Hasbro Transformers Studio Series 86 Dinobot Snarl Hasbro, 2022
Day #2,732: July 23, 2024
Dinobot Snarl Sometimes Simple Works
Transformers Studio Series Leader Class Toy
Item No.: Asst. E0703 No. F7247 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Sword, backdrop Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Dinosaur Retail:$54.99 Availability: July 2023 Other: Biggest, therefore best official Snarl toy
I was very excited to get Dinobot Snarl as a bigger toy. I never had the original, just the combiner one. This 2023 release stands 8 1/2-inches high, making him a bit more impactful than a remake of the original toy. Snarl isn't merely bigger, he actually feels like they put in some real effort to make a big toy here. I don't know that you're getting your money's worth here, but also, it doesn't matter - you want this. Trust me. You do. But you only get a sword, no sidekick like Daniel or Wheelie, and the price is now $55 instead of $50 (like Grimlock in January 2021.) I'd say he's "just like you remember him in the movie," but "cameo" sounds like an exaggeration for the number of frames on which he appears during the 1986 Transformers: The Movie. You don't see his sword and you certainly don't see his robot mode. But hey, whatever excuse they need, I got a big Snarl and I assume someone over there is making plans for an even more cartoony one and an even more toyetic one down the road. You know, until the 1980s kids are all 50 or 60 and say "wait, we're still buying collectibles at 50 or 60?"
As an Dinobot warrior he's plenty big and taller than I would expect. The figure is clearly designed to mimic his cartoon animation model, which came with a gray sword too. That's why you don't get a blaster, because it wasn't on the TV show. (Screw you, accuracy.) He has crosshairs on his Diaclone-inspired chest, which does move but won't open to fit a pilot driver figure. (Pity.) He does have enormous feet that help him stand upright and strong ratcheting joints. I had no problems getting him to stand and he's sturdy enough to not flop over. This is a good one. The face is silver with blue eyes, and his helmet has cartoon-inspired horns and a nice forehead crest. His chin does seem a little bit big, but who didn't love Transformers: Animated designs? It's not an unwelcome change.
This is a robot figure of extreme competence. You will not be amazed, because there is no sticker deco and there are no surprises. Snarl is at his Snarliest, delivering a figure that seems a little expensive for a mainline product but a bargain relative to those bootlegs. He even has a number of 5mm holes on his arms and feet so you can mount more gear, were you so inclined, but odds are you'll just leave him on a shelf somewhere. I wouldn't recommend it, because he is pretty fun to transform.
The tail is scientifically inaccurate even by the standards of the 1980s, as we now believe the stegosaurus held his tail up and when you're transforming him, you'll see it doesn't so much drag down as poop out. The front and back legs all tuck in and out quite satisfyingly, resulting in a dinosaur with ball-jointed limbs. You don't see that every day.
The little guy has a gold head with opening jaw (and sadly, no places to mount laser beams) and pretty much stands around. You can mount other accessories to him, and he looks like a Takara design went through a few rounds of revisions before being spat out as - more or less - an un-chromed, de-stickered, and simplified 2-up of a toy you may have owned as a child. He gets the job done, but the gold paint and the gold plastic don't really match in a pleasing way. It's a charming little guy and I don't regret shelling out the cash for him.
I don't have a lot of love for the Snarl character, despite some of his roles as the #2 Dinobot in the comics. In the cartoons, he existed - but as a toy, he looms large over the other Autobots. I'm glad Hasbro made something impressively large here, and it seems to be paying off as these guys tend to sell in the stores around here rather nicely (and Grimlock got expensive.) If you're the kind of person to pay $55 for a big silver, red, and gold dinosaur robot, you need this. It's fun, it's big, and while it's lacking in accessories, it does deliver on the promise of Snarl.
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