TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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Firestrider57's Review: Age of Extinction Slog

Name: Slog
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Dinobot
Function: Demolitions, Jungle Warrior
Alternate Mode : Brachiosaurus

Bio:
Slog is low on brainpower, even by Dinobot standards. He's slow, lumbering, and absolutely gigantic. When you're that big, most problems get stamped out pretty quickly, sometimes before you know they're there. But what slog lacks in brains he makes up for in brawn. Anything he tramples snaps under his massive feet. The Dinobots know that he can clear a path through any enemy line ... as long as they point him in the right direction first.

Slog, or Sludge (as I like to call him) was one of the secondary, overlooked dinobots in the G1 series. The ones that seemed to get all the press were Grimlock , Slag and Swoop. The mystery is why everyone forgot about poor Sludge. Sludge's alt mode was fun and iconic for a dinobot. Next to the T-Rex, the Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) was the most memorable dinosaur . It also lent itself to a very good character, but alas! Sludge was never developed into such. He got limited ( if any) screen time in AoE. The cameras were more interested in Scorn, Slug (Slag) and, of course, Grimlock. He was never in the movie, you might want to re-write this Nonetheless, if you take a look at this toy in its own merit, you may have a double take on this dude. Let's have a gander at Slog (Sludge).

General Overview:
Slog is a figure that disappoints me in only one aspect: size. I think I need to add a little dino history lesson to this review to shed some light on this. The Brachiosaurus (Next to the Ultrasaurus and Argentinosaurus) is one of the largest dinosaurs ever. He measured anywhere from 80-100 ft in length. The T-Rex measured anywhere from 40-50 ft. in length. This means that when a dinosaur this size,which dwarfs a Freightliner Argosy and a Marmon transform into robo modes shorter than both, there was some kind of mix-up. I know that Leader classes are reserved for main characters that either were leaders or critical characters in the plot, but a leader class of this guy would have at least done the dino some justice. He is one of the shortest Voyagers in the AoE series. Having said all that, I believe the dinobots should have all been Voyagers for most of the line (Slug, Strafe, Snarl) with only one deluxe (Slash) with Grimlock and Slog being both Leaders. To make Grimlock the largest figure is historically incorrect.

Now I got that off my chest--the toy, for the toy's sake is impressive. It looks every wit his bio. The first thing I will point out is that this guy looks very scary in either mode, even for a "plant eating" sauropod. As he is boxed, he looks like he could tear the Deceps in shreds. He looks like the executioner in a medieval drama. The "lances" (or sabres, as they look hand-held) look like they could impale Galvatron fairly easily. I like the color scheme very much (actually better than G1(gasp!)). It is THE best representation of this type of dinosaur since Zoids. G1 was nearly flawless, but the gladiatoresque look of Slog makes him so much better. Either mode is excellently painted.

Transformation: For all the good I have said about this figure so far and all the good I will say , I will mention my chief frustration with this toy-- it's transformation! Oooohhh, the NIGHTMARE!!!! I must have spun it's torso infinite times to get the legs just right. The upper body isn't half the trial as the lower. You must twist the body flaps over the rear legs in order to get the rear panels just right to fit in its rightful place. It's easy to figure out the front,since the arms of the bot are the front legs of the dino. Remember to "snap and lock the flaps" and he's there, although with much complication and headache. This is a horrible transformation to say the least.

Alternate Mode: I will call this Slog's "Brachio" mode. It's really good. Getting him there from robot mode is a daunting challenge, but the finished product is well worth the torture. He is tall enough to put most of your deluxe figures on his back. His play value increases exponentially with the lances mounted on the rotating peg at the base of the neck. He's the perfect "war horse"! The Brachio's legs are movable and the neck can move from side to side. Not bad at all. The dino is expected to be lumbering and clumsy, so these aspects lend perfectly to the image conveyed. Dino mode easily eclipses other movie Voyagers in size (except for the Fallen). The toy should have easily been 12'' tall to do the dino true justice in size comparison with the other Voyagers. The one true detractor to this mode is the midsection doesn't seem to want to move as a single unit and is hard to move without "falling apart".

Robot Mode: The robot is a very nice rendering of the character. This is where I want to spend some real review time. Let's go head to toe with him.

1) He has a "fat head". Of course, a character with this bio is right at home with a fat head. His head has a "Shrekish" quality about it. If it were an actual robot head, it would probably measure a full man in width. It's huge. He also has a cylon type visor that looks rather weird due to the grayish color behind it. The "helmet" is also finned, which is rather knightly, but overall, the "fat head" gives a "loveable lunk" image to this otherwise terrifying monster of a robot.

2) He has a massive torso. He is incredibly solid. Only one other Voyager in this line ( as I have observed) gives the impression of so much solidity. The torso pieces are well grounded to make this a great toy. I am not sure what you mean here?

3) "Gorilla Arms"!: Ahhhhhh!!!! NO!! Not Gorilla Arms!!! Yes, gorilla arms. People, you can't expect absolute perfection from a toy that costs $30.00 CAD and roughly 7" tall. Sorry. Having said that, the arms are not entirely a bad thing. The arms (once again) lend to the bio. He is STRONG!! Staggeringly Strong. If anyone got in his way ( including Grimlock), they would snap like a twig. So... in order to get Brachio's legs right, something had to give ( i.e. the humanoid arms). It's not bad, really. The upper arms give the biceps and triceps a real pro-wrestler look and the forearms a bit of thickness. He can hold the lances quite well. The arms also use the same "shoulder spikes" as the Brachio. This hampers articulation, but not to an annoying extent. You almost have to think of this character as a "comic relief" to Grimlock (who provided some of the best comic relief in AoE). Did he now? I seem to recall he was a fighter that chomped and stomped Decepticons, he didn't even have any lines

4. Size comparison: Compared to other Voyagers,Slog comes up "short". In fact, in the AoE Voyager size scheme, he's the shortest. In Alt modes, he's dead-on true to scale. He towers above Galvatron, Prime Evasion Mode,Hound and all deluxes. In robot mode, he is lacking. True robot mode (according to movie standards) would make him some 65-70 ft tall! Galvatron and Prime would be 28 ft respectively. Hound is somewhere between 26 and 30 ft. In this toy, he would scarcely be 25 ft. Unacceptable! If a dino this size is 30 ft tall, 100 ft long,that means we have 65-70 ft to play with. This guy should be the tallest among Voyagers.
He wasn't in the movie and it's a voyager toy. You have already touched on the fact that he's short further up

5) Weapons!!: Of all the Dinobots I've seen, I like Slog's weapons the BEST!! He has two "ankle guns",shoulder spikes, and shoulder mounted lances, which are completely AWESOME!!! Most are poseable and even removable. In the case of the lances, they also serve as hand-held sabres. Overall, I would NOT want to mess with this guy at tournament time.

Overall: I like Slog. In spite of the size thing, he is a great figure with a few quirks. He's not perfect (especially transformation-wise), but he's very good. I have not obtained a more solid AoE figure yet. Some may get hung up on the "gorilla arms", but if you take everything into consideration, you have a great toy here. You shouldn't overanalyse here. He's close to the best Voyager you will get.

Points out of Ten for the Following:

Transformation: 3 Easy on the upper body, nightmare on the lower. Legs are very complex. Not recommended for young children
Durability: 7 Although overall very solid, Much of his body is made up of flaps. These flaps are vulnerable to tearing . The other parts are very solid.
Articulation: 6 Much of the robot's articulation is hampered by the dino mode. I gave it a "slightly-above average" rating because of characterization factors. I have never seen a tf so articulated in so many ways, but some points such as neck (which is no great loss) to wrist articulation is compromised. A bit at a loss here mate, is he articulated or not?
Value:6 I paid full price for this guy, which is nearly a sin for me. I didn't want to lose this guy like I lost Hound. I have a nearly complete Dinobot squad because of it. I find that $30.00 CAD is steep, even for this one.
Aesthetics: 9 He looks absolutely frightening! The gray and black color scheme is great considering that's what they were like in the movie.
Fun: 10 This guy is so much fun because deluxes can ride his dino mode, he comes with ultra-cool weapons for both modes and he has that comic look about him that is hard not to love.
Overall: 8 A few detractors, but a great figure nonetheless. This is a great figure for completists or those who just want a fun figure!