The Rabbit Haul

The latest offering from the 3rd Party group, MakeToys, is MT-02B Dagger Interspace Army Commando – from the Crystal City Chronicles Battle Tanker Series. This DIA Commando [wink] is a repainted/remolded version of Battle Tanker. This set is specifically made for the 2012 Botcon Exclusive – Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus. Here is the review.

Dagger Interspace Army Commando

Alt Mode: Compared to the original Battle Tanker, there really isn’t much of a difference between the two sets. The most significant parts of this set, however, are the new bits and pieces that further “Mad Max” the truck cab. This minor change felt exciting in photos, but in person… well it doesn’t feel right. I feel like other parts of the truck could be added to… you know what I mean? Either way, I find it real annoying that the shoulder cannons have to be removed in this mode, there really isn’t any proper place to store them. There’s also a big blaster that can peg into the side of the tanker… cool. I like that MakeToys bothered to add red tribal tattoos on the side of the tanker, but the colors don’t match perfectly.

Robot Mode: Though I like the original Battle Tanker, I feel like Dagger Interspace Army Commando’s changes improve on that model. The new parts make the overall silhouette better. It’s just that face… I’m not an incredibly huge fan of this face sculpt. There’s also an alternate crystal face to pay homage to the original Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus figure; beware, I partly placed it on the ball-joint and it cracked in half. There are, however, a few other complaints. 1) The colors, perfect for the figure or proper homage to Powered Convoy, aren’t too different from Battle Tanker; it really is the added chest-armor that separates the two. 2) The arm gauntlets are so difficult to peg on, they chip the red paint off the plastic – there goes mint condition Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus. 3) Where’s the sword/backpack? Now where am I supposed to stow the original figure’s dinky butter knife? On the plus side, the gun is pretty cool. The battle armor itself, I’m not a huge fan of… but for some reason I feel like it works with this guy. Also included are matrix plates that keep the figure’s proportions correct… there’s even an extra one that you can use with Battle Tanker. By the way, am I the only one who thinks that it’s a shame that we have to lose the awesomely bad ass original head?

Overall: On its own, the MakeToys MT-02B Dagger Interspace Army Commando set is no slouch. There is clearly something about the engineering and design that made me want it… but at what cost? I was fortunate to already own Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus, so that wasn’t a problem. Besides that, this set’s retail price is huge. Is it worth it? You’re not getting a sword, a backpack, chain attachments… instead you’re getting an alternate faceplate and a gun. Not only that, at least you can get away with using Transformers Reveal the Shield Optimus Prime or Transformers Generations Combat Hero Optimus Prime instead. Either way, unless you see yourself having to own this… I’d recommend you just wait for a sweet deal if it will ever happen. I like it, but I also spend money like water and have no proper sense of judgement or have my priorities straight.

Buy It: BigBadToyStore

CookSux

CookSux owns, curates, and is the head writer of The Rabbit Haul. CookSux also co-hosts The Andy and Harrison Show featuring Harrison and Andy, a podcast that can be found on iTunes. CookSux is a mod at TFW2005 and TokuNation... jeeze, what doesn't he do?

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