Well wouldn't you know as soon as I play out Sideswipe and Silverstreak I get my super awesome Kmart Minicons in the mail right then! Ah, but those will have to wait, because I have a review to finish! Let's pick it up...
SKALOR
Beast mode- A wierd fish thing. I know it's loosely based on a Coelocanth, but with the lips and the arms and the legs, it's really it's own thing. You would think the mish mash of elements would make it a messy design, but actually, it's great! Truthfully, Skalor was the next least favorite Seacon after Overbite before I got him. His transformation was the same, and he was just a weird fish. How cool could that be? But now that I have him, I love him. I was really pleasantly surprised. The little arms, the thick trunk legs, the stubby tail, the really sharp teeth, it all comes together to create a cool beast mode with lots of character. And talk about detail! From scales all over his back and legs, to the feral way his face is molded, Skalor does not skimp on the details. Despite my personal love for Nautilator, I'd have to say that this fish is definitely the most detailed Seacon, except maybe Snaptrap. And he's got one of the best decos too. He's mostly black and metallic grey, with a few orange spots to brighten it up. His lips and teeth are orange, which is great because it really makes this dangerous feature stand out. And he has black wash on each of the scales on his back, legs and tail! This is a very professional and well done detail, the kind of which makes the Seacons stand out as exclusives. Truly, he was a great surprise and very nice.
Weapon mode- Eh, just the fish laid out, the exact same type as Overbite. It's a little better cause it's not as long, but still pretty meh. Seawing and Tentakill are the best weapons in my opinion, which is a shame because I can't use them. More on that later.
Robot mode- The deco on robot mode gets more black, but remains the metallic grey. We get less orange, but thats ok because it makes the robot look a little more intimidating. He's not as detailed as the other Seacons, but it doesn't hurt him at all because what he lacks in that he makes up for with character. He's stouter then the others except for Seawing (who's TOO stout) and he's extremely broad shouldered. This gives him a very strong, very sturdy look. You can tell he's the gross crank that the tech specs make him out to be. Yet don't say it to his face cause he also looks like he'd be ready to cold cock you at any moment! He's described as an always leaking fish mechanoid, and one would think he would revel in that since he never gets it checked. And his robot mode certainly gives off the feeling that he's a disgusting thug, but still very dangerous. Of course, this isn't to say he isn't detailed at all, because unlike Overbite whose transformation he shares he has the tapered waist look that Seawing has. It's a small detail but makes his shoulders more pronounced, which just enhances the robot's character. In the end, Skalor was an awesome surprise.
TENTAKILL
Beast Mode- If any of the Seacons were silly, he is. But then again, how else would you do a squid as a smaller mold? It's an interesting conundrum, and the design isn't horrible, it just doesn't look as threatening as the others. Maybe it's the legs. Tentakill is basically a squid head with regular legs, and eight tentacles portruding out. They're very stubby tentacles too. Again, I don't want to say the design is bad, it's actually quite innovative considering the mold limitations, I'm just saying it's not as cool or dangerous looking at the others. I don't know, maybe it's the molded mouth instead of the hinged one. One thing going for him, though, I like him better then Overbite simply because he's not boring. He's got lots of molded details on him though, so that's a positive. His mask and scowl are very well done, and he's even got suction cups on his tentacles. The ridges that run all over his body are nice because they're extensive, but they actually hurt the design because it makes him look even more like someone wearing a suit. The deco is a little weird, too. I mean, it's weird in the way because he is the Seacon who has his colors change so drastically in each mode. The black and grey look nice, and blend well with the other Seacons. Not as interesting as Seawing or Snaptrap, but ok. The thing is he shows little of the orange that dominates his robot mode. We get a tiny bit on his head but other then that it's all on his back.
Weapon Mode- I actually really like Tentakill's weapon mode. Why? Because it's actually very disguised from his beast mode. The legs might look silly in beast mode, but folding them back WITH his back tentacles hides his beast mode face, which is a big difference. Too bad, he doesn't work for Piranacon, at least for me. More on that in a few.
Robot mode- Tentakill's robot mode is, like Overbite, nothing special. In fact, it might even be worse because he has the same boxy style but without any chest details. He's the least detailed Seacon in robot mode, only two little things on his chest. Other then that, there's not much. Design wise, he's a box standing on the squid head with the tentacles sticking out of his back. I know I'm trivilizing it, and it's not as bad as I'm making it sound, he just seems a little lackluster when brought up against the others. In terms of deco, he loses almost all of his black and his grey is greatly decreased. We get tons of orange though. It's a big change, it doesn't blend as well as the others. Basically, I like Tentakill better then Overbite, but that's simply because of personal preference. Looking at it with an objective eye, he is actually probably the short end of the stick. Still, he's not bad by any means.
PIRANACON
Ah, here he is. The big guy himself, the combined form. How do I review him? First, how do we put him together? Well, one of the greatest thing about this set is any of the smaller guys can be and arm, leg or gun! So there are tons of variations. So how do I put mine together? Here's my process, going through each Seacon...
Snaptrap- Torso! Can't do anything else with him, duh.
Tentakill- One of my favorite gun modes, as noted above. But I can't use him for a weapon. Why? Because I've tried it, and he's too heavy. One of the reasons I love his gun mode is because it doesn't look like a laid out sea creature. He's compressed, making him look more like a hand gun. The problem lies with the fact that because of that, all his mass is in one spot. Meaning, it's not dispersed. Meaning, he's the heaviest. And the joints of my Piranacon can't hold him up. What's the good of a gun if he can't hold it straight? It's very flimsy with the weight and I feel like I would weaken the joints. So, no gun for him. He could be an arm, but then his tentacles, legs and whole body are up at the shoulder instead of being dispersed along the arm, like Seawing. So...just one choice! A leg he is! He's a good, standard leg not flashy yet the tentacles make it kinda cool.
Seawing- Ah, my other favorite gun mode, maybe even more so then Tentakill, so...What's this? Oh yea, the hole is too big. His weapons won't stay in. Oh well. Guess that fell through. Ok, so leg? No can do...that darn hole. The Piranacon foot doesn't fit snugly and it wobbles around. Shame, because his leg mode is ok, although it doesn't have the visual flair of the tentacles fromTentakill or Nautilator's lobster legs. Ok, so through process of elimination he's an arm. That's fine, he looks very good as an arm, wings give it a lot of character. It seems a little stubby, but it's just as long as the others, so whatever. It looks good.
Nautilator- I hate his gun mode, so it's either an arm or a leg. As an arm, he looks ok, but his claws are large and stick out over his fist. Meaning, holding a weapon is not easy. Impossible for a targetmaster gun. So, I'll make him a leg. That's perfect, the legs sticking out from the back match the tentacles on the other leg giving him a very nice look. Great! Piranacon can now stand. That only leaves...
Skalor and Overbite- With the same design for all three modes, I grouped these two guys together. For my configuration, I'm missing a gun and an arm. Now, I like Skalor better as a gun, but Overbite has a big problem as an arm. The Seawing arm's fist is too far down in the middle of the arm, so it can't hold a targetmaster. Overbite can, except for his large shark-arms. I could take one off, but then I'd have an extra piece and I would hate that. Let's see...if I switch them around, I could actually maneuver Skalor's fish-arm so that Overbite in gun mode would fit. There we go! Sure, I have to use my second least favorite gun mode, but it's still an awesome figure. Anyone wondering about their leg modes, Skalor's is way to wide despite being used on the box, Overbite's is simply alright. I like Tentakill and Nautilator and Seawing better.
So there! He's all put together. And how does he look? Amazing. Dangerous and strangely regal. The colors all blend together wonderfully giving a drastically different look from G1, and in my opinion, a much better one. Much cooler looking, no silly light blue and pink here. All the colors from the Seacons individually are here and laid out great, not one dominating the other. The deco looks great. He's very detailed, all of his individual parts donating to the greater whole. But best of all, his design is great. It's massive, incredibly strong looking, and the nice head sculpt and blades on his chest really make him stand out from all other TF combiners. Only G1 Predacon is cooler looking then him. Maybe RID Rail Racer. Other then that, he's the best looking. He's massive and mechanical, yet with cool elements here and there that make him animalistic and show his underwater nature, like his clawed feet.
Here's my list of my favorite Seacons, for anyone interested-
1. Nautilator
2. Snaptrap
3. Skalor
4. Seawing
5. Tentakill
6. Overbite
The Seacons are an amazing set. It costs a great deal (131 dollars with standard shipping) but it is very cool. You get six great figures with an amazing paint job. Sure, the figures are very simple and from an older era, but they also have tons of play value and there is something to be said about nostalgia. Highly recommended.
Well that's it for now! Look for posts soon about my latest Universe acquisitions! I forgot how much I loved Minicons...
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