eHobby Anime Streak

As a kid, my favorite Transformer was a constant source of consternation, as I'm sure he was for everyone else.  Every day, I would play with Bluestreak, and he would look like nothing like either his box, or his cartoon version.  The version on the box, as we all know, is the infamous "Blue Bluestreak", while the cartoon featured a Bluestreak that was grey with a black hood.  My Bluestreak?  All silver.  Something wasn't right.  Thankfully, 18 years later, eHobby teamed up with Takara to correct this.  What we got was a version that was closer to the cartoon version.

We'll start with vehicle mode first, since that's how he came in the box.  Vehicle mode is what we've all come to expect from this mold.  The addition of the black to the hood really makes a difference.  It stands out.  Whereas Bluestreak was painted silver, Anime Streak doesn't not feature the silver paint.  To be honest, if the silver parts where there, I think that it would have clashed with the black.

Here's a comparison shot between Anime Streak and Bluestreak to drive home the differences in the paint applications.  And to show the shoddy condition of my Bluestreak. 

My Streak has a few issues.  As evidenced in the photo above, there are scuff marks of some kind on the rear windows.  This was a sealed specimen when I received him, so I think that this is just a Q/C issue.  Speaking of Q/C issues, I have a bit of a major one, in my opinion.  It's referenced a bit in the picture with the scuff marks, but here's a picture with a bit more detail.

The passenger (well, in the U.S., anyway) side door doesn't close.  There's something wrong with the hinge.  I'm sure it is probably an easy fix, but I'm afraid of ruining it more by attempting to fix it.

Here we have the two Streaks side by side.  The decals are the same for both releases, with the only difference being the "Fairlady" decal on Bluestreak's chest.  The black makes a difference.  As does the lack of paint on Anime Streak's face.

The red on his crest really stands out.  They look like they're glowing.

The great thing about Anime Streak?  The missile launchers that actually launch!  I can't even believe how happy that made me.  The missile launchers were swapped just so I could live out the fantasy of having a Japanese Bluestreak.  Man, it's nice.

A couple of scuff marks and a door that has too tight a hinge, I think I'm pretty happy with Anime Streak.  Now I need to decided if I'm going to break down and get Road Hauler or just dream about him.  Clamp Down is a no-brainier, and is easily available, but Road Hauler?  That dude is just ridiculously expensive for some reason.