General Information
Release Date: Released over the course of 2023 as individual Dinobots
Price Point: $9.99 (average retail price for each Dinobot individually)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Blaster (Grimlock), Blaster (Scarr), Blaster (Slug), Sword, Back Armor (Snarl), Blasters x 2 (Swoop)
Background:
Over the course of the year 2023 Hasbro released a set of six Core Class Dinobots. Not only was the idea to create a fun "pocket sized" team of Dinobots, but the intent was to also create a Core Class Combiner: Volcanicus! Another version of this Combiner was created for the Power of the Primes line years ago and would later see a redeco as a Generations Selects release. That Combiner was made up of the five traditional members of the Dinobots, but this Core Class version has an additional member: Scarr. This review will focus on the combined form of the six Core Class Dinobots. I recommend reading the following reviews before this one:
This review will start with transformations of each Dinobot, slowly building the Combiner until it is complete. Start each transformation with the Dinobot in beast mode.
Slug:
- Detach the Volcanicus head in the back and set it aside for now.
- Swing the panels right behind the head out to the sides.
- Swing the front beast mode legs back and tab them into the sides.
- Swing the rear beast mode legs back.
- Detach the Volcanicus head from the weapon and attach it to the port behind the beast mode head.
Sludge:
- Split the rear of the beast mode and rotate each half out to the sides.
- Split the arms apart and swing them out to the sides.
- Rotate the forearms so they point up.
- Swing the beast mode head/neck down.
Grimlock:
- Detach the weapon/tail and set it aside for now.
- Split the chest panel and swing them out to the sides.
- Swing the beast mode head/chest section down over the robot head.
- Swing each robot arm/beast mode leg together, covering the robot chest.
- Rotate the forearms so the claws point forward.
- Swing the right side chest panel forward, partially covering the beast mode head.
- Behind the beast mode head swing up the 5mm peg.
Snarl:
- Detach the red/gold back panel and set it aside for now.
- Swing up the 5mm peg near the tail section.
- Straighten out the arms.
- Swing out the robot legs, split that section and swing in each beast mode head half, then connect the legs back together.
- Swing the leg section back and up, connecting the tabs on the legs to the corresponding slots on the robot mode's back.
- Swing the arms together and push the tabs on them into the slots on the robot torso.
- Attach the back panel to the arms.
Scarr:
- Detach the tail/weapon.
- Swing each lower leg up.
- Swing out the back of the beast mode to form the forearm.
- Rotate the upper body around.
- On the underside of the beast mode, swing out the hinged piece with a 5mm peg on it.
- Attach the weapon/fist to the forearm.
Swoop:
- Detach the weapons and connect them together to form the fist.
- Swing the robot legs down (keep them connected).
- Swing the outer wings in.
- Attach the fists to the back of the legs.
- Rotate the lower body around to position the forearm.
Combination:
- Connect Slug and Sludge together by connecting the 5mm pegs on the bottom of Slug to the ports on either side of Sludge's head.
- Connect the 5mm ports on Sludge's arms to the pegs on Slug's beast mode legs.
- Swing Slug's lower jaw down.
- Attach Grimlock to Sludge's left leg.
- Attach Snarl to Sludge's right leg.
- Attach Scarr to Sludge's left arm.
- Attach Swoop to Sludge's right arm.
- Snarl's sword can fit in either Volcanicus fist.
- While not an official part of the transformation, I like to attach Scarr's weapon to one of his fists as an arm mounted weapon.
Volcanicus:
When Volcanicus appeared in Power of the Primes Grimlock was a Voyager Class figure while the rest of the Dinobots were Deluxe Class. The result was Grimlock forming the core body while the other Dinobots formed the limbs. Given that Grimlock is the leader of the Dinobots, it made sense that he would form the center/core of Volcanicus. However, for this version the configuration is very different with Slug forming the chest and Sludge forming the abdominal/waist area which left a lot of fans scratching their collective heads.
At the time I am writing this (May 2024) the prevailing fan theory to explain this is that this set of figures will eventually be retooled and given a new deco as the Decepticon Combiner Dinoking. Follow me here. Dinoking's chest is formed by Kakuryu while his mid-body was formed by Rairyu. Kakuryu's Pretender shell was a Triceratops while Rairyu's was a Sauropod, corresponding with Slug and Sludge's beast modes! Want to take it further? Yokuryu and Gairyu form the arms and their Pretender shells match up to Swoop and Scarr's beast modes. And yes, the legs also match up to the Pretender shells from the Dinoking team!
So is this true? Possibly, but Hasbro has yet to confirm this officially so time will tell, but I think it's a compelling theory.
One of the biggest critiques fans had for Power of the Primes Volcanicus were the proportions on the figure. While it was cool that Grimlock was a Voyager and the other Dinobots were Deluxes, the Combiner wound up looking a bit lanky in certain places (I think it's a cool figure, but I get the critique). This figure however doesn't have this issue. His main body and limbs are all nice and chunky looking (we may be able to exclude Swoop from that but with his wings he doesn't look too small). The proportions and bulk on this figure looks fantastic and I love how powerful he looks! The only criticism I have comes down to his feet - or rather his lack thereof. Sure Grimlock's claws wind up there as do Snarl's back plates but his legs look like they're missing something, leading some to speculate that a possible Dinoking version of these figures will include "foot" accessories that will attach to the bottom. Let us all rub our collective chins and make "Hmmmm" noises over this until it's announced officially!
If you've read my Core Class Dinobot reviews none of the colors here will come as a surprise. Volcanicus' deco fully embraces the traditional Dinobot colors of silver, gold, red and black (with a touch of blue thanks to Swoop). I do like the wasy red bits like Snarl's back armor and the red on Sludge pop against the silver. I also dig the gold on Slug's beast mode head being right in the center of the chest with a red Autobot symbol. Would I like more deco? Sure, I always do but frankly he doesn't need it.
There are eighteen points of articulation on this figure. This is mostly thanks to the various joints on the individual figures doubling as joints for Volcanicus (such as knee articluation on the arms becoming "elbows"). I was probably the most impressed by this figure having waist articulation, something you do not see in Combiners very often. Other articulation points rely on the 5mm peg/port connections such as the shoulders. Be careful though, moving these joints too much could lead to a limb popping off (but you can just plug it right back in). You can really pose out Volcanicus in some fantastic poses adding to the play value of the figure. That said, I wish he had a better weapon than Snarl's sword. It's cool he can hold it, but it looks less like a sword and more like a dagger. This is perhaps one of my biggest critiques of this set.
Final Thoughts:
IOn many respects, Core Class Volcanicus is a better Combiner figure than his Power of the Primes counterpart. His proportions give him a powerful appearance, his colors and sculpt are fantastic and despite how it may look at first his combination/transformation is fairly intuitive. My biggest concerns are the lack of substantial weaponry and the lack of real "foot" pieces. Other than that I really dig this figure and if you're a fan of Dinobots I do recommend hunting down this set of Core Class figures.
Pros:
- Volcanicus looks bulky and powerful.
- Good deco that remains true to the spirit of the classic Dinobot designs.
- Good articulation (especially for a Combiner).
Cons:
- Not all members of this team are readily available at retail at the same time.
- There seems to be foot pieces "missing".
- No substantial weaponry.
