Tank
Drone
Vehicle mode is a Cybertronian
tank- naturally. I think it's very interesting that Tankorr's DRONE figure
is so much more show-accurate than the actual Tankorr
figure is. This figure is just about as show-accurate as you can get, a
few color variations notwithstanding. The cannon is also a bit larger proportionally
than on the show, but this is because of the action gimmick- which is actually
pretty cool, I must say. By pushing down on the yellow Vehicon spark crystal
at the rear of the cannon, you attach the gear under the rear to the gears
connected to the rear wheel. When you push the Tank Drone forward while
holding the spark "button" down, the gears turn, and the cannon fires the
missle, at the same time that its end twirls! That's a pretty neat gimmick,
especially since the Tank Drones on the show always twirled their cannons
as they charged up. However, this gimmick is slightly prone to jamming
(as mine has), but that happens rather infrequently. Unfortunately, other
than the cannon, this mode has minimal play value. Only the vehicle/robot
head can turn (and the wheels can turn, of course) in this mode. However,
this mode is beautiful to look at. The attention given to the mold and
color detailing is astonishing. There's even detailing on Tank Drone's
upper robot back, which is not really that visible in either mode! The
rear portion of the Tank Drone's vehicle mode is colored especially nice.
The gold, shiny blue, silver, and transparent red all come together very
nicely. One thing odd about this mode, however- the front part of the tank
mode is actually slightly higher than the rear part- the front wheels don't
quite touch the ground normally, which may make the toy look slightly odd
from a straight-on side view.
A common complaint many
people had with Tankorr on the show is that his two modes looked too alike.
The vehicle head carried over to the robot mode, and it looked like Tankorr
just "stood up". This is a legitimate concern, and one of Tank Drone's
few weakness; his robot mode is a bit too similar to his vehicle mode,
especially for a transformation that is a bit more complicated than the
average basic toy. (One note about the toy's transformation: The head panel
is secured in entirely too tight, and it almost feels like the panel's
going to break when you turn it back for the robot mode.) Tank Drone's
other major downside in this mode is his tread-feet; although they can
move at the knee, they pop out of their "fixed" sockets entirely too easily,
and although it's easy too push them back in, it's a bit annoying. Many
people have complained about Tank Drone's posability in this mode, but
I don't see any problem with it; there's knee, waist, hip, elbow, head,
and shoulder articulation (although the last one is a bit limited due to
the blue panels on the side of Tank Drone). His articulation is average
for a basic toy, there's nothing bad about it. The only thing I find myself
wishing is that his claws could open and close, but hey, it's a basic,
so its claws are rather small.
Overall, Tank Drone
is a good basic toy, although his two modes have a bit too much in common.
His gimmick and detailing are great. Considering how large the Tank Drones
are in the show, however, having a basic toy for them is a bit... odd...
Review by Beastbot