General Information
Release Date: 1996
Price Point: $4.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Kay Bee Toys, Target, Toys 'R' Us etc.)
Accessories: Mace weapon/beast mode foot, Blaster/beast mode foot
Armordillo was one of the last group of basic Maximal toys to be released utilizing the "spring loaded transformation" feature. He was later used in the Japanese Beast Wars toy lines twice. First released with Snapper in a playset and then later repainted as Bump, a member of the Beast Wars Neo Cybertrons.
Beast Mode:
Armordillo's name is a play on his beast mode, an armadillo. His primary color is orange with dark grey detailing used on his beast mode head and the main body. Grey is used for his tail and claws and parts of his forearms.
Armordillo is a fierce looking critter, with sharp teeth exposed on his mouth and red eyes. His claws are long and look sharp (don't worry parents, they're not going to hurt anyone). The use of the dark grey to accentuate the existing molded panels of his back armor works very well.
In beast mode, Armordillo has four points of articulation. This is rather low, but is explained by the manner in which this toy transforms. Overall, Armordillo has a nice beast mode, but not great.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
Begin Armordillo's transformation by removing his two rear feet. Each can swing down to reveal a weapon and a peg which will be used to attach the weapons to Armordillo's hands. Now push the the tail up, and the spring action transformation does most of the work for you. Place each weapon into the holes in his hands and move the robot arms down. Armordillo is now in robot mode.
Robot Mode:
Armordillo carries much of his parts from the beast mode over to his robot mode. The result is his color scheme barely changes. His robot head is orange and his upper arms and legs are grey. His lower legs are orange with grey claws at the feet.
In robot mode, Armordillo has nine points of articulation. His claws are nasty looking weapons, but it is cool to see that the designers saw him fit to have both a range weapon and a melee weapon. The weapons are designed nicely, especially his ball and chain weapon.
Armordillo is a neat little Transformer, nothing to write home about, but if you want to boost your Maximal arsenal, he is recommended. B
Updated Thoughts (July 5, 2022):
I had not played with Armordillo for easily over a decade when I took these updated photos and it was a great reminder of a completely different design philosophy in Transformers compared to modern day figures. Gimmicks like the spring loaded transform are rare nowadays in the main line (gimmicks are more common kid-oriented lines like Cyberverse) but man they were really fun back in the day. I also love the sculpting on this figure. Except for some of the Beast Wars oriented Kingdom and Legacy releases we don't see many organic looking Transformers toys nowadays so it's great to see this type of design. My only issue with Armordillo is that he is very back heavy, so he has a tendency to tip back if you try to stand him straight up. You need to bend him at the hips or knees a bit and he stands fine then.
