Hoverptera

Review by Gunpla Rob

About two weeks after I found Robert and Jet, TRU finally unpacked what little more of the D.I.C.E. toys they had in the back. While most of it was your basic figures, there was the one vehicle that caught my eye.

Hoverptera: Robert's Hover type Dinobreaker. Its length in Dino mode is 14.0 ft and weight is 2.5 tons. Its special ability is flight.

The really nice thing about this vehicle is the level of engineering in it. Unlike its static partner the Motoraptor, the Hoverptera sports more motion. With more joints available, its wings can rotate clockwise at the shoulder and the wings can unfold to a wingspan well over a foot wide! The legs can move forward and backward and there's even a knee joint. Your basic creature features are also in the head. An additional, bonus mode comes in the form of a "landing mode" where the bike seat can actually turn 90 degrees upward and set parallel to the ground.

Packaged in Dino mode, the Hoverptera's transformation is a little more complex than the Motoraptor:

• Fold the head down and unfold the front wheel
• Turn the legs back and bend the knees forward
• Close the arms together and fold the wings in

The Hoverptera's vehicle mode is like a motorcycle mixed with a UFO. From above it looks a little awkward but from the sides, it looks a lot better. Because it is made to 'hover' the feet sport a set of wheels so it can roll across the room like a basic motorcycle toy. It might seem a little boring but it still makes for a great vehicle.

For something a little larger than I had expected, the Hoverptera comes at a good price tag. The play value alone is worthy of it being found and added to any Rider collection.