Landmine

When you think of military ground transport, you think of Humvees. But Hummers aren't exactly the exotic vehicles they once were, thanks to GM's oddball insistence on marketing them as civilian vehicles, so how do you make a bunch of Army Rangers look unique while riding down the road? Throw them in some kind of new military transport. Brought to life by the AllSpark pulsewave released during the final battle against Megatron, Landmine is still learning what it means to be an Autobot. He is content, however, to continue his work with the humans of Sector 7, even while Ironhide trains him in the finer points of robot combat. He enjoys the excitement and intrigue of working as an agent in a super-secret organization. Knowing that what he does not only keeps the humans safe, but also protects his fellow Autobots brings him great gratification. So I guess Stockade isn't the only Transformer parked in the Sector 7 motor pool. Wonder if they know each other are there? Maybe they get into fights late at night when everybody else has gone home. Then people come in the next morning and can't figure out why everything's been smashed to bits. Landmine is some kind of armored dune buggy thing - in military jargon, a "Desert Patrol Vehicle." In fact, he's based off a specific DPV, the one that carried Captain Lennox and the others to Mission City. Same number and everything. Since no major liberties were taken with the design of the vehicle to avoid licensing fees (such as with, say, Longarm or Arcee), that makes Landmine the only movie-inspired character whose vehicle mode is a fully accurate re-creation of the vehicle he's supposed to be. The vehicle is 5½" long and impressively detailed. The armor plating has all been riveted on, the roof-mounted gun has three points of articulation, and there's a roll cage protecting the passenger compartment. They even included the two cryo-tanks in the back, which Sector 7 uses to freeze any N.B.E.s they find. Though I suppose technically, Landmine would have to freeze himself. All four wheels turn freely, and they also have individual springs acting as shock absorbers - possibly a first on a Deluxe class figure! His bluish color is very nice, and his decorations have all been painted well. Transformation is good, with plenty of bits that are just complex enough to be challenging. His arms, for instance, are folded into the body of the car very specifically. The legs fold out of the back, and the hood becomes his chest. It's not the most innovative design ever (since it's shared by about, oh, 90% of the car-based TFs), but why try to fix what isn't broken? He stands 5¾" tall and moves at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, thighs and knees, plus he has four joints in each hand! That's thumb, fingers and two more! Landmine's proportions are good. His upper legs may be a bit skinny, but that's it. The DPV's front wheels move in toward each other to keep his chest from being too wide. His arms have a nice bit of plating on them, and his feet are cleverly made from the vehicle's cryotanks and rear wheels. His face seems to be covered by a cage-type mask - like a hockey goalie or a baseball catcher - and he has two pairs of eyes behind it. You can either leave his gun mounted on his shoulder, or have him hold it in his amazingly articulated hands. A lot of times you find a Transformer that looks pretty cool in the package, but you get it home and open it, and you're disappointed. That definitely isn't the case with Landmine - he looks pretty cool when you see him, but when you start to play with him, he's even better. This guy may not technically be part of the movie cast, but he's one of the best Transformers of 2008.

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