Transformers Cyberverse: Gnaw

The Cyberverse series of Transformers has been pulling in characters from other TF series and even though there are plenty of characters based on their G1 selves, I didn't see a new Gnaw toy coming. Last released in the Titans Return series, this version of the Decepticon Sharkticon shares a lot with his "little cousin", but also brings a few new tricks to the table.

I was a little shocked to find Gnaw at a Target a few weeks ago. He must have just been put out on the sales floor because when I went to check out the toy didn't scan at the register. While I don't go hunting for toys like I once did, I still have yet to see another Gnaw at local retail.

Gnaw is part of the Power of the Spark subseries in the Cyberverse series. Like other Warrior class toys, he has a gimmick called "Mace Mash". We'll look at that in a bit. Packaging is your standard fare for the series, however I'm digging the new artwork at the top of the blister card.

Upon taking Gnaw off the pegs, I could immediately tell that this toy looked a lot like the Titans Return version, only bigger and beefier. In the G1 animation / movie, he was always portrayed as a hefty 'bot in both robot and beast mode. I'm glad that this toy takes those cues as he has more girth than the smaller Legends scale Titans Return mold.

Out of the packaging you can really tell Hasbro "upscaled" this mold in some ways. The figure's construction is similar to the Titans Return mold and transformation is pretty much the same. Looking at the rear of the figure however you'll see some changes. First of all the shark fin is much bigger/longer as this acts as a lever for the Mace Mash gimmick. You can also see two stickers on the back of the figure - one is an instructional sticker for the gimmick while the other is a warning. I thought about removing these, but once you transform Gnaw these stickers are concealed.

Articulation is limited this time around. His head does turn side to side, but the plastic that houses the hinges for the mouth does restrict some of the movement of the head. His arms are attached with ball joints at the shoulders so you've got a good range of motion there, but at the elbow are these odd joints. It's possible to pull the arms off at this joint if you aren't careful. The stubby little legs attach to the torso using ball joints. The knees are on a hinge, but the Skarkticon kibble on the back of the legs make it tough to pull off any good action poses. I do want to point out that the little Sharkticon arms on the sides of the legs are not poseable.

Gnaw comes packaged with his mace which also acts as his tail in beast mode. He has a great head sculpt and his colors are pretty spot on to his G1 self. Overall he has a great look and I wouldn't mind picking up another one for the collection at some point.

I mentioned his Mace Mash gimmick before. Basically you unclip the lower jaw on Gnaw's chest to disconnect the top half of the figure from the lower half. Then you reach around to the rear and push the blue shark fin down/in. It's on a spring so it'll come back up and you can keep pressing this down/in as much as you want. With each press of this fin the top half spins around. If you're old enough to remember the Berserkers from Thundercats, Gnaw spins around a lot like Topspinner.

I only own one other Warrior class Cyberverse figure, but he seems to scale well here with Shockwave.

Transformation from robot to beast mode is basically the same as the Titans Return version. You collapse the upper and lower jaw around the head, folding up the legs behind the figure to form the main body of the Sharkticon. Position the arms, which are now the legs as you like and clip in the mace to form the tail.

Again I love the colors and the big, beedy green eyes are awesome...however I just can't get past how the robot head is still visible in the mouth of Gnaw. I also wish the blue shark fin on his back would stand up a little higher in this mode. 

If you can look past these minor issues this is a great looking Sharkticon figure in my opinion. I really wish I could have got to the cabinet where my G1 Gnaw is on display so I could have provided a few comparison shots, but alas my office/toy room floor is/was a mess and I didn't have a clear path to him. However I was able to grab the aforementioned Titans Return version so let's check that out.

Other than the size differences, the other major difference is the shade of gray plastic that was used. The Cyberverse version of Gnaw uses a much lighter gray and better resembles his G1 self. The eyes are opaque lime as opposed to a translucent darker green. There are additional paint apps to the upper row of teeth. Mold wise, the arms/legs attach to the body much higher than the Legends version. 

In this shot you can see why I said the Cyberverse version has more girth. The body itself is wider and longer than the Legends version. The robot head is more prominent as well.

Overall this is a great Cyberverse toy. I know this line is aimed at a younger Transformers audience, but a character like Gnaw had to be thrown in to appease the older generation of TF fans. While I don't care for the gimmick, it doesn't detract from the figure too much. Gnaw in my opinion looks great in either mode and most importantly is a fun figure. Since I opened him he has been one of my deskbots and has often been fiddled with, going back and forth between robot and Sharkticon.

Transformers Tiny Titans: Sharkticon

By now many you have probably seen those little blind packaged Transformers PVC figures called Tiny Titans. Part of current iteration of Robots in Disguise, these little figures encompass more than just the RID characters. Generation 1 characters have made a few appearances across the 3 series that have been released to date. One of these characters just happens to be the lovable Sharkticon, Gnaw!

Well he may not have looked this lovable or cute during his G1 days, but that's the charm with him being included under the new RID banner. If you've been following my other blog, the Transformers Bio Card Database, then you'll know these toys also come packaged with a trading card. That is the real draw for me personally. This particular figure is probably one of the best looking in both sculpt and paint apps. A lot of these figures have little no paint apps which are needed since they are molded in one color plastic.

Generations Legends class Starscream just happened to be the nearest TF I had when I snapped these quick shots of Sharkticon. These PVC figures are small, a little smaller than the previous line of PVC figures that Hasbro had (Robot Heroes). These little toys make for a good desk ornament, but that's about it. I've got a few different characters, but I'd rather spend my $2.50 on something a little more exciting.

Transformers United: Axalon UN-28

A few years ago I went a little crazy and imported just about every Henkei! release from Japan. I was so impressed by the paint app differences when compared to the Hasbro versions. With the follow up line - Generations I decided to hold off on importing and stick with the domestic releases. Then came a few surprises released in Takara Tomy's United line. Axalon (UN-28)...talk about coming out of left field!

This is my second United release (the first being Rumble & Frenzy) and I feel as if I made a good choice. The blister packaging for these United deluxe figures is amazing. Like with a lot of Japanese packaging you can safely remove the backing card from the bubble without any damage. This feature also allows you to effectively repackage your figure on the card if you so choose to.

I love how the toy is presented on the back. The small trading card size tech spec cards have now been replaced with the info on the back of the card. I was sad to see this as the cards were a contributing factor when it came to whether or not I should buy the Japanese version. Oh well. Speaking of the techs see how every category is ranked 'unknown'? I don't recall many (if any) TFs ever having every category as such.

Axalon is labeled as an Autobot spaceship. This is a nice nod to the history of the Autobots spaceship as that was the name of the Maximal's ship in Beast Wars, the Autobots ship in Armada and from Animated.

While the mold does an OK job invoking a spaceship there are still many elements that scream shark. Of course this is because the mold was originally the Decepticon Sharkticon from the Energon line. This really doesn't bother me as the mold is fantastic and new paint apps are down right beautiful. Until this toy was in my hands I never noticed the resemblance to Universe Depth Charge. Was this intentional? Perhaps since this mold was originally an aquatic character.

The mold in vehicle form retains all the same features from the original. The four small turrets can rotate a full 360 degrees and to some degree elevated. The missile launchers are still hidden and can be revealed (and fired) by separating the side panels. This same attack feature can be utilized in robot mode as well.

The new colors really pop in robot mode. Just look at the beautiful metallic red and silver! The Spark crystals were first introduced in Beast Wars and were carried over into the Energon line. Instead of simply painting over this crystal in the chest Takara Tomy replaced it with the Autobot symbol. This is a nice touch and frankly something I wasn't expecting.

Articulation is pretty good for an older mold. He has the swivel thighs which I like. You can also swivel the entire top half. Elbows and knees are on hinge joints. I will point out that I forgot to snap in his left shoulder assembly before snapping the pictures...hence one shoulder has more of a downward slant. You are able to extend and rotate the missile launchers onto his sides as depicted on the back of the packaging. I always thought this mold could benefit from having a hand gun of some sorts packed in, but with the launchers on his sides I guess he doesn't need one.

The same blue plastic that the missiles are cast of is used on the back of the head to give it good light piping for the eyes...even though you can't tell that in my picture! No other changes were made to the head.

From left to right:
Energon Sharkticon, United Axalon, Botcon Sky-Byte

Wouldn't you know that while I was uploading this pictures I looked up on my shelf and saw that I forgot to grab my Botcon Sharkticon that shares this same mold for the photo shoot.

Owning 3 versions of this mold previously I didn't hesitate at all when I first saw the solicit pictures last year. It's a fun toy and the new color scheme is absolutely beautiful. Being that this is the first use of the mold for the Autobots makes it unique. Now the question I have remaining is where do I display this figure? Do I stick it in with my Classics/Generations Autobots or does it fit better on my mix match "Universe" shelf?