PotP Slag ***Proofed By Skyquake***

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ganon578
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PotP Slag ***Proofed By Skyquake***

Post by ganon578 »

Name: Slag
Function: Hating Everything
Subgroup: Power of the Primes
Size Class: Deluxe

How will the fire-breathing warrior Dinobot Slug wield this epic power?

All Power of the Primes figures come with a randomized card pairing them with a Prime Master – which also grants them additional powers. My Slag came as Alpha Trion Slug:

Uses His Strength to Stop Conflict, Not Incite It

Well, that power just goes right against all the other bio info for Slag. Good ol’ Alpha Trion, saving everyone from fire breath!

Yep, you read that correctly up there. Slug. That’s the ‘real’ name for this figure, but people not beholden to Copyright Infringement Laws know this guy is truly Slag. One of the original five dinobots, Slag is the team’s resident triceratops. Apparently he’s a very grumpy dude who doesn’t like much of anything, except for fighting. He likes that. A lot. But, if I could breathe fire and had bony frill and two horns on my head, I would fight too! Part of the first wave of Power of the Primes deluxe figures, Slag is a robot, a triceratops, and also one part of the Dinobot combiner Volcanicus (ignore the last part if you so choose). He’s a fair toy, even if he has some faults…

Alternate Mode:

As I mentioned a bit ago, Slag’s dino mode is that of a triceratops. As such, you expect him to be stocky, round, and a bit of a tank. With horns. And you know what? He does that. Slag’s dino mode is strikingly similar to his G1 version, though updated with today’s bells and whistles. The vast majority of the mode is done in a grey plastic that comes off a touch bland, but you’ll also find some hints of red, black, and even some gold. The gold is done in two ways: straight up paint apps or gold painted parts with clear plastic over top, as seen with the head and tail. I don’t know if the plastic-over-gold look is for everyone, but I think it works fine enough while also an homage to the original toy. I think the triceratops mode looks really good with all the molded details, and the size is right compared to the rest of the Dinobots.

On the fun side, you’ll find that Slag has the ability to move his legs a bit, both front and back. The front legs are a bit more mobile since they double as a robot arms. Contrary to some stock photos, there is a tiny neck in Slag’s dino mode, and you can also open his jaw ever-so-slightly. Additionally, there’s some 5mm peg holes on his back and hips to store his included gun and/or Prime armor. While not too flashy, I think Slag does an admirable job of being a stocky triceratops and also as a good update to the original.

Robot Mode:

As you’ll find with all of the PotP Dinobots, getting Slag back and forth in each mode is fairly simple. Most of the transformation involves unfolding his legs to get him to stand up. It’s quick, but also not exciting. What you end up with though, is a nice update to the original toy, while adding in articulation of today’s Deluxe-class figures. The arms and legs have a good range of movement, so positioning him is quite fun. Unfortunarely he’s a little on the back-heavy side of things, so it’s nice that Hasbro added in some ‘heels’ to his feet/legs to assist. I find the knees are a little wonky though, which seems to dampen some of that articulation and does not mitigate his balance issues. Most of the time, standing Slag straight up is the way to go. The head can move as well, but I find it hard to get my fingers in there that I’ve never moved it much. If you’re into straight forward looks, Slag’s your guy! On the plus side, there’s visually a lot more going on in robot mode, with a more red and a little black showing though. The robot mode does a nice job of breaking up the grey for sure. Molded detail is again done well. Slag also comes with a black gun, which is a fun accessory, but it’s sad he didn’t also come with a sword. He does come with a piece of Prime Armor however (woo hoo?) which allows him to use it as a big punching fist or peg it into his chest for a fatter version of himself that can plug in a Prime Master (or Titans Return head, if you’re into silliness) for added ‘powers’. FYI, that’s really just a way to shoehorn in the combiner fist and make him cross-compatible with the previous line.

At any rate, Slag is pretty solid, and a good addition to the updated Dinobot team. At the same time, he's fairly unremarkable, so unless you’re going for the whole set or you just like him for nostalgia purposes, I would say he’s a solid ‘meh’. Not a bad toy by any means, just nothing to write home about.

Combiner Limb Mode:

As part of Volcanicus, Slag can be used as either a leg or an arm in combined form. He works well in either mode, though I prefer him as an arm, mostly because I think Sludge and Snarl work better as legs. If you fancy a more symmetrical Volcanicus, he blends well as a leg with Sludge on the other side. As it is with these figures though, you can place him wherever you choose based on your liking. I don’t think you can go wrong either way, or you can just ignore that feature as if it doesn’t exist! The combining aspect doesn’t detract from the figure, nor is it terribly obvious in the other two modes.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: Simple and quick. Nothing more than flipping legs, really. 5/10.
Durability: Very solid with no issues that I have identified. 9/10.
Fun: Slag is pretty neat, though he doesn’t have a range in either mode that his wavemate Swoop has. As a dino set though, you can’t go wrong. 8/10.
Aesthetics: Does a great job as an update to the original. There’s a lot of grey in the dino mode though. 6/10.
Articulation: The joints are there, but the knees are a bit wonky and he’s a touch back heavy. 6/10.
Value/Price: If you plan to get the whole Dinobot set, this one is priced fairly for the cross-play. He looks and plays decently too, so I think it’s also fair. 7/10.
Overall: Slag, unlike Swoop, isn’t as solid as a sole figure. However, if you’re planning on getting the other Dinobots anyways, I would recommend this one. Both modes work fairly well, but I think there’s enough little issues to hold Slag back. Fixing the balance and knees would have been much better. As it is, I still really like Slag, and he’s a fine addition to the updated Dinobots. 6/10.
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

And a few more...
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