Intro:
I
have to admit, although the Car Robots/ Robots in Disguise series was first
broadcasted in 2001, I haven’t watched it before. Still, I do recognize the
characters from the series, and some of them are also on my hit list such as
Gigatron, Fire Convoy and Ultra Magnus, just to name a few.
But
one particular set that I had never intended to get was the Buildmasters. The
Buildmasters is a special team of engineers and architects tasked to build the
Global Space Bridge. Unlike most special teams ever since G1, the Buildmasters
were never meant to be warriors and fighters, thus making them quite unreliable
in battles.
The
members of the Buildmasters are also capable of combining to form a super robot
called Build King, or Landfill in the Robots in Disguise (RiD) series, which we
will be reviewing in Part 5 of this series of reviews.
It
was pure coincidence that I managed to find this group, and with a proper nudge
from my pal Big Daddy V, I finally relented to what I already wanted to do.
The
members of the Buildmaster that I will be reviewing are sold in a different
packaging, and all of them are Takara releases.
Build
Hurricane, or better known as Grimlock in the RiD continuity, is not a dinosaur and is the most
experienced member of the group and a master strategist, thus earning him the
position of second-in-command of the team. Build Hurricane is the biggest
member of the team.
Alternate
Mode:
Build
Hurricane transforms into a green-colored backhoe.
Just
like Build Boy, Build Hurricane has a set of tracks that do not work, and it
has 4 wheels underneath to help him move.
The
cockpit of the backhoe can rotate 360°, and the shovel arm can bend downward
and each articulation points can move. I wish the bucket can bend a little bit deeper
inward, to simulate the actual workings of a backhoe.
The
overall look of the backhoe is quite clean, and without much kibbles, except
for the foot piece in front.
Robot
Mode:
Build
Hurricane’s robot mode is the tallest amongst the team members – about 1 ½-inch
taller than Build Typhoon (Heavy Load) and 2 ¼-inches taller than Build Boy,
all too head level, minus the hoe arms.
Inclusive of the
hoe arms, it would add another 3-inch into the total height, making it a
whopping 9-inch tall!
Due to its
height, Build Hurricane is by far the most proportionately-sized figure of the
Buildmasters.
I
was kind of hoping that the head sculpt would somehow hark back to the original
G1 Grimlock, but unfortunately it doesn’t.
Articulations
–wise, the head turns 360°; the shoulders rotate; there are essentially two elbow
joints: the upper ones are ball-jointed, while the second ones are on swivel
joints; then there are the claws that swing inward; the hips are on ball
joints, but the movements are limited due to their designs; the knees are on
ball joints; and finally the toe-pieces tilts up and down.
In
this mode, he also wields the Hoe Claw, formed by his hoe. It is typically
mounted on its back, or you can even have him wield it by hand.
Overall, not so
stellar in terms of articulations and more than make it up with its size.
Overall:
Build Hurricane
is a fun figure. Even you’re not thinking of completing the Buildmaster set, he
is still fun on its own.
Recommended.
Final
verdict: 8/10.
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