Name: Dillo
Series: Beast Machines
Allegiance: Maximal
Function: Forward Observer
Alternate Mode: Armadillo / Gun emplacement
ARMADILLO MODE
Height: 6.5cm Length: 11cm Width: 7cm
A small black, blue and transparent purple armadillo like thing. I say this since Dillo stands on his hind legs only, as if he was a wallaby - albeit a very stunted one. Anyway, he's got a primarily black body, a purple head with yellow eyes, purple limbs and blue claws on his forelimbs. He's got a blue and purple tail. There's yellow scale-like patterning on his back, meant to represent a shell. If his missile is loaded in this mode, it sticks out the back, as if it were a second tail or something.
So he looks like a wallaby in an armadillo suit, as previously mentioned. The head looks very robotic, in fact the entire toy looks robotic, not really "technorganic". Poseability is limited to posing the forelimbs, which work more like arms than legs, at the shoulders and elbows. There's some room to press him down, but he springs back up, so hindleg poseability is only really teasing you. There's twin guns mounted on the tip of the tail and these can swivel 360° (forward, backward, up, down).
Not really much to impress in this mode. The colours are passable, but he doesn't do much more than stand there and try to look like an armadillo.
TRANSFORMATION TO WEAPON MODE
Theoretically, lift up the tail and it all transforms. But you have to swing back the forearms to turn then into guns as well. The missile launcher deployment works pretty well though, thanks to springs and a fair few internal joints. It basically all unfolds, with the missile launcher folding out to point forward.
WEAPON MODE
Height: 9cm Length: 15.5cm Width: 9cm
Lots more blue in this mode, still with a lot of transparent purple and black. Basically an unfolded version of the armadillo mode, Dillo's now a pretty well armed little gun emplacement. The missile is a twin-maced affair, with simulated chains, all one solid piece. It fires a couple of feet.
Aside from the missile, there's guns on either side and the guns on the end of the tail. All the struts and springs that make the transform happen are visible and add to the internal machinery look of the gun emplacement, despite the fact the workings of the launcher itself are concealed. To be fair, for what it is, this is a pretty good mode.
VARIATIONS
Initially released in blue, black and transparent purple, later released in dark blue and transparent orange, in limited numbers.
OVERALL
The lack of a robot mode make Dillo seem almost like an accessory - essentially there's nothing separating him from an Actionmaster sidekick. The armadillo mode isn't very good, the gun emplacement mode is quite cool, and the autotransform works. Overall, it's decent, but there's still something missing - 4/10
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