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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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