Transformers Generations Power of the Primes Selects Dinobot Red Swoop Action Figure Hasbro, 2019
Day #2,091: May 14, 2019
Dinobot Red Swoop 1980s Toy Deco
Transformers Generations Power of the Primes Selects
Item No.: No. E6720 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Sword, Prime Armor/Fist, Prime Armor Blaster/Stopper Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Pterosaur Retail:$19.99 Availability: April 2019 Other: Matches 2017 Toy's Packaging
In short, Dinobot Red Swoop - that's the name on the box - is a pretty simple redeco. In 2017, Hasbro showed this deco in a few places but didn't release a toy to match. Take a look at Swoop [FOTD #1,855] - its cardback shows this very deco, with the clear pterosaur head, the lighter grey plastic, and a red chest instead of the blue. In 2017 Hasbro and Takara-Tomy went with the cartoon (and Diaclone) paint job, while certain fans with certain jobs said to certain people "So what is it going to take for you to release another toy with this paint job since you clearly already did the heavy lifting?" And here we are! I'm glad.
The robot is still good, but this has a much looser build than the previous release. You still get wonderful articulation, but gravity is a bit more pronounced here. The legs and feet are looser, the arms are looser, all 16 or so points of robot articulation are still present but I assume the figure will sag on display after a few months. Maybe you'll want to get a display stand to be safe. The red paint is a little more matte this time, with the robot crest and sword in a flatter, seemingly thinner red paint than we got last time. The head is still black with silver, with blue eyes, and with chest tampos in identical places but slightly different colors.
Swoop has the same basic sword and fist combo platter, with the same worthless Prime Armor that makes a good combiner fist.
Transforming the toy is the same as last time, so if you remember how to do it it's easy. Hasbro did a great job making these guys easy to transform and all of the Combiner Wars and Power of the Primes-compatible toys had better-than-usual form fit transformations. For whatever reason, they're just better and they work with less fuss.
The flying creature mode is very similar to the original release - the grey is a little lighter and they dropped the gold head, but it's otherwise functionally identical. You can have it stand or "fly," with an articulated neck and jaw. The Prime Armor can fit on the back, and the sword stores under the jaw.
While the intention was to better match the other toys, the result is mixed. The red and overall color scheme does look closer to Grimlock, Snarl, Slug, and Sludge - but the grey is just a hair lighter. So it's close, but not exact. This tends to happen when you release a toy one or two years later - the color batches aren't usually a perfect match.
The Dinobots were in demand for a long time. They're still in demand, as you can see in the somewhat high secondary market prices. This new deco is something of a blessing for fans that missed the first release, because it's a tiny bit cheaper and it better matches the team when you build out Volcanicus. If you have that first Swoop and are happy with it, this toy is basically a better match with slightly looser joints. I need both because I'm weird - you may just be happy with one.
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