The really disappointing part is that his transformation isn’t his worst feature. If Unicron’s alt mode is a mess, then this next part can only be described as a disaster. Unicron is essentially a giant Arms Micron and was designed to be “worn” by Voyager Optimus or Megatron as “armor”. The piece essentially fits over their shoulders, giving them an excessively large cape-like contraption. Unicron’s horns and wings are put on separately over the front of the characters, kind of like a rollor coaster safety harness. This armor-cape is so large and unwieldy that it actually needs feet to hold it up. Also, it doesn’t really connect to Megatron’s shoulders and has to be balanced onto him.
As for articulation, Unicron’s limited in this aspect too. His head, wings, shoulders, and hips are all ball joints. He’s got swivel/hinge elbows, but only because they are removable accessories. His shoulder spikes have two swivel joints. His knees are also hinged, but they don’t even move a full ninety degrees because of his design. His ankles are also technically hinged, but only because they fold back for transformation. Sadly, he just isn’t easy to pose in any kind of action scene.
Unicron technically comes with three accessories. The first two are large spiked rock hands that can be connected to form one single piece. I really like the cybernetic rocky detail on these pieces, plus each side has two Micron ports jutting out of the rocks. Both pieces are connected by a hinge joint, which is where the limited elbow articulation comes from.
Unicron’s Arms Micron is named Bogu, and he seems to be a little tank mole made out of rocks. I really like his drill nose and little tank tread feet. Bogu’s weapon form is Unicron’s small spiked club hand. This is actually how his hand looked in the show, but didn’t ever turn into a tank mole creature.
This is a pretty disappointing Transformer, even for someone who doesn’t usually care about alt modes. I do like his robot mode, and the use of the metallic copper armor is pretty cool. I also thought his minicon was pretty cute. But those three things don’t really make up for a figure that just isn’t designed very well. If you’re a huge fan of the show, or a Unicron completist, then you may want to pick this figure up eventually. But I’d definitely wait and see if you can’t get it for much cheaper than retail.
-Vault
wow. that alt-mode is even worse than the previous earlier Megatron “Cyber-kibble-ship” modes.
*IF* I were to get this guy, I’d try to turn his back-face out and rearrange the rest of the figure so it looks like his front. just forget about the alt-mode entirely, but the last shot you have of it (as volcano?) does look better than the one on the flight stands. (are they included? or from something else entirely?)
Wow. Just . . . wow. Great review, excellent pictures, horrendous toy.
The look of the thing was enough to make me pass on it initially, but after this review, I don’t think I’d accept the thing as a gift.
Does anyone else remember those ads on TV that tried to get you to order a weirdly-shaped sheet of red-and-blue foam with snaps in it, that you could fold and snap into various origami-like toys? THAT’S what this Unicron reminds me of: a weirdly-shaped mass that ends up not really looking like anything in any configuration.
This is what scholars refer to as a “hot mess.”
there’s a part of me that wants to make a hot rhodes scholar joke, and a part of me that hurts of even thinking of that… so i won’t. 😛
plus, maybe i’m an old fuddy duddy, but shouldn’t a planet unicron be huge? honestly, any unicron under a foot tall is a waste of time from where i sit. hasbro should get to work on a build a former wave and crank out the biggest, most detailed unicron ever made.
or you know, something that is like what the 3rd party guys are doing, but too large scale to ever be concievably affordable from them… kind of a co-operative thing. imagine, for a second, if you were paying TFC prices to hasbro, what kind of huge, well made ‘former they could crank out. for the cost of hercules, the “official” unicron could literally be playset sized. we’re getting a huge castle grayskull from mattel that, while it doesn’t transform, is still less than half the cost for the TFC hercules and the upgrade pack… think about what hasbro could do here, the lesson they could learn, the bill they could charge, from a unicron who literally ships in pieces, labeled “continents”, assembled from 5 pieces are that each a transformer, and once combined, form a 2 and a half foot robot mode, or an alt mode that is a literal city that the deluxe class guys could use as a real playset. fudging swank my friends… swank to the 9s.
Always on board for a way to get a huge Unicron.
I thought the best way to do a massive Unicron would be to take the 2010 Takara version, crank the pantograph and tooling up to 200% so it would end up about three feet tall, modify the ring-wings to 300% size and add some ratchet joints in at the bases so they’ll hold a pose.
But that’s just me.
That . . . I have no words to describe it. The story kinda reminds me of the BWNeo story though. Just a tad.
If his alt mode was supposed to be the head of Unicron, it’d make a little more sense. Other than that, I burst out laughing when I saw that roller coaster harness mode on Megatron.
Mount Unicron… If I were to get this he would stay in robot mode, cause dang! that alt. Mode is horrendous!
Great Review! Great Pics! Terrible looking transformer!
man oh man does this Unicron look like garbage..I don’t like a lot of the Prime designs but this takes the cake
I know they can’t all be gems like Breakdown or the Vehicon, but holy salted crap on a stick, this Unicron is just appalling. It makes the original Ironhide and Ratchet look sophisticated and well-engineered. Nice vac-metal, cute mini-con, but everything else about it is a festering bowl of dog snot.
FACE MOUNTAIN
I’ve been calling his alt mode “stag crab”.
Great review, horrible toy. I mean it. This is why I’m not fond of the current iteration of Transformers, this corporate-enforced need to try and blend the G-1 characters with the Bayformers design aesthetic. Most of Vault’s other reviews have weakened me to the point where I actually look at the Transformers wall when I’m in a store, but this…this..
I’m sorry. I guess I’m just reactionary or something. Unicron is a planet. A PLANET. A BIG-A** PLANET. Not a crab on fire.
argh.
At least we all can share this joy.
http://www.toplessrobot.com/2012/10/okay_this_is_the_last_gangnam_style_i_will_ever_po.php
THAT is what Transformers should be. Dancing! 🙂
I appear to have completely missed out on this whole “Gangnam Style” thing so far. Thank you for making my first exposure to it funny, Steve!
Besides, we all know Soundwave can outdance the rest of those guys any day.
you’re welcome! So my Transformers knowledge is spotty, who is the female ‘bot Optimus is enamored of at around the 1 minute mark? And why is she wearing lipstick? Do robots use lipstick?
As good as this is, if you want to see a epic effort search for ‘Lo Pan Style’. Yes, it’s a complete mashup of Gangnam Style and Big Trouble in Little China.
I just double-checked to make sure: that female robot is Elita One. A Google search comes up with a coupla pages on her.
Really like the robot mode but wow what a mess past that….whoever thought that it would be a good idea to have his face still recognizable on his backside, where he expells used energon, should have his back side kicked! Awful!