Transformers Arms Micron: Medic Knock Out AM-13

When it was first announced that Takara Tomy's version of Transformers Prime would be including Microns (Mini-Cons) I was ecstatic. Then it was announced that the premium paint apps that we've come to expect from the Japanese line would be replaced with stickers I was horrified. Funny I say that because here I am with yet another Arms Micron review. In fact, I've imported more of this line than I ever expected.

The Arms Micron line is hit and miss in my opinion. Some of the Microns are fantastic while others are a so-so at best. Some figures have horrible stickers to apply (Gaia Unicron) while others apply easily and add a nice touch. I know that some collector's hate the added Micron ports to the figures. Knock Out was one of these that I heard people scream "foul!". For whatever reason Knock Out was released much later versus his U.S. TF Prime counterpart. This gave me a chance to compare and contrast and see which version I wanted more.

I opted for the Arms Micron version for several reasons. First and foremost was for the basic colors. Hasbro added some gaudy darker red w/ silver paint apps to the side of the car that I just didn't care for. This detail on the Japanese version are stickers so you can decide what look you prefer. The second reason I opted to import was the inclusion of an awesome looking Micron, Gra. Hasbro did include a nice spear type weapon like he uses in the show, but Gra transforms from a crab to a staff weapon for crying out loud!

Medic Knock Out comes packaged in the standard deluxe sized box using a mixture of CGI graphics and toy images. With the odd shape of the boxes it makes storing them an issue as they don't stack well (at least not standing vertically), but it's still a beautiful packaging job.

Right out of the box and Knock Out looks like an only Revell model kit. Bland, bland, bland. Thankfully the included stickers dress up this alternate mode quite nicely. You can see the added Micron ports added to the sides and on the hood. I don't mind these added pieces, in fact I actually prefer the look of the port on the hood as it looks like an engine block.

Looks much better now, right? Well OK, maybe the silver door stickers aren't for everyone, but at least it breaks up all the red. I am happy to report that most of these stickers are cut to the right proportions and apply very easily. The head and tail lights bring some much needed detail to the front and rear of the car. Sadly though the rear window is still solid red plastic. Wonder if ReproLabels will cook up some sort of upgrade set?

I think I got his transformation right. His chest area gave me a few issues, but this looks like the gray images used on the instruction sheet. Overall I really like the robot mode, although his arms being composed of windows isn't the best looking design that I've seen. In addition to the previous stickers we've looked there are a few added stickers to leg / knee area. These stickers have that chromed look and again help bring some detail to the "sea of red plastic".

Please keep in mind that I lack the imagination to come up with creative poses to show off a figure's articulation - so here you go. I do like the fact that the ankles are on ball joints allowing good stability of the figure in certain poses. Knock Out features standard articulation in the areas you expect - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, thighs, knees and the aforementioned ankles.

Like with every other Micron in the Arms Micron series, Gra has to be assembled. At first I really hated this, but the more and more of these that I've built the more I look forward to the building process. Gra was no exception. The only complaint I have with Gra and the other Microns are the super tiny stickers. Thankfully most of these were easily applied and shouldn't give me any problems in the future (fingers crossed).

Keeping in fashion to the weapon Knock Out uses in the television show, Gra transforms into a staff type weapon. I'm guessing the crab claws are supposed to double as blades, but it looks like a giant cattle prod to me! Looking at the weapon alone it looks odd, but it fits oh so well in Knock Out's hands.

After fiddling around with this figure for the review I've really become fond of the mold. While I was disappointed with the recent news that Smokescreen wasn't getting his own unique mold in favor of this mold being re-purposed for the character; I feel better about the upcoming release the more I interact with Knock Out.

If you are still in the process of assembling your ultimate Transformers Prime cast of characters and can afford the mark up of the Arms Micron version, then do yourself a favor and pick up Medic Knock Out. He oughta look really good with his fellow Arms Micron release and cohort Breakdown.  I would've shown them together if I hadn't been so lazy and actually opened Breakdown!