Name: Repugnus
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Autobot
Alternate Mode: Dinosaur
DINOSAUR MODE
Height: 9cm Length: 15cm Width: 4cm exact dimensions depend on pose
A black, red and yellow dinosaur, Repugnus is a repaint of Undermine. The black replaces Undermine's dark green on his body and tail, the red replaces grey on his tailtip, ankles and shoulders while yellow replaces grass green on his claws, sail and feet. The paint mask has shifted and the head and thighs are gold plastic rather than the red which should carry over (the head is painted black with gold inside his mouth). The colours are about on par with those of Undermine and serve as a fairly good tribute to G1 Repugnus. I like the fact that these colours are distinctly different - there's nothing less appealing than a repaint which feels the same as the original. The bodyshape and head look like those of a T-Rex while the limbs suit the velociraptor. The sail, along with the spiked grey ball at the tip of his tail, make Repugnus a mecha monster rather than an accurate dinosaur, while the mix of sauropod elements are enough to make sure he's identifiably Dinosaur-like. SD informs me that Repugnus is (somewhat loosely) based on Spinosaurus. Other than the painted head the other noteworthy change in the paint mask is the switching of a stamped Decepticon logo on the left hip for an Autobot one.
Spindly yet ferocious looking, Repugnus's menace is supplied by the spiked ball on his tail and open clawed velociraptor claws. The sail on the back adds some bulk to the figure, and sports moulded cannons on either side. The colours don't look as mean as those of Undermine, which I guess makes sense for an Autobot. While the change of allegiance works, I passed on three Repugni in stores since they _all_ had major defects in the stamped logo. The one I eventually bought has a couple of minor gaps in the red paint - but nothing you'll see unless you really look. I don't know if this problem is limited to the batch that made it to Australia or not, but it's really disappointing.
There's a lot of play value here for a basic, since this is a poseable beast mode. Both jaws open and shut, the head lifts up and down, the shoulders are hinged and there are three hinges in the tail. His hips rotate and lift to the sides, giving full movement. The knees, ankles and mid-foot false ankles are all hinged, making for very versatile legs. I've currently got Undermine in a stomping pose on the table, with his tail up as a counterweight.
There's a slot at the back of the sail into which you can plug his green Planet Key (code: s48r), pushing it in firmly will cause a grey blade to flick forward from the top of the sail. This blade will only sit behind his head, so it's not the most useful key gimmick, but I like the fact that the key can slot in part of the way and stay put without activating the blade. The green key also matches the toy's colour scheme which is a bonus.
This is a nifty dinosaur, and while the concept is a little odd, the mashed dinosaur aspects come together fairly well, making a cool beast mode. The poseability is great for a basic and the colours work. The gimmick doesn't quite work, but it's not a liability either. My main complaint here is about two gaps on either side of the ball on his tail (if they wanted to make it hollow, the underside would have been the best spot for a gap). The repaint has a vastly different feel, which makes Repugnus a nice beast in his own right.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Detach the tail, swing down his pelvis and fold away the tail's base. Split the beast head and swing out to the sides to form his arms, rotate the shoulderplates and then swing the arms into position. Straighten the legs and give him his tail as a handheld mace.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 11.5cm Width: 5.5cm
Again a mix of red, black and yellow with the some gold and silver. The chest, arms and knees are black while his feet and front claws on his chest are yellow. Red is peripheral in several spots while his face is silver with yellow eyes and his thighs are gold. The face is simple with an eyemask and narrow eyes, and there's a piranha sort of look about it. Repugnus lacks a distinct mouth, there's more of a beak in fact. There are red stripes on the upper arms which weren't obvious underneath the beast's neck. The colour scheme is again quite nice - although I prefer the beast mode's colours.
There are some interesting aspects to the transformation which create some unusual aspects here. The sail sits directly behind his head, which is the front tip of that sail. There's a hint of a hunchback and the sail is effectively a giant crest. The beast head is now the forearms, with the lower jaw halves on top (usually when a beast head splits it's the other way round - this beast head is upside down now). The legs are a simple straighten-out affair, but this I can deal with since the other aspects are interesting and it gives both modes poseable legs. The foreclaws sit on either side of the chest, although you're able to deploy them attacking poses - something I prefer not to do.
Repugnus is able to store his Planet Key in both modes - an unusual feature for earlier Cybertron moulds (but common amongst the later moulds he shipped with). The slot is on the back and remains available. Again you can stow it or push it right in to deploy the blade, which is more useful now since the beast head is no longer in the way. It sticks up and forward, giving Repugnus a sort of headbutt of doom option. The mace is a lot cooler, and more useful with the three joints, but at least the blade is workable now. There's no fire-breathing option here, incidentally.
The poseability is again good here - the head is fixed since it's part of the tail, but his shoulders are ball jointed and the elbows hinged. He has claws rather than hands, and both upper and lower claws can move. The holes in his "hands" are rectangular slots designed specifically for his mace - he isn't going to be swapping weapons with anyone other than Undermine (who doesn't count, really).
While this is an unusual looking robot mode, it's an inventive mould and Repugnus cuts a distinctive figure. The poseability is again good and the gimmick is a little more useful. I wouldn't expect him to appeal to everyone though - the head and sail do look odd and the lack of true hands will bother some. The beast mode is probably a little stronger, since it uses the colours a little better. The stamped Autobot logo isn't as prominent here which is a good thing if yours has a defect.
VARIATIONS
None that I'm aware of although as mentioned Repugnus is a repaint of Undermine.
OVERALL
A nice beast mode, good colours and a decent if unusual robot mode make this an interesting toy. I wouldn't say this repaint is any better or worse than Undermine, but I like the fact that's he's tributing a G1 toy we haven't seen done thirty times already (is anyone else sick of Starscream rehashes?). Whether or not this is enough to justify a repaint is up to you - but I'm happy with Repugnus for what he is. If you do grab him, take a look at the Autobot logo before you hit the checkout - 6.5/10, losing half a point for me having to pass on three Repugni.
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