I got this Heatwave on the extreme cheap a few years ago and just recently finally opened it. I use the term "opened" loosely, because it comes on a flat piece of cardboard, totally exposed to the retail elements. Every kid's snot and spit will get on it, so I bought it at a place where kids aren't allowed to shop and I certainly feel better for it.
The toy reimagines Heatwave as a "Brontosaurus" (so says the packaging) and it's basically an automatic transformation. Split the dino head, flip down the tail, and everything else falls into place. It's quite elegant as "automorph" toys go.
As a robot, he's about 3-inches tall - a tiny head comes complete with a fireman's helmet, resulting in a new look for what is basically the most beloved character in this ignored-by-adults line. Seriously, the kids love these.
The Dinosaur mode is pretty simple, carrying the colors of the robot with a fair amount of detail and a small, if worthless, feature. It's basically a statue with a big, blue button on its back that causes the head to buck forward. My biggest gripe is that the face has silver paint on it, because this kind of paint wears down fast and the ones you find used (or new, given their exposure to the elements) will likely require repainting immediately. So be careful with this one, learn the lessons that Blue Snaggletooth's boots should have taught us all.
It's cute, small, and cheap-ish. The current toy market basically does not allow toys to remain cheap long - anything $5 or less will be jacked up on Amazon or eBay (if anyone is buying) because nobody seems to blink about spending $10 for their kids the way we collectors did as toys creeped up in the 1990s. As of now this toy isn't exactly rare, but it's not common either - so the $4 toy goes for $10. When the Star Wars Rebels line debuted, Toys R Us and online indie sellers took the $6 figures and asked - and got - $10 each without any fuss. I'd say this toy is an utter bargain at $5 or less, even $6 isn't terrible.
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