Transformers: Generations Selects Dinobots Volcanicus Gift Set (Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, Swoop, Volcanicus)

This new version of Volcanicus does not have any remolding, but he does have some new parts, and a really great G1 deco (though there might be some bits taken from that grotesquely bad Combiner Wars animated series).

Grimlock

Previous Mold Use: Power of the Primes Voyager Class Dinobot Grimlock

Grimlock is awesome, expect for one glaring problem. His chest doesn’t stay closed. As you can see I got it mostly closed in some of the photos, but it didn’t stay that way for long. I don’t know if this is from mold degradation, which seems unlikely since this is only the second release of the toy, or the plastic they used is too soft. I do not recall the original having this problem. Other than the molding/plastic issue with his chest he’s awesome. His paintjob is absolutely perfect and based on the G1 animation. His new accessories are pretty awesome. He has two dual barrel cannons that are loosely based on his G1 weapon. He also has two more guns that are mounted to gold pieces. These can attach to his arms in robot mode, or connect together and then attach on his back in T-Rex mode. In one of the photos, I have his other set of new guns attached to the side of the gold piece on his back. That is not in the instructions, but seems like the obvious place for them. Volcanicus’s feet, which also serve as weapons for Grimlock, are each two pieces. The front of his foot including the awesome gold painted claws are separate from the back of the foot which has the connectors. I didn’t realize this until I accidentally knocked the front off. I am a little disappointed that they did not give him his G1 sword and missile launcher.

Slag

Previous Mold Use: Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Slug, Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Sludge

Like Grimlock, Slag has an awesome new G1 paintjob. The only thing I don’t like is the gray horns. It’s accurate to the G1 cartoon, but I like him much better with red horns. He’s otherwise perfect, though like Grimlock, it would have been nice if he had his sword and missile launcher.

Sludge

Previous Mold Use: Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Slug, Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Sludge, Selects Deluxe Class Dinobot Slag

Somehow back when he came out I missed that Sludge was remolded from Snarl. Sludge looks great, though he probably has the fewest paint changes of any of them. Unlike Slag, who at least got a gun that looked a little like his original gun, Sludge’s does not resemble his original gun at all, since he just got a copy of Slag’s. He needed all new weapons.

Snarl

Previous Mold Use: Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Snarl, Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Terrorcon Sinnertwin

Like Sludge and Slag, I never realized that Sinnertwin was remolded from Snarl. The only obvious parts they have in common is the middle of their chests, their waists, and thighs. Snarl benefits from the new paintjob maybe more than any of the others. He looks fantastic, a huge improvement over the original. Again though, he really needed his gun and missile launcher. His sword is now clear plastic. I can’t recall what color his sword was in the animation, but I would have preferred it be in red.

Swoop

Previous Mold Use: Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Dinobot Swoop, Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Terrorcon Cutthroat, Selects Deluxe Class Dinobot Swoop, Selects Deluxe Class Seacon Seawing, Selects Deluxe Class Seacon Terrormander

This is our third version of Swoop since we got a toy based version of him in the Selects line. While he is more G1 accurate, he’s not changed that much, though I do like his helmet in red. He also suffers the most from not getting his G1 weapons. He really needed his missile launchers.

Volcanicus

Previous Mold Use: Selects Combiner Seacon Volcanicus

Volcanicus is a mixed bag. Overall, he has a better paintjob. He uses the hands from Selects Piranacon. His feet as I said earlier are new. He has two new enormous swords which look awesome, but his arm and hand joints are not strong enough to actually hold them up, so that sucks. They are better left on his back. Grimlock’s new guns form unnecessary extensions on the backs of his feet. He doesn’t want to fall backwards, he wants to fall forwards, or at least, mine does. I would rather he want to fall backwards, because then you can just lean him against something. Grimlock’s other set of guns clip on to each side of his chest. This is a huge improvement as it fills out his chest and covers up the holes on either side.

Overall: This is a great set, though it could have been even better with the additional G1 style weapons. They look more than good enough combined and on their own to justify the cost even though he can’t hold up his swords. It is a little pricey at $200. Hasbro should be able to offer these at more reasonable prices. I feel like they are price gouging these Takara imports.

Thanks for reading!