Its been a while since i posted anything on my blog. For the last 3 weeks i was in Japan for family vacation (it is a nice country by the way and it offers something for anyone). Yes i bought lots of toys there :), but my Pandinus also arrived the day i was going home. I have waited Pandinus for a long time, and as soon as i received the package, i couldn't helped myself and start playing with the gargantuan robot (the haul from my Japan vacation can wait)
By the way, i have very little knowledge or memory about this Pandinus character. I only know that it is based on Scorponok design.
Packaging
I knew the Pandinus box is going to be huge, but i was still shocked when i actually received the box. Pandinus stored securely inside a thick brown box, and unlike the previous releases of Maketoys Citybot (Utopia), there is no flashy and colorful box inside the brown box. When you open the brown box, you will find a big plastic shell with Pandinus inside. It is heavy and please be caution when you remove him from the box. Other than the Pandinus itself, you will also get the standard instruction manual and Pandinus's gun.
Presentation
Straight out of the plastic shell, we need to immediately affix the Pandinus tail onto its body and you will need a screwdriver for this. This robot is one heavy and big robot and you will need a big space to be able to play, to transform, and to display him. The instruction sheet is a standard Maketoys instruction manual with color. To me, the color is a bit dark. I will transform Pandinus to Temple Mode, and then to Scorpion Mode, and lastly to Robot mode (as instructed in the manual).
Temple/City Mode
This is the city mode of Pandinus, and it really resembles a temple than a city. The design of the temple is very nice, complete with long runaway leading inside the temple, the tower, and the temple gate pillars. Unlike Utopia (Not-Metroplex), Pandinus's temple mode is more menacing and ancient. For scale wise, i was trying to pose some of my Legend-class figures in the temple mode, but clearly, the legend-class figures is too big to be displayed together with the temple
Scorpion Mode
The next transformation will be to Scorpion Mode. Transforming from Temple to Scorpion mode is very simple. But, due to the size of the robot, you will need more clean room in order to maneuver the parts securely and safely.
The scorpion mode looks great with its big claw and big tail. The aesthetic is top notch and overall stability and sturdiness of the Scorpion mode is awesome. Remember the long runaway to the gate in the temple mode? well, in the scorpion mode, this part is folded up under the scorpion and it will help the scorpion to roll on the floor.
The scorpion tail is also very articulate and it is no secret that the tip design of the tail is a Decepticon symbol.
Robot Mode
The transformation to Robot mode is more challenging than before. And again, due to the size of the robot, you need a big space and clearance during transformation process.
I had difficulties when trying to peg the scorpion tail to the back of the robot mode as it was not the best measured alignment piece. I was finally able to peg it in with a bit of force (just be careful with it)
Here we have the Pandinus in its robot mode, and it is HUGE. I will not elaborate more on the Robot mode as pictures will say a thousand word for me :).
Some size comparison:
Articulation
With Pandinus, you will have no problem with articulation. Almost all the joints are strong ratcheting joints (with the exception of waist swivel, arms joints, etc). The ratchet is so strong that sometimes you need an extra force and energy just to pose him. Strong ratchet support the sturdiness and stability of the overall figure. Once you pose Pandinus to stand, he will stay there forever without fear of falling over.
Pandinus also capable of few natural pose and you should be able to pose him without problem but just be careful on knowing how the joint moves and works (just to be in the safe side)
My Thoughts
Pandinus is a state of the art product and Maketoys did it again.
Maketoys clearly raising the bar on its releases, and they took their time to perfect the product and not to rush the product to the market so that the final product is a near perfect version that can be played and enjoyed without fear of QC issue.
I love Pandinus, i like the paint application as it is sharp and applied well throughout the robot. If you like citybot, than it is a no brainer that you should get this product. It is an expensive piece, but the money will be well-spent. I love all the three modes as each mode is a display piece on its own.
My only complain with this product is that i need to buy a new display shelf because he does occupy lots of space :).
Cheers,
eToys
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