Toy Wizards Review: Transformers Earthrise Voyager Class Snapdragon

Snapdragon was one of those Transformers that growing up in the 80’s I had always coveted, but was never able to get my hands on to add to my G1 Transformers collection. Part Triple Changer, part Headmaster, all Horrorcon, Snapdragon was a favorite that I pined for.

Here we are in 2020, and the Earthrise line has made 8 year old me’s dreams come true, with a Voyager Class Snapdragon to call my own. For the purposes of this review we’re going to take a look at each of Snapdragon’s modes, rate them, and then I’ll give the overall rating at the end.

Let’s hit it.

Robot mode:

Of the three modes, Snapdragon’s robot mode falls in the middle as my second favorite. The sculpt and paint application are great, however articulation is a little on the limited side, especially with a distinct lack of bend at the elbow. There is however waist rotation, plenty of ankle tilt, and a 90 degree bend of the knee. Hand and wrist articulation is nil due to the figures conversion to beast mode. All said though, robot mode looks nice with Snapdragon looking sleek and clean, along with some nice bulk in the arms giving off an overall impressive appearance.

Robot mode gets a 4.5 out of 5.

Vehicle mode:

This is where the toy really shines for me. While the bulk of my Transformers toys are displayed in their robot modes (with the G1 Dinobots in my collection and the Siege Refraktor Reconnaissance three pack being the notable exceptions), Snapdragon’s jet mode is so nice I could easily be talked into displaying him in his vehicle mode.

Snapdragon’s jet mode for me is the strongest of the three modes and is absolutely gorgeous in its design and appearance. My only super minor nitpick is the cockpit which can be opened to accommodate Snapdragon’s headmaster Krunk is a little on the stiff side, but that hardly bothers me as the option to have Krunk pilot the jet and the painted detail within the cockpit is a really nice touch and adds to Snapdragon’s playability and overall aesthetic. Hasbro does a really great job of not only homaging the G1 jet mode but improving on it as well.

Vehicle mode gets a full 5 out of 5.

Beast mode:

Finally we get to Snapdragon’s beast mode, which of the three modes is the weakest overall. That’s not to say its terrible, far from it, but its the mode I would be the least likely to transform the figure into and have displayed on my shelf. Still its an improvement over the G1 version. If you’re familiar with G1 Snapdragon’s beast mode it was short, stumpy, and a little blocky. While us kids in the 80’s would snap up (no pun intended) any and all G1 Transformers we could get our hands on, Earthrise Snapdragon’s beast mode is sleeker and better engineered.

Krunk can be transformed to make up the lower jaw and fill in Snapdragon’s eyes, however popping Krunk into place can be a little tricky and the jaw looks a little thin. That said, you can easily maneuver the jaw however you see fit and despite my feelings about this being the weakest of the three modes it is still nicely done.

Beast mode scores a 4 out of 5.

Overall, Earthrise Voyager Class Snapdragon is a great figure. Transformation between all three modes is a smooth and enjoyable experience. At no point during the three transformations did I feel like the figure was trying to fight me, and I had a lot of fun messing around with the figure.

Snapdragon has immediately become one of my favorite figures across both the Siege and Earthrise lines due to its high marks in playability, engineering and general enjoyment of the toys transformations, and I’d strongly recommend picking up a Snapdragon of your own which can be found at Walmarts across North America as well as Toys R Us here in Canada, or it can be ordered from bigbadtoystore.com for $31.99 which is a great price for an outstanding figure.

I give Earthrise Voyager Class Snapdragon 4.5 out of 5 Krunks based on the overall average of all three modes.