Just watched peaugh's review. He wasn't happy, though a lot of his negativity is tied to really vague vibes and feelings, rather than a lot of concrete problems, so it's hard to judge it objectively.

It does suggest some questions for those of you with the figure though...

The backheavy looseness issue... where does that backwards tilt come from?

Is it from the "sub-knees" (which look really flimsy to me, and seem to be riveted)?

Or is it from the normal knees and hips (which seem to have ratchets and screws, and can probably be tightened)?

zmog

 

The looseness on mine is definitely at the hips. I haven't pulled the hips apart yet to check the construction. There ARE screws there, so it may be possible to open it up and put some polish on the hip pegs.

And sorry for any vagueness, I was working on transforming it and talking about it and may not have been as specific as I could have been. To be specific:

The chrome - It feels fragile, along with the clear plastic parts. Combined with the force it takes to untab some parts (especially the dino head), I can see it breaking easily if you transform it regularly.

The plates - I still don't get why they're on ball joints. I didn't get it when toyworld did it, and it's even weirder here. Some polish would definitely tighten them up, but my main issue with it is that there's not really a way to transform it without knocking them askew (if not all the way off), so even after you get it transformed, you have to spend more time than needed straightening them. I suspect the ball joints allow them to be knocked around without snapping off, which is a good idea, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Also, going back to the chrome, they'd be less likely to snap if there were a stronger plastic used. This is definitely on the cheap end of the "chromed parts" scale.

The plastic - even the unchromed bits feel less sturdy. He feels much more fragile than other companies' dinos in the same scale and price range.

Dino mode - Specifically the head. It looks decent from a side profile, but otherwise looks squished. the way the head itself is surrounded by more of that clear plastic over chrome causes the head to lose definition, and looks more like a mushy lump stuck onto the front of a dino body from more than 6-7 inches away. Some clearer detail around the dino eyes might have helped prevent this. The eyes just get lost in all of the chrome and clear molded bits in the head parts.

Transformation - It's just frustrating and not fun.

The pegs - A lot of the pegs used to hold much larger parts in place are very tiny in several places, and much like the chrome, the force needed to unpeg some bits feels like those tiny pegs are going to shear off at some point if you transform it often.

Now, lest it be all bad news, I will say there are some positives to him as well. The metallic paint they used on the red areas is gorgeous (provided it's not chipped out of the box), the overall stature and silhouette look great. I think some of the detail could have been dialed back a little, but it has a nice shelf presence in robot mode. The leg mode is HUGE, and I suspect the combined form will look very nice and intimidating on the shelf. Which is pretty much what I said in the video. These make for some neat DISPLAY pieces, they're just not very fun PLAY pieces. It's up to you to decide whether that's worth the asking price or not. If you're a fan of them, GREAT! Everyone has their own preferences, and for a display collector I can see the appeal of this set. For my own collection though, I just feel like with all of the various companies making dinobots right now, there are better options out there in the same scale and price range.

 

With the exception of the hips, all of the parts that use screws on mine are fine. The "sub-knees" are riveted it seems, but the dark grey flaps on the dino head assembly actually do peg into those and secure them. The hips seem to be the biggest issue, but the backpack is the main problem with the weight distribution. Even with everything secured, he still wants to topple backward unless you kinda angle the thigh sections forward one click at the knee.

 

Nah, it wasn't meant as a criticism. It's just that sort of ineffable colour of mild disappointment... if you were happy with the figure, most of the stuff you mentioned would have been easily brushed over. Hemming and hawing about sticky pegs, uncertain plastic quality, possible but so far not evident stresses... it's all the kind of thing we only really pay heed to when there's something we don't quite like about a figure, even if it's not quite clear what it is. Instead we talk about stuff "feeling" fragile or whatever. But I do know what you're getting at.

Do you feel the same way about the Toyworld version? I have that one too. Of course, it's true, not all chrome is created equal.  

Would you say that's likely more to do with the fit of the ball/socket joints? TW Snarl's ball joints are really tight, but they aren't likely to fall out. I could see though that if the chrome was too thick, or not thick enough, it could leave the joints prone to popping out.

I was just about to say the same thing. If they were fixed in position, the chance of them breaking off seems pretty high with only a casual jolt.

And also, there is at least some benefit to being able to rotate or angle the plates simply for aesthetic value. With the TW version, at least they stay put.

I only have Columpio and TW Snarl. TW's stuff as usual feels really rugged and "toy-like"... I was never worried about their stuff feeling fragile. On the other hand, I find Columpio to feel too lightweight, too much of a delicate "display piece", with thinner, more brittle plastic. I find FP stuff often feels a bit like that.

I hear ya there. On the one hand, I like the throwback to G1 with the clear plastic head, but at least in G1 the features were distinct, and the plastic was smoked. I have to say that for dino mode, TW's Snarl is just about perfect to me... my favourite out of the 3P offerings so far. The head is a bit cartoony, but it has personality, which this one doesn't. If I do end up getting the GC version, I may look into painting detailing the head area.

Well, they are the cheapest 3P dinos on the market, so...  

But I usually prefer stuff with more of a "play" feeling. It's mildly infuriating because in terms of size and robot mode styling, these are hands-down the best looking Dinobots for me and my collection. TW's are a bit too small and a bit too cartoony. FP is also not that big, don't have a pleasing weight, and are just a bit too far off the G1 aesthetic. FoC doesn't excite me, and MPs are both out of my price range, and beyond my MP collecting parameters.

Dammit GCreations! Why couldn't you deliver better build quality!  

Yeah, I find Toyworld Snarl has the same issue. I always have to reverse-knee him a bit to get him to stand firmly. I'm hoping the hips can be tightened up. Good to hear that the sub-knees shouldn't be a problem... they looked sketchy to me.

Thanks for the extended feedback on the figure, bud!  s

zmog

 

I don't mind the chrome on Toyworld's. Chrome is just a hard thing to get right. You have to account for the extra thickness, especially if those chromed parts have any pegs or tabs, and the plastic underneath has to be sturdy. Toyworld and FansToys seemed to have found a sweet spot there. It's entirely possible the plastic underneath is the same stuff as Shuraking's, but it *feels* stronger.

Possibly. Toyworld's move too, but not as much, and I feel like they laid things out well enough and the transformation was smooth enough that you can transform it without messing the plates up too much. With the amount of force and how the transformation works on Gcreations just seems prone to knocking those plates around much more easily.

Possibly. I just don't see much use in being able to move the plates around. If they were fixed in place it would still be a darn good looking stegosaur. Look at Planet X's figure or either of the MP scaled ones. They look great, and no need to have movable plates to do it.

I absolutely agree that Columpio feels way lighter in hand than he looks like he should. I agree that ToyWorld's feel the most toy-like, which is what I like about them. Of all the dino sets coming out, they feel the most like true updated dinobot toys.

Yeah, the dino head on Growl is just so...indistinct. Using the G1 "clear-over-chrome" look isn't a bad idea, I just feel like it was poorly executed here.

They're the same price as the Toyworld offerings. I just feel like you get more play value from the TW stuff than you do with the Shuraking figs. Other opinions may vary.

I get that. The bot modes on these do look really nice! They just seem more like display pieces than toys. I mean, I'm clearly not kicking him out of the bed for eating crackers...  

Yeah, there's a little peg on the grey head flaps that pegs into a small hole on the inside of those sub-knee struts. It's only really visible mid-transformation and the instructions don't actually show it clearly (if at all). That locks those in place pretty well, although again, small little peg I can see getting warped/sheared off if you move the legs the wrong way while posing.

Of course!

 

Both of you. That was a fantastic read!

 

Glad you liked it!

 

Mine had the same issue with the hips all you need to do is hit the hips with nail polish (and you don't have to take it apar

I feel bad that people have gotten bad units me, as well b funnet i was able to fix them
I can also admit that sledge isn't as fun to transform as snarl is (both being tiredsum to transform) it gives me hope that grimlock will be a liltte

 

I like to fan the plates out at just a slight angle with my TW Snarl. I find it makes the dino-mode look a bit more dynamic. In the case of the GC version, since they (inexplicably) decided to make the plates asymmetrical, it would be nice to have the option of deciding which way they face when his tail is in "wings" mode. But those are really just minor cosmetic considerations.

They have nagging little issues for me, and the aesthetic is a bit simplified somehow. They are still great toys... but somehow they just aren't all the way there for me.

Depends where you're getting them, I guess. Some places sell them for about $10 cheaper... which isn't much in the long run, but for bigger figures, it does feel like a bargain... at least until you get to the build quality.

Well hey... if you're unhappy with your GC Snarl, you can always send him my way.  

zmog

 

Inside Growl's hip. Anyone with skills here know what if anything can be done to this to tighten it?


I followed up with TCP and they're assuming Creations will be sending out replacement parts at some point. (Holds breath)

 

Best bet looking at that pic would be to drip some floor polish into the gap between the hip and crotch and let it set for a day or so.

 

Ok thanks, I'll give it a try

 

I just decided to transform him finally and see if I've got any more issues. The underneath part of the head doesn't want to seem to tab in, it's like a hair off. I saw your vid last night and you mentioned something about part of your legs were assembled backwards. Not sure that's the case here, as they're almost lined up. I didn't bother with instructions, but he looks right on otherwise.

 

Try pulling the head down a bit to allow those tabs to peg into place, then hold them in and raise his head back up. The misassembly on mine was that one of the thighs was backwards, which meant there was no slot on one side for the peg to go into until I flipped it around.

 

All this talk, I have had mine displayed in leg mode. I played with mine last night. Still loving these guys. Snarls hips are a little loose but only if I lean him back past top dead center. If I lean him forward in an aggressive stance I have no issues.

 

Just got him and love it

 

I just ordered this guy because I loved Thunderous. After reading some of this thread I'm really frightened.

 

The problem is I can see / feel how good of a figure this is, but they really need to up the QC. Theses aren't engineering / design problems, they are issues with it on the assembly line.

It just looks SO good, though I'm still trying to get a replacement from TFSource.

 

Wait... why does yours have matte gold wings, instead of chrome silver? Have you already custom painted yours?

*EDIT*
Durrrrrr... I guess you did, looking at the Autobot decal and the painted guns...
Weird choice, going with the matte gold on the wings... but it doesn't look bad.

zmog

 

Yeh it's painted, and it's not matte it's actually very bright and shiny but next to that chrome I can see the matte you see.