Review: #867
Name: Riggorus
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Masterpiece
Year of Release: 2024
Size Class: Masterpiece
Mold Status: retool of Masterpiece MP-58 Hoist
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Hasbro versions of this figure comes with an extra outer sleeve, which is a simpler design.
Inside is basically the Japanese packaging and toy, and like with all Masterpiece releases, it is a nice package all round.
The stock photos chosen are good, and shows the various poses and gimmicks.
Riggorus comes with a few accessories, being an artwork card, a force field, and a pair beam emitter, as well as attachments for his shoulder cannons.
There are also optional stickers.
VEHICLE MODE:
Riggorus transforms into a Hilux camper truck, and it's one from the 1980s, so it's an older design.
It's a very detailed and faithful vehicle mode too, particularly since it is also licensed, so all the detailing is there.
There is a chrome grill, although since the whole piece is chromed, it's a bit tacky. While the back has sculpted Toyota lettering.
The details don't end there, as he features opening doors and an opening hood.
Open up the hood and it'll reveal some engine detailing, all this is very impressive.
The only negative is that the bright yellow used is not very realistic.
A fantastic vehicle mode, as you would expect of a Masterpiece figure.
TRANSFORMATION:
Compared to some previous toon-accurate Masterpiece figures, Riggorus isn't too difficult or tricky. Thankfully, he doesn't include any convoluted designs and in theory, is a bit more on the simpler side for this price point. He effectively folds inside out, as the legs as well as the arms are untucked from underneath the truck, leaving the vehicle shell that forms the torso. It's a bit of a surprise, and the shoulder pieces are somewhat confusing in the instructions. The transformation scheme is lacking a bit of elegance as the torso feels unfinished.
ROBOT MODE:
Given he's a retool of Hoist (which itself is a retool of Trailbreaker), he has elements of those designs, and this is not a back looking robot.
Unlike the original toy, his proportions isn't bad, and he doesn't look bloated or too fat. He has a bit of kibble, the pieces behind his shoulders are part of the design though but they do get in the way.
The head sculpt is toy inspired and looks nice.
He becomes very tall in this more, towering over all Voyagers now.
However, that comes at a cost, and the reason he's so tall is that his torso is basically hollow and is gappy. That's disappointing for a Masterpiece figure, given that they couldn't have found a way to cover up those unsightly gaps on the sides of his torso.
Moving on from that flaw, he's nice and chunky. He's striving for toon accuracy but at the same time, doesn't feel too far on the toon side which is great.
Due to the hollowness of his torso and legs, he can feel light for his size though.
Articulation is naturally really good, with joints for his head, shoulders (including being able to flex in and out), elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, knees and ankles.
He comes with a few accessories, the first is the forcefield which attaches to his torso.
Next are the pair beam emitters. You need to actually remove his hands in order to attach these, which is disappointing.
The shoulder cannons can also point forwards.
Finally, the forearms can extend, which can look weird but still pretty cool.
Given how his torso is, his hip joints are differently jointed than normal. They still have the range of motion you'd expect, but can look weird at times.
Thanks to his large feet, he is quite stable in most poses.
The robot mode can feel a bit unfinished in certain areas, given that they don't peg securely only anything, like his shoulder cannons.
The articulation in his fingers (two pieces that are jointed), provides a lot of posing fun.
Even without the stickers, he isn't too bland thanks to the silver and red on his lower body. With the stickers, which are mostly on the pieces behind his shoulders, it can look more tacky.
Despite the flaws, this is a solid robot mode.
OVERALL:
Riggorus is a solid Masterpiece figure. He's not the best though, or the best value. There are flaws in robot mode that are hard to ignore, such as the hollow torso and general hollow feel. However, he does display well and looks decent.
-----------------------------------------------------------
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)