Toy Review: Transformers Masterpiece MP-41 Dinobot (Beast Wars)

Review:  #478
Name:  Dinobot
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Maximal
Line:  Masterpiece
Year of Release:  2018
Size Class:  Masterpiece
Mold Status:  new

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:

Dinobot comes in your typical black styled Masterpiece box that looks great.  The first thing you would notice is how big it is, and this helps justify the exorbitant price.

The amount of stock photos on the back should you give an idea of the amount of gimmicks this figure has.  The designer has gone all out to make this the ultimate Dinobot figure you'll ever need.

Dinobot comes with plenty of accessories:  three alternate faces, Dino saber, pieces for the stand, Golden Disc and a beam effect for his eyes.

Of course, he also comes with a collector's card.

DINOSAUR MODE:

Dinobot transforms into a velociraptor that is crazy accurate to the show, right down to the texture of the skin and paint details.

Yes, there are exposed robot parts when viewed from behind but considering that from every other angle he looks good and he isn't a massive shellformer, this is an amazing piece of engineering.  Also note that the G1 Masterpieces all have messy undersides, a luxury that Dinobot isn't able to have.

Dinobot is huge in this mode.  You don't appreciate his size until you have him in hand.  Above is a comparison against Age of Extinction Optimus.  Dinobot is so much heftier and sizable in comparison.

Unfortunately, Dinobot is a tad bit front heavy and the hip ratchets aren't strong enough to keep him upright at times.

The mouth can open to reveal a nice row of razor sharp teeth and a tongue that's independently jointed!

You can open up the head to rotate the eyes and give him ones that are slit.  A nice and unobtrusive gimmick.

The designer made a huge effort to make this mode as poseable as it possibly can.  Despite the tail retaining the weapon gimmick, it is jointed in multiple places near the end.  The forearms features four sets of joints, the neck has two and the legs have four.

When prototype pictures were released, many were worried about the sheer amount of panels and the resulting panel lines on the figure.  This is still a problem here but since it is now painted, it isn't as obvious and bad.

The figure comes with the Golden Disc, which has its own stand.

Using one of the clear pieces to slot the disc in, this will allow Dinobot to hold it in his hand.

Finally, you can combine the two pieces to form a long base.  The arm is versatile allowing you to set the height since the supporting piston can lock in anywhere along the central ridges.  To attach Dinobot, you need to attach another clear piece into his torso.  Displaying him on the base means that any balance issues are negated.

This is an amazing dinosaur mode and even most astounding when you consider that the designer put more effort into the robot mode!

TRANSFORMATION:

The engineering of Dinobot is crazy.  The velociraptor legs form the robot arms and that is the simplest aspect.  You have to be careful with the ratchet shoulders because either due to poor design or shoddy assembly, it is liable to break, which is a shame on something this expensive.  The legs unfold from the torso and requires a lot of little adjustments that you definitely need the instructions to get them all.  One of the neatest parts is how the sides fold in upon itself to form the thighs, a neat way to hide the beast mode.  Finally, the velociraptor turns inside out to form the robot (yes, Dinobot has a fake chest) and it remains just as impressive as when you first experienced MP Ironhide.

ROBOT MODE:

Dinobot's robot mode is simply amazing.  Just like his beast mode, this is extremely show accurate.

One of the most impressive aspect is the lack of kibble AT ALL.  Sure, his back bulges a little bit but considering that the beast mode's head and arms are tucked neatly in there, it is easily forgiven.  The skeletal design is exactly like it was in the show.

The headsculpt is similarly impressive.  He default face is a snarling one.

Swapping faces is extremely easy since you just need to pull it out and then swap the next one in.  First up is his "beam" face, which has colorless eyes.

This is because you can attach the beam effect into his eyes and if you have some spare button batteries, light up his eyes.

The next face is a crying one which doesn't feel like it has quite enough difference to justify a separate piece.

The last face is an evil smiling one.

Dinobot in robot mode is approximately the size of a Leader sized classed toy.

Dinobot has excellent poseability, with ratchets in all the places you'd expect.  He has ankle tilts to keep him balanced in dynamic poses.

His fingers are individually double jointed which is just crazy although his thumbs are jointed as one piece.

Again, you can use the clear piece to attach the Golden Disc and then peg it into his palm so Dinobot can hold it.

Just to note again, minimize the amount of times you use the ratchets for his shoulders.  You can't avoid it when transforming him but you can avoid it in robot mode since there are separate shoulder hinges that you can use instead.  You do not want to break this expensive figure.

The tail opens up to form the rotating weapon, as well as revealing his blade inside.

The blade is chromed and looks really nice.

The weapon can be held in either hand, like a typical blade.

Or you can peg it in such a way that it acts as a stabbing weapon.

The rotating weapon pegs into a slot in the middle of his palm.  While it's still big and awkward, Dinobot can handle it fine with his ratchet joints.

The weapon can actually rotate.  To prevent it from rotating you can flip a piece of plastic down to lock it in place.

When not in use, you can store tail on his back.

To utilize the stand, once again there is a clear attachment to peg onto the bottom of his waist, which then attaches to the arm of the base.

Having the base means that you can attempt to pose Dinobot in gravity defying ways without worrying about stability and balance.

Following on from MP Cheetor, Dinobot's torso uses kibble to replicate the velociraptor's head.

The color scheme looks great and you can feel that the designer spared no expense.  Dinobot simply looks so good in person.

A fantastic robot mode that doesn't have any flaws at all.  He looks great and plays great.

OVERALL:

MP Dinobot is one of the best figures in the line and a testament to the ingenuity of the designers over at TakaraTomy.  Having two amazing modes and the inclusion of a practical accessory, being the base, makes the figure extremely versatile.  While he is one of the most expensive Masterpiece Transformers yet, Dinobot justifies his price with a premium paint job, a staggering parts count and sheer attention to detail.  It's just a shame that the shoulder problem is such an issue and taints the figure.

--------------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page.

Purchase from Amazon using this link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Book Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Vol. 4

Review:  #803
Title:  Phoenix Wright:  Ace Attorney Vol. 4
Series:  Phoenix Wright:  Ace Attorney - 4th volume
Author:  Kenji Kuroda
Comments:  The volume covers a case with two chapters and then the first part of the next case with another chapter.  The first chapter has a murder mystery but with the twist being that the defendant’s mother’s ghost was the murderer.  While you are waiting for the kicker to be revealed, it wasn’t overly inventive or clever.  The case felt flat overall since it felt so normal compared to the previous cases and there wasn’t a huge turnaround on Phoenix’s part.  The next case has the murder on live tv where a contestant in an eating game was poisoned.  It follows the predictable formula of Phoenix unwillingly becoming the lawyer to protect the defendant, with little details and on the losing side in the beginning.  It can get a bit wordy with too much exposition, which slows down the pacing.
Rating:  6/10

Accel World: Infinite Burst (2016)

Based upon the light novel series, rather than a sequel to the 2012 anime series, Accel World:  Infinite Burst is an original story.  That is, you will get to it after the 40 minute recap first.  The recap is rushed and at only 40 minutes for a 24 episode season, it only serves to pad out the running time.  This is because it doesn't go in depth enough for newcomers, and fans would already know everything.  Interestingly enough, the recap skips the Dusk Taker arc.  Accel World is set in the future where Neurolinkers offer augmented reality on the go.  A special program named Brain Burst, allows the user to slow down time by 1000 times, and also functions as a fighting game.  The other thing is Infinite Burst takes place much much later than when the first season ended, therefore we get the inclusions of new characters within Nega Nebulus such as Sky Raker, Aqua Current and Ardor Maiden.  To not get lost, you'll probably need to have read at minimum up to volume 10 of the light novel, but to get all the references and moves that the characters use, you'll probably have to be fairly up to date at around volume 18.  The new content is only at 40 minutes but it packs a lot of things.  We get plenty of fights, a lot of interactions between characters and perhaps the best thing of all, more screentime for the mysterious Kings of Pure Color, the most powerful burst linkers in the series.  The plot itself is simple but there is enough reason for the characters to do what they do best.  While it may have been better as an extended OVA (or two OVAs), the original story in Accel World:  Infinite Burst is fun and definitely a must for fans.

Persona 4: The Golden Animation (2014)

Persona 4:  The Golden Animation is based on the Vita updated port Persona 4 Golden where it added a ton of content.  This anime (which no one really asked for) assumes you have knowledge of the plot already, whether this was from the first anime or the game.  It glosses over the plot in favor of adapting mostly the new content, and has a high focus on the new character Marie.  It is 12 episodes long plus an OVA.

The original plot of the murder mystery in the town of Inaba as well as the power of friendship, is thrust to the wayside and only cursory mentioned.  The protagonist Yu Narukami arrives in Inaba to live there and attend school for a year.  Upon arriving at the station he meets a mysterious girl, whom he later learns is Marie and befriends her.  Marie is part of the Velvet Room.

The first episode quickly throws the characters into the TV and encounters with the Shadows.  This plot thread is promptly forgotten and focuses upon Yu's dates with Marie.  The rest of the characters such as Yosuke, Yukiko, Chie, Teddy, Kanji and Rise suddenly appear and it is assumed that the viewer already knows their personalities.  Thanks to the fact that it is heavily centered on Marie, there doesn't seem to be as strong a plot thread as the murder mystery that ties the gang together.  The episodes present a slice-of-life view and cover most of the additional content in Golden that wasn't covered in the original game or anime such as the social links, song performance and ski trip.

Marie herself is a mysterious character.  She does not have any memories of the past and a big plot point is how she comes to terms with this fact, and settles with creating new memories with her new friends.  Through all of these events, the murder mystery is still happening in the background and this is where the anime assumes its viewers has either played the game or watched the first anime.  Viewers are expected to know when the major events surrounding the murders occurred as we'll have new characters suddenly appearing and Yu will end up facing the final boss.  There are very limited fight scenes in which the characters summon their titular Personas but they are so brief they might as well not put it there.

Considering the amount of focus placed upon the characters' day to day lives and activities, they should have just eliminated the murder mystery plotline instead of shoddily inserting it here and there.  The humor has been dialed down, extremely funny scenes in the original game only gets you a chuckle here or there.  The anime lacks all the one-liners and random gags that made the first anime , and the game, so funny.  While Marie is truly the main focus, it spotlights upon another underrepresented supporting character.  Adachi, the newbie partner cop to Yu's uncle, has his character fleshed out a bit more.  It is done awkwardly though but when he eventually gets his own episode focusing on his past, you can understand his personality more.

The ending is supposed to invoke a sense of longing and peace at finding and saving Marie.  Instead, because the anime's pacing was so slow with haphazard events, it didn't allow the viewer to  develop the bonds and caring for the characters.  You don't feel much when the cast gets hurt, or a rush of awesomeness when their Personas finds enough power to overcome the final boss.  The fight sequence involving the final bosses feels lazy and lacking substance, such that it leaves you with a hollow feeling.  It doesn't help that the scene cuts awkwardly, expecting the viewer to already know the background of the boss and what occurred during the fights, only showing the new parts.

The music of Persona 4 was one of the highlights and it's great that The Golden Animation reuses those tracks, adding in a nostalgic feel as well.  It is when the music from the game turns up in a scene that you have the habit of feeling that the scene will be epic, even when it doesn't live up to the expectations.  The animation quality though, fluctuates.  The aesthetics of the character models are slightly off compared to the game, character proportions are a tiny bit plumper than expected.

There is an OVA which adapts the new Bad Ending from the game.  It's slow paced and much darker than the rest of the anime.  It's shorter at only 14 minutes long but is quite good and more impactful once you start wondering about what must be going through Yu's head.  Overall, Persona 4:  The Golden Animation is definitely one for the massive Persona 4 fans.  The animators couldn't win, if they decided to readapt everything with the new content then it would have retreaded too much, but having only adapted the new content makes the plot disjointed and makes the viewers feel alienated from the characters and everything that is going on.  While it isn't a bad anime, it leaves a lot to be desired.

------------------------------------------------

For other anime reviews, have a look at this page.