Snarl
Review by quinncat
Snarl is my favorite Dinobot because stegosauruses have always been my favorite Dinosaur so when the Power of the Primes Dinobots were revealed I was very excited for him and swoop especially! Thankfully Swoop turned to be a great success, Snarl and Sludge were very solid in their own right as well, but how does Snarl fare by comparison?
In Stegosaurus mode, Snarl is a little oddly proportioned, but in kind of a funny way that I find more endearing than anything, Stegosaurus’s are my favorite Dinosaur’s after all! He’s a spitting image of his g1 self, with a little more gray on his tail that I really like, and a plethora of new translucent parts that I think is pretty cool looking and sets him apart from his g1 self in a minor but still noticeable way. His sole accessory other than Prime Armor is a clear sword that can attach to his Dino mode rear hips. I don’t know what his sword would be made out of to be clear, but it does look cool so I’m not complaining. I really like this alt more a lot, either this or Jazz’s car mode are my favorite Power of the Prime’s Deluxe alt modes.
Snarl’s transformation is actually relatively different from his colleagues, or any other combiner wars / POTP combiner limb. Panels underneath the front of his Stegosaurus mode open up, splitting its head as it then folds back onto them. The front legs fold back while both entire sections fold around where the panels are then closed back up, finishing Snarls legs. Then the Stego shoulders pivot back to their robot mode position while the hands fold out. Then, the tail shifts up and splits open before his robot mode head folds out, and with both tail sections closing back up behind his head Snarl’s transformation to robot mode is complete.
In robot mode, Snarl looks pretty good, if a little oddly proportioned in his arms and his small thighs. His design is not much more than a cleaned up and slightly modernized rendition of his g1 self, and for that, I’m pretty happy with him! I especially like the Dino mode head being on the back of his legs rather than the front, but really I find his legs a little too deep to use comfortably, as maybe he’s a little too g1 accurate in the regard. His articulation is the same as all his other deluxe Dinobot compatriots, and with his sword in hand, I can’t deny how great he looks. His Prime armor makes a pretty serviceable shield, but it actually doesn’t stay on his arm very well at all, it’s fit is pretty loose, and that actually hasn’t been a problem I’ve had on a modern transformer in quite a long time.
Snarl’s limb modes use his alt mode tail to their benefit, especially in leg mode as I really like the idea of Snarl to use his tail as a spiked knee for Volcanicus.
As far as size is concerned, Snarl and Swoop, being my two favorites of the Power of the Primes Dinobot limbs, look really good together, I’m just really happy that the Dinobots actually got made in a classics style at all because it took far too long in my opinion!
Overall, Transformers Power of the Primes Snarl isn’t necessarily a standout addition to the line, but still is a Dinobot that renders an update of his g1 design faithfully and is a solid figure with decent articulation, accessories, and painted detail like most Power of the Primes Deluxes. If you want to complete your Dinobot team, the Snarl is completely necessary, and as a stand-alone figure himself, I actually would recommend him, as he does a lot to distance himself from his other combiner wars, evocative colleagues. Snarl really is an above average figure, but I have to say I’m very tired of combiners, and I already can’t wait for Siege on Cybertron, where individual figures can stand more on their individual merits and not for their admittedly fun and well executed shared play pattern.