Phil's
Car Robots Build Hurricane,
Robots In Disguise & Wal-Mart Grimlock
and
Target Universe Constructicon Scavenger
Review


Build Hurricane

Having done cars, a fire engine and trains Takara turned it's attention to construction vehicles next Four construction vehicles were selected to serve as Cybertrons.

Like the other two standard size Build team members Build Hurricane has a name referring to a storm that rotates which is in a way prefiguring the usage of these three parts in the combined form.

Build Hurricane is a tracked excavator referred to in America for some unknown reason as a Back Hoe (?) The bulk of the body and the top of the base is dark green. The bottom of the base is grey. The tracks are black, but the sides are painted light green to match the excavating arm & scoop. The operator's compartment has smoked clear windows. The excavator arm bends at the base, two thirds of the way along and at the shovel. The excavator arm has a weapon mode with a cerated blade that can be pulled out - spring loaded - in claw like opposition to the shovel

TF (been dreading this one) Remove the shovel. Turn the excavator round so that the turntable platform is covering the base and there's a space between the tracks at the other end. Open the doors at the back of the turntable and fold the robot head out locking the turntable in place. Turn the toy over. Fold the connecting T bar for combined mode out behind the toy by the ball joint at the base of the T bar. Then bend the T bar at the first joint so it's flush against the underside of the toy. Unpeg the caterpillar tracks and fold out to the sides stretching the connect panels out as far as you can. Rotate the first connecting panel so the screws face back. Bring the sections with screws in them and the flat plates connected to them together. Fold the next set of panels back up so the caterpillar treads project out from the folded up connecting bar like legs from a waist. Pull down the far half of the caterpillar treads. Fold out the end of the caterpillar tread. Rotate the lower two thirds of the tread so the green painted side is the same side as the T bar. Turn over to the robot's front and fold down the green feet. Fold the cab and the remaining bit mounted on the turntable out to the sides. Fold the cab out as an arm and extend a claw. Fold the other side out to form and arm and fold another claw out from the back of it. Extend excavator arm's blade and hold as a hand weapon is possible or peg into his back.

Build Hurricane is tall & thin in robot mode. He's got the same colour balance as vehicle mode and has ball jointed knees, bending hips & shoulders, ball jointed elbows and another bending join bellow them,. The head turns. The elbow are annoying me. For them to bend straight up the solid side of the claw faces up whereas the hole for holding a weapon faces to the sides - not good. But there again getting it to hold a weapon is a challenge ! His balance is good due to the three part splayed foot but every movement of the leg you make causes the waist to split apart.

So: OK excavator, complex TF, OK robot but the waist is a huge problem. Please read the Build King review where I'll expand on my perception of Build Hurricane's failings in combined mode.

Build Hurricane is Car Robots toy C-019 and also appears in the Build King giftset numbered C-022


Grimlock

Grimlock is the Robots in Disguise release of Build Hurricane. I'm not sure why the name Grimlock was used on this toy - trademark retention ? - as it's the only time it's not shown up on a dinosaur (or a car meant to be the dinosaur) There's nothing about the toy to connect it to G1 Grimlock.

Grimlock is very similar to Build Hurricane acquiring an Autobot symbol on the side of the cab and a couple of extra paint applications.

Grimlock was only available individually carded - there was no Landfill boxset. The initial release of the Build Team & Mega Octane in the UK was an exclusive to Woolworths, but further (imported ?) stock later materialised in Toys R Us.


Wal-Mart Grimlock

The Wal-Mart Landfill set unites the build team for the first time in unified colours. Grimlock swaps his dark green for yellow and light green for black. There's some silver scarring added to the body of the excavator. The clear plastic is now clear dark blue.

Grimlock is only available in the Landfill giftset.


Target Universe Constructicon Scavenger

The idea of recolouring the Build Team as Constructicons was mooted quite early on and in 2005 the Build Team recoloured were up for release when the Universe line was cancelled. In 2006 Target released a pair of Ultra sized twin packs with two build team members in each along with a vs pack Overbite (BWII Hellscream) vs Repugnus (BW Fuzor Buzzclaw recolour). Bonecrusher (Build Boy/Wedge repaint) sold with Scavenger (Build Hurricane/Grimlock repaint) and Hightower (aka Hook - a Build Cyclone/Hightower repaint) sold with Longhaul (Build Typhoon/Heavy Load repaint)

Scavenger is the only real failure amongst the repaints: The dark green is swapped for purple and the light green for lilac. His cab symbol becomes a Decepticon one. The only Constructicon green is painted on the side of the treads. I'd have made the body of the toy Constructicon green and the excavator arm purple.

Lets the side down a little again.


Email Philip

Phil's TF Review Page