Unicron with Dead End

Status: Released

Release Date: 2003

MSRP: $49.99

Size Class: Supreme

Suggested Age: 5+

Product Number: 80773

Re-Issues: Universe Unicron

Recolors/Reuses: Energon Unicron , Universe Unicron

Toy Variants: Tabbed wings to attach to back of arms.

Transformers Armada Unicron With Dead End Mini-Con
Release Date: 2003
Generation: Armada
Faction: None
Function: Chaos Bringer

Bio: (via Dreamwave, courtesy of Beatnik Poe)

Unicron:
Consumption is the core of Unicron's being, providing the dominant characteristic of this dark, god-like entity. It devours everything in its path, from space trash to whole worlds, fully aware yet completely unrepentant about the dire consequences these actions have on living beings. Unicron exists above and beyond such petty moral concerns, seeking only to absorb all things in order to satiate its unquenchable and inexplicable desire for more power. This insatiable hunger has led the creature known as Unicron across not only whole galaxies, but also entire universes and dimensions as well. Since Unicron's thought processes, not to mention its immense size, put it on a plane of existence far beyond the average lifeform, it often employs agents to prepare the way for itself and deal with any mortal beings that could potentially stand in the way of its goals. These agents are usually super-powerful beings that Unicron has encountered and been somehow impressed by during its travels. Unicron itself was actually staggered and seemingly annihilated by the combined might of the Transformers and Mini-Cons, but many have become suspicious about whether this force of nature can ever truly be destroyed.

Dead End:
No being has experienced more horror in its lifetime than Dead End. Long ago, he witnessed the destruction of his home world at the hands of J..i.nkrsm, and had to endure the loss of everyone he had ever known or cared about. Yet Unicron spared Dead End for some unknown reason, keeping him alive within its form. Since then, the formerly rational and cheerful Mini-Con was alternately subjected to solitary confinement, forced to watch as Unicron destroyed yet another world, or experimented on relentlessly by Unicron's internal systems. Millennia of such torture proved more than the Mini-Con's psyche could bear, and he descended into gibbering lunacy. Kept alive as a source of fresh data for creating more copies, Dead End resides hidden somewhere in Unicron, a crazed madbot who has been exposed to information that no mortal mind was ever meant to contain.

Packaging:
Unicron comes packaged in a huge window box. The top front of the box is a large window to see Unicron, holding Dead End in his left hand. Below the window is the logo. Bottom right is a photo of Unicron in planet mode, left is the boxart. The box is typical Armada style with electrical blue and white in the background.

Taking Unicron out of package is no easy task. Once removed from the box, there are close to 100 twist ties waiting for you. A pair of nail clippers will definately speed up the process.

As a whole, the packaging is ok. Not great, not teriible. Armada wasn't particularly known for excellent packaging. This si a figure that was meant to be opened.

Accessories:
Unicron comes with Mini-Con Dead End, a large chest missle and 6 smaller missles. As with most Armada-era figures, Unicron can store all accessories in both robot and alt mode. The missles aren't terribly exciting, but do help to give Unicron even more firepower.

Dead End Review:
In alt mode, Dead end is a small orb with a large cannon. Color is almost entirely black with some yellow, the cannon is gray. This mode was meant to nestly nicely into a notch on Unicron's planet mode to act as added firepower.

In robot mode, Dead End is a rather nice looking mini-robot. He has excellent articulation for such a small bot. his arms bend at the shoulder and can rotate at the mid-point. His legs can also bend at the hip and rotate at the mid-point. The cannon acts like his left arm. The figure retains the exact color scheme of his alt form.

Overall Dead End is a great little Mini-Con. Nice articulation in bot mode and very useful in alt mode for Unicron.

Unicron Planet Mode:
In planet mode, Unicron is a huge half-sphere. Obviously meant to resemble his original movie form, but with some slight alterations. In planet mode Unicron hides behind two large clear blue plastic plates. In the center of those plates is the "mouth", with two very large orange horns on either side. All around the planet is a gray ring. In this mode Dead End can be placed right above the mouth to act as a cannon.

In this mode, there is a ton of playability. You can squeeze the horns to make the mouth look as if it is chomping. You can also lay him on his back and attach about 24 different Mini-Cons to his ring. You can also fire the large amount of missles that are located directly below the horns on either side.

Unicron has an excellent planet mode. Though not completely round, there is no mistaking this figure.

Unicron Robot Mode:
Transformation to robot mode is not for the impatient or the easily frustrated. The best thing to do is to remove the two plastic plates all together, then reattach them when finished transforming. Next disconnect the various pieces to the gray ring and fold them up. Next, pull the arms up and away from the base. Fold his legs down, and rotate the sid panels, then fold the feet out. Next pull his shoulders up to the chest and flip his head down. Open the wrist panels and fold the hands out. Swing up the gray rings to form his wings, then reattch the plastic plates. Once transformed, you have one of the most formidable looking Transformers ever...And one of the most posable.

In robot mode Unicron is mostly organge. Thsi is broken up by clear plastic on his chest and hips. A red window style abdomen and mostly gray lower legs. There are some spots of purple, red and light gray to also mix it up a bit. Unicron's head is a slightly lighter orange, with a darker orange "M" crest around his face. His face is light gray with clear red eyes. If you press down on his head, his eyes light up.

Fans of fully articulated Transformers should be in robo-heaven with Unicron. His arms rotate at the shoulder but can also swing out as well. Arms can bend and swivle at the elbow and hands can rotate at the wrist. Each finger on the hand is fully movable with two seprate knuckle joints (one at the palm, one at the mid-point). Pressing in his right hand will make it light up.

The torso can rotate at the hips, legs can bend and swing out at the hips as well. His legs can bend and rotate at the knees and the feet can swivle in and out for added possability.

Also, the head can turn from side to side and can look up, due to the transformation. There's almost endless ways to pose this figure, be it looming over a set of smaller figures, or crushing Min-Cons in his hands.

The play value of the figure doesn't stop there either. Unicron has numerous hidden compartments (like his abdomen and his lower legs) to store Mini-Cons. You can also attach them to various parts of Unicron's wings as well as his shoulders. Speaking of Mini-Cons...Attach the Star Saber or Dark Saber to Unicron's back to unleash his chest missle. His chest folds open and the large missle sits inside. Pres the Saber in and the missle shoots out. Also, the missles on his legs can fire.

There's really little to dislike about Unicron is robot mode. His joints are solid and can hold almost any pose without much trouble. Easily the best of the Armada series.

Overall:
Unicron is a must own for collectors and new fans alike. His obvious homage to the original movie versions, as well as endless pose or play options make him a must own. Highly Recommended.

Grade: A+

Voice Actor: Mark Acheson

Cartoon Overview
Unicron's presence was felt long before he truly appeared, when an apparition of his planet mode appeared in a strange "virtual reality" created by Sideways and pursued the children, Rad, Carlos and Alexis. Unicron would again be hinted at when Sideway's true allegiance and nature were revealed. Unicron himself, though, would not appear until the war returned to Cybertron.

Unicron had been defeated an eternity ago, by Cybertron's defenders. But Unicron was not idle - he created the Minicons to weaken his opponents and to keep them at odds until he was ready to revive, and using the Minicons to escalate the conflict in order that he might feed. When the time came for his revival, Unicron ordered his minion, Sideways, to retrieve the three Minicon weapons - the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster - so that their power could accelerate Unicron's reawakening.

Once two of the three were recovered, the surface of Cybertron's moon shattered, and Unicron's famous planet mode features - his horns, maw and ring - were revealed. Even partially awakened, he was powerful enough to strike down Starscream and completely obliterate the Decepticon, allowing Sideways to retrieve the final weapon and fully awaken Unicron, who transformed and proceeded to fight the united Cybertronian fleet, and a gigantic energy clone of himself formed from the Minicons. But neither of these were enough to stop Unicron. In the end, a desperate mission to Unicron's core by Optimus Prime and Megatron was needed to shut down the monster. There, they confronted Sideways, who had been possessed by Unicron to act as a mouthpiece. Only when the Minicon weapons were liberated and Sideways completely destroyed by Optimus Prime was Unicron stopped. And then it was but a brief respite, as Unicron began to recover, feeding still off the hatred that existed between Autobot and Decepticon. To stop Unicron, there could be only one! A mortal combat ensued between Optimus Prime and Megatron, and when Optimus emerged the victor, Unicron phased out of existence.

However, the last scene of Transformers Armada, and scenes in the sequel series, Transformers Energon, demonstrate that Unicron was not actually defeated here, but continued to roam the galaxy devouring worlds, until he was eventually stopped by the self-destruction of Alpha Q's homeworld.


Known minions of Unicron in Transformers Armada - Sideways, Thrust, (Linkage Manga) Top Gear, Mid Ship, Tail Slide, Bilge, Freeboot, Sunburn, Ravenus

Contributors: Sol Fury, GogDog

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