Generally, the Dinobots consist of a minimum of three members taking on the form of dinosaurs most popular among the target market. And triceratops is right up at the top of the list.
The '84 Triceratops Transformer was named "Slag" when originally released, and that's the name most people identify with the three-horned Dinobot. Yet when Animated first showed off its Dinobots, the horned one was named "Snarl" because the term "slag" is an obscure curse word in some part of the world.
Snarl, endowed with his new title, is the second Dinobot to be released into the Animated line. I'm sure Grimlock will be pleased; the King just can't be King without his minions! :nuts
In Beast Mode, Snarl is a triceratops- the legendary three-horned head-crested dinosaur made famous by various movies, books and just about any dinosaur associated franchise. The colorscheme is something of an homage to his distant ancestor Slag, while still matching Animated Grimlock's robotic flesh-tones.
Snarl in Robot Mode is built kinda like a football player- squat, broad shoulders, tiny head... definitely ready for smashing things! Articulation is pretty decent for a Deluxe. I wish he could hold together a bit better in the upper torso though....
Like Grimlock, Snarl comes with a fire-based melee weapon- a giant club which allows extra smashing abilities. The original photos showed it to be painted but current data indicates that it is being distributed unpainted. It looks like a giant plastic Cheeto. And he can't do a damn thing with it in Beast Mode.
When images of Snarl first surface, a few people-including myself- compared the design to Galaxy Force Saidos. After a hands-on experience, I can say that was a completely unfounded accusation- Snarl's much better than I ever expected. A very worthy addition to the Dinobots lineup! B+.
