Botcon Cindersaur (G2: Redux)

Review by Caked-Up:

Overview: This is the first figure I sought out after I arrived at the Botcon 2010. Dinosaurs and robots were always cool in my book, but mixing the two together was sheer genius. There have been several T-Rex alt modes, but this particular mold takes the cake.

Beast Mode: Cindersaur’s beast mode is a motley grouping of bright blues, greens, pinks, and oranges. There is some additional silver trim on his nails, knees, spine, and teeth. Truth be told it is a loud color scheme, but I like it a lot (I am colorblind after all). The sculpting makes his skin appear like the Ironman armor with overlapping plates, but it could also be more of a techno-organic look. There is an amazing level of detail in this mode and only in the translucent chest area is it difficult to see. He has individual teeth lining his mouth complete with a sculpted and raised tongue. Marvelous detail right there.

As for posability, Masterpiece Grimlock is the only T-Rex figure I know that surpasses Cindersaur. His neck and legs can be utilized in true to animal ways for hunting and attacking, as well as a great roaring pose. His little arms are about as useful here as the real thing, but the tail is a rigid piece sticking straight back. This is of little concern because a tail is not used as a weapon, but a means to balance while running. The only robot kibble visible is the left elbow in the crotch, but you would have to know what you are looking at to find it. I can go on all day about his beast mode, but I won’t. It has to be one of the best beast modes, ever! That alone would make me buy this mold.

Robot Mode: Cindersaur still makes for an imposing and brightly colored figure in robot mode. The T-Rex head becomes the right arm while the tail is the left (Sounds familiar). The bright green and pink colors really show in this mode which does it a huge favor. The same awesome level of detailing is present and the posability is above par, except for the right arm. The dino neck didn’t translate well into an elbow.

While I really like this mode it has two major hitches that detract from an otherwise flawless robot. First is the left arm. It has to be the wimpiest arm I have ever seen on a Transformer since G1, almost like it is missing the forearm. I would have actually been happier with not having a hand at all, just the weapon ala Beast Wars Megatron. My second complaint is that when the tail weapon opens, it opens wide and awkward. Plugging the key into the dino’s rear end bothers me less than how large this gun opens. However it still looks good as a weapon with the shell closed since it is so straight. Apart from those two items, I couldn’t be happier with a T-Rex Transformer.

Remarks: This mold was used for the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary and Jungle Planet Cybertron Megatrons. I have really liked this mold this since it was introduced, not the left arm of course, but I never picked it because I could not bring myself to buy the Optimus Prime/Primal that matched it. That is a hideous and horrible figure. The Generation 2 Redux for Botcon 2010 brought back the obnoxiously loud color schemes from my childhood, but I really enjoy this figure’s paint job. I recommend this figure to everyone because it is superb, but for a dinosaur Transformer lover this is a must-have figure…period! You are failing yourself if you don’t own it, but good luck getting this exclusive.

Rating: A-