I snagged all three at a Target in Arlingotn, TX today so I figured I'd throw out a review. I'm sure Remy has pics of all of these so I'm not going to bother, although if any one wants a cerrtain pic I'll gladly oblige. For the record I think most reviews are over inflated. If I Really like a toy, it'll get a seven out of ten, and an average TF will get a five,so these won't be your typical review scores. There needs to be more room for the cream, no what I mean?

 

Undermine

Dino: This is a very detailed figure with great paint apps, articulation, and a very good head sculpt. It still manages to be somewhat boring. I believe the days of the raptor are over. The whole toy has a very thin profile and the arms, cool as they are, feel like they are floating. The tail, which is his robot modes weapon, fits in with a clip as opposed to a peg. I have a feeling many will be loose and fall off. His Key gimmick is to make a blade pop out of the spine. This blade doesn't actually reach past his head, so is fairly useless.                  4 out of 10

 

Transform:The lower body swings down, bringing the legs with it. The head splits and folds to the sides becoming the arms. A small section in the back that holds the tail folds inwards to be out of the way, but doesn't really lock in anywhere. If this step hadn't been there, I don't think anyone would have noticed. The dino's arms continue to float. Very simple, but it is a basic.          5 out of 10

 

Robot: The articulation and detail continue to be very good. I like where the dino arms are, but I wish there was some way to lock them upwards, eliminating the float. I have mixed feelings about the head sculpt. I like the look but it doesn't feel like a TF. I think it looks like something that you would kill in Final Fantasy IX. The tail club is lame. and you see way too much of his 'innards' on his outer arms. His key gimmick, able to at least reach now, remains useless.  4 out of 10

 

Overall: The detail and effort were definitely there, but it is a lacking concept. The gimmick is less than lukewarm, but thats not why we buy these, neh? I don't feel very strongly in any particular way about this toy. Don't go out of your way.

 

4.3

Brakedown

Dragster: It has good paint apps and a lot of detail, but the whole thing feels like a jumbled mess. Actually, it feels like a custom, which I'll get into later. The key gimmick is completely inaccessable in this mode, which is a pity, because ti only makes sense in this mode. The wheels don't feel very sturdy. The slapdash nature looks out of place with the other speed planet bots solid and closed designs.

                                                                                              4 out of 10

 

Transform: Unclip the arms from the legs, then swing the legs toward the backm which is now the front. Flip forward the feet. The arms are on thin pylons, which need to be rotated back and up. Twist the head forward. Remove the front 'engine', and fold up the remaining kibble so that the front of the dragster is now sticking up over his head. Put the engine in his hand for no reason. Done.

The engine requires the key to look like anything. It gets points for transform slightly unorthodox, even though the whole thing feels rickety.  5 out of 10

 

Robot: Although the forearms are on the dinky side, I am a big fan of this bot all round. Beefy shoulders, stylized legs, a detailed and intersting torso, and a killer head sculpt make for a great bot. The kibble isn't very distracting. The sword made from the engine is a big let down. You're better off just clipping it to his back and out of the way as it looks silly both with and without the key in it. The brown chrome highlights add a lot to this toys paint scheme and goes well with the rest of the colours. This is a good bot for a deluxe or voyager even.      8 out of 10

 

Overall: My biggest problem is that the vehicle mode and transformation all feel flimsy. It feels like someone designed the robot. Then cut it into bits to see how they could make it somewhat resemble a dragster. The pylons that hold on the arms aren't as fragile as they look, but they don't lead to a very solid feel in either mode. The upper arms were stretched too thin. If they had made the wheels less thick, they could have made the upper arms of thicker plastic which would have allowed the pins holding said wheels to be deeper. As of now, these wheels rock back and forth like a knock off or poorly constructed custom. All this aside, this is a great robot that is well worth the price of admission.         

 

5.6

Armorhide

Vehicle: Albeit a small semi, its a nifty little thing. If it was a little darker, it would make a great Pipes homage (funny, because the head sculpt resembles Huffer). The front half is detailed, well painted and generally solid as a rock. The back half lacks any sense of cohesion. Each part of the back is made of a different colour plasticand different shapes that neither line nor lock together. The gun turning into a wrecker hook looks last minute but was still a good idea and I'd rather it be there than not. The key opens up a missile bay. This looks good, funtions well, and makes sense. The back end is the main detractor.            5 out of 10

 

Transform: Rad! This bot is upside down! The top folds up and out, bringing out a waist with it. This causes the windows to be knee guards/kibble. The feet fold out and are very subtle. You might not notice if you skipped the step. The back folds forward and becomes the arms. Flip up the head. Done.          5 out of 10

 

Robot. A brick with appendages comes to mind. Surprisingly articulated though. He's a tad on the pinheaded side as well, which is a pity since it is a good basic headsculpt. Oh well, he looks tough, and larks-a-lordy he has an honest to god gun. Boy do I miss the days of soldier robots being equipped with guns. The key gimmick looks funny when in ths mode but I can't put my finger on why. All in all the bot tends to grow on you the more you fiddle with it.      5 out of 10

 

Overall: A little more cohesion in the back and a slimmer profile and this toy could have gone far. Still, it is a good all around basic. Recommended.

 

5.0

Damn, them's some harsh reviews...

 

Personally, Undermine's my favourite of the lot.  Such a dynamic looking beast mode, poses great, and looks "full of life", compared to a lot of other dino TFs.  Transformation's nothing crazy, but it gets the job done, and it's not stupidly pointless.  And damn, that robot mode, I'm simply in love with.  It's totally freaky and different.  So alien in his four-armed goodness, but appropriately savage looking.  Then again, I loved the Beast Machines toy aesthetics, so eh.

 

Breakdown works just fine for me.  His vehicle modes not really any worse than Ransack's, and given the character's supposed age, even if he does look perhaps a tad more ramshackle than the rest of them is really not out of reason.  I'm not quite sure how you mean about a flimsy transformation scheme, as even those thin arm struts seem pretty sturdy to me.  My only issue with him is that his arms and legs have a fairly limited range of ball-jointed motion, but that doesn't stop me from getting a lot of good poses out of him.

 

Armorhide, as nice as he is, is my least favourite of them, mostly because he's kinda generic looking.  Nice transformation, and great detail (much of it unecessary, with detailings in the backs of hollowed areas, or places you wouldn't normally see, like his knee flaps).  He just looks...ordinary to me.

Holy crap, I just noticed the knee flaps...weird. In response to the reviews being harsh. I'm purposely trying to adjust the scale where  a good =7 and so forth. Its gotten to the point to where if a review gives an 8, people are offended. In my scale, even a fantastic Alternator would get an 8. I'm trying to point out that there are a lot of great TFs out there and the bar to needs to be lowered so there is more room for growth. Otherwise its all 9.4 and 9.6s.

I have an irrational love of Armorhide.  I have no idea why, I just think he's neat. 

I have an irrational love of Armorhide.  I have no idea why, I just think he's neat. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If you're a G1 fan, it's probably because he's has a Huffer vibe about him, that's why I am looking forward to getting him anyway.

Out of the 3, Undermine is on top of my list.

harsh is right....

 

But that is your opinion and as the saying goes your milage may very

Damnit and all I found was Undermine.