Transformers Legacy Evolution Core
Item No.: Asst. F2988 No. F7174 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:n/a Action Feature:Transforms from robot to brontosaurus, probably Retail:$11.99 Availability: December 2022 Other: Here we go again
After more or less ignoring this character for the 1990s, 2000s, and most of the 2010s, we are now getting a fair number of Dinobot Sludge toys. As part of a team of six - and as I write this, we don't know who the new guy is - he can build a mini version of Volcanicus, the Power of the Primes combiner we got about five years ago. The funny thing is deluxe-class toys were $17.99 then and much smaller core-class toys are $11.99 now... so this isn't really a good replacement for Power of the Primes Sludge [FOTD #1,926]. Comparing him to last year's masterful (and over $50) leader-class Studio Series 86 Sludge [FOTD #2,449] isn't really favorable either, because the big guy is way cooler than four (or five) of the little guy. There's no comparison. The big guys have more articulation, and actual accessories. The core-class one is much smaller, has no separate gizmos, and isn't as satisfying as most similarly sized Transformers from the line's run. So really, we don't know for sure if he's "good" or not until we see a finished Volcanicus, and if we get a Dinoking some day, you're probably going to want to skip these entirely.
Not all core-class figures are a great value lately, but in some cases you get a weird accessory or a character choice that's weird enough to say "OK, sure, here's my $10-$12." Considering Sludge's potential will only be realized if you spend $72 on him and five more figures, it will probably be six months before I can say "as predicted, Dinoking does not live up to expectations."
If you have a Sludge - be it G1, Power of the Primes, Cyberverse, and/or Studio Series - hold it tight, love it. You'll most likely prefer it to this one.
As the eventual combiner mode's lower torso, Sludge most likely will be one of the two worst toys. The good news is that he's pretty sturdy and looks exactly like Sludge. You can't accuse him of being anything else - the familiar head is there, with the cartoon's blue eyes. There is no chrome or clear plastic with shiny gold inside, but you do get some gold and silver paint. In robot mode, the bright red, black, and gold look pretty fantastic but fail to make his shortcomings any better. The arms are pretty stiff with weird shoulders which will most likely help him be a stable combiner torso. The legs have massive kibble on the sides, and he loses his "wings" completely.
The robot has some joints, but he's about on par with the smaller Authentics figures for $5. Sure, you get a rotating head and yeah, the shoulders and hips move. There are technically knee joints, but the robot leg is connected to a dinosaur limb which is connected to the hips. It's weird. Creative, sure, but obviously we're seeing a bunch of concessions being made so you can - hopefully - have a nice combiner robot later. It'll probably be the size of a big Voyager and cost twice as much, but maybe I'll be wildly wrong here.
Transformation is a snap - but the results are weird. Looking at the robot in the box, the giant dinosaur limbs make it look as if he was mistransformed. He wasn't. Conversion is very similar to some of the other Sludges, but you have to connect the neck and head when you open the box. After that, it's pretty smooth sailing.
Dino mode is disappointing. The basic form is there, but the rear legs have genuine thunder thighs and there's no articulation to speak of. The tail is a stump - present, but a stump - and there's a visible hole through the middle of the dinosaur.
As a lower torso piece, I can't really say if it is or is not good. It merely is. At this time, it's a disappointing package unless you just want a cheap toy transforming Sludge, in which case this delivers. But there's a nice Cyberverse one for around $20, and it's bigger, you might have more fun with that. The allure of a small combiner will no doubt be exciting to many but I just don't know if I want to keep going after this one. I liked the Micromasters combiners, I got the Kay-Bee reissues for $4 a pop 20 years ago and they were expensive but neat. Sludge may well be the centerpiece of a perfectly nice combiner, but we're probably not going to know until Q3, so until then maybe save the receipt if you decide to buy him.
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