Switchblade. Switch. Blade. This is another figure that I never had as a kid. I remember going to some jumble sale in one of the local villages, can’t have been much more than 5, and being presented with an option of a Switchblade, or a Skywarp. I chose the Skywarp of course because Transformers will always be the superior toy line, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a damn hard decision.
30ish years later and here we are, I recently picked up my first Switchblade and it is indeed a thing of beauty.
Miles Mayhem’s first ride and mainstay of the cartoon series, Switchblade can convert from a jet to a helicopter. This always seemed kind of pointless, why have two air modes, why not a ground and air? But whatever, I guess the jet was for those high-speed escapes when the best plans inevitably failed.
Looking at the toy, there were definitely some compromises made on the jet mode, no real way of standing it, it just has to lean over a bit. It also suffers a bit from a weirdly shaped cockpit area, but well, don’t we all..
The helicopter, however, is a thing of beauty. Great proportions, nice landing skids so the thing will actually stand upright. The tail fin is an odd touch but it somehow works.
The colour scheme is great, navy blue, I guess some kind of airforce reference, and nice red detailing. I’m a big fan of the chopper, and to be fair, once you get the jet posed correctly, it does look pretty streamlined.
Like most MASK vehicles, the conversion from mode one to two is pretty simple, couple of button clicks, folding away the rotor and then clipping it in to place, but it’s fun. And intuitive. This is a toy that kids and bigger kids would love playing with. I know this because my 5 year old son constantly steals all my stuff, apparently he doesn’t have enough of his own..
Right, here are some pictures of my kitchen, with Switchblade included for funsies.