Japanese import.

The joke is that he’s a Mercedes so he’s actually European.

Anyway, I got this guy thinking he was Robots In Disguise 2001 X-Brawn. Nope, I lucked out and got the Takara version, Wildride.

Honestly, which name sounds more “anime” to you? Wildride or X-Brawn? If I didn’t know any better I’d think X-Brawn would be the weird Japanese Transformers name.

How odd.

Vehicle mode

This was the main reason I bought Wildride. This is a very nice vehicle mode. It’s on par with the Alternators and Bayformers that came out years later. It’s also a unique vehicle mode. How many Transformers turn into SUVs?

I’m seriously impressed by the detail in this mode. It feels like a scale model of a car. His hood even opens and there’s a detailed engine inside! If the windows were smoked and you couldn’t see the robot mode bits inside, it would be perfect.

Wildride rolls very well in vehicle mode. Wanna know why? It’s because he’s got four rubber wheels! They’re still in good condition even though they’re almost 20 years old.

Transformation

Wow, okay. This is way more complex than you’d think a Transformer from 2001 would be. This is some ROTF level nonsense here.

It is interesting but if you gave Wildride to a young child back when he was first released, you’re a monster.

Robot mode

After an interesting transformation, you get an interesting robot mode. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very well painted and detailed but Wildride has a robot mode with some weird proportions. He’s so lanky and his lower legs are so thicc.

But obviously what’s oddest about Wildride is his jacked left arm. Seriously, it’s got two doors and the whole hood of an SUV on it. You would get hurt being punched by that arm.

Pleasant surprise on this front. Wildride is very posable. He’s got a ball-jointed head. He’s ball-jointed at the left shoulder and has a universal joint at the left shoulder. He has bicep swivels and elbow bends. His left hand is ball-jointed. Oddly enough, even though Wildride’s left arm is like that, it has more posability than the right. His legs are ball-jointed at the hips. He’s got double jointed knees as well as rotation above the second, lower knee joint. His feet can move backward.

Gimmicks

Wow, for a Deluxe figure, Wildride has a lot of weapons. He’s got an axe, a brass knuckle thing and a club.

What’s neat is there are bunch of ways to use them too. He can wield all three in his left fist or he can load up the axe or club in his right forearm. Then they can function as firing missiles. Versatile!

I guess the extra details in vehicle mode count as gimmicks. Well, Wildride has chrome rims and rubber tyres. His hood opens and he has a chrome engine.

Toy or collectible?

Collectible. Don’t give Wildride to a child.

1) He’s got an insanely complex transformation. A kid would get really frustrated transforming Wildride.

2) He’s rare nowadays. I never see him for sale anymore.

3) He’s rare, so he’s expensive. Wildride usually goes for around RM120 ($40) loose and complete. He goes for RM400 ($100) MISB the last time I checked.

The only reason I have Wildride is because I got him cheap. I only paid RM35($9) for him.

Closing

I’ve got a good first impression of the Car Robots/Robots In Disguise 2001 toyline. Even though his transformation is a headache and his robot mode is a bit weird, Wildride is still a good Transformer. He’s got a great vehicle mode and can do a lot of stuff in robot mode.

Definitely check him out if you can get him for a good price!