DAY 19- Virus (FansProject Function X)

January 19th, 2015. Day 19 of 2015.

I freely admit that when it comes to Third Party/Unofficial Transformers products, I am usually in an apathetic state of just shrugging my shoulders and going "That's neat, I guess." Aside from the very few products where there is clearly no way that Hasbro or Takara will ever make an official release, there is rarely a third party/unofficial piece that hits my interests. But once every now and then, something unique happens, and the weird tale of FansProject Function-X Virus was enough to pique my interests.

"I HIT THE EJECT BUTTON AND NOW THE DOOR IS STUCK AND I CAN'T GET OUT."

Originally announced and revealed at BotCon 2013 (where ABSOLUTELY NO NON-OFFICIAL TRANSFORMERS PRODUCTS WERE ALLOWED PLEASE DO NOT DISPLAY ANY NON-OFFICIAL TRANSFORMERS PRODUCTS WAIT WHY ARE YOU ALL DISPLAYING THEM AWWW NAH) and released in small numbers at TFCon 2013 (where he sold out! Did you know he sold out?) and later on the FansProject Core website, Function X Code is a black and red redeco of their Not-Chromedome release in the same line. Where Code's browns and tans once stood, a completely unique color scheme of matte black and greys take shape accented by small bits of red and white trim alongside even smaller bits of golden yellow paint on various lights and vents.

A SECRET repaint of CODE, eh? I'm flattered.

Function X Code and Virus also come with two scoped rifles, and a mysterious miniature robot as accessories. The two rifles have a hinge in the handle that allows you to mount and angle the weapons on the back of Virus' vehicle mode, and the small red and silver robot has basic shoulder, hips and knee joints allowing for simple poses- Including sitting down, which is really handy after realizing the canopy can open allowing for Miniature Red and Silver Robot Man to take a seat inside of Virus. The interior of the vehicle mode has also received some slight paint work, with some minor teal and red paint apps allowing certain details to pop in an area that isn't visible 90% of the time.

In fact, I didn't notice them until doing the photos for this entry.

I'm a professional.

Transformation from vehicle mode to his robot mode is a fantastic pleasure, with several parts pulling off some fantastic tricks to completely change the arrangement of vehicle pieces in his robot mode; Specifically the entire side panels of the vehicle mode are the robot mode legs, the hood and bumper of the vehicle slides off and up to an entirely different side of the car to form the chest, and the entire back of the vehicle completely disappears into the cockpit area of the vehicle to form the back and the arms of the robot mode. My description does NOT do the transformation justice, and I recommend checking out Internet Personality Vangelus' video regarding Code/Virus for a better idea of just how brilliant the transformation is.

BUT WHERE DID THE MINIATURE RED AND SILVER ROBOT MAN GO

Function X Virus boasts an impressive stance and silhouette, but unfortunately that is all I can really brag about in his robot form. In terms of articulation, his biggest detracting points are his shoulders and ankles. Virus's ankles have zero range of movement, and depending on whether you think ankle tilts are the be-all end-all of toy articulation (psst: They're totally not, but that's a battle/discussion for another day) or not, that might be a deal breaker for you. Ultimately, the feet of Virus are angled juuuuuuust enough and are just long enough to not allow for major balancing issues and frankly I think his feet are just fine how they are. The same can not be said for Virus's shoulder movement, with the elongated design of the shoulders themselves not allowing for a free range of outward shoulder movement as the pieces on top of his shoulders tend to get in the way of a lot of movements. Aside from that, however, and Virus' articulation is fantastic. Balljointed shoulders and hips, bicep wrist and thigh swivels, double jointed knees and a very well ranged single-jointed elbow are par for the course but the biggest surprise is easily Virus' head joint: It can totally turn left to right, and depending on how you have the head connection port (Where IS that Miniature Red and Silver Robot when you need him...) positioned, Virus can either look up or look down.

Ultimately, Virus is a treat. His transformation and paint work are stellar, and he is one of the best examples of how fun Headmasters can be. Check him or the rest of the Function X line from FansProject out if you're ever interested, or hey check out the Generations Brainstorm release from Hasbro to see how they can handle a modern Headmaster. If you can find one, that is.

Day 19 Complete. 346 Remain































































THE MINIATURE RED AND SILVER ROBOT IS A HEADMASTER.

HE TURNS INTO THE HEAD OF VIRUS.

THAT'S THE GIMMICK.

THAT'S THE JOKE.