GigaPower HQ03 Guttur (MP Snarl) Review

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Reviews' started by Maz, Feb 8, 2015.

  1. Maz

    Maz Square One TFW2005 Supporter

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  2. Zambot

    Zambot Pixarian Artobot

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    I was strongly in the Fanstoys camp, owning both Scoria and Soar, but Gigapower has really made me stand up and take notice. I had to preorder just to see how it feels in hand.

    I actually prefer the Metallics over chrome. It feels deluxe and almost more toon accurate than the gaudy chrome.

    Good on ya Giga!

    Thanks Maz.
     
  3. Maz

    Maz Square One TFW2005 Supporter

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    That's the crux of it, isn't it? It's forced people to have a look and has introduced a genuine viable other option for that scale and general aesthetic of dinosaur robot.

    I'm going to continue collecting FT but I can see what a good product Guttur is. Would not have wanted to miss out on experiencing their effort.

    All the best
    Maz
     
  4. Superquad7

    Superquad7 OCP Police Crime Prevention Unit 001 Super Content Contributor

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    I'm still in the Fan Toys camp, but if finances would permit I'd buy a set of Gigapower Dinos, too. This figure looks really nice.
     
  5. Cax6ton

    Cax6ton Insufferable Smartass

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    I received mine yesterday thanks to TCP.

    As most people tend to say, Guttur makes an immediate impression due to his sheer size, even before you open the box. The retail packaging is larger than the largest Masterpiece box. Although there's a fair amount of wasted space in there, that's not really a bad thing and I don't mind the overall size and presentation. The inside tray is Styrofoam with a plastic cover, and odd mix of the old and new. Guttur is packed in alt mode, which I thought was really nice - I'm tired of bots being packaged in a mistransformed or incomplete bot mode just to try and save space while trying to make a good presentation. Just pack it in alt mode, no silly mistransformations, and you wind up saving space a lot of the time. The one drawback to the Styrofoam package is that Guttur is covered in pointy bits like his tail spikes and top plates, all of which take a gouge out of the Styrofoam every time he is packed or removed.

    Transformation is simple and fun, no real surprises even if I hadn't seen the pre-release videos. The legs can be tricky until you understand the multiple places that the hips can swivel. Going to and from either mode is simple without being fiddly or confusing. Other than the aforementioned hip swivels, making sure the robot arms/rear dino legs are moved clear of the front dino parts when moving them is the only thing you have to be concerned about with transformation.

    The paint job is top notch all around. The metallic finish on the gold/bronze areas is smooth and even, and the metallic silver on th ebody parts looks so much nicer than plain grey plastic. One issue I do see is the areas where there is matte black paint, which is usually a poor choice compared to plain black plastic. It might look nicer, but it is more prone to visible scratches and paint transfer if something rubs against it. That will be a constant area of concern going forward. All of the painted detail areas are glorious, GP really went beyond the norm there - little detail and deco places everywhere that are usually left off or done with stickers are painted, and the end result looks really really good.

    In spite of all the good things Guttur has and does, I notice a few problems that keep me from being really excited about the figure:

    1. Loose joints in places - as others have reported, the dino toes on the front feet are loose, and adjusting the screws in those spots does not help. The rear dino knees are a bit loose as well, and the robot mode hands have loose fingers.
    2. The ratchet joints for the robot arms and hips have too much play in them, probably because the ratchets do not have enough teeth. Standing Guttur up in robot mode, he wobbles quite a bit at the waist, and his arms rattle and move a bit if you give the figure a shake. Compared to some other expensive transforming dinosaurs, this is a bit of a letdown.

    I have to say though, in spite of the problem joints, there are some areas of impressive articulation - everywhere you look, a given part will likely move far more than you would think it will, like the robot elbows, the super-articulated dino feet and toes, and even the robot mode toes and heels. The robot shoulders are particularly good, offering a lot of range without showing a lot of moving parts. That's why its a shame that some of the ratchet joints are so bad - they're a real let-down when the rest of the figure is so good.

    Overall, definitely a nice first effort. This hasn't made me unbelievably excited and constantly going back to it like some other Masterpiece-type toys have, but I'm not regretting the purchase. I'm glad I bought it, but I do wish they had spent more of their budget on joint ratchets instead of paint details. If you've been holding out for this then you probably won't be disappointed. If you're an FT fan wondering if you should have waited, fear not - I'm an FT fan who decided to go for both lines, and this isn't making me want to drop the FT dinos from my collection. I'm still comitted to both lines and I'll be eager to see what Giga does next.
     
  6. Yeled

    Yeled Grimlock is King

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    ^ Thanks for the review. I fall into the "FT fan wondering" camp. I don't think I was ever thinking of waiting, but I'm still curious about GP and this alternate set of dinobots.
     
  7. koonfasa

    koonfasa Well-Known Member

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    I don't think it's about enough teeth anymore. I'm beginning to think it's that internal screw possibly un-threading. Want to see a good pic of that mechanism on the broken ones or something. The Guttur thread moves way too fast for me to keep up sometimes, so I may have missed something lol.
     
  8. Razerwire

    Razerwire 99 Problems... Veteran

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    Got mine today.

    The robot shoulder ratchets don't seem to line up. Besides that, I have the loose front toes issue, wiggling robot hips and a stripped screw hole on the left rear dino leg.

    While the figure is nice, these issues are turning me off for a $200 figure. I certainly hope that they have some sort of replacement parts available for the hips.

    I've already contacted ToyDojo about the stripped screw hole though. Hopefully I can get that part replaced.

    Aside from that, what is the translucent clip for?
     
  9. 1987olds442

    1987olds442 Cam Maximus

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    To store his sword on his back :) 
     
  10. 1987olds442

    1987olds442 Cam Maximus

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    It's even better in hand. With the size and the way it was packaged in the styrofoam insert it makes you like a kid again.

    I have both of the FansToys Dinos (Scoria and Soar) and they are great figures, and I'm planning on buying the rest. But I'm thinking that they will end up moving to my large scale classics shelf, and the Giga Dinos will be moving to my MP shelf. I hear you about the finances though not too long ago I was on a tight budget on my collectibles.
     
  11. Razerwire

    Razerwire 99 Problems... Veteran

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    Ahhh, thanks!
     
  12. Maz

    Maz Square One TFW2005 Supporter

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    Also to hold the sword when you attach the translucent clip to the dino legs in stegosauraus mode, see the pic I have posted at the head of this thread :) 

    All the best
    Maz
     
  13. Razerwire

    Razerwire 99 Problems... Veteran

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    I need to somehow tighten the hind legs on mine. It's having trouble holding up all the weight and just rests on the tail.
     
  14. 1987olds442

    1987olds442 Cam Maximus

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    So what size batteries do we need for the sword and gun?
     
  15. brianregan09

    brianregan09 Member

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    Got this guy as my 1st 3rd party figure the other day, I'm close to an MP virgin as i've only had the smaller cars prowl and wheeljack but this guy is on a whole other level an amazing figure and a really simplified transformation too