Honor... and sharp metal death claws, too!

Prelude: Beast Wars Megatron had something of an obsession with fellow Predacon Dinobot. Not only did he try to get him back on his side after his desertion, he also cloned him, not just once, but multiple times. The final attempt involved the alien Transmetal 2 Driver, half the spark of Rampage, and a truly Frankenstein-esque setup. Enter Dinobot II, now given a Masterpiece sized third party figure by TransArt called Dino Claw Assassin. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: I could probably copy and paste a lot here from my previous TransArt figure reviews. Dino Claw (is Assassin part of his name or just his job description?) looks like Dinobot II stepped right out of the TV screen and onto my desk. It’s the same mostly white robot with the chromed red plates and the multitude of spikes and blades (it was the 1990s, after all). The head bears a strong resemblance to that of the original Dinobot, but with some added Borg-ish Cyberpunk details such as a monocle over one eye. Personally, I think I’d have preferred the bone-white version we saw in the first few packages of the first wave of Transmetal 2s before the running change made him all-white, but I can live with either.

Now I’ve already mentioned the blades. If I had a dollar for every 90s comic book character with claws or blades on his person and/or in his name… well, I’d probably have a few hundred bucks or so. Not enough to retire on, but you get the point. Dino Claw has lots of blades for hands and feet. Each hand has one big blade, two smaller blades, and a thumb blade, all of which are articulated. The feet have two blades each in front and one on the back, as well as a pair of sculpted gun barrels between the toes. I wasn’t sure, but yes, the original toy had those, too. Don’t think he ever used them in the TV series, though.

Dino Claw is a pretty big figure, nearly a head taller than Masterpiece Dinobot, almost as tall as TransArt T.Rex, which fits with how Dinobot II was shown in the cartoon. The figure is very nicely articulated, too, and despite having a huge (fully articulated) tail hanging off his behind, he doesn’t really have any balancing issues. There is a bit of a weird feel to the plastic on this guy. He’s not brittle or anything, but for some reason he feels… weird. Can’t really describe it better than that, sorry. No point deduction for that, mind you, as he is a solid figure that shows no signs of stress marks or anything.

Now Dino Claw doesn’t really carry much in the way of weapons, as he has his claws for close combat and can shoot laser beams from his monocle for long distance fights. There is an effect part you can plug into his eye to simulate the lasers. Now the original Dinobot II figure could detach his tail and hold it in hand as a whiplash weapon. Dino Claw can also detach his tail, but if there is a way for the figure to actually hold it, I haven’t found it yet. Which brings me back to one of the big flaws of recent TransArt figures, by the way: no instruction sheets. Just a QR code linking to a transformation video of questionable quality.

Dino Claw does come with one more accessory, though. In the episode “Proving Grounds”, Dinobot II was shown to carry a hologram projector that was shaped like an egg and would open up to extend a handle, a single clawed foot and a “muzzle” for the holographic beam. Again, it was the 1990s, which explains the clawed foot. Dino Claw has this projector as well and the blast effect from the monocle also fits on it, too. Fun feature: in the episode Dinobot II did what many Transformers do: he reached behind his back and suddenly the projector was in his hand. Dino Claw actually has a compartment to store the egg-shaped projector in and… yeah, it’s basically where you’d expect an egg-laying species to have an egg emerge from. Does that mean he transforms into a female raptor? Let the discussion commence.

So bottom line for the robot mode: pretty good. Very 90s in its design, but that is due to the cartoon character it is based on. Again, the plastic does feel a bit weird, but there is nothing objectively wrong with it and no real flaws to complain about, either. Nicely done.

Alternate Mode: Dino Claw’s transformation into beast mode follows the same basic outline as that of the old Hasbro toy, just with a few extra steps. It’s complex, but not terribly complicated. The only steps slightly difficult are those where the robot head is folded in and the chest/torso is reassembled around it to keep it hidden. Unplugging the chest plate requires a bit of force, too, but again, not too difficult. Sadly, as mentioned above, TransArt still thinks it’s a good idea to renege on an actual instruction sheet in favor of a Youtube video.

The raptor looks much like it did in the TV series, more like a skeleton with grafted-on cybernetic parts rather than a natural animal of any kind. And again, he has that certain 1990s aesthetic to him with the many, many blades and claws going on. The head is basically a pair of eyes with four blades forming something like a snout below it, and some silvery things on his back that look like they might become bird wings given a few million years of evolution.

The raptor is nicely articulated as well, capable of a running pose, and while its feet are the robot hands with the many claws, they still give him a solid stance. The robot feet are now the hands, so his toe guns are now handguns. As mentioned above, you can also have the raptor lay an “egg” (see 19th picture in the gallery below).

Not much more I can write here. A nice Transmetal 2 beast mode, very screen-accurate, but probably not something I will transform this figure into all that often.

Remarks: Dinobot II was created in the two-part episode “Feral Scream” when Megatron used the alien Transmetal 2 driver, the DNA of the original Dinobot’s beast mode, and half of Rampage’s immortal spark to create a new hybrid creature that had all of the original Dinobot’s fighting prowess, but none of that pesky honor. Or so Megatron thought. After Rampage was destroyed, though, Dinobot II, now in possession of a whole spark, experienced the memories of the original Dinobot (somehow) and turned on his master, aiding the Maximals in defeating Megatron once and for all (or at least until Beast Machines).

Small side note: we got two third party Masterpiece versions of Dinobot II almost at the same time, the other one being Metamorphic Universe DB-01 Dinosaur Warrior. I’ve never had that other version in hand, but from what little I’ve seen in terms of reviews, it appears that Dinosaur Warrior looks a bit better in robot mode, but is apparently an absolute nightmare to transform and of questionable quality. Again, just what I read, no personal take from me on it.

I hesitated a bit before I ordered TransArt Dino Claw, simply because I don’t have that strong a connection to this particular version of Dinobot. Still, it’s a Beast Wars character in Masterpiece size and seeing as Hasbro and Takara-Tomy have shown little inclination to actually give us the characters from seasons 2 and 3 as official Masterpieces, it’s a worthy purchase for the distinguishing Beast Wars fan. I’m still missing that certain je n’est-ce quoi that made Skateboard Gorilla and Metal Mouse so awesome, but I’d put him on the same level as Blade Leopard. Meaning he’s a good figure and well worth looking at for Beast Wars fans like me.

Rating: B

Source: Transformers-Universe.com