Generation 1 Canadian Slag and other Dinobots

Instead of splitting this up into five mini reviews, I'll post them all as one. I got extremely lucky with my Dinobots, I received an email from someone asking if I would like to buy his childhood toys. The lot had Swoop, Snarl, Sludge, Blaster, Blitzwing, Astrotrain and a couple others, all in immaculate condition, except Sludge had a broken neck and missing a few accessories, but most were there for $50. I went and picked them up that night. I had a Sludge neck piece in my parts drawer, so that was a non issue. I sold the Blaster and Blitzwing I had already, and kept his. The entire lot is still in my collection.

Grimlock I got the parts from someone for helping them identify a ton of parts, and the body was fairly cheap. The Canadian Slag I bought from a friend (complete with the launcher) for a great price. I sold the body I already had, and I think at the end of the day after all was said and done including buying the missing accessories, I paid around $125 for the set of five.

Firstly, I'll take a look at Grimlock, since he's the leader of the group. His Dino mode is fairly articulate for a G1 figure, with dino shoulders, hips, knees, jaw, up and down neck, and even toe articulation. The five of them sport a ton of gold and silver chrome, making them stand out pieces on anyone's shelves. He has a spot for a Diaclone driver in his back, I personally would love a mini Daniel or Wheelie to sit in it.

In robot mode, he's a little less articulate, with a selection of weaponry that he can't even hold all of them at once, his trademark double barreled blaster and sword, in addition to a spring loaded missile launcher. He has shoulder, knee, and outward hip movement.

Swoop is the only one I have MIB. and the only one of them not to sport a Diaclone driver hatch. Each of the Dinobots are a little bigger than a Deluxe class figure. Swoop's wingspan is almost 10 inches. He's pretty playable in this mode, with "flapping" wings, and an opening and closing beak. The beak is very fragile, and should be handled carefully.

In robot mode, he is the thinnest Dinobot, the sword and dual missile launchers keep him well armed though, and I think they pulled off this mode rather well. Not a lot of articulation, mainly shoulders.

And just because, a shot with his box, I love the G1 boxart, but I don't have a lot of MIB stuff, mainly because of the space it takes up and the cost. the box isn't the most perfect piece, but I'm not too worried about it, it looks good on display.

Snarl is probably the most static of them in dino mode, with all four hips and elbows in the front legs being the only articulation points. He looks very nice with all the gold chrome though.

In robot mode, he's armed with a gun, sword and shoulder spring loaded missile launcher. with shoulder and knee articulation, and if you really want to push it, he can look up due to transformation. The tail mechanism tends to be fragile on him, and the Waist likes to extend when you pick him up. The Diaclone hatch is the central part of his robot mode chest, so it is covered by the plates in dino mode.

Sludge is almost as static as Snarl in dino mode, he has back leg hips and knees, head up and down and his jaw opens. The front legs can be moved, but they are hindered by the robot mode forearms. I always felt he could have used a clear plastic cover on his jaw, the bare chrome always stood out to me.

In robot mode, he, like Grimlock, can't hold all of his weaponry, He comes with a sword, gun, and spring loaded missile launcher. His articulation is about the same as most of the dinos with shoulders and knees.

Lastly  we come to my personal favorite of the set. I had refused to get a regular Slag, as I vastly prefer the Canadian variant. Luckily, I had ended up with two of them in the end (the second was bought just to get the red launcher) and ended up selling the second one for what I paid (which by ebay prices was a great deal)

In dino mode, Slag has all four hips, back knees, and jaw movement. I'm not sure if the crest was replaced on mine, or it came like that, as most of the Canadian versions I have come across have white plastic under the chrome, but I'm not too worried, since I won't be selling him. the only real at a glace tell tale that this is the Canadian one is the red tab in the middle of his back. The regular one is black there.

In robot mode is where this variant really shines. The face and hands are the most visible parts cast in red, earning him the name red faced Slag. But it doesn't end there, pretty much all the black on the figure has been replaced with a different colour. The robot mode back is entirely red, including the tail connector. even the caps that keep the rear dino legs on are red. The thighs are cast in white. He has shoulder and knee articulation, and the Diaclone hatch is under where the dino jaw rests in robot mode. He comes with a sword, gun, and his shoulder mounted launcher. (red for this version, usually black) All of these changes are also animation accurate, which makes this piece more sought after than most variants.

All in all, some of the nicest 1985 release figures. They certainly stand out on a shelf. Now if I could win the lottery to get a blue chest Swoop, that would be great.