series: Beast Wars Neo
Allegiance: Predacon
Size - Basic
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - ?
Released here - No
Approximate Retail Price - Whatever the basic price was in Japan in 1999. He was also sold in a two pack with the Maximal Break (so it was a battle of the shellformers, basically).
Approximate Size - 8cm tall in beast mode, 11cm tall in robot mode (not counting shell kibble)
Alt-mode - Ammonite (prehistoric mollusc)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Right shell half can be launched off, although it doesn't go far. Some of his beast mode tentacles are part of a gun (called the Dead Gun), which stows under the ammonite head in either mode.
Main Colours - Purple, white, pink.
Main Accessories - Shell halves, Dead Gun
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 2. Dead End is the shellformer to end all shellformers. Most of his transformation is simply unpacking the limbs from inside the shell, with the only bit involving beast mode parts being folding the ammonite head over his chest.
Stability - Very good in beast mode, robot mode is hampered somewhat by the two shell halves.
Poseability/articulation - No articulation in beast mode-he just sits there being an ammonite. Ball joints everywhere in robot mode-shoulders, elbows, ankles, knees, hips, and neck. Poseability is hampered somewhat by the shell kibble.
Playability - Transformation is simple, but robot mode is quite poseble, and has playability beyond that with the launching shell and the Dead Gun.
My Thoughts - What you will think of Dead End will likely come down to the novelty of an ammonite Transformer. He's an epic shellformer, with the kibble getting in the way in robot mode (though it can be removed), though we do get a very poseable robot in return. The shell halves actually do look good, like G1 Prowl's door wings, although you may think otherwise depending on how they restrict movement. His ammonite mode does nothing but sit there, but what else could an ammonite do?
Overall, he's a cool little basic, but his shellformer-ness both helps and hurts him. In any case, as Dead End is an old, Japan-exclusive toy, you should think about whether you really want him if the urge arises, as he may be a bit expensive.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 7
