Sometime around 2013 (or was it 2014) FansProject unveiled their wholly original design which just happened to tickle the fancy old Transformer collectors like myself. The Retro-Future series featured a ice age themed combiner group that when merged together formed Glacialord. It's as if these new figures could have been on the shelves of your local Toys 'R Us store back in the 80's.
I've been sitting on these figures for entirely too long. It's time to "let them breathe" so join me if you will as we take an indepth look at the "Glaciabots".
First up is Fangro, a sabertooth lion. Before we get to the figure, let's take a closer look at the packaging. If you're a long time reader of the blog then you'll know I'm a fan of packaging. While I don't save toy packaging like I once did, there is just too much love put into this particular packaging for me to gloss over or to toss in the trash.
For starters you'll notice that the box has all sorts of "defects" worked into the design. From the crushed corner, worn edges, old tape or even water damage, these boxes are meant to look like they've seen their fair share of love over the years. The front of the box features a small window where you can see a portion of the toy. If you look through the window carefully you'll notice the figure is sitting inside a white block of styrofoam. Screw planet Earth, we've got styrofoam trays again!! A image of the blocky character is featured prominently on the right side.
On the back of the box we have a smaller image of Fangro and how he forms the left arm of Glacialord. More of the weathered look of the box can be seen on the back as well. While not pictured, the robot and alternate forms are shown on each side of the box.
The block of styrofoam carefully cradles the figure, weapon and mini-figure...which is actually Fangro according to the included instructions...more on that later. Inside the little baggie is a G1 like instruction manual and a partially used sticker sheet. This is an odd touch, but I see how it fits into the whole package. I was a little frustrated however that the instructions don't include a sticker layout. While there are only a few stickers for you to actually apply, it would've been nice to have confirmation of where the stickers went. Thankfully it's pretty easy to find the pre-applied stickers and match up the others.
I was immediately impressed with Fangro as I pulled him out of his block of styrofoam. The feel of the plastic is smooth and you can tell it's of a good quality. While the paint apps may be limited, they look great. Fangro really is a brick...but that's a good thing...well that is if you are a fan of the original 80's Transformers. No ball joints here. Limited poseability, check.
The mini-figure comes sealed on a small blister card and is labeled "Fangro". I'm assuming this means the sabretooth tiger is a non-sentient robot and controlled by Fangro? Doesn't really matter to me as I like the gimmick...reminds me of some of the later Japanese exclusive G1 Transformers.
Creatively there is a small door on the back of the tiger that slides open to allow Fangro to be inserted for "beast rider" mode...call it whatever you will.
I'm not exactly sure what you'd call these mini-figures. They aren't quite Headmasters. They aren't quite Brainmasters. They aren't quite Breastmasters either...however they share similarities (sort of) of all 3. Fangro's legs fold forward forming a small cube. Then the mini-figure is inserted into the cavity of the newly transformed robot.
Fangro's head is now the head of the larger robot. If the small, square head looks familiar it's because it's designed after many of the original G1 Transformer combiners. Small and undersized for the body, yet still awesome. The toy stands about 4.5 inches tall. Robot mode features very limited articulation. The arms move up and down and that is about it. I should mention the sabretooth tiger head is meant to be integrated with the hand gun. Overall Fangro has a great looking form and would blend in well with any G1 combiner collection.
As shown on the back of the box, Fangro forms the left arm of the combined Glacialord. The fist is included with Tusker. The robot's chest rotates forward to reveal a small square shaped peg that allows the arm to be connected to Glacialord's torso, Tusker.
Fangro is the first of the lot that I opened and I was having so much fun with this figure that it was hard to put him down and move onto the next. It's a shame that these toys ultimately didn't sell that well for FansProject as they are great. It was refreshing to see a third party company release something original in a sea of "reimagined" established characters. As of this post, many of the "Glaciabots" can be purchased at online retailers for a fraction of their original prices.
GLACIALORD:
Razorspike
Tailclub
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