Protectobot Streetsmart Quickie

Here are a few pictures of the upcoming Hasbro Transformers Protectobots Emergency Response "Streetsmart", once upon a time known as "Streetwise", back when G1 Protectobots made some big fellow named Defensor. This toy will be released with a repaint of TF Prime Robots In Disguise Ratchet as "First Aid" and a repaint of Cyberverse Arcee as "Groove". Streetsmart himself is a repaint of the Beast Hunters Prowl mould - itself a later version of Beast Hunters Smokescreen. The set is believed to be due for release in mid-September 2014.

The 3-pack that Streetsmart will come in features the following description of the bots "No team covers more ground in less time than the heroes of Protectobots Emergency Response. Wherever danger strikes, the team is there in the blink of an optical sensor. Their primary mission: protect the people of Earth from threats they cannot face alone. And if that gives the team a chance to blast some Decepticons while they're at it, all the better".

Like BH Smokescreen and Prowl, Streetsmart has a mostly cream/white base colour with appropriate highlights, in this case blue with yellow headlights and a light bar. It seems that only the TFCC Barricade is much of a departure from the original Smokescreen colour wise, and that's the biggest success of the mould thus far. It's such a shame that the only real diversity in colour from Smokescreen comes in the legion class Cyberverse figures. How I wish we could have a G1 coloured Smokescreen from this deluxe mould, ot the blue with yellow go-faster stripes. Distinguishing features on Streetsmart include the translucent blue windows and the crest/star on the hood.

Having said all that, it's not as if this is an unattractive figure, quite the opposite actually, I'm really happy with it. The lack of coloured highlights on the body in robot mode make the robot head and blue flashes here and there stand out better. The silver paint on the front bumper is a nice touch as well, not present on any of his mould-mates. He's very subtle as a robot, but it's strange how his faux chest headlights are silver and yet remain orange in vehicle mode. Suspension of disbelief broken! The weapon that comes with Streetsmart is the same launcher and missile lot that accompanies Smokescreen, Prowl and Barricade, so the boat really hasn't been pushed out too far. I suspect it will be the whole Protectobot theme that will sell the figure to collectors who already have Smokescreen, Prowl and Barricade, as on its own there's just not enough to set it apart. Well, that, and the mould completion affliction that plagues collectors like me.

All the best

Maz