A Concise Review of ROTF Rollbar In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Scout/2009.

Modes: Robot and Delivery Truck.

Transformation Style: Shellforming with Automorph.

Play Patterns: Basic robot and car.

Points of interest: Very possibly based on an early Optimus Prime design. Reminiscent of the Machine Wars Hoist/Hubcap mould.

The Good

Resembling Optimus' illegitimate son in robot mode, Rollbar has a fairly heroic robot mode, and a somewhat novel altmode. The first delivery truck in the brand, he appears to toting off-brand energy drinks, and you have to give him points for style. There's also real distinction between each modes, the robot form being hyper detailed in comparison to the vehicle mode, which in itself has all the detailing it needs. He can even attempt an opening-chest-for-the-matrix pose, revealing otherwise hidden elements. The overall engineering meanwhile is extremely simple for its day, and does not share ROTF's reputation for overly complicated transformations. At this size, its a plus.

The Bad

While simple is good on a scout toy, Rollbar is a true shellformer with a spring-loaded chest plate, which is a nuisance to deal with sometimes, and can come off. The engineering results in some fairly big flaws in both modes, such as a big hollow in the robot mode, and many hinges in vehicle form. More pressingly, as with most ROTF scouts, Rollbar has no accessories, nor capability to wield them.

The Mediocre

Largely everything, taking into account his overall size and asking price. Rollbar doesn't do too much wrong, but outright successes are a bit thin on the ground. Articulation is decent at 11 points, although the overall design doesn't lend itself to dynamic poses. The delivery truck rolls well enough, but that's it. His overall appearance is nice on balance, especially if you aren't that fond on the bayformer style, but the shell kibble does annoy. 

The Alternatives:

Armorhide, available in the Cybertron line and as a 2007 exclusive version, has a comparable “tiny-not-optimus” vibe, and is a better toy overall. Also consider any similarly-sized version of Optimus Prime.

The Verdict

Rollbar is an inoffensive also-ran. There's almost nothing exciting about him, and there's certainly more interesting toys of similar vintage. But he's not terrible, and doesn't actually do anything bad on the grand scheme of things. Yes, he's a shellformer with no weapons, but these weren't uncommon problems back then, and he isn't the worst offender. If you see this fellow for a fiver, you'll get your money's worth, but if you don't like the look of him, save your cash.