Kingdom Rhinox

Prelude: It was late in the year 2013 that we received the definitive Rhinox figure in the form of the Thrilling 30 version. For the longest time we believed that this figure could not possibly be topped, to the point where a lot of people expected a reissue as part of the War for Cybertron Kingdom line-up. Instead, though, we got a new figure depicting Rhinox, an entirely new mold. Can he possibly compete against his beloved predecessor? We shall see. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Let us begin by comparing this new figure here to its famous predecessor. Both are Voyager-Class figures and they are roughly the same size despite the general downsizing trend. T30 Rhinox is a bit wider in the shoulders, but otherwise they are of equal size. Kingdom Rhinox’ rhino parts are a good deal darker, more grey than brown, while his green parts are a shade lighter. In terms of who captures the look of the TV character better, I’d give T30 Rhinox a slight edge, but Kingdom Rhinox, too, is clearly meant to be the loveable big guy from the cartoon. When it comes to the head sculpt, though, I have to say Thrilling 30 is vastly better than the Kingdom one, which looks a bit plain and generic in comparison.

Comparisons aside, Rhinox is a good Voyager-Class figure. Articulation is standard for WFC figures, meaning pretty good, including a swiveling hip, ankle tilt and twisting wrists. The shoulder joints are a bit weird, if you make Rhinox spread out his arms it looks as if they are entirely separate from the body. They work fine, though, just look strange in certain poses. One thing where Kingdom Rhinox beats out his older predecessor is in terms of stability. All joints are rock solid and nothing wobbles. Just make sure to tab in all the plates that form the legs, though, otherwise they tend to fall apart. In terms of the paint job he does look a bit plain to me, but that might just be the rather dull green color.

The chest plate of Rhinox, which is supposed to be the lower jaw of his beast mode, is a fake part on this figure. Doesn’t really bother me, but I know some people don’t like that. What does bother me a bit is the guns. Kingdom Rhinox comes with his customary gatling guns of doom, but once you look behind the silver disc, there is almost nothing there. The weapons should be a good deal bigger and longer. Rhinox can store his guns on his back if he needs his hands free.

So bottom line for the robot mode: a good figure overall, but in comparison to the Thrilling 30 I have to say he leaves some things to be desired.

Alternate Mode: Unsurprisingly Rhinox transforms into a rhinoceros as he always did (when he wasn’t a tank or a bulldozer). The transformation is complex, but not complicated, the only thing that is slightly challenging is getting his robot feet in underneath his back in order for the plates to fully close. The rest is basically just Rhinox getting down on all fours. The resulting rhino looks good, though it is a good deal greyer than Rhinox was in the TV series (he was more brown there). Also, he’s got blood-red eyes for some reason. His gatling guns are stored between the hind legs and invisible except from below.

Rhinox retains only very limited articulation in this mode. His legs can bend at the knees a bit, that’s pretty much it. So while the rhino looks good, you cannot really do much with it. The mouth opens, but otherwise there is no further play feature. And may I just say that the rhino’s tail looks a bit like he’s tiny little fifth leg hanging off his butt. So bottom line for the rhino mode: it’s clearly a rhino and looks good, but that’s it.

Remarks: Rhinox was a laid-back powerhouse, capable of extraordinary feats of strength and intelligence, but fully content to just laze about and smell some flowers. He did have a dark side to himself, which was teased in Beast Wars and fully expressed itself in Beast Machines, when Megatron corrupted his spark and turned him into the evil Tankor. Much like the rest of the main Beast Wars cast, Rhinox remains a fan favorite to this day, so his inclusion in the Kingdom line (and the Masterpiece figure that just came out) are not a big surprise.

Overall I must say that Kingdom Rhinox, while a good figure in general, is a bit of a step back. The Thrilling 30 figure still holds up pretty nicely a decade later, except for being a bit wobbly in the hip. Then again, who knows what shape Kingdom Rhinox will be in a decade from now? But in terms of detailing, TV accuracy, and play value, Kingdom Rhinox is slightly behind T30 Rhinox. Not much, but noticeably.

So bottom line: Kingdom Rhinox is a good choice if you want to complete your Kingdom Maximal cast and probably a cheaper alternative than getting the Thrilling 30 figure (and certainly cheaper than the Masterpiece figure). If you have the choice, though, I’d advise going Thrilling 30 for your CHUG collection.

Rating: B-

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