Name: none officially, usually called "Killbison"
Series: "European" Generation 1
Allegiance: Autobot
Vehicular Mode: Claw Tank
Thanks to Griffin for loaning me Killbison, making this review possible.
TANK MODE
Height: 7cm Length: 10.5cm Width: 5.5cm
A blue tank with a grey turret, grey front treads and blue rear treads. The turret has twin side-mounted grappling claws with can be either cherry red or silver. There are yellow and black striped stickers on the sides, on these stripes are Autobot logos. He also sports an Autobot logo on the front of the tank itself. I do prefer the more unified colour scheme of the original Japanese toy, but this version is still nice enough, even if the colours don't quite sync.
This is a pretty good tank mode. Not only does the turret rotate 360°, but the claw arms can lift up and the claws themselves can open and close. The sculpt is quite detailed - 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 tanks since), 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. The claws might be an odd choice for this repaint, but they're well executed so I don't mind.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Extend the rear section, fold up the head. Rotate the turret 180°. Position the hands, give him the claws as handheld weapons. It's a simple transform but it works well enough.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 10.5cm Width: 5.5cm
Killbison's essentially blue in this mode with grey below his knees. There's a grey central stripe down his torso. His face is yellow, and he has horns. The blue and grey work really well in this mode, and while there's no breast plate, his torso still manages to look pretty good.
The claws are rather awkward, I would have preferred a gun in this mode. While they're certainly a creative idea they bend forward and looks really ungainly while Drillhorn is holding them.
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 well, the play value is decent 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. As mentioned he's a repaint of the Japanese toy of the same name.
OVERALL
Killbison has good colours, especially in robot mode, although the new weapons on this toy work poorly in robot mode. The claw tank is fine, but I'm not sure the weapons could be called a success. Unlike the Japanese equivalent this Drillhorn doesn't form part of a larger robot, but it's likely easier to find - 6/10
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