Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth Michael Bay directed Transformers cinematic outing, opened this past weekend to huge box office numbers. This week AwesomeToyBlog will take a daily look at one of the new toys in support of the film. Today’s entry is Spin Attack Dinobot Strafe, one of the Power Battlers.
Spin Attack Dinobot Strafe is part of a new assortment of Transformers introduced for the new movie line – Power Battlers. Each Power Battler has a signature attack ‘action feature’. For Dinobot Strafe, his attack move is that he spins at the waist and slices his target with his wings. It’s not particularly an interesting attack move, but the move does not introduce any limitations on the toy like some action features do. In robot mode Strafe features articulated knees, shoulders, elbows and waist (the aforementioned attack move). It’s not a ton of articulation, but it works – remember that these Power Battlers are at a lower price point than Generations figures and do not have the same ‘collectors targeted’ articulation or deco. My only complaint about the robot mode is that the ‘visor’ on Strafe’s head would stand out much better in silver – rather than the aqua green which blends in with the blue helmet.
Transforming Strafe from robot mode to a dual headed pterosaur takes 8 steps. The transformation isn’t challenging by any means, but it’s also not trivial. It would be ideal for the age range this toy is recommended for, say 6-9 years old. For the older kids, it’s a quick transition – which means more time for your Transformers to do battle. As with the robot mode, in dual headed pterosaur mode the articulation and deco are basic but sufficient. It is a nice bonus that each head does have an articulated jaw.
Final Thoughts: Spin Attack Dinobot Strafe fits nicely between the basic ‘Legends’ Transformers and the deluxe ‘Generations’ Transformers. With both articulation and deco between these two bookends, Strafe ends up being a pretty solid Transformer. The Spin Attack action feature is nice that it does add a play element to the figure, but the action feature does not impact other aspects of the toy. It’s tough to not like a dinobot, frankly, and Strafe is pretty easy to like!
Thanks for the folks at Hasbro and HunterPR for the giant box of Transformers in which Strafe arrived!
