Beast Wars had many memorable characters, but one truly stood
above many of them. That being the Predacon that allied himself with Optimus
Primal's Maximal crew, Dinobot. This character was a member of the first Transformers
Hall of Fame class by winning the fan vote. He's also the third Beast
Wars character to receive a Masterpiece figure. While he has the name
of the Dinobot team of the G1 series, he was far from them. While in the G1
series the Dinobots were at first dimwitted warriors that over time became
pet-like clowns. Beast Wars Dinobot was likewise a warrior but far wiser and at
points even quoted Shakespeare. His beast mode was also something different
than the Dinobots of old, he transformed into a Velociraptor. Which had gained
popularity thanks to the blockbuster Jurassic Park movie back in 1993.
I've had this figure since 1996 and the only thing missing is
the battle mask pieces. As a kid I just removed them and lost those parts as I
never saw Dinobot on TV using that feature. As I got this when I was a kid, I
don't have the packaging, but this is a retro review after all. There's going
to be stuff missing most of the time when I do this similar stuff. This mold
had been used many times as repaints and used as a base for retooling (both
slightly and extreme).
Beast Mode:
As mentioned before Dinobot transforms into a Velociraptor.
Unlike what is seen in the Jurassic Park movie series, this figure isn't as
slim due to obviously being a robot in disguise. For the most part the figure
does a good job hiding the robot mode elements. The main area that shows off those
parts would be the robot mode legs that makes up the chest section of the
figure. Which the legs also hides the robot mode head. Unlike the countless
Generation 1 figures, Dinobot has weapon storage. His tail is made up his two
robot mode weapons. The sword which is inside the tail and his rotating shield
like weapon that is the bulk of the beast mode tail.
For articulation, the arms can up and down. They have a slight
side to side movement too. The mouth of the beast mode can open up. The beast
mode legs will become the robot mode arms, so they have a pretty good range of
articulation. Now the tail, there's an area where one can push to make it spin
around. Though that is mainly meant for the robot mode.
Transformation:
The transformation for Beast Wars Dinobot is somewhat simple.
First remove the tail and split it open. Then pull out the sword and set those
two parts to the side. Now on to the main event, grab the robot mode legs on
the chest and pull them down. While doing that, turn them around and pull the
heel supports from the under the feet. Then for the beast mode feet, rotate
that action around and began to swing the entire beast mode side upwards. Having
done that, just take the raptor arms and push them upwards with them behind the
robot mode arms. Which the robot mode arms should be facing downwards by this
point. Next step is just open up the tan piece on the raptor head. Then just
push it down over the robot move head and just close that piece. Where the
weapons were stored on the figure, it has a two hinges. Make sure they are
level and just push the larger section towards Dinobot's back.
Robot Mode:
As a deluxe figure, Dinobot is an average build amongst the
Beast Wars TV series figures. Though on the show itself, he's one of the
tallest figures. I know throughout the years the deluxe class figures has
shrunk and gotten taller. So to give you an idea of where Dinobot fits at with
a current deluxe, he's as tall as Titans Return Triggerhappy. If one wasn't
like me and still had the battle mask pieces. It would be in the colors of his
lower legs and have this skull like vibe going for it.
Dinobot's articulation in robot mode is quite good for the time.
Head is on a ball joint with a slight up and down movement, though no head
tilt. Head can go for a full 360 though. The arms can go a full 360 and they
can go into "T" motion. The arms also has a swivel above the elbow.
The hands can open up as they are the raptor feet. No hand rotation though. The
figure lacks waist rotation as well, but that was quite common back then. Thigh
area can go forward, but not too far back as it hits the raptor back. The lower
legs are connect to a ball joint, so they can rotate a full 360 if one wanted
to do that. The figure has an average knee bend. The feet are on a hinge, so
they can only go up slightly and down.
Now while the beast mode can store the weapons so neatly, the
robot mode isn't like that. One could store it on the back, but it really looks
so awkward. The figure would look like he has a cone on his back. The weapons
in robot mode just looks better plugged into the hands. One has an option of
having the figure carry both weapons in one hand or in both hands. In this mode
the spinning gimmick really works out with the tail sections split open.
Should one get this?:
Transformers has been around now for over 30 years and Dinobot
without a doubt is one of the most developed in any series. While he's not the
best of the Beast Wars line, owning the first figure of what would become an
iconic character is something special. So if one watched Beast Wars and for
some reason either never had this figure or lost it, this is a must. If one
never seen Beast Wars, give the series a try and see how you feel about this character
and the others.
Overall Ratings:
Pros:
A good representation at the time for what would become a fan
favorite character. The transformation is somewhat simple, but enjoyable. Being
able to store the weapons neatly in the alt mode is something I wish
Transformers now could do.
Cons:
I wish the legs weren't a translucent tannish orange. It really
clashes with the majority of parts that are solid plastic.
No comments:
Post a Comment