Tankor makes his way into the 9th wave of Generations Deluxe toys, alongside Rattrap. Tankor's origin lies from Transformers Beast Machines. Under Megatron's rule, he was one out of three Vehicon gernerals, and commander of the tank drones.
Tank Mode
Tankor's tank mode is far off from being screen accurate to the cartoon. The main reason was likely to preserve the near perfect features of Tankor's robot mode.
For what remains though, Hasbro did keep a few signature traits that are easily recognized among the fan base. Tankor still has his head peaking over the tank body and mounted cannon on the back-left corner. There are wheels underneath the plastic molded tank treads that rolls nicely with ease.
Tankor's weapon is articulated with two hinged joints. The red missile is shot through a friction activated mechanism that, unfortunately, doesn't project very well. The gimmick is very dinky.
This tank does suffer from a few hollowed parts. The biggest eye sore is the gaps between the front set of tank treads and Tankor's body. Collectors, who also prefer to not see any robot (mode) remnants, will be disappointed when viewing Tankor's claws sticking out of the back.
Leg Transformation Confusion
After viewing some on-hand images online, there seems to be a little confusion in the official transformation of Tankor to robot mode. The picture included on the cardboard backing shows Tankor's legs transformed incorrectly, where the blue folded panels face forward. Because of that error, some toys were transformed exactly that way. According to the instructions, those legs must be rotated 180 degrees, where the grey shins face forward instead. Referring to some of Tankor's on screen photos also support the instructions.
Robot Mode
Tankor looks drastically different from a conventional Transformers figure. From the details and colors, he seems like another random toy, than something based off a Transformers character. Despite such impressions, there's no denying that this toy actually stays true to the original source material in most cases. Upon comparing this figure with the given IDW comic book illustrations and several screen grabs posted online, Tankor looks fantastic.
 |  |  |
Despite the overwhelming amount of flat grey pieces incorporated in Tankor's color scheme, they somehow work well with other parts that are painted. Tankor's metallic blue coat is really appealing. However, the red eyes aren't rigged with light pipping, which could've made this figure look much cooler.
 |  |
Thanks to the double hinged joint attached on the cannon, Tankor's weapon can be posed either on his shoulder or flushed behind his back like Armada Starscream. Tankor is also equipped with free-spinning saw blades in his forearms and a set of claws that opens/closes in synch, due to an inner gear mechanism.
Articulation
Tankor's articulated capabilities are quite impressive. The liberties taken in every moveable joint brought out some poses most people think a big, bulky, blocky robot couldn't pull off. Tankor is able to crouch or widen his stance and execute and pretty good reach with those claws..
Height
Size Comparison
Compared to other Deluxe class figures, Tankor is rather short. When looking at the IDW comic book (with Tankor on the cover), he stands below other characters, especially Flatline and Starscream. Next to Armada Starscream, Tankor's height is somewhat decent.
Conclusion
Folks, who aren't a fan of Tankor in the first place, will likely not like this figure. The character is different in aesthetics and personality, yet these are probably the same factors that draws a share of admirers also. This figure does a pretty good job capturing that feel in robot mode, but less in tank mode, and that special niche of adult collectors and kids alike will show Tankor some love too, especially if an adult collector can look past Tankor's sizing issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment