Review: #178
Name: Slug
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Age of Extinction Generations
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)
Variations: none as of yet
DINOSAUR MODE:
Slug transforms into a robotic Triceratops with some creative adjustments such as the extra horns and spikes.
Predominantly a striking purple, it seems all the Dinobots are brightly colored and a far cry from their steel grey on-screen appearance. The tail, lower jaw and horns are made from soft plastic.
This is a well formed Triceratops. When I first saw photos, I thought it would be a mess but most things peg together and the mode holds together solidly. The only thing where I couldn't peg it was the tail piece, it looks like there are slots to peg into the legs but I couldn't make it to fit.
The head sculpt is fantastic. The detailing is impressive, from the horns to the paint on the frills.
The jaw can open and this has nothing to do with transformation, it was just a nice touch from the designer to add some play value.
In terms of size, he is your typical Deluxe, nothing much more to say. He feels solid in your hands and while there might be gaps, you don't notice them.
Perhaps the weakest aspect of this mode is how you store the robot weapons. They peg onto the sides and stick out like a sore thumb. It looks ridiculous and is otherwise a disappointment to this fantastic beast.
Slug is static in this mode. The front legs have joints to move forward and back but the rear legs are fixed, you won't get many poses in this mode. In the end, this is still a fabulous fantasy beast.
TRANSFORMATION:
I keep getting surprised at how interesting the Dinobot transformations are. I mean, the designers could go the lazy way like with Beast Hunters and have the beast mode stand up, calling it a day. Slug's transformation is unique and clever. There are some very slight clearance issues which are more of an annoyance than a flaw. The beast torso forms the robot arms, beast legs the robot legs and everything else becomes kibble/robot features. I did find pegging the beast legs into the torso to be a tight fit and took a lot of force. The transformation is a pleasant surprise and worth the price of admission alone.
ROBOT MODE:
Slug has a distinctive robot mode. Like the rest of the Dinobots, there is a knight motif going on.
There is a fair amount of kibble including the beast legs on the back/sides, the tail piece as a hanging of behind the waist and half of the Triceratops head on each shoulder. That said, I don't mind the kibble as they all present a unique robot appearance.
The head sculpt is smooth and round with a blue visor. No lightpiping here.
However, you must look at it from the sides to appreciate the awesomeness of this head sculpt. It is based off a stechhelm and looks fantastic here as well as suiting the theme.
Looking at Slug from different angles, you appreciate the contours of the robot mode thanks to the different kibble aspects. I am surprised at how well I'm loving Slug, he looks much better in hand than photos.
Size-wise, he's the same height as the rest of the Deluxe Dinobots but is a little bit shorter than previous Deluxes. He makes up for this with his bulky look and width.
With the proportions and kibble, you would have thought Slug's articulation would be restricted or at the very least, awkward to handle. That is not to be, he was well designed and doesn't look any articulation at all.
I don't know why but I keep imagining Slug to be a fembot, maybe it's the purple color scheme or maybe it's the thin waist. While the beast legs on the side bulks up the robot torso, you can't deny that it is quite slim.
Slug's weapons are two swords, both made from soft bendy plastic. They are a nice design and looks pretty good.
Slug can hold a sword in each hand. Due to transformation, there isn't any meaningful wrist articulation, you can fold it inwards but that's about it.
If you don't want the swords in his hands then... well, you have no other options, they don't store anywhere else.
Articulation is excellent. He has all the meaningful joints and they are not hindered by kibble either. Despite pictures, the two giant shoulder pads (the Triceratops heads) do not get in the way of each other as they are separate to the shoulder joints.
The purple does give way to a lot more gunmetal grey. I really like how part of the beast frill fold forward to not only give some clearance behind his head but also give a distinctive aesthetic.
I think the only thing that they could have done better for robot mode is to somehow make the tail kibble fold onto this back instead of just hanging there.
This is an amazing robot mode. He might not have looked like that in photos but you will appreciate the engineering and design elements that have gone into this mode.
OVERALL:
You could probably tell but I am mightily impressed with Slug. I didn't expect much, I actually bought him for the same reason as I bought Strafe, to complete my set of Dinobots. However, I really like him, he is a great figure with two good modes and looks perfect on display. To be honest, I think he ties with Scorn in terms of the best Dinobot so far in the first two waves of figures. Go out and get this guy, since he is in the first wave, I'm sure you'll be able to easily find him at a decent price.
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