General Information:
Release Date: November 2021
Price Point: $20.99 (Varies by retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Blaster, Axe, Blast Effect
Official Product Images and Description in italics are from BigBadToyStore:
- 2-IN-1 CONVERTING TOY: Easy Transformers conversion for kids 6 and up. Convert the Dinobot Slug toy from robot to triceratops mode in 25 steps. Makes a great gift for kids!
- BATTLE ACCESSORIES: This Dinobot Slug toy includes Energon axe and blaster accessories, plus a blast effect. Attach accessories in both modes and imagine Dinobot Slug unleashing his Blaster Fire Fury attack move!
- TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE CYBERVERSE ADVENTURES: Dinobot Slug toy inspired by the Autobot fiery Dinobot ally from the Transformers Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures cartoon, as seen on Cartoon Network and YouTube
- INSPIRED BY CYBERVERSE SHOW: Kids can imagine unleashing signature attack moves inspired by the animated series with this Deluxe Class figure!
The battle between heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons continues on the Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures animated series! As a powerful new threat targets Cybertron, it is up to Grimlock and his new friends, the Dinobots, to unite and save the planet! Discover the unique powers and skills of each Cyberverse character, and see how those powers will be used to defend Cybertron… or threaten it. Easily convert and attack with Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures Deluxe Class figures (Each sold separately)! Convert Dinobot Slug figure from robot to triceratops mode in 25 steps. Attach accessories in both modes and imagine Dinobot Slug unleashing his Blaster Fire Fury attack move! Kids can collect other Deluxe Class figures (each sold separately) to discover the signature attack moves of characters from the animated series. Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.
The Cyberverse cartoon came to an end in 2021, but not before introducing some new characters: the Dinobots! While Grimlock has been part of the Cyberverse story since the beginning, the rest of the team was not introduced until the fourth (and final) season of the show.
Packaging:
The packaging for the Deluxe Cyberverse figures released in 2021 are rectangular with an open window without a plastic window. This is part of Hasbro's commitment to reducing plastic in their packaging. That does mean you can touch the figure right in the box, so some fans may not be crazy about that. Me personally? I am fine with reducing plastic, and so long as the figure is intact I'm all good. The packaging carries over a lot of the design elements of previous Cyberverse packaging including a black vertical "Transformers" logo against a yellow background. A large illustration of Slug in beast mode is featured in the front with him charging forwarding blasting away. The background features the green "skin" like pattern from the "Dinobots Unite" packaging seen elsewhere in the line. The back of the box features Slug in both modes calling out a 25 step transformation. It also describes his "Blaster Fire Fury" attack. Interestingly the back of the box uses the "Dinobots Unite" logo.
Accessories:
Slug includes several accessories, which is cool to see since this time there are no build-a-figure parts. These parts are:
- Axe: This weapon is a short handled axe. The top section has spikes sticking out the sides and a blade in the center. This piece is translucent red plastic with shiny black paint on the handle and head. The handle is 5mm, allowing Slug to hold it in his fists but there is also an additional peg on the top that allows it to attach to the other weapon and act as a blaster! The bottom of the handle even has a small peg that accommodates Blast Effects, which is an awesome extra bit of play value.
- Blaster: This weapon is a dual barreled blaster. It is much larger than the axe and really looks like an intimidating weapon, especially with the spikes on the back. This appears to be an original design instead of a retread of the G1 weapon design. This piece is gunmetal grey with silver in the back. It features a 5mm peg on the bottom and a port on top. The one on top allows the axe weapon to attach, creating a tri-barreled weapon! The ends of the weapon barrels have small pegs on them that allow you to attach the Blast Effect included with the figure.
- Blast Effect: The Blast Effect included with Slug features two blasts fused together into one accessory. They are cast in a red plastic that, I think, was intended to be translucent but the plastic is thick enough that light does not really go through it well. That's okay as the color is really nice (though the greedy part of me would have loved some yellow or gold paint at the end). This attaches to the Blaster weapon by connecting to the pegs at the end. It's a wonderful extra touch and definitely adds value to the set.
Robot Mode:
The Dinobot designs from Cyberverse look like they started with G1 as their foundation, but then built up detailing on top of those basic forms. Slug has a lot of similar features as his G1 counterpart. This includes the top of the beast mode head forming a "helmet" like area behind the robot head, round shoulder areas, what looks like the bottom of the beast mode mouth on his chest and beast mode legs on the sides of his robot legs. However, this design adds more detailing. Perhaps the most obvious are the spikes on his shoulders, hips and chest. I really love the look of this figure. It is both classic and savage looking all at the same time.
Slug's colors are based on his animated counterpart but there were some changes made given the limitations of budget and how parts wound up being laid out in the tooling. Silver, red, gold and gunmetal grey plastic make up this figure. Paint colors include blue, silver and black. The main differences from the animation model (which you can see here) colors are the lower legs and parts of the arms. The arms are missing some gold and the legs have more gold than the animation model. Honestly? I'm not bothered by these differences. He uses classic Dinobot colors and they look fantastic together.
There are sixteen points of articulation on this figure. This includes three on each arm, four on each leg and even waist articulation. His fists each have 5mm ports allowing him to hold his weapons.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Push each fist to the side, forming the claws of the front beast mode feet.
- Rotate each forearm around.
- Swing the arms down at the shoulders.
- Lift up the gold chest panel and swing the section with the robot head back.
- Swing the red torso section forward.
- Swing the section with the robot head forward, then Rotate the beast mode head/robot head mode section around, then push that piece forward and down.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the robot feet up, then swing them against the lower legs.
- Swing the lower legs part way up, then swing out the tail sections.
- Push the two halves of the lower body together.
- Swing the back half of the beast mode forward, tabbing in the robot foot pieces into the red torso section.
- Swing the rear beast mode legs down.
- The weapons can be attached to the back, with the blaster going on first, then the axe connecting to the blaster.
Beast Mode:
In beast mode, Slug is exactly what you'd expect - a fully mechanical triceratops. No bio-mechanical stuff here. This guy is Old Skool Dinobot in appearance all the way. Like the robot mode, he has a lot of the same basic design elements as his G1 counterpart, but the designers have added small little touches unique to this figure such as the wavey shape of his horns, the spikes on his legs and the smaller details like the lines running down the tail. He looks fantastic.
With all the parts of the robot mode condensing into this form, much of the red gets hidden while the silver and gold become more prominent. His horns are translucent red (the same as the Blast Effect) which is a fun little touch. A nice finishing touch on the deco is a red Autobot symbol on the head which is a direct callback to G1 Slag from the original animated series.
Slug has eleven points of articulation in this mode. Three in the front legs, two in the rear legs. His mouth can open and close as well. You can add on two points if you include the ability to move the horns (but I personally don't count that). The weapons attach to the ports on his back and they look great, giving him a Dino-Riders like appearance.
Final Thoughts:
Slug is a great example of the Cyberverse Deluxe Class. I only wish the other Dinobots all received the same treatment. So far Grimlock is the only other one to be made in Deluxe form. Recommended!
Pros:
- Cool sculpt with G1 and modern influences.
- Classic Dinobot colors look great.
- Good articulation given the size class.
- Fun accessories.
Cons:
- I would have liked a bit more deco such as gold on the forearms.
