Studio Series #105 - Mirage
“Cross my spark and hope to die. Wow that was corny when I said it out loud.”
You can’t win them all
Generally speaking, Studio Series has been on a roll this past year. In fact, so has the Generations line, including Transformers Legacy.
The designers are trying out new engineering tricks and returning to old fan favorites as well as lesser known characters with amazing results.
With such an extensive track record, there has to be a flub every now and then. I hate to say it, but I think Studio Series Mirage is one of those oopsies in an otherwise fantastic selection of toys and collectibles this year.
When the individual parts are better than the whole
Let’s get one thing straight: how accurately a toy represents their on-screen counterpart isn’t what I care about at the end of the day. I collect these toys not because I saw them in a movie or remember them duking it out on TV during my childhood. Sure, when a toy looks like they rolled on out of the screen, I’m happy. But if a toy takes the character in a different direction aesthetically or otherwise, I’m not gonna flip a table over it.
What matters is play value. I want something I can fiddle with on my desk when avoiding the responsibilities of adult left. Also, I’m in this fandom because of the toys and not because of the lore. All the media orbiting these figures are an added bonus to me.
With that out of the way, I’ll begin by saying that I want to love SS Mirage. There are a lot of details, sculpting, and robot attitude packed into this toy worth admiring.
For starters, SS Mirage’s head sculpt is nearing perfection. The asymetry of the forehead in addition to the developed line of his lips make this head pop. The silver and metallic blue paint also needs to be noted. Not every Studio Series figure gets a head sculpt with this much artistic direction. Normally, they are lacking paint and washed out of detail (looking at you SS #100 Bumlbebee!).
There are also a myriad of other mechanical details sculpted across Mirage’s body. We got springs, hydrolics, panels, fans, tubes, and you name it. While these parts aren’t painted, I imagine the seasoned toy customizer would enjoy giving each of these details the attention and paint they deserve.
And as many YouTube reviewers have pointed out, SS Mirage’s alternate mode, Porche’s “iconic” 911 Carrera RS 3.8, is a beautiful piece to behold. He is decorated in a silver paint with the Porsche logo painted crisper than the font on your computer screen. Looking at Mirage in vehicle mode, you can tell that Hasbro didn’t want to mess up their first collaboration with Porche.
And that is probably why this toy has so many problems.
For the sports car enthusiast, SS Mirage is a very sweet ride!
Sports cars aren’t everything
On Instagram, Hasbro toy designer Sam Smith (@kingsamlock), went into a fair bit of detail as to the thinking behind SS Mirage’s design and collaboration with Porche. Replying to That Toy Guy inquiring about Mirage’s “hip skirts,” @king_samlock explained that the design choices were a combination of factors. Firstly, it would’ve increased the cost to engineer the doors to further transform only for them, as @king_samlock claims, to be “just as unscreen accurate.” Secondly, they needed the approval of the licensers of the Porche product.
Of course, we can only speculate that Mirage’s troubles are the fault of Porche, who want to preserve their logo and the image of their sports car in Mirage’s vehicle mode. But at the end of the day, the reasoning behind Mirage’s design doesn’t matter.
If the toy isn’t working, then end of story. And in Mirage’s cases, he’s not really working as one has come to expect from the Transformers Generations line.
Where’s my articulation?
SS Mirage’s biggest issue is the lack of articulation. He’s about on par with Studio Series - Gamer Edition Barricade, who was also cursed with kibble on the legs and arms that limite articulation. But while Barricade was already a clunky character to begin with, Mirage has this air of agility.
And yet his toy is woefully static. Because of the door skirts on his legs and the back pack that hangs below his waist, car parts clash as you try to swivel the hips or bend the knees. As much range of motion his shoulders provide, his lower body can really only stand.
Additionally, because there is so much kibble on his back and thighs, the most aesthetically pleasing angles are limited to a front profile. If you move your camera around Mirage, the illusion of a robot fades instantly as your eyes are met with all these Porche parts strangling the figure.
As a toy photographer, sometimes you learn little tricks to hide kibble or make it less noticable. For example, sometimes I remove backpacks or excess parts that are creating a janky silhouette. In the case of Mirage, most parts are joined together via pins. Of course, this is a good thing. We can certainly praise Mirage for being a solid figure in both robot and vehicle mode. But unless you have the tools or guts to remove these pins (I don’t!), Mirage remains hampered by Porche.
Sadly, it’s these car parts that also get in the way of SS Mirage’s transformation. Between robot mode and vechicle mode, Mirage’s transformation isn’t complicated by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, it somehow manages to be a frustrating experience because so many parts scrape against each other, get in the way, or require a specific order of steps to click into place.
Overall, it’s not the experience I want from a transformers toy either as a bot I keep on my desk to play with or to take pictures of.
Final Verdict:
Since there is so much charm in this figure, it's hard to say I don’t recommend him. I’ve also seen many collectors pick him up and find joy. At the end of the day, what matters is if a toy brings you jor or not—and if SS Mirage is fun in your hands then that’s all that matters!
As someone who doesn’t find that same spark of enthusiasm for this toy, however, my perspective is that there are better toys to add to your collection. This is especially the case if you only have so much room on your toy shelf.
