Toy Review - RACTONITE (Kingdom)

RACTONITE
Series - Generations
Sub-line - War For Cybertron
Sub-sub-line - Kingdom
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here - January 2021
Approximate Retail Price - $30
Approximate Size - 12 cm
Allegiance - Predacon
Alt-mode - Skeleton/Fossil of a Styracosaurus
Main Features/Gimmicks - Fossilizer (i.e partsformer)
Main Colours - White, grey, dark grey
Main Accessories - bone-tail drill/sword

SUMMARY

Don't buy this guy unless you're a completionist
Disappointing figure on all levels
But Styracosaurii are cool I guess?

https://i.imgur.com/ariocMyh.jpg
I'm Spiderman! Thwip! Thwip!
https://i.imgur.com/cjeDLOlh.jpg
Paint me like you do those Triceratops, but without the horns
https://i.imgur.com/dgADgsVh.jpg
Kup: "Anyway all things considered you did an amazing job lad. Amazing."
Hot Rod: "Really?"

THICK

Okay I will just put it out there, Ractonite is just plain awful and disappointing on every level. I'm pretty good at polishing turds but this one has me boned. I'm not even going to do a pro's list. There's barely anything worth mentioning except that Styracosaurii are cool.

Now for the downsides:

He ugly. Unfortunately bland colours, squat stature/proportions and an uninspiring design makes this guy visually unappealing. At least Paleotrex had a metal looking head and that whole transmutate vibe going on. The sculpting works for the alt mode and while nice, nothing to really write home about.
Articulation is decent because he's a partsformer but balance is sub par. In fairness, Ractonite may very well be best in class for alt mode articulation. That said, there is zero pleasure in handling this toy.
So many lost opportunities for great playability. The dinosaur mouth has a 5mm peg inside it, put a little nub so blast effects can be stuck on? Hasbro says no. I tried the suggested fossil armour/weapons with Huffer. It's garbage. The center of the chest flips out to form a giant cannon barrel thing, but like the dino skull, you get a 5mm peg and not a lot that can be meaningfully stuck onto it. Theres peg and peg holes peppered all over this guy but not any way to use them to good effect. The best I could do is combine him with SS86 Kup to make a joke image from the 1986 movie. The only thing I haven't tried is combining with Paleotrex to make a big fossil man.

Look after writing all this, my mood has mellowed. He's a nice well articulated little Styracosaurus figure. That's about it.