The Energon Pub

Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:50 pm

So my TW-D05 Spear (not Swoop) came today. The lineup is complete.

Have to admit, he's probably my least favorite. The dino mode is pretty chunky (the pics are accurate) His arms basically fold over his back while his large boots clamp around the dino torso, forming a large block. I get he has to have a lot of mass for the limb mode but it does hurt him here even with the large wingspan to offset this.

I would say he's a solidly built as the others. Nothing feels fragile. The wings worry me because the are thin plastic plates, but I don't know what they could've done with those. One thing is that the holes they connect for the dino mode are a little tight. I noticed stress marks which does bother me. He has a second set of holes on his back for the robot mode and these are a little larger and more forgiving. This looks kinds shoddy.

The robot mode fares better, his proportions are better and he has good poseabilty. He takes the same liberties as the other four but it's clearly Swoop.

He comes with four weapons. Two guns that resemble the rock launchers from the original and two swords that resemble his old one. They all can attach to his wings which is why I suspect they gave him two swords, but at least you have an extra to give to Not Slag now.

One neat bit is that his chest panels open up to reveal missile banks. Sort of like Starscream has. It's a shame the gimmick is spoiled by the dino mode where they're half visible. Yes, only half visible which leads me to believe they're not intended for that mode.

I haven't connected them all yet so I don't know what the verdict is on the combined form. Overall he's alright but if I wasn't looking to complete the whole team I'm not sure if I would've grabbed him.

Fri Oct 09, 2015 2:25 am

I feel like Spear ends up like that because ToyWorld tried too hard to make him different from the other 3P Swoops. Most, if not all has the same arm at the side, bot legs transform into the backpack configuration for dino mode, except for Toyworld's, which of course gives him the boxy look because of how huge his bot legs are.

News Credits: 41 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:34 pm

Diaclone variant anyone? I will, if you don't mind.

and there's this too.

News Credits: 123 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:02 pm

Snarl has some shiny tips...

News Credits: 5 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 9:17 am

No Diaclone driver, no sale ToyWorld.

News Credits: 41 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 9:34 am

Where would he sit?

News Credits: 12 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:11 am

It's funny, because I love these Dinobots individually enough (Swoop aside) that I could happily ignore the combiner gimmick...were the combined mode not so painfully awesome. Which makes me even sadder about the hands and feet and other combiner junk doing absolutely bugger all when he isn't combined up.

News Credits: 41 · Thu Jun 30, 2016 2:34 pm

Still chipping away at this set. Just got TW-DO4B (blue) Iron Dreg. He's great! Roar was my stand out fav thus far but Slag has always been my #1, and Dreg here has taken the spot. After some fiddly QC, an an exchange with Muddy, and some loose bits with Spear, Dreg's quality has been pretty spot on. Had to push some pins in his legs back in, but they are staying put.

The only Dinobot I had growing up is this Diaclone so, that's why I went with Diablue here.

The rest of the crew had settled in on the shelf, but Dreg was a great excuse to get them all down for another go 'round.

I plan on picking up Grimshell eventually, but ol' MP Grim makes for a fine stand in.
All Hail the King!

Scaling up with the Chuggernauts

Thunder Valley Wranglers

News Credits: 12 · Thu Jun 30, 2016 2:45 pm

Noice! I must be honest, were it not for the QC issues and the fact that their Swoop is a hot mess, I'd be going for Toyworld as my Dinobots.

News Credits: 41 · Thu Jun 30, 2016 2:56 pm

Spearoop IS a hot mess.
His robot mode is his only saving grace for me.

..and the swords.

News Credits: 5 · Fri Jul 01, 2016 2:27 pm

I'm glad you picked this up and shared your thoughts. I've went the Fansproject & PX route with the dinobots but the blue on this diaclone version of Slag really has me tempted. He looks great. I just wish they were $15-20 cheaper...

Mon Jul 04, 2016 6:50 pm

I love my PX Grimlock but wanted this set as I was thinking of going into the CHUG line. Does this scale with the Toyworld Optimus and Megatron?

News Credits: 12 · Tue Jul 05, 2016 12:16 pm

Gaudreau wrote:I love my PX Grimlock but wanted this set as I was thinking of going into the CHUG line. Does this scale with the Toyworld Optimus and Megatron?

The limb-bots are slightly large Voyagers, so they should scale well. Grimlock is about the size of the old MP (he needs to be bigger on account of the combiner gimmick). They don't look too bad in a CHUG collection though. Aesthetically they all look great in robot mode and quite good in dinosaur mode, some better than others (Grimlock and Slag are on the money, Snarl and Sludge are pretty good, and Swoop is a f***ing mess). The combined mode is an unstable lump, don't even bother.

News Credits: 41 · Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:28 pm

Gaudreau wrote:I love my PX Grimlock but wanted this set as I was thinking of going into the CHUG line. Does this scale with the Toyworld Optimus and Megatron?

Like delta Mags said, they look good with CHUG. I went with these guys because I think aesthetically they look the most akin to the Classics design, instead of a FoC or other look. I'm real happy with how they scale with everyone. Slightly larger than an official voyager. Which works great for the dinos.

But to answer your question...
I did a quick image search, but couldn't find a shot of Orion with any of the Dinos.
Here's a shot I posted earlier with Classics Prime.

Here's a shot from the search with Orion and Classics Prime.

So, Orion is BIG. I'd say Orion is about the same as the 4 dino limbs. Guess it depends on how you'd want them to scale.

News Credits: 129 · Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:33 pm

There is an alternate transformation for Swoop that really improves his dino mode.

I'll try and remember to take a pic. It's simple, not some dumb contortion, and almost as if it were meant to be an option from the start...

News Credits: 41 · Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:20 pm

Yes please and thank you Counterpunch. I would like to see whatchu got!

News Credits: 12 · Wed Jul 13, 2016 8:18 am

Counterpunch wrote:There is an alternate transformation for Swoop that really improves his dino mode.

I'll try and remember to take a pic. It's simple, not some dumb contortion, and almost as if it were meant to be an option from the start...

Yes please. If it makes him look less awful I might be tempted to go ToyWorld for my Dinobot needs.

News Credits: 129 · Thu Jul 14, 2016 2:40 pm

Not my pics, but this is it:

News Credits: 12 · Thu Jul 14, 2016 2:41 pm

Damn. Arse block aside that's so much better it isn't even funny.

News Credits: 41 · Thu Jul 14, 2016 2:44 pm

Wow! Much better. I'm off to try it!
Thanks CP! ;)^

News Credits: 2 · Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:32 am

Well, I'm sick of waiting for FP to get their snarl out, so I think I'll go for this one. He looks pretty much in scale, and his gold chrome will match the raptor girl who has some on her tail, so Snarl won't be the odd one out. What are people's opinions now you've had him a while? I've read reviews and they seem positive. Just curious what other's quick thoughts are after having him for a couple of years.

News Credits: 41 · Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:05 pm

Hey Surge! Roar is Snarl, correct? I'm blanking at the moment.
Snarl and Slag are my favorite from this set. Roar was the first one I got. His robot mode is big, mean, and intimidating. Really nice proportions on his robot sculpt. His shoulders do a funny thing in that a transformation joint on his torso is looser than his shoulders. They get a little fiddly at times, but nothing you can't work around.
Dino mode is big and chunky, rough and fun. He has some nice leg articulation for some cool charging poses. Out of the four limb dinos, he is one of the better of the bunch. I really like the way he and the rest of the team blend in with my Classics/Gen collection.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:25 pm

Thanks. Yeah, it's Snarl. Good to hear he's still holding up. Think I'll bite on him and finally complete my Dino's. I'm sick of only having the movie lineup.

News Credits: 2 · Wed Aug 02, 2017 6:57 am

So Snarl arrived. He's rather nice. Glad I finally bit and went for him, he fits well with my other Dinos. Good construction and super tight joints. Just the shoulder swivels sometimes move when you move the arm, would have been nice if they locked, but overall, I'm glad I finally have my Dinobots.