BREAKAWAYAllegiance: Autobots
Series: Revenge of the Fallen
Subline: Deluxe
Year: 2009 |  |
Serving in an army of robots tied to the ground makes Breakaway unique. He is one of the very few among the elite Autobot flyers, and he is unmatched for speed in a straight line. While other pilots focus on aerial acrobatics that confound the enemy, Breakaway is content to speed over a fight at seemingly impossible velocity, releasing bombs and missiles that strike their targets before the thunderous boom of his passage can catch up.
My Review:
Robot Mode: The first thing one notices about Breakaway is his unusual head placement. His head sits inside the cockpit of his jet mode, said cockpit forming the center of his torso. As a result Breakaway has a very hunchback-like look to him. Interestingly enough the head sits on a very posable neck joint, but can't move at all because it's wedged inside the cockpit. There is a relatively minor mod you can use to fix this, but as things stand Breakaway's head movement is very much restricted.
Leaving the head issue aside, Breakaway is a great robot. He is very posable, absolutely no complaints on that front, and his big feet give him a solid platform for a lot of dynamic poses. His detailing is also very good, I especially like the hands with individually sculpted fingers (though one could question the significance of him having but three fingers on each hand). I was somewhat surprised that the minigun he carries on his right arm does not shoot some kind of projectile. This is no complaint, mind you. I've just gotten so used to every Transformer above Scout-size having some projectile he can shoot, it was unexpected.
The only downside on Breakaway (if you don't mind the unusual head placement, that is) is his paint job, which is pretty boring. Beige with brown highlights. Some of his robot parts are colored a light blue, somewhat breaking up the monotony, but color-wise he's pretty blah. Not as boring as
Starscream, but still. I know that realistically fighter jets aren't that colorful, but I'd really have liked some more diversity here. Apart from that, though, a very nice robot mode.
Alternate Mode: Breakaway transforms into a Lockheed-Martin F-35, a prototype fighter jet designed vor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Now I can't tell you how close to the real-life counterpart he looks, as I've only seen a few images, but overall I must say the jet looks pretty good. Like most jet Transformers he has a bit of an undercarriage (all the robot bits have to go somewhere) but it's smaller that with many other jet modes I've seen and there aren't any robot parts visible.
Well, except one, of course. Breakaway's robot head is still inside the cockpit, visible to all the world. This, for me, is a flaw. It's a nice idea to have the head pop out of the jet cockpit in robot mode, but this is supposed to be a disguise. People aren't supposed to know that this jet is actually a robot. So a big robot head in the cockpit sort of ruins the whole purpose behind the transforming thing.
Leaving that very big flaw aside, Breakaway is an excellent jet. He's got a landing gear, nice detailing on the wings, a somewhat boring but more or less realistic paint job, and his form is a lot more streamlined than many other jet Transformers. Now if only they'd have found a way to hide the head...
Remarks: Breakaway is one of the many no-show characters in the ROTF line. One might say he had a cameo in that he somewhat resembles the fighter planes involved in the final battle in Egypt, but he is never mentioned by name or seen in robot mode. He does appear in the ROTF computer game, though.
Breakaway was among the first wave of ROTF figures available here in Germany and I bought him pretty much right at the start. It took me some time to get around to this review, though, mostly because this figure leaves me at a bit of a loss. Whether or not you like this figure heavily depends on whether you like the unusual arrangement concerning his head and torso. It took me some time and internal deliberation, but I finally fell on the side of liking him, at least when it comes to the robot mode. He's a good figure and whether or not he has a flaw depends on your personal taste. As a fan of unusual configurations, I only subtract some points for the alternate mode, which would be great if they'd have found a way to hide the head better. One of the better figures in ROTF's Deluxe line-up.
Rating: B
And for a second opinion the review by Ironhide77:
Prelude: I'm not usually a big fan of jet Transformers, since most of them have one big flaw that I can't really get past: They're a jet with a robot hanging under it or a robot with a jet hanging off his back. But to get this out there: Breakaway does not suffer from this malady that many of his peers share. Also, he's a good ROTF figure, which is far from given in this line. He didn't make an appearance in the movie, but played a part in the video game, where he served as the Autobots' sniper.
Vehicle Mode: Breakaway transforms into a Lockheed-Martin F-35, a multi-purpose fighter jet still in development, but which has already performed its first test flights. The F-35 is designed as a vertical take-off and landing craft (VTOL), a function solely depending on its swivel-mounted main engine.
How does Breakaway look? The jet is a very close match to the model it's based on. The colouring may not be fully realistic, but it's a perfect match for what we see in the game. And I like the colour patterns, too. There are no arms visible here, but all in all a nice jet mode. Especially since all you see hanging below it is Breakaway's legs, which doesn't bothe rme much, since they for a more or less realistic looking body. Some points get deducted for the head, though. It's visible all the time, sitting right in the cockpit.
Robot Mode: Breakaway makes for a good robot. His design is somewhat unusual, but in a positive way. Thanks to his big feet the figure can be balanced easily and its posability gives no cause for complaint. Only his head is immobile and always somewhat obscured by the cockpit panes. The head itself looks pretty cool, as its designed to look as if Breakaway was wearing a pilot's oxygen mask. His hands are also very nice. He carries a minigun on his right arm, which gives him considerable firepower.
Conclusion: Breakaway is a good figure without any big flaws. My version is also put together solidly and is actually painted, not just golden plastic. Everything fits together well and there are no plastic knobs anywhere. So if you're somewhat disappointed by the ROTF line so far, I can honestly recommend Breakaway, he's worth the money. I only deduct some points for the head, seeing as it looks strange in vehicle mode and can't move in robot mode. Apart from that, though, everything's just fine. So all in all I rate Breakaway at...
Rating: A-B
Other versions of Breakaway:
ROTF Thrust (2009)
Breakaway was repainted into the Decepticon Thrust, painted in his traditional dark red/brown colors.
