Some characters don't get as many toys as others, and that also applies to the Pretenders in the franchise. Bludgeon has been a pretty popular dude, getting a shitton of figures since the Revenge of the Fallen line, while certain characters like Splashdown never got any love from HasTak. I'm still not that interested in Pretenders since they feel like Playskool toys that would only add a little if done right. If Hasbro was willing to take advantage of the engineering that's reached over the years rather than make bricks with blocky proportions to activate the neurons of the average 80s manbaby, then MAYBE I'd give the idea was chance. Until then, I'm sticking with the approach that these characters have of combining design traits of each mode, which is continued with Legacy Skullgrin.
Here is Skullgrin in his tank mode, taken from the inner robot's alternate mode yet being much more refined (or so you would think). You know how people say that the alt modes for Cybertronian characters in the Movies look like robot parts performing yoga? Megatron's first two designs, The Fallen, and Shockwave are described as having alt modes that don't look like anything, but I'd argue they're much better designed than Skullgrin. The design of this tank mode is messy; there is no real flow between the front and back, the white parts of the tank are exposed between the more armored parts of the figure, and the front looks blocky as hell and looks unfinished like on Titans Return Megatron, the back has the tank treads but the front doesn't (unless they're hidden underneath), and the back is cluttered apart from the twin barrels of the turret. This guy is such a mess in vehicle mode.
The turret can rotate, and the barrels can move up and down. The swords/bayonets, which are PVC as many pointed out, can peg onto the sides to try and add some bit of flow, but they're moreso meant for added firepower.
For a vehicle mode comparison, I think it's amusing how despite being a Core Class figure, Iguanus manages to remain as a better designed figure than compared to Skullgrin, what with the alternate mode looking a little less compromised by comparison.
Transformation feels like a mix of something new and vaguely familiar to Studio Series Brawl in some way, shape, or form. The tank treads being part of the back of the legs is cool, and the shoulder assembly within the chest is not too bad. The robot mode takes elements of the Pretender shell that have been a common trend for these characters; it's a pretty cool approach that they've done with these designs, resulting in a much more refined figure that works much better than expected. Still, it does feel pretty blocky and reminds me of a cosplay that someone would make if they wanted to do a Transformer with a bull-skull type of head. I'm not a big fan of how the color scheme reminded me of Titanium Megatron, the worst Transformer reviewed by the Plastic Addict. The generic look of the torso is contrasted by the spikey hips, shoulders, and knees as well as the tank treads on the back of the legs. Oh, and I like the twin-barrel cannons, even if Onslaught started that trend. He also has a little tail, too.
Head sculpt is the coolest part of the design, as it's got a pretty sinister look with the teeth and tusks, and those horns are pretty solid on him in terms of look rather than the materials, though the pink eyes are a little unusual. Oh, and I forgot to flip up the smaller horns. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, downward hand movement if you count it, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out (though the hip armor means you have to try to wedge it into the hips), thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots.
For the accessories, his twin bayonets have the ability to be either used as guns or swords and again, while they're sculpted and painted nicely, was the decision in making them rubberized materials really smart? The back cannons can peg underneath the forearms as underslung firepower, OR you can remove the tail so you can combine the weapons to make some impressive weaponry. He's kind of like a Weaponizer or even Thrilling 30 Whirl and Roadbuster!
For an unexpected reuse, this is the G2 Cybertronian, aka the foot soldier of Jhiaxus. The upper body is retooled while two alternate heads are available to use: one with a Punisher skull helmet design with gray horns, and one with white horns and a green upper portion of the head.
For a robot mode size comparison, he's a Deluxe. Iguanus is a Core Class. Nuff said. I think I like the latter more just because his design is much cooler than what we've seen with these inner Pretender robots. So yeah, Skullgrin's okay if you're interested in having some of these more obscure characters, though the PVC materials and the messy tank mode make him pretty mediocre for different reasons from Pointblank.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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