Toy Review - Titans Return Sawback
※LIONE^SAWBACK
Series Titans Return
Size/class - Titan Master
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 3
Released here December 2016
Approximate Retail Price - $10
Approximate Size - 5.5cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode head
Main Features/Gimmicks binary bonds with any Deluxe/Voyager/Leader Class Titans Return figure
Main Colours yellow, orange
Main Accessories lion drone
Much like many of Hasbro's TR Titan Masters, Sawback's robot^Nebulan^humanoid mode desperately lacks colour diversity and desperately needs more colour to break it up, even if it's just painted eyes. The head has a bestial lion motif, which is reminiscent of the bird-like helmets on the Decepticon Powermasters' Nebulan partners. While unable to transform into a lion, Sawback's drone can and Sawback herself☆ transforms into the rear part of the lion's head. Sawback kinda feels a bit more like a Brainmaster for her drone. It's a relatively more realistic looking lion mode since it doesn't have that huge spike or horn or whatever out of the back of the head like on the G1 toy. On the other hand, it does have wings, so I guess my argument is invalid. :p The drone's alt mode is a shield with a 5mm post. I find this to be better than another gun mode for several reasons, such as...
* DLX/VOY/LDR class figures already have their own guns. Unless these Titan Masters' drones can transform into special guns, but we don't know since none of them have any printed bios! :rolleyes:
* people often forget that a shield is also an offensive melee weapon (just as Captain America ;)).
Sawback's head mode is a really nice rendition of Lione's head mode, right down to faux-lion mode kibble! :D
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps9miubeno.jpg
Back when Classics started in 2006, I bet none of us would've ever imagined that Hasbro would make a Classicsverse toy based on a G1 character as little known as Lione. In all honesty, this toy probably has little to zero appeal for people who've never heard of the character before, so I would be hesitant in recommending it unless you just happen to like this toy on its own merit as a Titan Master. I was excited to get this toy because it allows me to effectively own Lione without having to fork out some ridiculous some for the G1 figure, which I wouldn't do in a pink fit.
Lione is such an odd choice, but I hope that this will mean that Hasbro will consider releasing the rest of the Japanese Headmaster Warriors (e.g. Rodney, Kirk etc.) as TR figures, and indeed more lesser known or even obscure★ Transformers as future CHUGUR figures! But being such a little known character, I can understand that this wouldn't be everyone's cube of Energon. But if this figure does hold some appeal to you, then I would recommend getting.
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※Say "Lee-On-Nay" (リオーネ)
☆I don't think official canon has ever explicitly stated Lione's gender, and Japanese typically doesn't use gendered pronouns, so I'm just gonna run with female pronouns in English unless someone can point to canonical evidence that states otherwise. And before anyone points out the fact that Lione's alt mode and Sawback's drone have manes (which only male lions have), click here. ;)
★An obscure Transformer (as defined by Obscure Transformers) is one that has only ever been released in one medium. Lione technically isn't obscure since s/he has appeared in two media - toy and anime. Although Lione is one damn obscure technically-not-obscure Transformer! :p
