Special Format: Double Dinobot! Transformers Universe versus Henkei! Henkei! Ready, FIGHT!

Height: 14cm; 23.5cm (beast mode overall length)

Articulation: 18 total points - double jointed neck; 5 points each arm: ball joint shoulder, upper arm swivel, hinge elbow, hinged claws x2; 3 points each leg: ball joint hip, hinge knee, ball joint ankle; Plus additional jointing specific to beast mode.

Colors: (Universe) Molded pale mud-brown, gold, purple, clear orange; Painted silver, gold, pale mud-brown, beige, creamy white, purple, red;
(Henkei! Henkei!) Molded brown, copper, blue, clear red; Painted silver, copper, brown,  tan, red, black, blue, purple.

Accessories: Missile launcher, missile.

Release Data: (Universe) Released with Universe Deluxe Wave 5 in the first quarter of 2009 at a suggested retail price of $US11.99.
(Henkei! Henkei!) Released on March 28th, 2009 at a price of ¥2200.

Author: ExVee

(more...)



We don't usually do reviews quite like this, but I'm essentially reviewing two toys at once. The Universe and Henkei! Henkei! versions of the Dinobot toy are about as different as they can be without bringing in mold changes. Henkei Dinobot definitely goes for a show-like appearance, where Hasbro's Universe version seems to have been made as more of an evil color scheme to give a villain toy to pair against Cheetor, a theory supported by the package bio and the toy being sold as a Decepticon/Predacon.

Instead of driving myself crazy trying to write two separate reviews for both uses of the toy, I've decided to put it all together as one article and note changes and differences where applicable.

Henkei vs. Universe: Ready... FIGHT!



Beast Mode

As mentioned in the review of the original Dinobot mold, velociraptors have been something of a problem to design as transforming toys. Indeed, as far as semi-realistic, non-robotic reimaginings, probably only Mutant Beast Wars Razorclaw has presented a particularly good velociraptor beast mode.

Dinobot, almost as if a tribute to previous toy and media forms, is still the image of an unreal dinosaur. Some suggest that maybe he could be a Utahraptor, or some other larger member of the general family. I choose to take a different look at the situation. I find that it is almost an element of homage itself that the beast mode is so horribly, ridiculously unreal. Heck, we know full well all the failings of the first toy, and the show model was hardly any kind of anatomical model either. Maybe this Dinobot toy is purposely styled to exemplify the fact that Dinobot has never, ever actually resembled what his beast mode is supposed to be based on!

One might say that Dinobot is trying to play Tyrannosaur, with his stubby, almost useless little forelimbs. One of Dinobot's few moving parts in beast mode, these arms are only articulated at the shoulder, on restricted ball joints. In both versions of Dinobot, these arms are cast in a soft, rubbery plastic for their safety and yours. As skinny as the arms and especially the digits are, they'd be prime candidates for breaking in a more rigid plastic. But since these are ridiculously short pieces, there's very little risk of them warping.

Dinobot's lower jaw can open and close, but the hinge is made in such a way that it basically has to either be one or the other. A "soft ratchet" catches at either the fully open or closed positions, forcing the jaw to go to one end or the other. When fully open, Dinobot could easily be the model of Dull Surprise. Inside the jaw, there is vague molded detail to depict a tongue, but neither version of the toy has a paint operation here. The rest of the head is entirely static. A shame, since Dinobot was typically at his most expressive in beast mode with the movements of his head.

The legs are the only fully articulated part of the beast mode, and even so they're not winning any prizes. Part of the problem is that there are distinct balance issues at work. In a real dinosaur, the tail would act as a counterweight to keep the center of gravity more or less over the feet. The toy's tail is of course plastic and also partly hollow, so while it maintains the expected appearance, it lacks the mass required and the toy is decidedly front-heavy. The impact on the legs is that while you can move them around within the limits of the joints, there are very few poses where the toy can find balance. Coupled with the limited range most of the joints possess in the first place, and you're not looking at much posability at all here. This could perhaps be more excusable if like early Beast Wars, the static nature was used to give the beast mode a better appearance, but that just isn't so here. At least Dinobot is mostly over his Crazy Toes from the original toy.

And just to prove this is a true Dinobot toy, there are even robot parts hanging obviously from under the body. This time it's not a freakish exposed double ribcage. No, now it's some kind of meaty outgrowth with a bunch of sharp, bony points sticking out the front. Might be a good idea to see a doctor about that, man.


Major differences:

• Entirely different stripe paint apps


• Despite a molded slit iris, Henkei Dinobot only has a more rounded blob iris painted in


• The cancerous chest claws are painted on the Henkei version; Universe Dinobot leaves them unpainted, disguising them slightly better


• Henkei Dinobot has silver teeth and claws while Universe Dinobot features a creamy white


• Did we need to mention that every plastic color is different?

Transformation

Much of the transformation is fairly obvious to look at the toy. A little of the torso has some complication of panels that have to be worked in sequence, but it's not a Universe Hot Shot sort of thing by any means. There's no significant difference in ease of transformation between versions, but I find it's a bit harder to get Dinobot's leg spikes flipped open on the Henkei. One really neat part is how the thigh quarters transform into drumsticks, though that's not without its costs...


Robot Mode

This is where the homaging begins in earnest. While obviously for practical reasons the toy can't be exactly identical to the show model, the toy manages to at the least get the important parts of the form nailed. In either case, color is the biggest difference from the show model that this toy is so lovingly fashioned after. Basically there should be a lot more blue. I don't know what the deal was with Mainframe replacing most of Dinobot's dino-skin with shiny blue in robot mode, but obviously that's not something you can really do at this scale. Well, maybe if you wanted a beast mode with a lot of blue...

When I say that this toy is "lovingly fashioned after" the show model, no part shows it more than the head. You couldn't ask for a better physical representation of Mainframe's interpretation of the original toy's head. Well, maybe a little better definition for the mouth. But no! From the design of the helmet, the shape of the eyes and nose, the lines on the face, and even the jutting point of the chin, it's just about the most perfect Dinobot head anyone could want! While the rest of the  toy has to balance the needs of the beast mode against the robot mode appearance, the head is all on its own and it shows exactly the kind of attention that was given to the robot mode's appearance. The head can of course swivel, but it can also look up slightly on a pretty well-hidden hinge. It doesn't go very far, but it's a little better than just a straight swivel.

The torso shows the most difference in performance between the two versions. Since the torso is a confluence of tabs, panels, bits and pieces that all have to align a certain way to form the torso, the tolerance differences in the plastics used makes a big impact. Universe Dinobot is harder to keep together - the torso tends to want to collapse when you try to pose the arms, and the bits don't seem to line up quite as well as they need to to hold it all together. Henkei Dinobot while not perfect in this regard seems to be holding in place better, with a bit better alignment of the pieces. The relevant hinges and other joints may also be a little tighter and give more resistance to unintended movement.

One issue equally common to both toys is folding the beast mode head into the torso. A panel covers the robot head in beast mode, and has a spring to help stay in place. But in robot mode this panel hits the back wall on the inside of the torso, limiting how far the head can be buried in the body. At its worst, the dinosaur head actually partly blocks the robot head. A narrow object like a small screwdriver or even the tail end of Dinobot's missile can be pushed into the open space just in front of the robot head to push that panel down while you fold the beast head in. Once the head is in, you'll hear the panel click as it springs back up slightly. The beast head will remain in its slightly deeper position though, and improve the appearance greatly. If so inclined, it would also be possible with small enough tools to remove one end of the spring and neutralize the panel's self-adjusting action. Your mileage may vary as goes the panel staying in place in beast mode, though.

In the middle of the top of the dino head is a small panel. Actually a triangle shaped block, it can be rotated from one face to the next, alternately displaying a blank surface, a Maximal symbol, or Predacon. This is the same on both toys, but the Henkei can actually go in a complete circle from blank face all the way back to blank side. The Universe version is stopped at either end, so if you use the Predacon face, you have to then go backwards to return to the blank panel, say for going to beast mode. As I noted on Universe Cheetor, I love seeing the Beast Wars faction symbols in use again. I also appreciate the option of which to use, or to use neither since Dinobot didn't wear a printed faction emblem in the show. I do find the purple of the Predacon symbol makes it hard to see the details of the insignia against Henkei Dinobot's darker plastic color, though.

The shoulders have molded detailing to represent Dinobot's shoulder armor, though neither version has this painted. It's not clear whether this part had to be unpaintable plastic, or if it was a choice to support the visual integrity of the beast mode. The panel that carries each beast forelimb is attached to the robot shoulder posts. The arms can thankfully move independent of those pieces, so if you don't want the suggested dino-arm shoulderpads they can be rotated around to the back with no problem, and the forelimbs similarly moved out of the way.

Dinobot comes with a pair of typical fists (complete with annoyingly non-standard fist holes), backed by a Wolverine-ish set of three claws from the back of the hand. But the designers went one better - don't want Dinobot to have a normal hand setup? No problem! You can rotate the fists away, bringing forward another set of opposed claws, handily (ooh, that was a bad one) replicating the freakish claw-hands from both the original toy and show model. Both halves of the claw hands are hinged, and besides the joint being fairly tight, the digits can wedge together and interlock giving added strength if you want to give Dinobot something to hold. Good thing, since the little groove that was added to the claw to fit the sword doesn't work well. With fingers interlaced, Dinobot can even hold the sword from the original toy.

While the legs are freed from one major problem they experienced in beast mode, we're still left with a big one. The hip joints have good range, about the typical expected range. But, there's no thigh swivels, which while not a fatal omission, it is annoying. The big problem is the knees. Because of the interesting engineering that lets the meat of Dinobot's legs change places between modes, there's a big hinge on the back of both legs in robot mode. These very quickly run into the backs of the thighs when you try to bend the legs. So while the joint itself might allow for almost 90 degrees of flex, the hinge stops it after perhaps 20. Balance isn't a big deal in this mode, but with just about useless knee joints it might as well be. Heck, what's a warrior without knees?

One reason balance isn't an issue in robot mode is that Dinobot has a pretty huge footprint. The whole of the beast feet stick out behind the robot feet. Shame there's no way for the slashing toe to be on the inside, Dinobot could look like he's wearing spurs. The ankles are ball jointed, but pretty restricted. Not that there needs to be a whole heck of a lot of range to move when the knees are all but immobilized. One thing I'll give points for here is that the designers made sure Dinobot could have at least some of the spikes that lined his legs in the show model, loosely based on the rib detailing of the first toy. Two sets of three spikes each unfolds from inside the meaty thigh/calf pieces to wrap around the lower legs. It's a fairly clever little bit to make sure the detail is present but not be stuck with it in beast mode. Henkei's slightly less soft rubbery plastic seems to hinder this a little, since it's harder for me to open the spike pieces to start with, and once I do they seem to like to pop loose. Never had any trouble on the Universe version.


Major differences:

• Different helmet paint apps


• Henkei's faction symbol spinner can make a complete circle


• Leg spikes seem harder to deal with on Henkei because of the different plastic


• Seriously, every single plastic color is different

Accessories

-Tail

Alas, poor Rotate Blade! I knew him, Horatio: an accessory of infinite spins, of most excellent gimmickry: it hath borne me on its gears many times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!

The sad truth is that Dinobot has his rotate blade no longer. Though the tail weapon might resemble the trusty old Cyber Slash tail weapon, there is no joyous spinning. Though for that one fact, they did do a fair job representing said original weapon. In this case the tail splits three ways. The major chunk has a second hinge allowing it to fold flat against the side and pointing backwards, leaving the other two equal portions pointing straight up and down to resemble the Rotate Blade. The true gimmick is a missile launcher. Yes, I know - how bland and typical. Not exceptional and rare like our beloved...

The missile, concealed within the tail, is styled to look like Dinobot's sword, aside from the blunt, rounded tip. It's also a good deal shorter in the blade than either Dinobot's show model sword, or that which came with the first toy. The missile also calls back to a feature of the original tail weapon, in that when loaded, missile and launcher looks like the Rotate Blade with the sword mounted in the middle.

The tail weapon is designed only to be held by the fists, not the claw hands. Though, it's possible to make the claw hand work by interlacing the fingers and just wedging everything together. In either case, the hand is hidden inside the weapon so you won't have to see mismatched hands if you can't get the claw to work. In a sweet move, the tail can be stored in robot mode. The trigger is a hook shaped piece that fits into a little notch at the back of Dinobot's collar where it will securely rest in its closed state. It can't store in tail mode, though, since it's longer than Dinobot is tall. The inner surfaces of the tail panels have considerable sculpted detailing. The Rotate Blade simulation panels have vein and vague skeletal detailing, while the third panel has a mechanically-detailed interior.

The sword missile can be held, either in the fist where it slides in up to the tabs that catch in the mechanism, or held by the claw hands. As noted before, a groove is molded on the inside of the claw that should fit the catch tabs. This works to some degree on the Universe version, but the Henkei has too loose a fit and the sword/missile just falls out. You have to wedge the claw shut until the grip is tight enough to hold the sword. That, or use the fist.


Major differences:

• Henkei has chromed clear plastic missile; Universe is just clear plastic


• Interior surfaces of tail are painted for Henkei; Universe is base plastic


• Sword/missile does not hold well in Henkei claw hand

Closing Remarks

From the stance of sculpting, either version of the toy is an excellent homage to Dinobot, while not being saddled with some of the burdens that hit Cheetor. That being said, it's far from a perfect toy. There are clever engineering bits, and nice little nods like the optional claw hands. However, there was a cost in limited articulation, and an unsatisfying action gimmick.

On its merits just as a toy, Dinobot probably Could Have Been Better, but might be worth picking up the Universe version for some of the cool bits.

As an homage to Dinobot, the toy really begins to shine, which makes the Universe version's colors all the more unfortunate. As a toy meant to capture a certain look and feel of the character, Dinobot is Very Good and bumping against Excellent in the Henkei colors. Whether the more accurate colors are worth an extra $20 to you is something you'll have to decide for yourself.

-ExVee