Dinobots

Dinobots

Transformers - Hasbro

Power of the Primes

It's taken 12 years since the start of the Transformers Classics line to get to the Dinobots.  These long awaited additions really are the capper to my collection.  Up to now, all I had was a Fall of Cybertron video game Grimlock as a placeholder.  But now, the gang is all here!  And what's more, they are now a combiner team!  Yes, what's cooler than robots that turn into dinosaurs?  Robots that turn into dinosaurs that combine together to form a larger robot!  Maybe...anyway, let's take a look at the team!

Slag, the Triceratops...second in command to Grimlock.

Snarl, the Stegosaurus...analyst.

Swoop, the Pteranodon...scout.

Sludge, the Apatosaurus...the logistician.

"The Jurassic World line hasn't got around to making a longneck yet, so saddle up, Dr. Grant."

Slash, the Velociraptor...the tracker.

Slash is a new creation for this line and the only female Dinobot.  She doesn't officially combine with the others, but there have been some fan configurations that attach her as a backpack on the bigger figure.  As if she weren't small enough, the smaller Titan Masters or Prime Masters can ride in a compartment in her back.  She features a decent range of motion with her legs (robot shoulders/arms) and a hinged jaw...which is her weapon, since she comes with nothing else?

Grimlock, the Tyrannosaurus Rex...leader and king!

Grimmy is a Voyager sized figure.  He comes with the foot pieces to the larger robot and nothing else.  These are supposed to act as weapons for him, I guess.  They do clip on to his arms, but still...where are his weapons?  No blaster or sword?! Lame.  Oh well, I get to use the FOC placeholder Grimlock's energon sword and shield.  I think they look pretty good on this figure.

 All but Grimlock and Slash are deluxe size figures.  I heard a lot of complaining from TF fans that they should be larger: Grimlock being leader sized and the others voyager sized.  Yeah, maybe.  But I'm willing to look past that for $15 a figure versus $25. 

For the most part, I am happy with the designs in both dino and robot form.  Very Generation One...which is about all I ask for.  There are some nice translucent plastic parts that are a nice touch and throwback accurate. Aside from the missing weapons I mentioned, not a bad showing.

Power of the Primes is the third part of a trilogy of toy gimmicks for this line.  It sometimes has the power master gimmick, sometimes headmaster gimmick, sometimes combiner gimmick.  Using the latter, the dinobots can combine into Volcanicus. 

I dunno.  It sounded like a better idea that it did in execution.  He looks okay if you make some changes here and there and can get him to stand up.  He's kind of gangly.  His ape arms are too long and sit to far off his shoulders to be stable.  The mid section is way too scrawny, but can be helped if you port in some of those additional fist pieces to fill space.  I can't seem to get his shoulders to port where they are supposed to for too long.  He's pretty heavy, so if you move him, something is liable to disjoint or fall off.  As I said before, they did not include Slash in this combiner design, so you either have to toss her aside or get creative.  Overall, the dinobots are not worth the trouble in this form.

Still, I'm glad to finally have these characters in the classics lineup.  The single dino and robot forms work and are both easy and fun to transform.