Purchased at: Wal-Mart
Price: $9.99
I wasn’t going to get this one. Like Grimlock and Astrotrain, I only sort of liked this figure but I not enough to warrant a purchase. However, I was feeling low and needed a fix and decided to pick it up.
Vehicle Mode
Mirage takes the form of an F1- or Indy Car- style car like his G1 counterpart. Classics Mirage also brings to mind Energon Prowl with an enclosed rather than open cockpit. However, Mirage’s vehicle mode is much sleeker than Energon Prowl’s. The vehicle mode is extremely well done. Mirage has his traditional number 26 and even uses the same font as his G1 figure. The homage doesn't stop there. Witwikcy Sparkplugs are seen as a sponsor on Mirage’s rear spoiler, and Lithonian Drivetrain seen on the front spoiler. In all, this vehicle mode is VERY well done, which is commonplace for this line of figures.
Robot Mode
Looking at the intial pictures of this figure, I wasn’t really crazy about it. It looked like a stickfigure to me, much too skinny. However, I’d heard that it had excellent poseability, and I always liked Mirage’s character (the reluctant hero always appealed to me for some reason). Again, I was on the aforementioned "low" (see this plastic stuff IS addictive), and I’ve reached the point in my life where I don’t sweat a 10 dollar purchase-on-a-whim. Let me say that pictures of this figure do NOT do it justice. It is an excellent figure. I’d say that aside from Optimus Prime, it is arguably most well-done Classics figure in the line. It is certainly the most poseable. The elbow actually has two different joints so you can pose the arms anywhere from fully extended to bent 180 degrees (arm bent all the way so that you can touch your shoulder with your hands.) The legs are nearly as poseable, and the waist is capable of being rotated 360 degrees so poses are nearly limitless. The ONE flaw I can find is in the head, and this is not the designers fault so much as it is the design of the head itself.
The designers retained G1 Mirage’s "helmet" design (the helmet flares from top to bottom where it is at its widest). The result is that the head cannot be turned side to side with also being tilted forward. Minor, MINOR complaint. I've even come to accept the fact that Hasbro is not including a visible faction symbol on this line (even though a big red Autobot symbol on this figure would have been awesome.)
Final Verdict
This is probably the best basic price point figure ($9.99) that I’ve seen in the Classics line so far (I only lack Grimlock). If you have ignored this line up to now or if you have been on the fence about Mirage, give him a try. This is a MUST HAVE for just about every Transformers fan.
UPDATE: Just showing off the Geewunny stickers I got from Reprolabels.
