Titans Return Gnaw

Titans Return Gnaw

Here in the UK we never knew the 1986 toy Gnaw existed. Yes he had a Transformers Universe entry, but then so did Kranix, Arblus and the Junkions, also minor movie Characters, as did Unicron & Arcee, much more major characters! Years later I discovered a toy did exist and he case assortment with the Predacons, another set of toys the UK missed out on. I'll admit to not being impressed with the original toy when I saw one, based on the ball shaped Sharkticons in the Quintessons Judgement Chamber, preferring the longer sleeker versions seen earlier in the movie battling Hot Rod.

There's been one previous Sharkticon remake, the Energon Sharkticon, which followed a completely different design. Then in November 2013 one popped up on a Computer listing as a Legends class toy packed with a Minicon called Gnash and having the Hasbro product number A7804. But even then there was some doubt over his release with the listings showing another toy, Nemesis Prime with Spinister taking his product number. Since then every time there's been a toy reveal people have been hoping that Gnaw, and the similarly vanished from that list Legends version of Brawn would show up. Finally at San Diego Comicon 2016 Transformers Breakfast Event Legends Gnaw was revealed with Legends Brawn following at New York Comicon 2016.

Gnaw's robot mode looks very similar to the original: short and round with a large head. All the features look to be in the same place, including the teeth around his neck, and he comes with a moulded ball & chain weapon. His arms look a little odd, moulded so the straightest you can get them is a 120° angle, which I don't like. However it means they can be bent at the ball joint elbow so the lower arms rests against his upper arm. Ball joints at the shoulder & hip too with bending knee and rotating head.

Transformation: remove the ball & chain weapon. Fold the fin on his back down between his legs. Spread the legs slightly, slipping the 5mm handles of the ball & chain into the recesses in the upper legs and then bring the legs together tabbing the feet, and the robot upper jaw on his heels, together with the fin between the lower legs. Rotate his head 180° and fold it, and the lower jaw backward. Fold the lower legs onto the robot's back tabbing in behind the shoulders. Fold the robot's shoulders down towards it's waist. Bend the robot's arms to form the Sharkticon's legs and stand.

You get exactly what you'd expect here: a ball on legs with a shark's fin sticking out the top. I've always thought these Transformers were more Piranha than Shark to be honest! But it looks almost exactly like what you see in film and with the original toy. The arms turn at the shoulders and the legs, formed from the arms, are ball jointed at knee & hip. In addition to the 5mm peg hole through the foot, from when it was a hand, there's another UNDER the foot and for the life of me I can't figure out what it's for.

But the real fun in this mode is the mouth. Both upper & lower jaws open, almost to a 180°angle between them. A VERY wide mouth! In the lower jaw there are a pair of Titanmaster foot pegs letting you stand a Titanmaster inside it's mouth while the mouth closes around him. It's the maddest Transformer piloting position I've seen since Skullcruncher in 1987!

Mad toy! Just the right size for swarming all over deluxe figures and, because of the size, the right price to allow army building. You'll want more than one.

Gnaw is sold in Titans Return Wave 3 at 3 per case with 3 x Bumblebee and 2 x Kickback. It may not be enough Gnaws.