Comparative Review: Henkei Skyfire vs Universe Treadbolt

Today's comparison takes things up to Voyager Class and the oft repainted Classics Jetfire mould, taking form in this instance as Henkei Skyfire and Universe Treadbolt:

 Cow Nostrils versus Unsubtle Defence Force

The standard modes of these large aircraft differ not only in colour, but in 'feel'; Skyfire has a smaller cockpit and a definite 'space' aesthetic, looking like some kind of high altitude fighter or orbital craft. Conversely, Treadbolt has a colour scheme inspired more by the 'Blue Angels' stunt flyers and a full-sized cockpit making his alt. mode look as if it is a different scale to Skyfire whilst being the exact same size.

 Put on your fighting trousers!

In their powered up attack modes, both aircraft look utterly stunning! Personally I think that Treadbolt has a more unified look whereas Skyfire looks like his weapons pack has been...err...bolted on. Treadbolt looks more aggressive and fast, Skyfire looks more like a bomber or a flying juggernaut! It's also worth noting the chromed jets on Skyfire, one of the rare occasions where the Henkei line was restrained.

No messing.

In robot  mode, Skyfire looks like an astronaut, complete with what appears to be a padded helmet! The blue highlights the chest and head area nicely and although the rest of the colours are used sparsely, they lend quite a purposeful and utilitarian realism to him. The clean white allows the mould to stand up on it's own merits and  the broad sweep of red on the 'butterfly' wings add presence and height.

Treadbolt is a real mish-mash but at least the cockpit lines work well on his torso and the extra colours do distinguish him well from his alt. mode. The full-body cockpit makes me wonder where his robot innards are, but being what appears to me to be a dark clear brown it at least looks sort-of-solid. He loses points on the face which is an unnatural blue and makes me instantly think "Decepticon!" in fact I was shocked to find out he's an Autobot.

"I have to wear this badge or security keep throwing me out"

The powered up attack mode is glorious for both 'bots, but Skyfire just looks magestic. In this mode the add-on weapons look like fitting upgrades; he doesn't need them, but he'll happily disintegrate you. The clear missiles are neat as they don't make the wrist-blasters look silly and the simplicity of his battle helmet keeps the focus on that lovely red visor.

 Treadbolt now looks more evil than ever! His facelessness doesn't help my lack of belief in his Autobot allegiance at all. A wodge of 'default grey' suddenly plops onto this robot mode which is a big shame considering the shiny metallic highlight on his battle helmet. Overall he definitely looks better in this mode, but I don't like the poo-stick missiles one bit.


Henkei Skyfire:

Fire in the sky:
Strong 'space' theme
Smaller cockpit makes the mould feel bigger
Nice face detail
Appropriate chrome
Very solid colour scheme

Burned up on re-entry:
Colour scheme might seem bland to some
Short cockpit makes the jet nose seem longer
Jet nose has nostrils
Odd blob of blue in alt. mode


Universe Treadbolt:

Bolt-on:
Bright, vivid and eye-catching paint
Good variety of colours
Distinct robot and alt. mode schemes
Silver metallic battle helmet looks awesome

Just nuts:
Translucent brown? Eww.
A bit too much 'default grey'
Looks very Decepticon for an Autobot


The Bottom Line:

Treadbolt:
Alt. mode: 7/10
Powered-up alt. mode: 8/10
Robot mode: 7/10
Powered-up robot mode: 8/10
Total: 7.5/10

Skyfire:

Alt. mode: 8/10

Powered-up alt. mode: 8/10

Robot mode: 9/10

Powered-up robot mode: 8.5/10

Total: 8.4/10

For me, Skyfire wins out due to his stronger theme and cleaner colour scheme. You can tell quickly what the character is about, whereas Treadbolt's colours, while great, don't make a lot of sense.

-Mattersmasher

EDIT (30/05/2011): After a few days I realised one other crucial difference; I treat Skyfire as a collector's item, he sits up on the shelf and looks awesome. Treadbolt actually gets all the playtime and sits on my workbench and looks awesome. In other words, Treadbolt is more fun and actually gets more attention!