Toy Review - POTP Predaking

**BigTransformerTrev** · 7th July 2018, 03:44 PM

I can�t say I�m too impressed with how the individual Predators look, though they stay pretty true to their original incarnations I guess. Predaking looks pretty good.

I look forward to picking this lot up to have a play

**graza78** · 7th July 2018, 07:42 PM

The individual bots are soo hollow and cheap looking. Combined mode looks ok. Will wait till its half price and shelfwarming.

**GoktimusPrime** · 8th July 2018, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by graza78

The individual bots are soo hollow and cheap looking. Combined mode looks ok. Will wait till its half price and shelfwarming.

I don't find that at all. I find each of the Predacons to be quite hefty. People accused the CW Constructicons of being lightweight too, but an actual comparative weight analysis showed that they had more mass than some other Voyager class Transformers that people consider as being more solid.
e.g. CW Hook (unarmed) is actually heavier than Generations Springer (holding all weapons).
Looks can be deceiving. I was carrying Predaking around in public yesterday and on the way back to my car I felt my arm going numb from holding Predaking with one hand. I ended up just hugging the toy to my chest and holding it like an infant to relieve the pressure from my arm. Predaking is a more solid and stable gestalt than Combiner Wars Devastator.

The only really hollow part is Predaking's core, but that's because it's Divebomb's backpack expanded to help bulk up Predaking. As I mentioned before, Predaking is only 5 Voyagers making up the same size and bulk as CW Devastator which is comprised of 6 Voyagers. The fact is that they lack a counterpart for Long Haul, who is the largest/bulkiest of the Constructicons being the load-bearing centre of the gestalt's mass. The additional parts tacked onto Tantrum and Headstrong, as well as the expanding nature of Divebomb's backpack, basically all exist and combine to make up for the fact that there isn't a 6th core member of the team.

I think that HasTak made the right call here, because the alternatives are:

a/ Have a smaller gestalt with stumpier looking proportions, much like G1 Predaking (who has tiny, tiny thighs!)

b/ Create a 6th Predacon who is unfamiliar to fans, but would also jack up the cost of the box set because you're adding an additional Voyager Class figure into the pack. Some fans might grow to resent this 6th member, not just because s/he'd be unfamiliar, but because s/he also be irreplaceable and essential to the formation of Predaking. Other CHUG gestalt teams have seen new members added in, such as Alpha Bravo, Rook and Off-Road, but those members are replaceable. e.g. Alpha Bravo can be replaced by Quickslinger (Slingshot), Rook by Groove, Off-Road by Brake-Neck (Wildrider) etc. But a 6th Predacon would be irreplaceable. There would be no way to get rid of the team's new Poochie.

Go look at your Energon/Super Link gestalts. Take a good look. Heck, look at your Car Robot/RiD gestalts too. Now tell me again how POTP Predaking is inadequate.

**hYpNoS** · 8th July 2018, 11:45 PM

Some thoughts

-Make the thigh pieces as kibble which can turn into weapons
-Make razorclaw slightly bigger to reduce the hollowness of predaking while making him look more leader like
-Still no individual weapons like cw devastator?
-Stickers on individual figures, even cw devastator had tampos, I can only excuse whole larger titans
-Why are the arms in opposite to the original g1 configurations, while it can be reworked it has compromises ie screw holes being visible and colors being lost
-Spiked hands on artwork but not on final figure?
-NO SWORD WHAT!?

Normally I'd wait on a takara version to fix these flaws yet here I am waiting on a clearance to help offset the inevitable 3p upgrade sets, that's...if it comes here

**GoktimusPrime** · 9th July 2018, 01:17 AM