FansProject Intimidator: Down Force

Apparently, Down Force is the second member of the Intimidator group to be released, not Last Chance, to correct a previous mistake. No matter; regardless of release order, Down Force is the FansProject stand-in for Dragstrip, the loveable psychotic six-wheeled race car member of the Stunticons.

Down Force is the most stylized figure in the set, which on the whole is one that takes some liberties at times while playing it totally safe at others. But Down Force is a real and absolute departure not only from the original character or toy looks, but also from the rest of his teammates. The shoulder pads come together via the folding of front end car parts, and the shoulder mounted headlights are an interesting look. Not a totally uncommon or unique one, but a real touch of sophistication that one does not generally expect from a Stunticon, which, while all cool looking cares, are not the most stylish of robots, generally speaking. This great difference of Down Force caused a little bit of a stir when the set was seeing its original release, as at the time the Third Party scene was trying far more than it currently is to produce figures that were obviously inspired by official product and characters, but were different enough to make a claim of “we weren’t trying to copy your IP” seem relatively legit if push came to legal shove. Compare that approach to the almost stunning proximity Third Party figures occupy to official designs these days, and it does seem odd that a company would go as far as FansProject did with Down Force to cook up a totally new appearance. Back when, many collectors didn’t take too quickly to what is sometimes described as being the more anime influenced look of this figure, and some felt that, along with Last Chance, Down Force did not fit well enough with the more standardized Car Crash and eventual repaint mold mate T-Bone, or the fairly restrained team leader Diesel.

But the difference works for some and doesn’t for others. While nowadays, there are several companies producing versions of the same characters or teams, at the dawn of the scene there were only a few companies that were in operation at all, and the choices amongst products were a little less extensive. Feels strange to say that now, as there are two or three Third Party Menasors either on or coming to the market.

In robot mode, Down Force is a good looking fella, reminiscent of the Cybertron era of Hasbro figures, visually at least. The chest looks very Cybertron Scout class figure-ish, which is a fine aesthetic. This is kind of an interesting aesthetic choice, as FansProject as a company got their start making add-ons for Hasbro figures, really making a splash with their Blast Off and Swindle figures for Hasbro’s Energon Bruticus, so out of necessity working with that general look. Down Force is the only figure on the Intimidator team that leans into that look, which make him stand out amongst his peers as well. Last Chance does somewhat delve into this overall scheme, but not nearly as much as Down Force.

The robot feet are small, narrow purple planks which often have difficulty supporting the figure. Balance is achieved via the rest of the bottom of the leg, but the feet don’t help at all. Once the legs are arranged in a fashion that makes them support a standing pose, there’s not much of an issue, but they are something of an afterthought to the design. The head is pretty cool, again different from the head of the G1 character, but it works very well for this incarnation. The blaster is, as they all are for the set, a fairly nondescript little plastic block, again working well enough but not anything to get charged up over. Overall, posability is fine, but the shoulder pads are a bit fiddly and so require adjustment after moving the arms so as to keep the shoulder together and looking good. A tab or something to secure the pieces would have been nice. In terms of the paint, Down Force seems to be more orange than yellow, which gives a little separation between he and the original as well, as G1 Dragstrip was a more solid yellow.

Transformation is easy but a little fidgety, again due to the shoulder parts, which make up the front end of the car in a pretty futuristic sports car way. Bearing some similarity to a real world car like the Prowler, it’s an interesting car design, and contributes to this aura the figure has of being the “interesting one” in the set. That’s a very nebulous concept, but you know what it means. Every set of figures has that one that just seems more intriguing than the others, and that makes that figure the one that is harder to put down or get your mind off of than the others, no matter how good those others are, or whether the “interesting one” is the best of the group or not. Down Force just kind of has IT.

The car mode itself is very cool, eliciting a real concept car vibe. If the front end parts do not line up and tab together just right, the car will be uneven and all four wheels won’t touch the surface the toy is placed on. It’s not hard to get things to plug together fully, it’s just touchy, as the tabs have a tendency to pop out of their slots and the wheel guard parts come unfixed at nearly any provocation. But if all is lined up correctly, Down Force is a stunningly cool vehicle. The idea behind the concept car alt mode here may be related to the notion that the original Dragstrip, the six wheeled race car, was itself some kind of experimental or concept race car, which would make Down Force follow a similar path; although if that sounds like too much of a reach to be true or believable, that’s fine as well. It seems like one of those things that superfans or someone trying to find meaning where there’s not really anything solid would piece together, making sense but not always fitting into the parameters of what some of us would consider plausible. For the record, it is an idea that does find some degree of support around these parts, but if it turned out to be untrue, no feelings would be hurt or counterarguments would be launched. The translucent blue plastic of the cockpit is really eye catching, too.

This was the first figure of the set that got any attention when the set was obtained, so there may be some bias to consider there, but Down Force is a good figure, and probably the personal favorite of the group. He’s not the best one, not due to faults or flaws but to the truly outstanding nature of the Car Crash/T-Bone mold. Nevertheless, Down Force is a strong and cool entry in the group, and despite being pretty old and limited by the current standard of 3P figures, a worthy addition to a collection.