Jigga who? Gigawatt!
The DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future is one of the most iconic nerd vehicles of all time. At least I think it still is—the 80s were a long time ago, I’m on the younger end of people who are obsessed with 80s pop culture, and I’m less than a year from turning 40. It was featured pretty prominently in Ready Player One, right? Do the kids like that movie, or was that also mostly people my age and older? Regardless, for the milieu of Transformers Collaborative, it fits like a glove. I’m sure Naruto is cool and everything, but I’ll pass.
So it seems a lot of collectors just…leave their figures in robot mode forever? How reductive. With these crossovers the vehicle is a huge selling point, though, and as a model of the DeLorean time machine Gigawatt does an admirable job. The iconic gull wing doors can open (although the interior is obviously not filled out), and the wheels can flip down to put the car in hover mode. The stainless steel body panels have a nice texture, and the back of the car is decked out with all of Doc Brown’s modifications, all picked out with paint. As with most toys of the time machine, he does not have the DMC badge on the front. Did you know the DeLorean Motor Company is still around?
Gigawatt is built off of the Siege Sideswipe mold and shares engineering and some parts with it; it’s one of the most solid deluxes of the modern era so no complaints on that front (I’m approaching Seeker numbers when it comes to how many copies of this mold I own). Take care when transforming his wheels because they’re not pinned and will pop off at the hinge if you use too much force. There are additional locks to keep his shoulders and chest together in both modes, and the flip-around chest panel with the flux capacitor and date display can be a little hard to maneuver past his head. They really pushed this little Deluxe to the limit in terms of retooling!
Gigawatt includes three accessories, only one of which—the rifle—is specifically for the robot. He also includes the lightning rod from the first movie, which can plug into his forearm as a “whip” as well as mount to the back of the car, and a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor that can mount to the top or back of the rifle as well as the back of the car to power its hover mode. Unofficially, it can attach upside down to his wrist as a “watch” to replicate the poster art, but I’m afraid it will scrape off the microscopic “Mr. Fusion” logo. All of his accessories can be stored in his vehicle mode, with the rifle pegging neatly under the front of the car. (The lightning rod and Mr. Fusion wouldn’t be equipped at the same time, but whatever, we love weapon storage.)
I don’t normally mention packaging in my reviews but Gigawatt comes in a G1-style box, complete with 1985-era Hasbro logos and a cutout Tech Specs card on the back. I’m fighting the urge to hoard by reminding myself that I decided to stop using packaged toys as home decor.
Initially sold at a premium price point, runaway inflation means you can now get Gigawatt for a few bucks more than a normal deluxe (or for your birthday from your awesome family). As a very solid model of the DeLorean time machine or as an addition to the legion of Sideswipe clones with extra flair, Gigawatt does it with style.
