Prime Spotlight: FansToys Iron Dibots FT-04 Soar

Prime Spotlight presents: 

FansToys Iron Dibots FT-04 Soar

FT-05 (Iron Dinobots) – Soar

Bottom Line (**** stars- <out of 5>)

By: Stygian360

Introduction:
I’d like to begin this review by stating that I am a hardcore dyed in the wool Dinobot fan.  I actually owned few Transformers myself as a child as most were toys that I was only able to play with thanks to friends, but the Dinobots were my holy grail.  I simply had to have them and I treasured them all.  With that preamble out of the way it should be apparent to all that unless a particular homage (like Soar here) is so far afield from the source material as to be something entirely different than a Dinobot it doesn’t have far to travel in gaining my attention. 

This latest trend towards ‘upsizing’ Dinobots is a positive one and finally allows these beasts to shine in their proper glory.  Fanstoys in particular seems to have taken up the challenge of creating the definitive Dinobots for all time; essentially dropping the microphone on the stage and walking off like a true rockstar.  So, does Soar deliver?  Let’s find out.


Articulation:
As any whom recall the original G1 Swoop knows there isn’t much going on articulation or transformation wise with this guy, which isn’t to say he’s lacking or lackluster.  It’s just a matter of record that Swoop is a fairly simple figure and Soar aptly continues this trend.  The head is on a ball joint which allows for a wide array of positions; up/down and side/side; as well as includes a hidden face flip feature for either a happy or placid look.  His shoulders also fully rotate; up/down and side/side.  His legs have skirt pieces that the instructions recommend be manually lifted before attempting any deep knee bends.  I say if the manufacturer takes the time to call it out it’s probably best to pay attention.  The feet are also on a pivot which works nicely for an array of positions and posing, and even (thankfully) includes a fold-out heel spur, as the heavy wings might otherwise make falling over backwards inevitable.
I struggled with where to include the aside that Fanstoys needs to get their little and/or tight parts that need an additional tool to pry them loose under control.  Case in point; both hands come folded in when the figure is first removed from the packaging.  Because the wrist pivot coming out of stored position is so tight I had to grab a small flat head screwdriver to assist in prying them loose.  This could inevitably lead to scratching or marring of the plastic, which at this price point obviously makes a collector nervous.  Also, the two tiny pieces that have to be folded out so that the dino beak can plug into the robot head have very little clearance even for nimble fingers.  Again, out came the tool.  It’s akin to the argument collectors sometimes make about ‘partsforming’ (parts that have to be removed from a figure in order to transform it, only to be plugged in afterwards) and how annoying it is that a figure isn’t all in one.  If I have to pull a separate tool out to get parts removed properly and still run the risk of nicks or scratches to the plastic than the toy has not done its job.  But I digress.


Paint:
Fanstoys did an absolutely stellar job on Soar’s paint job.  No overspray that I could detect and everything looks well placed.  I did encounter a chip in the paint on his chest, but with quality of this degree- and due to the human element in putting these figures together- it seems really silly to get too worked up over a chip or ding here and there.  Again, in summary the paint and its application here represent a master’s class in application.  Other third party companies take note!


Transformation:
Due to the ‘additional support’ required in a few places to pry loose tight joints or tiny parts I couldn’t help but ding this figure, but otherwise the transformation was smooth sailing.  Please be mindful of the gold pieces which stick up just above the alt mode bird feet.  Due to the pushing, pulling, and shoving of various parts going into alt mode- mostly in the leg area- these parts can be stressed, broken, or injured.  I can already see where mine may require a dab or two of superglue and will require a more watchful eye in the future.  Otherwise due to the blissfully simple engineering on Swoop/Soar there isn’t much to keep an eye on here.


Bottom Line:
Fanstoys is quickly becoming one of my favorite third party transforming toys companies.  They hit a solid home run with their first release Quakewave and have been consistently strong at bat ever since.  Not every collector is going to be over the moon about owning a Swoop analog (due to simplicity maybe?  But how can you not own Swoop if you’re gathering the team together?), but if you’re looking to acquire the absolute masterpiece level of quality Dinobot team then these figures are the definitive must have versions.  I won’t besmirch other Dinobot attempts- as most are at a smaller scale and lesser price point- but I will say Fanstoys has set the bar incredibly high.  Now if they could just get a handle on those super tight joints and small pieces.