G2 Dirtbag

Series: Generation 2
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Autoroller
Year: 1995

Move it or lose it!
Carries massive amounts of munitions into battle to support Deception troops. If Autobots begin to achieve victory, he instantly converts into robot warrior mode to join the fight. Armed with a devastating double-shot missile launcher and crusher claw, he's a formidable fighter despite his lack of agility or speed. Titanium steel composite armour allows resistance to lase fire, but also hinders overall combat efficiency.

Robot Mode: A very broad, powerful but slow looking robot. Dirtbag is bulky and looks more like a life-less machine rather than a living robot, but that just adds to the air of menace. His lower body is a brick, but his arms are surprisingly posable, featuring full-range shoulder and elbow joints. He can also turn his head, which doesn't sound like much, but wasn't exactly a standard feature at the time. He doesn't have any hands worth mentioning, something that normally annoys me, but the combination of the big missile launcher and the robot claw on the other hand fit in good with the rest of him, so no complaints there. A little more detailing would have been nice, he looks a bit plain with his all-lime colouring, but that's just about his only flaw. A good, solid robot mode.

Alternate Mode: Dirtbag's alternate mode as a big hauler truck is not all that remarkable, but as the old saying goes: Getting there is half the fun. As an Autoroller Dirt Bag features an automatic transformation. Flip the switch at the back of the truck mode (or the heels of the robot mode) and then drive him across the floor. He will stand up (or lie down, if he's in robot mode) and transform all by himself. The only thing you have to do is take the missiles out of his arm and make sure both arms are hanging straight down his body (in robot mode), everything else works by itself. A simple, yet surprisingly fun gimmick.

The vehicle mode in itself is unspectacular, but solid. A big construction vehicle / materials truck, he looks like he's supposed to and wouldn't stand out amidst the Constructicons (except for his size, that is). Decent.

Remarks: One of Generation 2's original designs, Dirtbag was part of the Autoroller subgroup, which featured an automatic transformation triggered by rolling the toys across the floor. It sounds campy and it kinda is, but it's also a fun feature and something I haven't really seen in any modern Transformers in a long time, so it gets bonus points for 'retro-novelty'. Generation 2 didn't have a cartoon series, of course, and I don't remember Dirtbag featuring in the comic book, but he did get his spot in the limelight by being recycled for the Japanese Beast Wars 2 series under the name Autostinger.

As a figure Dirtbag certainly isn't a revelation and I would never call him a must-have, but he is a fun figure with a semi-unique gimmick and a solid design. So if you're looking to add some good, obscure figures to your Transformers collection, Dirtbag is worth a look.

Rating: B