TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Sir Auros' review of: Sharkticon

Name: Sharkticon
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Nemesis Impersonator
Sub-Group: NA
" If I don't grind you to shreds, I'll blast you to bits."

Sharkticon has an appetite for destruction along with a repulsive stench. Recruited by Scorpanok for space reconnaissance, this evil Decepticon proved very quickly that his true skills were best displayed during space battle and underwater combat. His powerful jaws are his greatest weapons. His cruel way of destroying an enemy has been known to sicken his Decepticon allies, including Megatron, on many occasions. Even his teammate, Shockwave, is repulsed by Sharticon's personality and stink. In vehicle mode, he can out-maneuver some of Optimus Prime's most skilled Autobots. In robot mode, he takes down the enemy with merciless precision and pure enjoyment.

Hasbro's webmaster finally caught up with the line and put up the tech spec. info. for Sharkticon, so I've removed my initial introduction to the figure. I've pined for this figure since the initial shots of the prototype so many months ago and it really didn't end up disappointing me. A lot of people seemed to dislike it from those shots, but I thought it looked superb.

Vehicle Mode:
Like the function I made up indicates, Sharkticon is indeed based mostly on the infamous Decepticon flagship seen in the G1 and Beast Wars series. It even has little turrets that move. I like my Transformers heavily armed, and Sharkticon's alternate mode is no letdown on that part. It only really vaguely resembles a shark, but it's supposed to be some sort of space battleship. The super mode is pretty cool with the extra missiles, but I'd have preferred those missiles being accessible in robot mode more myself. The detailing in this mode is just wonderful. Whoever sculpted Sharkticon did a great job and the articulation in the turrents is thorough and amazing. The paintjob in this mode is also quite good, though I would left out yellow and white entirely and gone with classic Decepticon black and purple. The one downside about this mode would be the paintjob. The white bridge looks silly and black at least would have suited it much better. Other than that though, I absolutely love this mode.

Robot Mode:
I hold no hate for this mode either and I think it's fairly well-done. My two main issues are that Sharkticon has no gun in this mode, though his arms look like they have built-in weapons and the fins are likely weapons, and the paintjob. Replace the yellow with black or turqoise or darker purple and Sharkticon would be nearly perfect. This mode is great as far as articulation goes and resembles Energon Mirage in that respect. Sharkticon's head has a neat sculpt, but suffers from a less-than-detailed paintjob. Little more definition could go a long way here. The sculpt looks fine though and has articulation that I'd imagine kids would find more than acceptable and I'm guessing he's some sort of martial arts master with those deadly finblades. I should mention that his missile launchers can be positioned to shoot from his hips in this mode, but it's just more fun to pretend he's a martial artist.

Transformation: 7 - Simple, but also does a good job hiding the robot mode. However, the reliance on these pegs (See Slugslinger) isn't something I'm fond of as it weakens the articulation in the robot mode.
Durability: 9 - Not a lot to break on this figure and it's pretty solid. Only think keeping it from a 10 is those pegs since they do get loose pretty quickly.
Fun: 10 - Great for display, heavily armed vehicle mode, and kung fu master robot mode with plenty of articulation.
Price: 10 - Only $10!? I'd sell your first-born for this figure.
Summary: 9 - My thirst for Energon Deluxe figures has been sated by this masterpiece...at least until the first gestalt leaders start coming out...