Mirage [Cyberworld/Cyber Changers]

I remember during Robots in Disguise 2001, occasionally people would take their Spychanger Mirage toys and custom them into Starscream or other jet characters. The F-14 racer body made for an easy jet. Take out the wheels, glue on wings. Neat. Well, all these years later and we've got a jet Mirage whose mold is also used for Starscream. I'll be getting to that Starscream later, but today we'll be looking at Mirage.

Unlike his normal race car based bodies, Mirage turns into a jet. It's an odd choice for a character who even appeared as a race car not long ago in Rise of the Beasts... but I dig it. Sometimes reinvention is a good thing and this Mirage looks pretty neat. I make older robot toy comparisons all the time with these Cyber Changer toys, and because of his head, I think this mold would make a good Fitor. Also due to the head and colors, I'm reminded of Cop-Tur. Oddly enough, it's also making me think of Machine Wars basic figures. Combined with all the other old robot toy comparisons and I am all over the map with Cyberworld. I love it, it's fun when a toy makes you think. It's also fun when such a simple toy line is so full of old robot toy DNA that it adds to the convo. Other sites you'll be getting affiliate links, here at Zone Base you got a crazy old man telling you he saw Elvis.

I love the red, white, and blue (running through his veins) colors  on this toy. They contrast so nicely with the design. It's a good looking toy... even if they didn't paint his eyes. He has the same basic universal articulation and size the other Cyber Changers have, which I absolutely don't mind. However there's an elbow joint sculpted into his arm, which kinda irks me. It's just a design choice, but seeing as these toys don't have an elbow joint... *sigh*. Overall, it's a good looking robot mode and I really like it. In the show, Mirage is a bit of a trickster and is initially sided with the Decepticons. At this point, it's not completely clear what his intentions are. In prior cartoons, other characters have thought Mirage was a traitor... a Cliffjumper or Ironhide to call him out in Cyberworld would be great.

We've got a new alt mode type in Cyber Changers... man, what if the line was just called Cyber Changers? That way the plot and cartoon could change, but the mainline could stay consistent for awhile. Anyway, Mirage is the new jet type and the engineering isn't too different from the other types. Man, they've really stretched out the budget on these guys. Jet nose folds up and the body accordions itself. The arms fold into the body and the legs form the tail end and fins of the jet. The jet is a unique looking jet with folded wings. I can't exactly place where, but it's a familiar design. Looks out of a video game, which is appropriate as the Cyberworld is seemingly a video game/computer simulation.