Transformers Collaborative Back to the Future Gigawatt review

We may or may not need roads at times, but we can generally say that I lied about not delving into the Collaborative line. If anything, I just wanted to get one of the better options, and after seeing how Maverick and Ectotron turned out, I'd at least want to give BTTF a shot since I was interested in owning a version of the car. Not saying that the Ecto-1 was bad, but the DeLorean is an honestly cooler car if you ask me. If anything, it makes for a nicer car to take advantage of for Transformers, but that being said, it should make for a good figure, right? Let's see how Gigawatt turned out.

Here is Gigawatt in his vehicle mode. It's a very faithful replication of the iconic vehicle from the movie, with the gray paint, the subtle trim on the front, the black wiring around the sides, and the dark blue windows. The back is likely the best part of the overall package, especially considering how painted it is all throughout. The seamlines of the figure are subtle enough so as to make this feel less like a Transformer and more like a model vehicle. The silver rims are especially appreciative, and they're pinned on instead of being snap-on. Honestly, compared to the X-Jet and Maverick, with the former being too toyetic and the latter being too ugly for the plastic colors, Gigawatt and Ectotron are rather premium as far as details are concerned. I even like that the figure looks to have a matte gray paint job to make it a more realistic look, as a full-on silver that Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe would have won't fit this car specifically. While you can lift the seats as you would in the real vehicle as well as the movie, there is no interior for him (which isn't a concern for a figure this size). Additionally, you can peg on the lightning rod on the back to replicate the time Marty McFly had to return to 1985 with the ability to channel the power of a bolt into the car's flux capacitor.

There are two details worth mentioning because we don't get small tampographs like this (apart from Earthrise Wheeljack's sponsor decals): the license plate is of Californian origin with an additional text that says "OUTATIME" while the latter is the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor that was not only used to convert house waste into energy but was also what helped in modifying the vehicle for flight capability.

The flight mode is accessed by hinging the pieces that hold the tires down (but the front ones have two pieces that you may want to go halfway because the assembly has the black pieces holding the tires and they are best left in the same positions that are on the back for consistency. No flight stand is included, but you can always borrow one from a Figuart or one that has a similar peg size.

For a size comparison, here he is in-between Masterpiece Movie Bumblebee and Barricade. If you recall, Ectotron's size was that of a Voyager, meaning he'd scale with your Autobot Cars from G1 and the Bayverse cars if you're interested in having Hollywood Rides that turn into cool robots. Gigawatt, being a heavy retool of Siege Sideswipe, is undersized, so he's definitely going to fit in better with your Studio Series and WFC figures instead. It's a shame too, because the details are almost as good as a Masterpiece figure if you ask me.

Transformation is almost similar to Siege Sideswipe, being that he uses the same skeleton, but he has a few new tricks of his own: mainly the side panels having pieces behind the shoulders, the gull doors being part of the backpack, and the chest piece flipping around to reveal the flux capacitor as well as the front wheels holding away entirely. The latter helps clean up the chest nicely, but the former is not executed well; it flips into place thanks to two small clear tabs that are not only too short in length but also too brittle thanks to the use of clear plastic; one of them snapped right off because the method of transforming the chest is not entirely clear nor is the step designed to be done in a smoother manner; there's no proper tab or tolerance that makes it easier to do than without, especially considering that the step in question can't even function properly. That being said, the robot mode we end up with is...interestingly executed. It's certainly got that look of Sideswipe without the character-specific details that make him feel like a refined character. Obviously, the DeLorean was never given a robot mode because it was never a Transformer to begin with, but Gigawatt does feel more like generic robot that turns into the car in question rather than a proper Transformer that becomes the vehicle; it's a weird analogy, but it's more in the vein of those Citroen C4 robots but with better proportions. The chest is definitely on the same bulk that the Spy Changers had, which makes him look even blocker than Siege Sideswipe if you ask me. I do commend that the flux capacitor is painted nicely as well as including the three different dates that apply to the first 2 movies at least (1985 for the next destination, 2015 for the current time, and 1955 for the time he just visited). Weirdly, the shins have none of the same paint applied onto the chest, and while I don't need them to paint the flux capacitors on the knees, at least make them feel a little less underdone. At least the chest, blocky as it is, has a good amount of color breakup to help it work. The back of the legs do have the same paint used for the vehicle mode's back, funny enough.

Head sculpt is kind of like if this was G1 Sideswipe with the silver/gray of Movie Sideswipe with goggles. It's not a particularly interesting head design, but it does the job okay considering there was no pre-established character for the DeLorean. The articulation is the same that is found with Siege Sideswipe, including a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots.

The weapons he comes with are not the same ones that any version of the Sideswipe mold came with, but he instead has a new gun that looks kind of like Siege Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster, and it's also blast effect compatible just like how this guy has 5mm ports on him like Sideswipe before him! You can combine the Mr. Fusion piece with the rifle, but it doesn't let the handle go all the way down. I also found out after taking the images that the piece itself can fit onto the forearms and look like a wrist (which is better than it not being able to stay on the gun over time). Oh, and the shoulders can use the lightning rod as some form of whip that doesn't look good on it, if's more like a fishing line than anything.

I want to like this guy because he does have a neat idea for being a Collaborative product, and he is nowhere near as frustrating as Ectotron or ugly like Maverick (X-Spanse and Dracula are different because they're not based on real vehicles), yet there are some aspects of this guy that definitely show he is more of a novelty than a fully realized figure. The vehicle mode definitely has its priorities set, which kind of makes the robot mode feel underdone compared to the balance that Siege Sideswipe made between focusing on vehicle mode qualities and robot mode qualities. Not to say that Gigawatt is bad as a Transformer, but he just feels like a mixed bag. If you do want this guy, be sure to get him at a good price; I paid $32 because that is the price he normally receives for the increased part count and paint, but he's not an improvement from Siege Sideswipe if we're being honest (and don't pay more than the normal price, for Pete's sake).

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Kingdom Battle Across Time Collection review

Amazon multipacks and availability are two things that never got along, especially during the War for Cybertron trilogy. Skywarp was a pain in the ass to obtain, the Coneheads were IMPOSSIBLE to find for a good price, and the sets that have Prowl, the Paradron Medic, and the two Onebox Vanette bros are not only hard to find but also 75% disappointing. Kingdom would either continue the curse or at least make reuses of figures that feel nice to own on top of being accessible overall. Perhaps it's the fact that each set had a Beastie that went along with a G1 character that kept scalpers from ruining anyone's chances of getting these figures, but I'm more than happy to say that I'll be going over these two because of what they have in store. 

I've decided to go in reverse order this time, starting with the Sideswipe and Maximal Skywarp multipack. At first glance, it is amusing that the more readily available Skywarp is not the G1 guy but the Maximal from a niche part of the Beast Wars series. At first, there's not much to really expect from the set. You're getting a repaint of a bird character that's not as prominent as Airazor, and Sideswipe is seemingly too similar to the Siege version, but he does fall into the route of a Cybertronian to Earth Spectrum, with one side being the abysmal-retool-transition like Ironhide and the other side being a wholly new mold like Optimus Prime and Starscream, then Sideswipe falls around the subtle yet noticeable side, much like Earthrise Megatron. We'll get to the other point in a bit, but you'll see what I mean in the comparison. Either way, these are two good Deluxes in nicely done alternate modes, with one being the best we've gotten for an organic bird, and the other being a mostly nice retool of a figure that didn't need to be an Earth figure at first glance.

Skywarp is a rather interesting case, given how he's a peregrine falcon colored as a bald eagle. Thankfully, the result is much more effective than one would expect, especially considering how the base mold isn't as specific to the cartoon as is the case with the Beasties in general. The brown plastic combined with the white for the legs and the yellow for the beak makes for a visually distinct beast mode, especially with the nice golden talons that he's given compared to Airazor's all-orange feet. Maybe the eyes can be a little more refined, and the beak could be a little less imperfect, but it manages to be well-done nonetheless.

The transformation is the same as with Airazor, and the resulting robot mode is done up pretty well even if it's not 100% accurate to the robot mode of the original design. See, Skywarp's eagle head was also the upper part of the robot head, which was a pretty unwieldy design if you ask me. While I'm sure some would want the eagle head to become the robot head, I'm fine with the robot head being a faux part, and it manages to be sleeker and refined compared to the old toy. I don't even mind that the beast mode head isn't altered, because the way this is a Deluxe figure with the current budget they have means that altering the design would likely compromise the functionality of the toy. His articulation is the same, and the white plastic is thankfully nice and vibrant, even if the missile pods aren't altered or have paint.

For a comparison, here is Skywarp next to Airazor. I should mention that the figure has the wings splayed out while the feet are left unchanged because I wanted to distinguish him further from Airazor. The leaner design of Airazor was already a similarity to Skywarp, and given how the design isn't as feminine as Arcee, Skywarp manages to work rather well. I don't know if Airazor was changed to a guy for Kingdom like he was in Beast Wars for Japan, but I do find it interesting that Silverbolt was not the name chosen for this figure. Whatever. I do wonder if Selects would give us an Elephant Ironhide/Santon and a Lion Prowl/Lio Junior, even if they won't combine into Magnaboss.

Next up, it's the Autobot Car from 1984 in the form of Sideswipe. Comparing him to the Siege counterpart, they did a fairly substantial job in retooling this guy to be distinct from the Siege version. Taking away the Cybertronian/futuristic elements with earth details that better align his car mode with Sunstreaker, things like the vents on the side, the rooftop, the front of the car, etc are different from what the Siege version has. Even the weapons are different from the Siege version; apart from having them all painted in white plastic, the missile top loses the 5mm peg to make for a more cohesive rocket launcher as well as coming with the gun that came with Red Alert and select versions of the mold. Weirdly, the 5mm port on the roof is a little distracting, especially when it was almost nonexistent on the Siege version because of how it's mostly black.

The tooling for the robot mode is the same, but I do appreciate that the arms and thighs are made out of a more opaque and bright white plastic; the Siege version looked rather awkward with those parts in those colors out of the box, and instead of battle damage on the shins, the knee pads are painted white like the feet and midriff are. The articulation is the same, and yes, the rocket launcher still has the issue where if the tab is used on the shoulder, then the head movement is limited thanks to the 5mm port. The differences are not as prominent between him and Sunstreaker, but those white parts do make him look a little more pristine than the Siege version. I'm not sure why that's the case for Sideswipe unless it's a structural purpose. Either way, he looks a little more consistent with Sunstreaker.

This set definitely gives Skywarp more attention thanks to the beast mode and the retooled head being different enough from Airazor to make him more worth the purchase. Sideswipe may be the less impressive of the two if you already own the Siege version, but he's still a good addition if you've never gotten that toy, and it is great that he's in a multipack for Amazon instead of taking up the spot of a more important Kingdom figure. Skywarp is definitely the stronger part of the set, though, and it helps with the fact that he is not repainted as often as Sideswipe is.

Next up, we have the set consisting of a Voyager accompanying a Deluxe. Helps spice up the line, and it consists of Maximal Grimlock and Mirage! While the mold Grimlock uses was already awesome in the Kingdom line, Mirage's Siege toy was one that I didn't hate as much as Doctor Lockdown but am not as super in love with as someone like PrimeVsPrime was. I'll go back into the in-depth comparisons in a moment, but as far as the beast mode for Grimlock is concerned, it has the same pros and cons that Dinobot had, but...

...comparing the two shows that Dinobot has a less cohesive match between the white paint and the white plastic, with the former not having as much of a strong coat to make it look less patchy and the latter being rather ugly as far as how it looks. The white plastic looks a bit waxy, not as bad as Apeface or as horrendous as Maverick, but it definitely doesn't look as rich as the color of the brown plastic used to make Dinobot's beast mode skin. Some would be upset that he's not accurate to the original toy, but that dalmatian raptor looked pretty stupid. This deco looks more believable for a velociraptor, but I have to admit that it's not as refined as Dinobot is., and while the hip joints blend in with the beast mode somewhat better, the white paint definitely looks a little unfinished and the sleeve look on the shoulders of the dino arms are a little meh. At least the head looks nicely done, and at least the teeth don't blend in with the skin (my favorite part is the black surrounding the green eyes). 

Grimlock's transformation is the same as before with Dinobot, but the head sculpt is the newest addition to the toy. It looks great, and a nice nod to the old toy without it being too slavish. Makes him eviler than Dinobot, especially with how that mouthplate looks compared to the exposed face of the Predacon turned Maximal. The articulation is pretty much the same as before, and his weapons are pretty underdone as far as paint is concerned, though the sword blends in better in beast mode than with Dinobot.

For a comparison with Dinobot, you can see that Grimlock definitely feels unrefined compared to his moldmate; between the better plastic colors, the extra paint apps, and the layout of colors being better handles than with the former Dinobot Leader, the Shakesperian Transformer is just short of paint for the tail weapon yet he manages to look superior to Grimlock. That's not to say that Grimlock sucks, as I can at least praise the forearms for looking gruesome in gray while the bronze on the inner thighs and lower legs are a nice bronze that ISN'T susceptible to GPS, but he definitely feels budgetary compared to what Dinobot has...

...and perhaps his packmate might explain why he's undercooked. Finally, now we have Mirage up close. He's gone from Cybertronian to Earth for this heavy retool, which means he's changed up both the tooling and engineering of the original Siege figure. He's an F1 Formula race car, with a lovely color scheme of blue and white, and the differences in retooling are done up rather well as we'll get to. It's a much more refined design that doesn't feel as toyish or compromised as the Siege design is.

The weapon storage is changed from the spoiler to the side bonnets of the car mode, which looks a little more convincing if you ask me.

For a vehicle mode comparison, you can see how things start to go from seemingly indifferent to significantly altered when going from the front to the back. The biggest changes include the placement of the arms and the canopy where someone would sit in the vehicle. Siege Mirage had this big block that didn't make the figure look coherent and was more reminiscent of the big, clunky back of Energon Prowl. While you'd think that the latter wouldn't be any better than the Siege version when looking at the arms on the Kingdom figure, at least it flows better than the block wall on the Siege figure. Also, not only are there no clear parts much like the Netflix repaint on the middle portion of the vehicle mode (which becomes the legs), but the faux chest is not visible from the back of the vehicle mode and is instead relocated at the bottom. The tires are not altered, but at least the front of the car is swept back on top of being molded differently.

The transformation is pretty similar for the legs, but the torso has a few differences in mind: apart from the faux chest being in a different position and mechanism, the arms aren't on the same hinges, and the piece that goes in-between the tires are is one hinge and not a multi-piece one. Mirage's robot mode looks differently proportioned from the Siege version, too. Like, the chest isn't as wide and it sticks out a bit from the front; the shoulder pads being spoiler halves is still there but not as slapdash this time around, and the legs, as stated earlier, are opaque! The wheels on the back are shorter in length and thus don't look ugly when viewed from the side, and while there is that annoying thing of the forearms being painted on the front and outer sides only, you still end up with a good retool all around. Going back to the Cybertronian-to-Earth Transition Spectrum, he's in the same vein as Soundwave.

The articulation is about the same as with the Siege version, but there appears to be a subtle addition of an ab crunch that helps make the poses a little more dynamic than without it. It may not be intentional, but it works better than Wreck-Gar's if you ask me. Next to the Siege version, his robot mode is definitely better handled in terms of proportions, and while I do wish that the thighs, chest, and forearms were white plastic, there is one actually issue many have with this toy: the lack of a port for the shoulder cannon. Apart from the cannon not having paint like the Siege version does, many are greatly pissed off because of the lack of a 5mm hole on the collarbone. That being said, it's mainly because of the new transformation, and I'd rather he be functional than have a weird compromise.

And that covers the second 2-pack. OF the two, Mirage manages to be the star of the set, with this being the case where the Autobot takes the cake, unlike the Maximal. Maybe Grimlock would have been better if his paint was better handled or if he had better white plastic, but the truth is, this guy is pretty undercooked compared to his Aubobot packmate; all that retooling sure made him a surprise addition to the line if you ask me.

Overall, these multipacks have been better handled than the ones we got with Earthrise, whether it's the Vanette retools or the Conehead Compromises. You get two beasties that have distinct decoes and heads compared to the previous versions, and the G1 guys are pretty well done (especially Mirage). Plus, they aren't suffering from the same distribution issues that the previous sets had. So yeah, if these interest you, I recommend getting them!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Retro Morphin Power Rangers Ninjor review

Hasbro brought back the Auto-Morphin toys 2 years after Bandai reissued them for the 25th anniversary, but rather than make straight copies of them and insert the card in a bland gray Legacy box (as well as not release MMPR Yellow), Hasbro made new molds that mimic the figures and have distinct looks to them in terms of proportions and plastic quality, yet they did add some improvements like hip articulation. I didn't buy any of them because I don't feel like buying the MMPR team for the third time (first being Legacy, second being Lightning Collection). That being said, outside of the MMPR 7, we did get two characters that were given attention by Hasbro (and moreso than Bandai did); I don't have Ranger Slayer yet but she'd make for a nice purchase because she's not prominent in terms of merchandise. Ninjor, on the other hand, has been given a toy in MMPR, a repaint in Ninja Storm as Ninjakon, and then Hasbro made a Playskool Heroes minifigure for the guy and now a Retro Morphin figure! Let's see what this guy has to offer!

Here is Ninjor in-hand, and I have to say that the looks of the guy are nicely done! The way the figure looks is very faithful to how Ninjor appears in the show, which is especially good considering how the design is pretty hard to mess up with such a simple appearance. You only need to make him blue and add black, gold, and silver paint to break up the blue plastic. The proportions are pretty accurate to the in-show suit, and while the toy would normally look pretty toyish with how the panel on the back exists along with the posture being more statue than human, it actually looks like it'd fit be someone wearing the in-show suit. This means that apart from the clown feet, the side profile doesn't look at slat and awkward. The back has the sword and sheath, with the latter pegging on okay. There are some screws on the back, but they're thankfully not as plentiful as on the older toy (from what I saw). Amusingly, the stock images on the card art has gold chrome instead of paint, but I think the latter looks more cohesive.

Head sculpt pretty simple and honestly hard to mess up. You just gotta make a sort of stylized visor, add black, silver, and gold paint, add the N-emblem on his forehead, and you're done. The paint apps are at least nicely applied, which is a form of quality control that has been pretty spotty for Hasbro's Power Rangers given how mass-produced they are compared to Bandai's. Sadly, there is no articulation for the neck, as the only points of articulation you can really get are shoulders that have nice ratchet joints, wrist swivels, and if you want, ankle rotation. That's pretty much it. The sword can go on his hand, though it does have to be at an angle because of the shape of the handle combined with the hole of the hands.

For those wondering about how the original figure looked, you can see that the old toy was definitely shinier, had chrome, and functioned differently thanks to the red buttons on the forearms and hips to allow him to autotransform into his warrior mode, but what is amusing is that the proportions on the Bandai toy were definitely less natural than the Hasbro figure. The posture is much stiffer, the arms aren't as curved, and the normal head is much smaller on the body. That being said, both the Bandai and Hasbro figures are nicely done if you ask me. One would go well with the Megazords while the other would go well with your Ranger figures. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that weeks after the figure came out, Hasbro announced a Retro Megazord line also made for Walmart. The other figures in the line were the MMPR Megazord, the Thunder Megazord, and the Galaxy Megazord, each with nice box sleeves that covered VHS tape boxes that are themed after the 90s (and the early 2000s). The first three figures are pretty mediocre-looking, especially the already over-saturated MMPR Megazord; while the Thunder and Galaxy guys look okay, the Ninjor repaint in question appealed to me more; apart from this being the first toy representation of Ninja Storm (before either Lightning Collection or Playskool Heroes), we have a pretty surprising lore cut named Ninjakon, based on the Bandai repaint and slight retool of Ninjor for the 2003 toyline. It also received a reuse in Jungle Fury as part of the Super Legends line of repacks that Bandai put out back then. The fact that Hasbro remade a Ninjakon impressed me, and I wanted to get a figure that represented the weird repaint.

Oh and before I forget, you can access the super mode by flipping the shoulders up, sliding the thigh panels down, and flipping the back panel to have the head switch from the Ranger-like head to the shogun warrior face that goes well with the shoulder pads and the red chest emblem. Once again, the super mode head looks nicely done and painted, which is especially appreciative given how intricate it is by comparison. Also for anyone wondering, this may not be the proper mode for the guy, but this guy scales nicely with the 6 inch Power Rangers from the basic line and Lightning Collection. I think this helps him look nice with the other figures even if he's in a more vanilla pose, and at least hte aesthetics are better done than the other Retro-Morphin guys. That's something I have to give credit to for this toy if you ask me, and it lets him make for a nice stand-in until we get a proper Lightning Collection Ninjor (and maybe Ninjakon). Even if we get one, I'd gladly accept him and possibly get Ranger Slayer.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series 86 Gnaw review

The 86 line-up usually has a handful of figures to bring back different characters, from Ultra Magnus to Hot Rod, and from Galvatron to Cyclonus. Gnaw hasn't always been given as much attention as the others, but of late, he has had new figures that capture his stocky look. We had one in Titans Return, one in Cyberverse, and one in Studio Series 86. Tell you the truth, I don't think there is much to expect from Gnaw compared to the more prominent Autobots and Decepticons in the 86 movie, and in general, but I felt his previous offerings were perfectly fine even when put next to the G1 toy. Now what shall we 86 line-up has to offer?

Here is Gnaw in his beast mode. Calling him a Sharkticon is accurate, but he looks more like a freaky Piranacon than anything else, but I guess it'd be weird to call him that. I suppose it does make sense given how it fits the name and the character if you want to be technical, but I'm going to be honest and say that this guy can be either one. Honestlly, I think the beast mode gets the basic points right, but I feel that it manages to be a little wonky on two details: 1 - the sides have the robot legs exposed, and 2 - the beast legs come robot arms too far back. Because of how the figure transforms, there was no way to have them shift closer to the rest of the body, so they result in the figure having some balancing issues thanks to the weight of the figure shifted to the front combined with the tolerances of the shoulders being not being as strong enough to withstand the weight, it may not be as easy to have the figure standing upright without it sagging down. So while the tolerances and the back of the figure aren't the best, what about the rest? Well, the front looks outstanding, with a nicely painted face for the Sharkticon, and the break up of dark gray, light gray, lavender, silver, light blue, olive green, and the subtle red on the lower lip makes the face the more visually interesting part of the character, and it also makes sense given how it normally remains prominent. The sculpted details are more on the line of the other Deluxes and Voyagers in the line, where they're not as basic as the new MP figures but are still not as detailed as the WFC guys. As far as the articulation is concerned, the jaw opens at both joints, the arms are articulated at the shoulders, the hips move front and back, in and out, and the knees bend, but it makes sense given how they become the arms. The tail can swivel at the base and hinge. If you want, you can tab the gun on the left side, and only the left side with a 2mm peg and only on this specific side.

For a size comparison, here he is next to army-builder Allicon, from last year's Earthrise line. The two thankfully fit well with each other in terms of scale, though one does have sharper sculpted details while the other has more matte colors to make up for it. Also, for all the problems that the Sharkticon has, I at least like the more altered shape that the Allicon doesn't have. Also, before we get into the transformation, the upper face plate comes disassembled in the packaging. Unlike other figures with similar partsforming methods, like Cliffjumper, this is integrated within the figure once it's attached, and you can easily remove it if you want to store it in the package. Thank god, because it'd make for one lame shield.

Transformation is a little more involved than you'd think; the way Gnaw transforms can be reminiscent of some of the Dinobots, with the head folding away to some extent, the legs becoming the arms, and the legs of the robot transforming inside out from the beast body. I think what makes this Gnaw distinct is the fact the the entire beast head, and the front of the torso, spins around to face the front along with the feet without a waist swivel. The backpack does stay in place but it could be a little more solid. The resulting robot mode is undeniably Gnaw, what wth the proportions, aforementioned colors, and the the design traits, like the arms and the jaw from the bust. I will admit that if there is one design flaw that I'd comment on that I don't like, and that relates to the dorsal fin of the beast mode; it doesn't stay on its port that well, and it can't be in a symettrical position either. I'm going to be honest and say that this is now the fault of the 5mm peg but instead the fault of the port that holds it in place. If it had a slightly smaller circumference or was not in a hexagonal hope, then it'd likely stay in place better.

Head sculpt is very accurate to the design, with the chubby face, Megatron-esque helmet, the small fin on the top, and the red of the forehead (which is a little sloppy). The eyes are sunken in, which does make them more intimidating, but it can make them more obscured from the lack of lighting to make the yellow more visible. The articulation is somewhat like the other War for Cybertron figures, with a ball jointed head, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, hips that move front and back but are limited when moving in and out at times, thigh swivels, knee bends, ankle pivots, and foot hinges. The most jarring aspect of this figure is the fact that he has no waist swivel, due to the transformation. I think one would be possible if the new step wasn't utilized, but then again, no other Sharkticon uses a waist swivel anyhow.

The weapons he comes with are the mace that was previously the tail, and his gun. The former has some articulation at the base to make it look more articulated for certain shots, and the latter is basically the gun that the old toy came with. It's reminiscent of the design that Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster has. Kind of like a knockoff version of it.

For a size comparison, here he is with the Allicon and the Quintesson Judge. these beings are pretty interesting as far as proportions are concerned, with stocky troop-builders that protect the five faces of darkness. I think the Quintessons are alright as far as being toys; the Allicon was basic but did the job okay, the Quintesson Judge is a flawed toy that definitely doesn't need a base mode, and Gnaw is probably the most interesting as far as appearances are concerned, but I'll admit that he's not as impressive as other Studio Series 86 figures are. I think the Deluxes have been pretty alright for what they have to offer but aren't as interesting as the WFC guys while the Voyagers are more similar to the levels of interest that the Deluxes of the WFC line have to offer, and the Leader Class Dinobots are leagues above the other SS86 toys, it's kind of a shame that the subline, while not inoffensive as far as existing is concerned, do feel like they have less of an impact than the WFC line apart from filling in big gaps and being cartoon-accurate (apart from taking spots for the Movieverse cast). So Gnaw is not the best but I can't hate him either.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐