#upgrade kit

I have a lot of pictures to post for this so I’m going to break this post into two parts. Part one will cover what comes with the kit and the individual uses of the pieces. Part two will cover combined mode and my final thoughts.

So let’s get started with what comes in the kit.

So we get two new guns for Grimlock, two new guns for Swoop and two new guns for Sludge. We also get two new swords (three red and three black) for Grimlock, Swoop and Snarl. We get combiner hands that double as guns, and combiner feet that can be broken down into a shield and blaster. We get two missile pods that are also shoulder pieces, a shield that becomes thigh fillers, a shield that becomes a rear waist plate, and a chest plate, back plate and crotch plate that combine for make a larger shield (why so many shields?). And lastly, two big-ass combiner swords.

Now let’s see how they look on the Dinobots.

Everybody gets a little something. Unfortunately, not every piece can get used. There are no spaces for the swords but that’s not an issue. Would probably look weird with them on there anyway. But not all of the shields can be used either. Which is a bummer. I don’t like to have a lot of unused pieces. But other than that they all look pretty bad-ass in their weaponized dino forms. One thing I should mention is that Swoop’s new guns have tabs on the top that are meant to tab into slots on the underside of his wings. But the tabs are too thick and the slots are not deep enough for them to stay attached. So the only way to keep them on are his forearm ports.

Alright, let’s take a look at bot modes now.

Alright so I’m posting this from work and I didn’t realize until now that I forgot to get individual shots of Grimlock (crap). So unfortunately I can’t really show off his massive shield. But moving on, again we run into things not being used because not everything can fit. Sludge can’t actually hold his guns because of his dino feet, so they have to peg into his forearms. The way that the shields are held makes it difficult to find a bot that can actually hold them, which is why Grimlock and Snarl are the only ones pictured with one. But again, they look really awesome with all the upgraded weapons. I especially love Swoop with the new sword and forearm blasters.

Idw style upgrade kit for Siege Megatron by Black Soil Lab.

More like a 50% replacement kit. Took me around a day to complete (still need to fix his badge).

I'm waiting for some 1/100 scale jointed hands to come in the mail and i'll see if they fit.

Found the most hilarious upgrade kit for Goku yet

Continuing from where I left off in part one, it is now time to take a look at Volcanicus in his upgraded combined mode.

First thing I’m gonna say: DAYUM! This kit definitely gives Volcanicus all that bulk he is missing in stock configuration. But it doesn’t just bulk him up, it bulks him up proportionately.  One thing I hate about the PotP line is the combiner hands and feet they come with. The feet are entirely too small and the hands are too big (and have two thumbs, because apparently Hasbro couldn’t figure out a way to hide one). But these feet are the perfect size for him and the hands look amazing with the gold paint. All fingers are on individual ball joints and have three points of articulation.

The rear waist plate adds much needed hip stability by locking Grimlock’s thighs in place. However, that brings me to my first major complaint. That piece is VERY hard to get on. There are plastic tabs on the underside that go between Grimlock’s thighs to keep them from moving in, and the outer pieces slot over the tabs on Grimlock’s outer thighs to keep them locked in place. But because of that you really have to flex the plastic to get it on. I’ve only put mine on and taken it off a few times and I’m already getting stress marks. I’d post a picture but Tumblr is being a big dummy.

As amazing as the hands and feet are, they are not without problems. The pegs on the feet do not fit snugly into their ports, and the feet fall off kind of easily. And the pegs on the hands are entirely too thick, and actually wouldn’t go on until I shaved them down a bit. The wrist swivel in the hands is also a bit loose, and the wrists will sag when holding the swords. Again, I would post a picture but Tumblr.

The instructions could be a bit clearer as well. Some of the images were hard to make out.

But, to end on a good note, everything but the individual swords can be stored on the combined mode, which is awesome to me.

Final Thoughts:

This kit, aesthetically, is fucking awesome. Volcanicus looks so much better with it installed and just from what I’ve seen in pictures I think he looks better with this than with PC-23. But, there are a lot of tolerance issues and some of the plastic is already getting stress marks after just a few transformations. I don’t regret buying this, but there are just too many easily fixable QC issues that could have and should have been taken care of before it was released to justify the price. If you are dead set on getting this kit and plan on displaying it on Volcanicus in combined mode, then go ahead and get it, I think you’ll be happy. But if you already have PC-21 and 23, or if you display your dinobots separately, I would recommend waiting to see if the price goes down a bit, or check other reviewers to see if some of the tolerance issues get fixed.

Issues aside, I’m definitely glad I preordered this kit, and my Volcanicus looks absolutely stunning next to my other combiners.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. If you liked it, reblog or leave a comment and maybe I’ll do some more reviews or just simply showcase what’s in my collection.