Prelude: He is called Snapdragon, but there was no snap when it counted. When the chips were down and the chance came to rid us of the pest called Daniel Witwicky forever, Snapdragon refused to snap. He simply mauled and Daniel survived to become a Headmaster. Too lazy to finish the job, eh? Anyway, after 33 years we are finally getting a new toy of Snapdragon in Earthrise. Let’s say go! Robot Mode: G1 Snapdragon is one of my favorite G1 figures. Three great modes and very nicely articulated for a figure of the time. Earthrise Snapdragon has big shoes to fill, but he makes a great start in robot mode. The resemblance to the original is very, very good. The robot is a bit more streamlined and less bulky, of course, but he’s clearly the same guy. The articulation is very good except for one thing: the elbows only bend about 60 degrees, that’s it. Not a big thing, mind you, but noticeable. Despite looking nearly identical to his original, Earthrise Snapdragon transforms differently, meaning he foregoes the big backpack the G1 figure had by incorporating those parts into his legs instead. Very nicely done. He comes with two purple rifles as weapons, which fit nicely into his color scheme. No way to store both of them when he’s not using them, sadly, but that’s really going into nitpicking territory now. He’s a Headmaster, meaning his head detaches into the separate robot Krunk (see below). Overall I very much like Snapdragon’s robot mode. It ticks all the boxes by closely resembling the original while improving the design (no huge rucksack). So as far as the robot mode goes, one and a half thumbs up (the elbows require some minor point deduction). Alternate Modes: As a triple changer Snapdragon has two alternate modes. The first one is a jet, very loosely resembling an SR-71 Blackbird. The jet is mostly white, has a front landing gear, and features two cockpits. A fake one out front and one for Krunk (see below). Which brings us to the one downside of this mode: opening the cockpit requires quite a bit of force and the yellow panels are relatively thin. Better not open and close it too often, is all I’m saying. Otherwise, a very nice jet mode. Looks great, the rifles go under the wings, no visible robot (or beast mode) bits, and the interior of the cockpit even features painted controls. Very nicely done. His second alternate mode is a beast mode, where Snapdragon becomes... a dinosaur? A dragon? Godzilla? Something along those lines anway. The robot beast walks on two thick rear legs (the robot arms) and unfolds two tiny front arms from his rather small upper body. Krunk becomes the lower jaw and eyes of the dragon (or dino), not the entire head like the G1 Headmaster did. The two rifles go on his back and look pretty good there. The dragon (or dino) is a good deal better articulated than the G1 figure was and except for the slightly skewed proportions (huge tail and legs, tiny upper body) he looks pretty good. Partner: Snapdragon’s Titan Master partner is Krunk, who forms his head in robot mode and the lower jaw and eyes of the dragon (or dino) mode. Krunk is a typical Titan Master, the only thing slightly unusual about him are those protrusions on his shoulders, which become Snapdragon’s eyes in beast mode. Remarks: Snapdragon, along with his buddy Apeface, were the Horrorcons, a subgroup of two. They were Headmasters, Triple Changers, and whatever makes a Horrorcon. Snapdragon’s greatest claim to fame is that he almost managed to kill Daniel Witwicky in the G1 cartoon finale “The Rebirth”. He also appeared in the Headmasters cartoon and has numerous comic book appearances under his belt. As a toy Snapdragon is everything I expected of him after Apeface already appeared in Siege. A great update of the great original figure that keeps what made it great and improves on its flaws. Also, no battle damage deco, thankfully. Anyway, Snapdragon is my favorite Earthrise figure so far and would have gotten a straight A rating from me if not for the elbows and the jet cockpit. Both minor things, though, and Snapdragon is fully recommended to just about everyone. Rating: A- Source: Transformers-Universe.com
how do u guys fix the headmaster in beast mode? do u turn the little guys head around? i cant quite the hang of it and it feels like i'm gonna break the connector.
I rotate Krunk's head 90 degrees so he's looking to the side of the dragon head when you connect him.
I haven't really had any trouble getting Krunk into the dragon head. It takes me having to get under a good light to see what I'm doing, but once I do, I just jam his head into the bracket with his head facing forwards. Mine holds fine. It's a tight fit to be sure, hence the "jamming," and fiddly to line up inside that space, but it goes in. One thing that might be happening to people is that as you press his head against the bracket, it tips back on it's teeny ball joint. I have that happen a lot. I have to take him back out and push the head back upright before trying again.
I do. Looks better than tabbing them into the wings imo. It's sad that we still don't have the perfect chug version of D-list characters like Optimus and Megatron while they have gotten so many toys while essential characters like Snapdragon are only now getting chug updates. I think it's a testament to the importance of these characters and the love fans have for them that they are done so well on the first try.
You joke, but the atrocity that was Titans Returns Broadside means I'm not going to get another chug Broadside for another 30 years.
I admit he NEEDS the Nonnef upgrade kit... and his jet mode should NEVER be configured in any way other than the fan-mode configuration... but TBH I sorta... actually... kinda... like TR Broadside as he is(!) [Disclaimer: I would be open to a Broadside repaint of any possible future Commander or Titan-class Tidal Wave, should that ever eventuate; hint, hint Hasbro!]
Oh, I agree on all accounts. In fact I went one step further and bought the Japanese version without the stickers or clear bits. It's not terrible. It's not great. It's not the Broadside I want.
Agreed, and you and I might disagree on this LB, but for the gimmicks and remolding they were stuck doing, i though Broadside wasnt that bad. He had his issues, no question. But i dont think i would label him an atrocity. Now how many times Silverbolt was remolded in CW, that's slightly more atrocious.
Damn I really want this figure, but I can't get over how much I hate the robot mode head/face. But he won't work with other titan masters right? Cause it's also the dino head?
There's nothing really preventing another Titanmaster, I guess. I tried TR Apeface and Siege Apeface's head, and neither fits as well as Krunk, but you can do it. It just won't have the right shape unless you're able to swap the limbs on the Titanmasters. Or just swap the faceplates on the Titanmasters.
I just don't think it's an appealing design. I never have. It's a shame because the rest of this figure looks really surprisingly cool, especially the other two modes, but since I don't have any connection to the character I don't wanna get it for only two modes. Something that has always bothered me about some of the G1 designs is how a lot of the robots got generic head/face designs when they had really badass alt modes. Cool thanks! Does look a bit iffy but maybe it's doable.
A third party actually designed a pair of guns a replacement for the dino jaw, i guess with this set you could use any headmaster you want as a replacement for the bot mode
Might need to get that kit, since I managed to somehow lose one of his rifles, and he just doesn't feel right not dual wielding
