Phil's Beast Wars Neo Sling
and
Robots in Disguise Dinobot Sludge Review

Beast Wars Neo Sling

Sling is one of 3 new mold Beast Wars Neo basics. He's a mainly green dimetrodon - with some orange on the underside - it's a long lizard like Dinosaur with a large rounded fin on it's back referred to as a sail (I checked !) The sail and back of the dinosaur have a white stripe pattern on them. The jaw opens, and all 4 legs are hinged on ball joints, but because the legs are not neutrally posed there's really only one position they can be in.

Sling has the trap mode common to each of the first 4 original Neo dinosaurs. Simply split his fin in 2 down the middle and fold each half to the side. Inside there's a yellow and red flowerlike pattern and a knob at the centre. Press the knob and the entire thing springs closed venus flytrap/man trap style. Nice.

TF: Pull the spine away from the back and the back away from the underside of the body. Fold the spines to your right and the back to your left, swinging the forelegs under the body. Turn the robot legs round at the robot's waist 180 degrees, turn the beast head round 180 degrees and fold down onto the chest. Fold the root head up from inside the chest cavity, lock in place and spin it round. Cover gaping hole in the back by moving the forelegs round. Fold beast tail up onto one of his arms and open the fan as a shield on the other.

The resulting robot is very thin and very orange with Dimetrodon pieces hanging off the arms and chest. His helmeted head looks similar to Terrorsaur with a crest down the middle. On his right arm is his tail which I assume is meant to be a gun or a sword, on his left is he sail forming a shield. The beast head covers a pink/purple Destron (Predacon) spark crystal, and if you look inside the back of Sling you can see how it works - a metal disc covered by clear plastic which distorts the shape of the hole in the metal to form the faction symbol. Ball joints abound on this toy as was the norm at the time - they are after all the easiest way to get a large range of motion. Ankles, knees, hips, waist, neck, shoulders and elbows. The fists have a very small peg hole (2mm tops !)

Overall: Not the worst basic in the world by any means, but it doesn't set my world on fire. I think the vast expanse of orange isn't helping, it's very plasticy and an odd colour.

Robots in Disguise Dinobot Sludge

When doing the Dinobot range in 2003 it was obvious who to use for Grimlock, Slag, Snarl and Swoop (shame they didn't make sure they had all the names available first) Sludge represents a problem - what toy do you have him as there's not been a TF Brontosaur/Brachiosaur since ... well G1 Sludge (OK one of the Japanese Pretender Dinosaurs, yes) They went for the Sling mold. Most of the other Dinobots in this Armada 2 pack series (they were on Armada style cards, OK ?) are some variation of silver/grey. Here they've hung onto the green - if anything made it darker - turned the orange into black and painted the stripe pattern in a goldy yellow. The resulting toy looks quite dark, and realistic in both modes. Not a bad repaint at all !

Sludge was sold in a 2 pack with Snarl.

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