General Information:
Release Date: February 2018
Price Point: $16.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Blasters x 2, Prime Armor, Prime Armor cover
Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon:
Transformers Generations Power of the Primes Deluxe Class figures are 5.5-inch-scale figures that come with a Prime Armor accessory. Insert a Prime Master figure (not included; each sold separately) into the accessory, attach it to the figure, and imagine Terrorcon Rippersnapper wielding the power of a Prime. The robot action figure also comes with a blaster accessory. The Deluxe Class Terrorcon Rippersnapper figure converts between robot and land shark mode in 14 steps. Combine it with other Power of the Primes Terrorcon figures Blot, Hun-Gurrr, Sinnertwin, and Cutthroat (each sold separately) to form Abominus!
Power of the Primes Deluxe Class figures work with Prime Master figures (not included, each sold separately, subject to availability). Fans can collect Prime Master characters and imagine Terrorcon Rippersnapper using the godlike abilities contained within the Prime Masters.
The only thing Terrorcon Rippersnapper hates more than the Autobots is every organic being on Earth. Nothing would make him happier than to use his razor sharp claws and teeth to destroy them all. The 12 Prime Masters carry the god-like abilities of the Primes: powers including time travel, infinite knowledge, and the ability to forge mystical weapons and artifacts. How will Terrorcon Rippersnapper wield their incredible power?
Figure Specs:
- 5.5-inch scale Generations Deluxe Class figures feature the details and articulation fans look for in a Transformers robot figure.
- Terrorcon Rippersnapper figure changes between robot and land shark mode in 14 steps.
- Attach the Prime Armor accessory to the Terrorcon Rippersnapper figure.
- Prime Master figures (not included, each sold separately) can fit inside the Prime Armor accessory.
In 1987 the "Transformers" toy line introduced a team of five Decepticons known as the Terrorcons. This team of warriors each transformed into some Kaiju-esque monster (double headed dragons, a shark with legs etc.) and they could also combine into a giant robot known as Abominus. Many years later, the team would get a nod with "Beast Hunters" Abominus, but this was long before Hasbro and Takara Tomy had developed the "Combiner Wars" style technology used today for Combiner teams in "Generations". Enter "Power of the Primes" and Hasbro and Takara Tomy have worked together to bring the Terrorcons back for a whole new generation of Transformers toys (and fans)! Rippersnapper was the first Terrorcon released in the line as part of the second wave of Deluxe Class figures.
Packaging:
The Deluxe Class figures for "Power of the Primes" are packaged in a blister bubble glued to a card. The card continues the current trend of having a red Transformers logo set vertically on the right side (if you are facing the card) with the "Generations" logo above it. Most of the card is covered in character artwork. In Rippersnapper's case his artwork shows him in robot mode. The figure is in robot mode inside the bubble with the accessories to the side. The insert inside the bubble has the "Power of the Primes" logo on it with the character's name. The back of the packaging shows Snarl in his various modes including having the Prime Armor attached. On the right side it shows the Prime Armor attached with Micronus inside the Armor.
The "Power of the Primes" figures from Legends Class up come with collectors cards. However, unlike the "Titans Return" cards which featured tech spec stats, these focus on what ability the character gets if they connect to a specific Prime Master Spark. This means there are thirteen potential card variations per character (one for each Prime)!
Accessories:
Rippersnapper includes three accessories. The larger one is his "Prime Armor". This piece is designed to connect via 5mm peg to either Rippersnapper's chest as armor. There is a smaller plastic panel in the middle that you can remove to attach either a Titan Master in head mode or a Prime Master in "Spark" mode. The Prime Armor features spikes on the bottom. These are actually the "knuckles" for the Prime Armor's hand mode for Rippersnapper's combiner limb form (more on that later in this review). Both pieces are cast in a metallic blue plastic that is a visual callback to G1 Rippersnapper.
The other accessories are two blasters. G1 Rippersnapper came with one dual barreled weapon (with a shark fin in the middle to boot!) but these weapons are two smaller, tube shaped weapons that can attach to Rippersnapper's back or fists. They each have mechanical detailing on them similar to the ones on the G1 weapon. Each blaster is cast in blue plastic, but it does not have the same metallic shine as the Prime Armor.
Robot Mode:
Like many of the recent "Generations" Combiner team members, Rippersnapper's design borrows a lot of design elements from his G1 counterpart making him a wonderful homage to the original character. Here's a rundown:
- The head basic body design features the beast mode head on the back, sticking up behind the robot head and beast mode legs on the sides of the lower legs. Both the G1 toy and animation model featured these design elements.
- The head design features a pointed central crest, visor eyes and a blocky shaped head (which back in the day was the Combiner connnection point).
- The chest features two rectangular panels on either side, one on top of the other. A similar sculpted detail was found on the G1 figure.
- The knees feature a pentagon shape that calls back to stickers from the G1 toy.
- The beast mode legs on the sides of the lower legs both feature a series of horizontal lines that call back to similar details on the same place on G1 Rippersnapper.
- The back has a shark fin on it, a detail borrowed from the G1 Rippersnapper's weapon which could attach to his back.
Of course, being a modern day update of the character some changes had to be made, but for the most part these changes were all beneficial to the figure. First, the robot arms also serve as the beast mode arms, so they have claws at the end. These look like some type of claw weapon attached to his hand in robot mode. What this means is there are no beast mode arms hanging off the back in this form, so it streamlines the figure. Also, there are some additional sculpted details including my personal favorties: piston like details sculpted into the sides of the lower legs. Overall, Rippersnapper's sculpt looks fantastic.
Rippersnapper is cast in metallic blue and light grey plastic. The distribution of the colors is roughly equivalent to the G1 version. Grey makes up the back and torso along with the lower legs. The rest is blue. There is a surprising amount of paint detail on this figure given that other "Power of the Primes" figures either do not have as much or rely on stickers. Instead, this figure uses a combination of red, yellow, silver, black and purple colors to bring out details and make the figure look awesome. Yellow is used on the face with the eyes painted red - a callback to the G1 animation model. The chest features black and silver details on the sides. The middle has red with a Decepticon symbol in purple (another G1 cartoon callback). The mid-body has metallic blue details on it and under that are silver and red details. These pay homage to stickers on G1 Rippersnapper. Finally silver is used on the knee armor and lower legs along with red and yellow for details. Want a bit more color? The shoulders feature red on the sides! Again, I'm really amazed at how much painted detail is on this figure and I am very happy about it.
There are fourteen points of articulation on this figure, and many of them are ball joints, allowing for a fantastic range of articulation. In a rare move, the designers gave him wrist swivels (since the wrists have to turn for the transformation). You can attach his weapons to the fists or on the back. Flip down the grey piece in the middle of the chest and you reveal a port to attach the Prime Armor. The joints on the arms on my copy of this figure are a bit more loose than I'd prefer, but they can still hold his weapons up and pose. His weapons can be held in the hands or mounted on the back. Interestingly, each blaster has a Titan/Prime Master peg, allowing mini-figures to stand on them.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Turn the wrists so the claws are on top.
- Turn the robot head around.
- Swing the beast mode head up and over the robot head, then push it down til it snaps into place.
- Rotate the lower body around at the waist joint.
- Swing the back half of each lower leg back.
- On each lower leg, swing the halves of the tail piece out.
- Swing the front halves of the lower legs up over the thighs, then push the two halves together.
- Connect the two halves of the back of the lower legs and tail, then swing them up.
- Swing the beast mode legs down.
- Attach the blasters to the holes on the back.
- The Prime Armor can be attached to the back above the tail using the tabs on Rippersnapper and the corresponding slots on the Prime Armor.
Beast Mode:
Rippersnapper's beast mode is, no joke, a land shark. His head has the flat, curved shape of a shark's head. He has a fin on the back and a crescent shaped tail reminiscent of some real life sharks. He even has rows of some scary looking teeth inside his mouth. However, he also has two arms with claw hands and two legs. This is not a new development. This is exactly what the G1 version of Rippersnapper turned into, and I was very happy to see the absurdity of this design maintained for this new version of the character. Indeed, most of the smaller design details also come from G1 Rippersnapper including the vents (or "gills" if you prefer) on the side of the beast mode head, the layered armor on his feet and the way the middle claw is slightly raised.
Of course, being a modern day update of this character there are plenty of additional details on this figure not found on the original. These include a series of vertical lines in a circle on the sides of the shoulders and details like cables and fans on the legs. Overall the beast mode is every bit as cool of a modern homage as the robot mode.
The color layout of this figure matches up nicely with the G1 version. The light grey is mostly concentrated on the head and center of the body while the blue is found on the arms and legs. Paint details include silver on the "gills" and back while the eyes and shoulders are painted red. A really fun touch is the Decepticon symbol sticker on the top of the head. The sticker does not just feature a Decepticon symbol. Instead, there is a metallic purple Decepticon symbol with a black outline behind it and both of those colors are on a silver rectangle. This design is inspired by the G1 heat sensitive symbols, one of which G1 Rippersnapper had on the top of his head! Of course, this sticker is just a regular, non-heat sensitive one but it looks just like one and I appreciate the nod to a classic G1 element.
There are twelve points of articulation in this mode including three on each arm and the ability for the mouth to open and close (revealing painted silver teeth!). Like the G1 figure his dual cannons wind up on his back, and you can stand him leaning over a bit to use them. There is also a pair of Prime Master pegs on the back. I imagine a Prime Master holding on as Rippersnapper "swims" in a horizontal position!
Overall this beast mode is a weird and wonderful G1 throwback with some fantastic modern day touches. It looks great and it is fun to play with.
Transformation to Leg Mode (Starting in Beast Mode):
- Swing the tail up and fit it between the robot legs.
- Push the lower legs against the thighs, then swing the legs back and connect them to the round nub on the sides.
- Rotate the forearms around and connect them to the main body using the tabs on the forearms and the corresponding slots on the sides of the torso.
- Swing the beast mode head forward.
- Push the robot head back to reveal the Combiner connector piece.
- Attach any Combiner Wars or Power of the Primes foot piece to the bottom of the figure.
Leg Mode:
Rippersnapper is traditionally an arm for Abominus, but I have to say I dig him as a leg too! First, his body has the bulkiness I prefer for leg modes, but also between his claws and shark fin pointing forward, I can imagine a kick from him would be pretty devastating in combat! Now add to that the way his weapons attach in this form and he's not just a limb, he's a weapon! I was also surprised to find that this form reveals some new detailing on the Combiner connection piece. On the back of the leg you'll find three fans sculpted into the middle. First, it is unusual for these sections to have additional sculpted detail beyond the horizontal bars running across, but also like the idea of the fans providing Abominus with some additional speed on the battlefield.
Transformation to Arm Mode (Starting in Beast Mode):
- Swing the tail up and fit it between the robot legs.
- Push the lower legs against the thighs, then swing the legs back and connect them to the round nub on the sides.
- Rotate the forearms around and connect them to the main body using the tabs on the forearms and the corresponding slots on the sides of the torso.
- Swing the beast mode head forward.
- Push the robot head back to reveal the Combiner connector piece. Swing it out.
- Swing out each half of the legs, then pull them forward before pushing them back together.
- Rotate the waist around (the direction depends on which arm you want him to be).
- Attach a Combiner Wars or "Power of the Primes" fist piece to the end.
Arm Mode:
Rippersnapper traditionally formed Abominus' left arm. A lot of the details wind up being similar including the arms and legs from the beast mode being tucked into the sides, the beast mode head pointing up at the shoulder like armor and the tail sticking out to the sides (which always looked like a blade weapon to me). While the joints on my Rippersnapper are hardly loose, they are not so tight that he can hold a Legends Class figure in weapon mode without some support. Regular weapons however should be perfectly fine.
Final Thoughts:
Rippersnapper is awesome. He has a weird and slightly goofy beast mode (which looks great), a cool robot mode and the deco is really nice. His limb modes are equally cool looking (which does not always happen with these "Combiner Wars" style figures). The figure also pays homage to the G1 version of the character very well. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Great sculpt in both modes.
- Makes a good arm and leg.
- The sculpt and colors pay homage to G1 Rippersnapper beautifully.
Cons:
- I would have liked an actual functioning "rub symbol" on the top of the beast mode head.
