Dread Pirate Clone (Pounce-type) w/ Plunder [BotCon 2014 Attendee-Only Exclusive]
 

Plunder
Plunder (Beast Mode)
Allegiance: Star Seeker
Size: Mini-Con
Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Teal and some clear plastic
Individual Rating: 4.2

    Plunder is a redeco (like all BotCon toys), but is a redeco of a toy previously released only in Japan-- Arms Micron Igu. For a review of the mold itself, see my review of his buddy Pillage, which comes with the "Wingspan-type" clone, a review of which is linked to below. The only difference between Plunder and Pillage is that Plunder is entirely teal (excepting the small orb of clear plastic around where his allegiance symbol should be). It looks a little better than the bland white used for Pillage, but there's still absolutely no paint aps on Plunder at all, a significant downside. I really wish they had made that sticker set for these guys that was apparently on the table at one time...
 

Dread Pirate Clone (Pounce-type)
Vehicle ModeRobot Mode (w/ Plunder, Weapon Mode)
Allegiance: Star Seeker
Size: Deluxe (comes in a 2-pack with Dread Pirate Clone [Wingspan-type])
Difficulty of Transformation: Medium
Color Scheme: Off-white, teal, and some dark purple, black, metallic dull fuchsia, transparent pale yellow, silver, and yellow
Individual Rating: 9.6

(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to the Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Vehicon. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Vehicon figure here.)

    This Dread Pirate Clone is a called a "Pounce-type" primarily because of the color scheme, and the fact that it has a near-identical robot mode to the "Wingspan-type" Pirate Clone figure, thus fitting them into the G1 "Decepticon Clones" slot. One can certainly see the similarities, but it's a bit of a stretch, since G1 Pounce transformed into a cougar/panther and G1 Wingspan transformed into a bird. I guess since Pounce was the land-based twin, that's why this is the "Pounce-type" Clone. Still, if you're looking for a direct Pounce update, this really isn't one. The colors ARE pretty good, though-- the off-white and teal fit in very well with the Star Seeker colors, and contrast and complement each other fairly well. There's some really nifty paint apps on the "Pounce-type's" car mode, like angular teal details on the sides with "shadows" to make them stick out a bit more-- plus they also look like claw marks, another allusion to G1 Pounce! There's similiarly black-bordered teal on the front bumpers and on the sides of sections of the front hood, as well as some teal on the sides of the rear spoiler and some on the large Star Seeker emblem on the front hood. Still, if you were to just take those two colors by themselves, this Clone would be a bit too light-colored; thankfully, there's a good amount of dark purple in both modes, which contrasts VERY well against both colors and provides a nice dark shade for the other shades to play off of. In vehicle mode, the windows are all painted this dark purple; in robot mode, the middle of the chest is this dark purple plastic, along with many of the small connecting pieces spaced throughout said mode pretty well, so that no one large area on the Clone is too one-tone. Additionally, there's a bit of silver, albeit only on the lower legs-- it's a bit odd that it isn't used on the chest or anything. There's some yellow paint used on the lower legs, as well as side portions of the headlights in vehicle mode, and a transparent version of the color used for the car windows, the main headlights, and the "light piping" on the robot head. The light piping works VERY well, though the yellow on the windows has been covered up by the purple; I don't mind this as I think the purple looks better, but you can't really see it except in the inner middle of the robot legs and during the transformation. Finally, in a color nod to G1 Pounce, there's a bit of fuchsia, though only painted on the wheel hubs; it's not nearly as common as it should be if you wanted a more 1:1 color palette when you compare him to G1 Pounce. It really doesn't add much to the overall scheme-- certainly not as much as the "Wingspan-type" Clone's fuchsia wings.
    No mold changes have been made to the Dread Pirate Clone "Pounce-type" when compared with the Prime deluxe Vehicon mold.



Dread Pirate Crew Bio:
FUNCTION: Star Seeker Buccaneers
MOTTO: "Dead bots tell no tales, so leave one standing..."
The Dread Pirate Crew are model warriors, in that they are mass-produced troopers designed from the stolen Decepticon blueprints of Pounce and Wingspan. This allows the troopers to be separated into two distinct, yet nearly identical, "twin" forces: one to swarm the land, and the other to conquer the skies. Since Pirate Cannonball already considers himself master of the seas, these troops allow him dominance over every environment.
The Dread Pirate Crew can be an overwhelming foe when confronted in large numbers. The Star Seekers tend to use the land-based troopers as stormtroopers to overwhelm anyone who opposes them or happens to have any treasure worth pillaging. The air-based troopers are ideal for airborne reconnaissance or for sending death from above when a cloud of these merciless 'bots circle overhead and devastate their prey. The robots possess minimal intelligence other than battle tactics and brawling, but their simple processors allow no room for fear or mercy. Like in any game of chess, even the pawns can be deadly, if played cleverly.
Strength: 7.0
Intelligence: 7.0
Speed: 7.0
Endurance: 7.0
Rank: 1.0
Courage: 7.0
Fireblast: 7.0
Skill: 7.0

    The "Pounce-Type" set I'd say is ever-so-slightly the weaker of the two "Clone" troopers, mostly because the "Wingspan-Type" has more fuchsia on its wings to help break up the color slightly more, and it's "new" to U.S. audiences, whereas the "Pounce-type" clone is a straight redeco (albeit one with a nice little extra). As with the "Wingspan-Type", I'd recommend this guy not so much as a bonafide upgrade to G1 Pounce, but just as a trooper to bulk up your pirate Star Seeker ranks, if that's what you desire, since he's just the right colors for the group.

Reviews by Beastbot

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