Toy Review - Studio Series DLX Crowbar

(Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just some brief details to start you off)

03 - Crowbar
Series - Studio Series
Sub-line -
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - new with weapons from TF5 Berzerker
Wave - "1"
Released here - Not here yet (out April 2018 - advance release in US March) (JP version released April 2018)
Approximate Retail Price - $29-35
Approximate Size - about 15cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - SUV
Main Features/Gimmicks -
Main Colours - black, grey
Main Accessories - 2 clubs

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tran...18/ss18a03.jpg

After having a play with this toy at Toyfair in Melbourne last week, I was not impressed... but not surprised.

This is the third mould/design of this TF3 SUV Decepticon toy, with three different names (Crankcase, Berzerker, Crowbar), and I think it gets worse each time, instead of improving.
I didn't much like the TF5 Berzerker toy, with all of its fiddly panels, and this one is just the same... with the added annoyance of the dreadlocks, that have to be positioned in two different ways inside the vehicle mode, and still stick out the back (which you can just see on the official image above).
In addition to that, the feet claws stick out the sides of the vehicle mode just behind the back wheels (you can also see that in the official photo above).

On the one hand, this toy allows you to have three different "Dreads" to play out the TF3 chase scene, but on the other hand... none of them are enjoyable toys, or transform well into vehicle mode without fiddly panels or kibble sticking out of the vehicle mode.

If they can't get this toy right, they should just give up trying.

I got this guy just to finish off the dreads. Crowbars tentacles do make him as hard crankcase to transform. But I do think that all three of the deluxe class dreads look great together.

I found my copy of this toy much easier to work with than TLK Berzerker. Maybe I just hit the QC jackpot on my sample, but I've had no issues getting it to come together for transformation.

I really enjoy two features of this new rendition - the head sculpt is bloody amazing, and gives off a slightly Predator-y vibe. Also, I like that the dreads aren't attached to the head directly, so don't mess with posability that much.

This is a good toy. It's only third out of the four released deluxes due to the strengths of Stinger and Bee (once fixed). Still worth a buy.