes up for it. If you're one of those guys who buys two figures for the sake of having them stuck in one mode, that's definitely recommended. But otherwise, if you're willing to go through with it, just pick up one for now. You may be seeing this particular mold be used again in the future.