Dave's DinoZaur Rant: "Actionmasters" Dino T-Rex Dino Brachio Dino Stego Dino Tricera Dino Mammoth As part of the second year of DinoZaurs, Bandai America is releasing a set of five non-transforming DinoZaurs action figures, each with at least one action feature. All have good poseability on the legs, with varying degrees of arm poseability. The colors match the show, with Dino Mammoth being recolored to match the re-released transforming version. CAPSULES Dino T-Rex: Least poseable of the lot (one of his joints is hindered by his gimmick), his sword is kinda dumb-looking, and his "wings" get in the way a lot. Despite being the leader, he's probably the worst of the lot. Neutral. $5.99 at Toys R Us. Dino Brachio: Good poseability, a nifty gimmick and a secondary kinda silly gimmick, nice colors. Recommended. $5.99 at TRU. Dino Stego: Arms aren't very poseable, and stuck with Stego's lame spinning chest gimmick. Although, as an added bonus, the chest plate also launches, and the colors look better than T-Rex's. Very mildly recommended. $5.99 at TRU. Dino Tricera: Two pretty good gimmicks and a nice reworking of the original design (the sneeze guard is gone, among other things). However, like Stego, the arms aren't very poseable. Still, recommended. $5.99 at TRU. Dino Mammoth: Decent arm poseability and a very ambitious weapon- swinging gimmick that's quite impressive when it works. However, it can get in the way of other body parts. The secondary gimmick is laughable, unfortunately. Mildly recommended. $5.99 at TRU Overall: Decent value for the money. If you only get a few, get Brachio and/or Tricera. Hopefully Bandai will continue this line and bring in some of the villains too (and not just the recolor villains). RANTS Each toy came with a lenticular (changes image when you tilt the card) trading card showing both modes and with techspecs on the back. The toys have restricted ball hips (some are more restricted than others), universal joint knees (hinge and swivel) and restricted ball ankles, plus big enough feet that a lot of poses are possible and stable. Arms all swivel at the shoulders, but additional poseability comes with some of them. Heads swivel at the necks. No waist joints, but some of them have removable tails. The beast "kibble" has been reduced (or "Romita-ized") for the most part, to keep it from overwhelming the figure. Each has an action feature or two. Transparent plastic and chrome are used on these toys in the same places (more or less) as on the transforming versions. Painting is minimal, which hurts some toys more than others (T-Rex the most). All of the figures are between 4.5" (11cm) and 5" (13cm), with Dino Tricera being the shorty. As you're about to see, the techspec profiles read like pretty direct translations of Japanese text, including somewhat odd grammar and flowery attack names. I'm not editing these profiles, because the weirdness is worth reproducing. DINO T-REX With his tremendous strength and power, Dino T-Rex leads the Dino Soldiers. In both Dino mode and Battle mode, he agilely attacks with strong legs that allow him to jump up to 100 feet! His large back bones and tail combine for the mighty Tail Bone Crusher, while his "Silver Sword", with remote control, is strong enough to cut through 35 feet of steel plating with a single blow! Dino Facts: HEIGHT: 40 Feet (Dino Mode) 25 Feet (Battle Mode) WEIGHT: 15 Tons FIERCENESS: 98/100 INTELLIGENCE: 80/100 SPEED: 88/100 DEFENDING ABILITY: 80/100 ENDURANCE: 95/100 SIGNATURE WEAPON: Silver Sword Colors: True to the original toy, but muted, with less chrome and less red. The tail is a solid light grey piece, and the robot head is grey with very little paint. Oddly, the spine piece used to trigger his gimmick is red, not grey. Mainly transparent red and shiny grey. Arm Poseability: Just shoulder swivels, and the right shoulder is held in place by a ratchet for the gimmick. Gimmick: Pull back on the spin piece and the right arm swings down. The sword's tip extends when the sword is swung, but doesn't stay out, so the sword looks kinda stupid. Also, the large "wings" on this figure (hardly shrunk at all) get in the way of the arm swinging. Overall: Probably the weakest of the five, don't bother unless you're a completist. DINO BRACHIO Dino Brachio is the oldest Dino Soldier and a fine staff officer. Though his giant body lacks coordination, he protects the other Soldiers by using his strong body to fend off Dragozaurs' attacks. His "Axe of Valor" and forceful presence help him to take down the enemy. Dino Facts: HEIGHT: 58 Feet (Dino Mode) 28 Feet (Battle Mode) WEIGHT: 58 Tons FIERCENESS: 75/100 INTELLIGENCE: 87/100 SPEED: 48/100 DEFENDING ABILITY: 98/100 ENDURANCE: 93/100 SIGNATURE WEAPON: Axe of Valor Colors: Transparent blue, shiny gold and gold chrome, and flat gold bits. Looks very good. Just enough paint to make the face work. While the dinokibble on the back isn't painted at all, it's also smaller and generally de-emphasized anyway. Arm Poseability: Both wrists turn. The right elbow bends, a bit loosely, but not so loosely it can't hold a pose. Gimmicks: Manipulating the small folded dino tail piece on the back makes the right arm slash up and down, in an axe-hacking action. It's actually pretty neat. As a secondary gimmick, pulling down on the brachiosaur head makes the "wings" flap up a bit. Kinda silly, but the main gimmick is cool enough to make up for it. Overall: While the transforming Brachio is pretty weak, the "Actionmaster" version is very nice, especially for the price. One to get. DINO STEGO Highly respected and mild-mannered, Dino Stego is relied upon by everyone in battle. His instruments of defense include the Power Charge as well as the "Skeletal Revolution" located on his chest. This special weapon spins to fight off enemies, dig tunnels, cut through mountains, and create a forceful wind to blow Dragozaurs off their feet. Dino Facts: HEIGHT: 28 Feet (Dino Mode) 20 Feet (Battle Mode) WEIGHT: 7.6 Tons FIERCENESS: 80/100 INTELLIGENCE: 82/100 SPEED: 85/100 DEFENDING ABILITY: 72/100 ENDURANCE: 70/100 SIGNATURE WEAPON: Skeletal Revolution Colors: Green and transparent blue, with chrome green chestplate. Unlike the other tailed figures, this one has painted details on its dinokibble. However, to compensate, the arms and legs are pretty much solid green with no detailing. Still, overall looks pretty good. Arm Poseability: Just shoulders. The elbows look like they might swivel or something, but that's just a result of two pieces being glued together. Gimmicks: Spinning a cylinder on the back of the toy makes the chestplate spin around. The dinokibble is hinged to get out of the way, making it easier to run the gimmick on this version of the toy than on the transforming one. There's a locking mechanism intended to keep the chest from going askew when not spinning, but it doesn't work too well. Additionally, if the cylinder is pushed in (which can be done by pushing in the kibble), the chestplate launches. The range is pretty short, but it can hit a target within about 8 inches or so (20cm). Overall: A decent toy, saddled with a lame gimmick inherited from the transforming version. At least the new gimmick is a little upgraded. DINO TRICERA Toughest of all the Dinozaurs [an opinion not supported by his stats. - Dave], Dino Tricera is well protected beneath his armor. In Dino Mode, he demonstrates his unstoppable "Bullet Charging" ability, heading straight for the enemy at 120 miles per hour. In Battle Mode, his "Spears of Jade" in each hand allow him to tear the Dragozaurs apart. Dino Facts: HEIGHT: 28 Feet (Dino Mode) 20 Feet (Battle Mode) WEIGHT: 5.8 Tons FIERCENESS: 90/100 INTELLIGENCE: 75/100 SPEED: 85/100 DEFENDING ABILITY: 78/100 ENDURANCE: 63/100 SIGNATURE WEAPON: Spears of Jade Colors: Translucent light green, solid and chrome blue, silver face (most of the toys have silver faces, BTW). The clear "sneezeguard" found on the original toy is missing from this version, which is a good thing, in my opnion. Arm Poseability: Just shoulders, and they're linked to the motion gimmick. However, they can be moved into independent positions via ratcheting. Gimmicks: Two solid gimmicks, the best-gimmicked of the five. By rotating the "wings" on the back, you can make the arms slash up and down in spear-slashing action. Although if you do it too vigorously, the spears can end up being tossed over Tricera's shoulders. Oops. In addition to being spears (and not lame little daggers as on the transforming version), they can be loaded into the chest skull. Turning the tail launches both spears via a marble-launcher process. The range is very good, but depends on how hard you twist the tail. Overall: While the poseability is at the low end for the line, the strong action features make up for it. The other must-buy of the quintet. DINO MAMMOTH A warrior of few words when in battle, Dino Mammoth has many thoughts about the future of the earth. He performs well in cold climates, using his "Tusks of Vigor" to spin rapidly, creating a chill to freeze the Dragozaurs. He also uses his "Mammoth Buster" to hold the enemy between his tusks, then hurls them into the air. Dino Facts: HEIGHT: 25 Feet (Dino Mode) 22 Feet (Battle Mode) WEIGHT: 8.7 Tons FIERCENESS: 60/100 INTELLIGENCE: 55/100 SPEED: 64/100 DEFENDING ABILITY: 90/100 ENDURANCE: 55/100 SIGNATURE WEAPON: Tusks of Vigor Colors: Translucent yellow with solid and chrome purple/gray. I preferred the original color scheme of the toy, in blue and grey. As Mammoth has no kibble hidden behind his back in robot mode, there's no blank, unpainted areas to speak of on this toy. So, while I dislike the colros, they're well-applied. Arm Poseability: Both elbows swivel, but the right arm's poseability is all tied up in the action gimmick. Gimmicks: The main gimmick is a complicated weapon-swinging action. Turn the "wings" on the back, and the arm raises at the shoulder while spinning at the elbow. You have to be careful with this, or it dislodges and knocks the tusks off. But taken reasonably slowly, it looks very nice. The second gimmick, the "Mammoth Buster" is a tusk-launcher. Push down on the mammoth skull, and the tusks...well, fall out. They fire almost straight down, and it looks like he's dropped his dentures. All this really accomplishes is to make the tusks easy to knock out. I'm tempted to just glue 'em in place. Overall: Definitely the most ambitious design, but the actual construction isn't up to the tolerances needed to make it work. So we get a cool gimmick that requires a lot of care, and a silly gimmick that gets in the way. Plus, the transparent yellow trunk sticking out the front of the chest looks kinda dippy. Still, a good toy. Dave Van Domelen, got Digivolving Shurimon today in the vain hope it wouldn't suck as much as the other two new Digimon, but it does.