At long last, ol' Kup finally gets an update from his old '80s toy! No longer a futuristic truck, this time around "Sergeant" Kup (so called likely because Kup was too simple a name to trademark nowadays) has gone in the opposite direction, now being an old-style pickup truck. This really suits the old, war-worn character of Kup MUCH Better. THe simple look of the mode just screams Kup, and was an exceptionally good choice. There isn't much mold detailing-- on purpose, given the type of truck they're emulating here-- but where it's needed, such as on the headlights, front bumper, and truck bed, it's there. The proportions are pretty solid overall, with no robot mode extras whatsoever sticking out of this mode. (Even looking in through the clear plastic used for the windows, you can't really tell what's in there.) That said, the primary problem I have with this mode is how oddly and obviously the parts line up around the midsection-- all those "cracks" along the side of the truck that don't at all line up with the actual truck doors 'n such really stick out more than then should and are a bit of an eyesore. The paint detailing is also a bit lacking here, with some of the truck getting the bottom rims painted dark gray-- along with painted headlights-- but there really should've been a bit more on this toy. Simply the various shades of pale bluish green-- along with the light gray used as a main contrast color (primarily in robot mode)-- don't add up to much of an attractive color scheme. I realize that part of that's the point-- Kup's supposed to be an old war horse, after all-- but some "dirt" paint wash or perhaps some "rusty" paint apps along parts of the mode really would've helped it stick out more. Still, this vehicle mode does have a few neat features. For one, the robot mode weapon forms one of Kup's two exhaust pipes, which is a fairly clever move. And, if you don't want it stuck underneath the truck in this mode, you can clip the laser musket (the old look of which fits Kup PERFECTLY) onto one of the two clip points on top of the roof. (Any other "clip" weapons that have been released in recent years can fit into these slots as well to pump Kup up even more.) The back end of Kup's truck bed can also, appropriately, fold down, as it can on most real trucks.
    Kup's robot mode is generally pretty fitting, but there's a few negatives I want to cover first. One-- and probably my biggest issue with this mode-- are the wheels just hanging out from his upper shoulders. They don't fold behind or on top of anything to help accent Kup's silouhette, they're just... there, and obvious extras. Same with the truck doors on the outside of Kup's lower arms, though at least those stay close to the appendages in question. In fact, the arms in general are definitely the weak spot of this mode, being a bit small proportionally, with the shoulders sticking out just a tad too far from what should be the "shoulder armor"-- the sides of Kups truck nose. The rest of the mode is quite well-done, with most of the other kibble-- such as the roof-- folding out of the way as Kup's backpack and out of the way. Kup's head sculpt is extremely well-done and shows his age quite well-- though a bit of a heads up, the neck joint on mine is extremely loose. I love how, with a flip of most of the main body of the vehicle mode, they replicated Kup's chest design from his G1 toy quite well. His waist and legs are also well-done, with the legs being formed from the truck bed in a rather convincing manner. Yeah, the legs simply fold out, but more parts fold IN to prevent there from being too much of an obvious gap in the "meat" of the legs there, which is definitely appreciated. The color scheme is a tad more varied here-- the bits of orange paint really contrast well with the blue, but they're only a minor accept color, and overall he's still pretty dull with his mold detailing, though adequate, not being quite as impressive as most of the other toys in the line. As expected Kup, can hold his laser musket in his hands, but exposed in this mode are two additional clip points on the "arm shields" made out of most of his truck doors, so you can really arm Kup to the teeth in this mode if you have enough clip weapons. As for articulation, Kup can move at the neck, shoulders (at four points), elbows (at two points), wrists, hips (at three points), knees, and ankles (at two points). So every major point except the waist is covered here, and although the doors on the outside of his lower arms inhibit movement a little there, generally he's very posable, particularly when you take into account his large, easily posable feet.
    Generations "Sergeant" Kup is a great toy and a great homage to the character-- particularly in the choice of alt mode, the weapon gimmicks, and the head/chest sculpt. However, a few issues-- like his skinny arms in robot mode, as well as the annoying "cracks" in his vehicle mode and his dull color scheme-- that stop him just short of getting a "must buy" rating of 9.0 or above. I'd still recommend him, though.

Review by Beastbot

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