Transformers G1 Victory: Gairyu D-323 (Dinoforce)

Gairyu, the Ankylosaurus of the team, was the very first Dinoforce toy I acquired. He's also the one I'd like to upgrade at some point in the future.

As you may be able to tell, Gairyu's box is has seen better days and I'm missing all of the paperwork. All I have is a partially used sticker sheet, and the one sticker still on the sheet is unusable as there is another sticker placed on top. One end of the box won't close properly due to the plastic tray inside that is slightly warped. There normal wear to the edges and corners don't bother me too much, however the box isn't as white as some of the others. At least all the parts / accessories are included and the toys themselves are in great condition.

Gairyu's U.S. equivalent is Bristleback. Gairyu comes packaged with his Ankylo gun and one of Dinoking's fists. He can form either arm of Dinoking.

These additional images of the box reiterate what I was saying about it's condition. Not terrible, but I'd like to pick up another one if I'm ever given the chance.

Back of the box features everything you expect to see on the back of a Transformers box. Battle scene artwork, check. Artist's rendering of character, check. Cross sell image, check. Tech Spec info, check.

Right and Left sides

When you look at the shell the dinosaur doesn't look at that intimidating, but whomever supplied the artwork did a stellar job at showing just how tough looking this type of dinosaur is.

Depending on the end of the box that is opened depends on which "side" of the tech spec card you'll see.  The previous two posts I shared had the front of the card scanned.  This black/white/purple image you see here is essentially the back of the card.

I've made mention to the breakdown of the plastic that leaves parts of the shell slimy to the touch. Usually the culprit is the "skin" areas, but if you look closely at the Gairyu's head you'll see some small spots. I even went back and looked at Bristleback and could see a few small spots appearing on that shell as well. Bummer.

Just like the rest of the Dinoforce members, his shell can hold his weapon as well as Dinoking's combiner piece. The fists in particular look cool when attached to the shell as the fist has a small gun on the backside. When attached, Gairyu has a little extra firepower...watch out Autobots!

The best thing about Gairyu's robot / "beast" mode is the lack of gold plastic! Yes, you know by now of the dreaded GPS and how the U.S. version of this toy is incredibly brittle. To store the toy in the Pretender shell or to use as an arm for the combiner, you have to fold the legs on the side of the body to effectively make a rectangle. At least this time around I could take a breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy messing around with the toy without having to worry about it crumbling in my hands. To date I still don't know what his "beast" mode is supposed to be. The "wings" on his back really puzzle me.  

There are supposed to be a sticker on the sides of his legs (the white rear section in "beast" mode). Obviously mine were on the toy at some point because I can see some old sticker residue. These are very prone to wear and tear due to the transformation sequence.

Gairyu isn't my favorite Dinoforce member, but since he was the first of the 6 I acquired he does hold a special place in my collection. In fact he was one of the first Japanese G1 toys I acquired period. Bland dinosaur Pretender shell, bland robot and weird alt mode = just not that interesting of a toy, however two thumbs up for white plastic (versus gold).

RELATED POSTS:
Goryu D-322
Kakuryu D-324