Today's post topic happens to be one of my favorite Transformers from the Micron Densetsu / Armada series...but I'm not sure why. Today we take a look at Stepper (MC-10) or better known as Side Swipe in the West.
When I decided to dip my collecting toes back into the Uniron Trilogy waters, I thought I'd go after the versions of certain characters that I didn't own. While I imported a decent amount of Superlink / Energon items and dang near the whole Galaxy Force / Cybertron lines, I didn't pick up much of Takara's Micron Densetsu figures. Of course I'd be lying if one of the reasons to go for the Japanese import is for the inclusion of the bio trading card. Stepper, along with a few others from this series will be the subject of the next update to my side project, the
Transformers Bio Card Database.
I've always been a fan of Takara's packaging and the layout for Micron Densetsu is a perfect example of why. The box for Stepper is very reminiscent of the style box used for the original Autobot carbots from Generation One, complete with a large logo right in the middle of the box flap. The bright red used for the majority of the packaging I'm sure helped the boxes stick out in a crowded sea of toys. Not only is there some great box art on the front of the packaging, but a large bubble to see a good portion of the toy.
On the backside of the packaging you've got a transformation sequence of sorts of the actual toy, again a throwback to the G1 days. Smaller windowed images show off some of the features of the toy as well as the included Micron figure, Cher/Char. The bottom half of the bottom of the box showcases more of the Cybertrons and Destrons in the series in a versus type layout.
On each side of the box you have either an image or a full body image of Stepper.
I'm not sure if Stepper is modeled after a real world car or not, but he's vehicle is my favorite mode. According to the
TF Wiki, the car may have taken influence from a Nissan Skyline R32 or a Nissan Silvia S13. The car is cast in a beautiful shade of blue with translucent amber windows. The front grill and bumper were painted flat gray with the headlights painted silver. The Armada version's headlights were painted yellow. On the back of the car you have the large tail lights painted red with some silver paint on the top of the spoiler. The wheels are plastic and the 6 spoke wheels are painted silver and look fantastic.
Looking at the vehicle from the front you can see Stepper's head "peaking" through from the inside of the car. While this may bother some people, I'm fine with it. There are three Cybertron/Autobot insignias on the front of the car, two smaller ones above the front wheels and a larger symbol on the hood. On the back of the car you'll find a small yellow button on the left side. When pressed this activates a spring loaded section in the middle where his Micron buddy can hide (see below) via a 5mm port. When the symbol on the hood is depressed, the front portion of the car extends out. The purpose of this "mode" is one that I've yet to discover.
The one gripe I have with this mold is that some of the panels/pieces don't always want to stay clipped together very well. This seems to be a issue with the mold itself as my original Armada Side Swipe had some of the same problems. Other than that, I think this is a beautiful vehicle mode and probably one of the reasons that I'm still seeking out this toy's repaints.
Oh boy. Here we go. The transformation from vehicle to robot is fairly simple and intuitive, but as you can see the robot mode is "kibble-tastic". Stepper suffers from huge forearms, which are the front halves of the car. This limits the amount of articulation in the arms at just the shoulders and elbows via ball joints. The legs also look awkward and are virtually a brick. His waist is rather wide with the legs just hanging off the sides. Stepper can perform a pretty good split, but that is about the range of movement his legs are allowed. If the legs didn't already look weird, there are the two pieces of the car's roof section that literally hang off the side. In between his legs you also have the portion of the back window section where the Micron figure is stored.
One cool aspect of the robot mode is the ability for his weapon to be stored via two 5 mm ports on leg kibble bits. Stepper comes with a small pistol with a removable bayonet. It's a rather nice weapon, too bad Stepper can't really aim his weapon however!
Char (or Armada Nightbeat) is an odd Micron figure. Like with Stepper, the vehicle mode is rather nice. I'm not a motorcycle aficionado, but I do find the alt mode to be rather nice looking. Whether or not it's modeled after a real world model, I have no idea.
Does this even count as a robot mode? While I love the majority of the Micron / Mini-Con figures that have been produced over the years, I can't say this one is my favorite. While the alt mode is pretty great, this robot mode is pretty horrible. I like how the exhaust pipes become the legs, but the whole upper body and the lack of real arms or hands just doesn't do it for me. This one will be displayed in my case in vehicle mode (same with Stepper).
This isn't the best toy in the Micron Densetsu / Armada series, however for some strange reason I still like it. The vehicle modes for both Stepper and Char are pretty great, but the robot modes do require some special love. The kibble and lack of articulation are enough to turn off most fans, but strangely enough here I am giving this toy is own dedicated post. I'm even still searching out the two repaints featured in the Universe series as well as the Armada version to round out all the versions of this mold. This one isn't for everyone, but it's just quirky enough that I like it.
