The original Headmaster Horrorcons were G1 toys that kinda had it all. They were triple changers, they had beast modes, they had jet modes AND they were Headmasters where the Nebulan partner also triple-changed – becoming the head of the robot and of the beast. Combine all this with the fact that they also showed up in the season 4 of G1 cartoon before it’s end and these were sought after figures!
Sadly, the beast modes weren’t brilliant, the colour-schemes were cringe-worthy, the accessories were easy to lose and if you lost the Headmaster itself the toy only worked as a jet. This makes these figures very hard to find on the secondary market today, and both toys remain some of the few from the G1 cartoon I don’t own.
However for those wanting representations of these figures but can’t afford the huge amounts the originals go for – fear not! They are back in the new toylines! Last year saw the release of Apeface in the Siege line and this year we get his partner in the Earthrise line. So without further ado, let’s have a look at War for Cybertron Snapdragon.
Robot Mode
A good sized and robust figure for the Voyager class, very chunky and strong looking, though it would have been nice to see less kibble on the arms. Despite this the figure has decent articulation. A bit plain looking, but pays homage to the original toy – right down to Krunk becoming the head and the Decepticon-faction symbols on the nipples.
Cybertronian Fighter Jet Mode
Once again it is very faithful to the original figure and it’s certainly his strongest mode. A really nice representation of a Cybertronian Fighter Jet and had multiple ports to not only attach the robots guns but also other weapons such as those from Weaponizer characters.
One feature I really like is the big cockpit in the middle of the jet. It splits down the middle to open sideways and allow Krunk to ride inside and even has a control panel!
Dragon Mode
If his jet mode is his stronges mode, then the dragon mode of Snapdragon is definitely his weakest, even if a distinct improvement on the original. Firstly Krunk doesn’t even become the head, he becomes the lower jaw and can be extremely frustrating to get into place. For me it usually means leaving his mouth wide open. Also he doesn’t really look much like a dragon – he looks more like a weirdly coloured faux T-Rex with the little forearms and general proportions. Add to this all the visible jet kibble and this is not a great beast mode at all.
Overall
If you are after a Generations representation of the Headmaster Horrorcons then Snapdragon is for you. Also if looking for a figure for a younger fan this isn’t bad, what with the easy transformations, three modes and the Titan Master gimmick. However to other collectors the very cool jet mode may not make up for the average robot mode and subpar dragon mode. So yeah, this is definitely a ‘take or leave’ kinda Con.
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
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I assume by “Cringe-worthy colour schemes” you mean “deliciously-leaving-the80s-and-almost-but-not-quite-there-yet90s” then you are correct.
Personally I believe their colours make a lot more sense than those of many other toys. There was a LOT of purple going on at that time though… Nice review. I love Horrorcons, wish they got a bit more love in the stories though.
I think it was the light-blue on the original Snapdragon – for some reason I just dont like the colour. And my word, it was easy enough to tell a Con’ just by, as you say, how much purple a vehicle was sporting!