Susp's Review: DOTM MECHTECH CRANKCASE
Crankcase is one of the new Decepticons to debut in DOTM. It is my sincere hope that he receives an actual personality and doesn’t get destroyed soon after appearing.
Vehicle Mode: Crankcase is a Chevy Suburban measuring slightly over 12 cm(4.7”) long. He’s entirely black save for his clear and translucent orange sirens, clear and translucent yellow headlights, red-orange taillights, metallic silver bumper lights, and metallic silver Decepticon symbols on his front doors. He holds together well and his high ground clearance makes him roll very well across indoor surfaces.
Crankcase features bars at the bottom of his doors for attaching C-joint weapons. His own weapon of choice is a large black gun that pegs into one of two holes on his roof. Pushing the beige lever causes the gun to extend forward and deploy a set of metallic silver claws. And if that weren’t deadly enough, Crankcase also has a set of huge grey pincher claws that flip out from beneath his front bumper. Don’t worry, parents, they’re made of soft plastic!
Transformation: Swing the rear section of the roof forward, flip up the front grille and hood, and swing out the claws. Unfold the legs and feet. Swing out the arms, fold down the torso plate, raise the arms into place, then close the plate so that the shoulders are pegged into place. Unfold the hands and fold back the wheels and the doors. Rotate the legs at the thighs, slide in the wheels, fold them forward, then slide back the feet. Fold up the hood section and raise the backpack into place.
I am sad to note that the dreadlocks on my Crankcase are stuck in place. No amount of force can get the hinges to work. This makes transforming him back into vehicle mode rather difficult and frustrating, and risks damaging the pieces.
Robot Mode: Crankcase stands about 14 cm(5.5”) tall at the head, but looks larger thanks to the claws on his back. His main colours are black and grey with metallic silver and beige accents. His head is black with metallic silver accents, translucent red lightpiping for his four eyes, long, jagged horns, a large lower jaw lined with fangs, and metallic beige dreadlocks. Good luck making an Autobot redeco out of this noggin! Crankcase also has sharp claws on his feet and elongated middle fingers, which have the unintended result of making it appear that he’s making rude gestures. No surprise then that some Crankcases are being shipped with clipped fingers.
Crankcase’s head, upper arms, and thighs rotate, his shoulders and hips are ball-jointed, and his elbows, wrists, knees, and pincher claws are hinged. His weapon can be pegged into either forearm.
Overall, Susp Sez: Crankcase has a solid vehicle mode, a really freaky-looking robot mode, decent articulation, and good play value. Were it not for his faulty dreadlocks, I’d really love this toy. 4/5
”Decepticons forever!”
Vehicle Mode: Crankcase is a Chevy Suburban measuring slightly over 12 cm(4.7”) long. He’s entirely black save for his clear and translucent orange sirens, clear and translucent yellow headlights, red-orange taillights, metallic silver bumper lights, and metallic silver Decepticon symbols on his front doors. He holds together well and his high ground clearance makes him roll very well across indoor surfaces.
Crankcase features bars at the bottom of his doors for attaching C-joint weapons. His own weapon of choice is a large black gun that pegs into one of two holes on his roof. Pushing the beige lever causes the gun to extend forward and deploy a set of metallic silver claws. And if that weren’t deadly enough, Crankcase also has a set of huge grey pincher claws that flip out from beneath his front bumper. Don’t worry, parents, they’re made of soft plastic!
Transformation: Swing the rear section of the roof forward, flip up the front grille and hood, and swing out the claws. Unfold the legs and feet. Swing out the arms, fold down the torso plate, raise the arms into place, then close the plate so that the shoulders are pegged into place. Unfold the hands and fold back the wheels and the doors. Rotate the legs at the thighs, slide in the wheels, fold them forward, then slide back the feet. Fold up the hood section and raise the backpack into place.
I am sad to note that the dreadlocks on my Crankcase are stuck in place. No amount of force can get the hinges to work. This makes transforming him back into vehicle mode rather difficult and frustrating, and risks damaging the pieces.
Robot Mode: Crankcase stands about 14 cm(5.5”) tall at the head, but looks larger thanks to the claws on his back. His main colours are black and grey with metallic silver and beige accents. His head is black with metallic silver accents, translucent red lightpiping for his four eyes, long, jagged horns, a large lower jaw lined with fangs, and metallic beige dreadlocks. Good luck making an Autobot redeco out of this noggin! Crankcase also has sharp claws on his feet and elongated middle fingers, which have the unintended result of making it appear that he’s making rude gestures. No surprise then that some Crankcases are being shipped with clipped fingers.
Crankcase’s head, upper arms, and thighs rotate, his shoulders and hips are ball-jointed, and his elbows, wrists, knees, and pincher claws are hinged. His weapon can be pegged into either forearm.
Overall, Susp Sez: Crankcase has a solid vehicle mode, a really freaky-looking robot mode, decent articulation, and good play value. Were it not for his faulty dreadlocks, I’d really love this toy. 4/5
”Decepticons forever!”