Name: Killbison
Series: Japanese Generation 1
Allegiance: Destron
Sub Group: Breast Force
Function: Military Engineering
Vehicular Mode: Tank
Comes with BisonBreast, a small companion that turns from a bison to a breastplate and also becomes Killbison's gun.
TANK MODE
Height: 5cm Length: 8.5cm Width: 5.5cm
A gold tank with an off white turret, Killbison's gold plastic has a metallic tinge but seems to be a different plastic to the brittle stuff Hasbro had been using around this time period. On mine, at least, it appears to have the characteristic swirls, but also appears to have fewer metallic flakes, which is probably the difference. His front treads are white, the rear ones gold. The turret has twin side-mounted cannons which can independently rotate. There's yellow stickers on the sides, on these stripes are Destron logos.
This is a pretty good tank mode. Not only does the turret rotate 360°, but the side cannons can also rotate right over. The mould's detail is good - there are tiny floodlights on the front, a mesh grill behind the turret and lots of panelling, including an entry hatch just in front of the turret. You can see his feet at the front, but they're subtle enough to not detract. His head (but not face) is visible on the back end, and this is for me the only real shortcoming of this mode.
Along with the movement of the turret I've already mentioned, Killbison also has wheels underneath the treads, allowing him to roll along. This is pretty good for a G1 tank (heck, better than some G2 tanks), and about all I'd really ask in terms of play value, aside from maybe shooting a projectile.
The colours work, the play value's pretty good for a tank, and there's a high level of detail. The other thing I like about this mode is that it's big & blocky - it _feels_ solid like a tank is meant to be.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Extend the rear section, fold up the head. Rotate the turret 180°. Position the hands, attach BisonBreast as either his handgun or chestplate. It's a simple transform but it works well enough.
BISONBREAST
With big wings, BisonBreast's horns are actually on his wings, not his head, meaning they form part of the chestplate mode, which is cool. The head, tail and legs are red, the main body white.
To transform BisonBreast to bison mode, fold out the legs, flip out the head and tail. To transform to chestplate, retract limbs, head and tail. To transform to gun, fold in the legs and the head to become the handle, flip out the tail to become the barrel.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 10.5cm Width: 5.5cm
Killbison's essentially gold in this mode with white below his knees. There's a white central stripe down his torso. His face is red, and he has horns. Adding the chestplate gives him a largely white torso, with bits of gold on his shoulders and little horns on his chest, which look cool. Unlike Drillhorn, there's not gaping hole in his chest waiting for a chestplate to attach, so with or without the chestplate he looks decent.
The gun mode works, too, so BisonBreast's a good accessory. The only poseability is the rotating shoulders, so the play value BisonBreast provides gives Killbison respectable play value.
This is a blocky robot mode, since it's formed from a blocky tank mode. This isn't a bad thing - Killbison looks stocky and powerful. The shins are one solid piece, but they've moulded it so both sets of shins and feet are rounded, sticking out on the front of that single piece. The arms are the insides of the front treads, but they’re not just a set of links with hands - being actual arms with tread panels on the outside. There are wheels sticking out from his elbows though, which ruin the look of the arms to some extent.
Overall this is a pretty good robot mode. It has some shortcomings, but the colours work, the play value is good and there's a few little things that work in it's favour, like the horns, the shin moulding and body shape.
VARIATIONS
None that I know of, Rescue Force Killbison is a repaint of this toy.
OVERALL
Killbison has good colours, and, significantly, is spared the brittleness of some gold plastics. Both modes work, BisonBreast is a good accessory. The only major downside is that the removable bits on the turret can potentially be lost, which would ruin the tank mode. Still, this isn't enough to wreck a good toy, and you need him for Liokaiser anyway - 8.5/10
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