[Transformers] Takara Masterpiece Lambor G-2 Ver. (MP-12G)

I've never been much of a fan of the Autobot cars in general. I know, I know, they're sort of the backbone of the G1 line when you think about it and in the beginning it was how you could tell the good guys from the bad guys. So when Takara started releasing Masterpiece editions of the various signature cars from the G1 line, I wasn't particularly interested.

But then I read about this G-2 version of Sideswipe, released as Lambor. And I have to admit, I was curious. I was a big fan of the Generation 2 comics - I guess at the time I bought into how they were all edgy and violent and all that great 90's stuff. And although the comics only lasted a short 12 issues, it still told a very compelling story that had Simon Furman's signature all over it.

The Generation 2 comics had a very distinct visual style that was typical of the period. And to have a figure that tries to capture this crazy, over-the-top look so well, it was hard to resist.

Takara Transformers Masterpiece Lambor G-2 Ver. (MP-12G) is a retool of Masterpiece Lambor (MP-12) depicting the G1 Autobot Sideswipe. As the name implies, his vehicle mode is modeled after a Lamborghini Countach LP500S.

Straight out of the box you can immediately see some of the differences compared to the original Masterpiece Lambor. Beyond the obvious element of the color swaps to black and red, he features a ridiculous  number of weapons, meant to capture his Generation 2 comic book armament. And as this was a 90's comic book character, the weapons are pretty larger than life.

And when you start arming this badass version of Sideswipe, the results are pretty awesome. He has that distinct Yaniger-snarl firmly in place and a lot of the detailing is pretty awesome. Right out of the box, he's already an impressive figure before you add in all the decals and stuff.

The sticker sheet includes decals to copy either his Generation 2 comic book appearance or his Generation 2 toy configuration. If you've ever seen Generation 2 Sideswipe, then you'll realize just how much neon green can exist on a single figure. Personally I aimed to emulate his comic book version since it did sort of drive the reason why I bought this figure to begin with.

In terms of his transformation sequence, it's actually not all that complicated. Then again, the early Autobot cars were somewhat no-brainers since they all followed a sort of general formula in terms of how they were transformed. And this figure nicely tries to follow that pattern with only minimal embellishments for added sophistication.

In vehicle mode, all of his crazy over-sized weapons combine into...whatever this is supposed to be. This monstrosity of a weapons engine only has one true function - to look fairly badass. And I suppose in that regard it achieves its goals. And yes, the blade does have notches built into the mold, to show just what a tough guy this version of Sideswipe is.

On the whole, Lambor / Sideswipe is a nicely solid Masterpiece figure and a fun addition to any collection. And if you're a big Generation 2 fan like myself, then you'll definitely have to pick this guy up to add him to your Masterpiece collection. And he rates a solid 4 90's tropes out of a possible 5.