General Information:
Release Date: June 2023
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Background:
At the beginning of 2023 Hasbro began releasing a series of Core Class Dinobot figures including Dinobot Slug. The team will ultimately consist of six Dinobots who will combine into a new interpretation of the Combiner Volcanicus. Traditionally the Dinobots consist of five team members, so the sixth is a (kind of) new addition to the team: Scarr. This character was first introduced in the IDW Publishing comic books as “Skar”, a member of the Dynobots. He was also killed in that storyline so whether this represents a different version of the character or a character from the past is up to interpretation.
Packaging:
True to the name of the line, the Legacy: Evolution packaging uses the Legacy design as its foundation and then builds on it. The dramatic "Legacy" logo now has the word "Evolution" under it in an equally dramatic font. The background still has green, blue and purple colors that really catch the eye. On the top flap of the box features Scarr in beast mode, while the left side of the packaging features him in robot mode. The back of the box shows Scarr in both modes calling out an 9 step transformation. It also describes him as "4 of 6" Transformers who form Volcanicus!
Like last year's Legacy figures, Grimlock includes a QR Code (located on his instructions) that you can scan to see his tech specs online. I have screen captured the tech specs and placed them in the gallery below.
Accessories:
Scarr includes one accessory that doubles as a weapon and a fist for Volcanicus. The fist is designed with a weapon barrel connected to the top of the hand and extending forward. This has led many to further speculate (most likely correctly) that this set of figures will eventually be given a new deco and tooling as either Monstructor or Dinoking since this fist design resembles the fists used for those Combiners in G1. The weapon has a small peg for Scarr to use and the front of the weapon barrel can fit a Blast Effect. The fist is made of grey plastic and painted with glossy black paint.
Robot Mode:
Scarr is one of the chunkiest and largest of the Core Class Dinobots, rivaling Grimlock in terms of bulk. While a “new” character his aesthetic definitely fits in with the Dinobots. He has wide shoulders and large legs connected to a wide torso, giving him a powerful appearance. His arms have pointed sections on them (from his alt mode) and the chest has mechanical sections in the middle that look similar to those on other Dinobots like Slug and Sludge. His legs have the beast mode legs attached to the sides, another feature seen on Slug and Sludge. Interestingly, Scarr is intended to play a medic/scientific role on the team but he looks like a serious bruiser.
Scarr is made up entirely of silver plastic. The traditional Dinobot colors of red, gold, silver and black are used for detailing. Like other Dinobots, his chest has red and gold on it while the legs have silver and gold. In both color and form he truly looks like a traditional Dinobot.
There are eight points of articulation on this figure including waist and head articulation. His weapon fits in either fist. Thanks to his really big legs, he is very stable in robot mode and all his joints are nice and tight.
Transformation to Beast Mode
- Detach the weapon and set it aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the beast mode head on the back up over the robot head.
- Swing the robot arms in and push them together to form the front half of the beast mode.
- Connect the two lower legs together, then swing them forward.
- Move all the beast mode legs down so he can stand on them.
- Attach the weapon to the back to form the tail.
Beast Mode:
Scarr’s beast mode is an Ankylosaurus, an armored dinosaur that is not seen often in the Transformers toy line. To date, there are only a handful of characters with this alt-mode including Beast Wars Neo Bazooka and Dinobots Slapper. I love the ankylosaurus’ real life design. To me it has always looked like a walking tank and Scarr fits that description! His body “shell” is huge and covered in sharp looking plates. Even his head has a crest on top that looks like another plate. Even better, the fist-shape of the tail piece makes it vaguely resemble the club tail that the real life Ankylosaurus was known for. The beast mode looks great and I love having another Ankylosaurus in the ranks of dino-based Transformers.
This mode shows off gold paint on the top of the beast mode and the head. A red Autobot symbol is painted on top of his snout and his eyes are painted blue. Like the robot mode, this form looks like a traditional Dinobot in color and in form.
Scarr has four points of articulation in this mode: the legs. Each one can move forward and back, but to be honest they don’t change his pose much.
Final Thoughts:
Scarr is fantastic. Yes he’s extra chonky but it totally works for me. He’s also very stable and fun to play with. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt that evokes classic Dinobots.
- Good deco that also evokes classic Dinobot colors.
- Good articulation for a Core Class dinosaur based Transformers figure.
- Adds to the ranks of Ankylosaurus based Transformers figures.
Cons:
- The chunky aesthetic may not be for everyone.
