A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Protectobot Rook In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015.

Modes: Robot, SWAT APC, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, shellformer.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic in the USA, HULK HANDS.

Points of interest: The singular new mould in wave 3, replacing Groove, whom is controversially a legends toy.

The Good

While looking excellent and having all the positives of a CW toy, Rook's main selling point is HULK HANDS. Rook unusually omits 5mm fist holes, in exchange for ports that point forward, where you can attach his claw, or more interestingly, combiner pieces. Yes, he can punch people with really huge fists, and the good doesn't end there. He also has 5mm ports on each shoulder, and one on the back, so he can use all the combiner bits the Protectobots have, while storing the claw. His articulation is also on the high side for a CW deluxe, as while he lacks ankles, they do tilt, for a total sixteen joints. The vehicle mode is similarly fun and visually pleasing. Not only does the the claw look a lot better in this mode, the combiner piece comes into its own, benefiting from its own 5mm peg and port to become a limited turret. Alternatively, and I love this far more than is sensible, you can use that bumper port and have him punch things at speed. Limb modes meanwhile look huge and powerful, which retain many 5mm ports.

The Bad

While Rook appears big, its all an illusion, with big hollows in the legs, and large chunks of vehicle hanging off him. This also results in a surprisingly small altmode, with a case of Visible Head Syndrome which can be offset by his combiner piece.

The Mediocre

While he gets a lot of use from combiner pieces, the claw he comes with is rather weedy, but that's it.

The Alternatives

Takara has snubbed Rook in favour of their own deluxe version of Groove, which is going to be extremely compelling to G1 purists willing to import an exclusive boxset. Rook is also being heavily retooled into the better known Hound and Swindle.

The Verdict

It would be very easy to overhype Rook given the number of remoulds on the Protectobot roster, but that's not the case. He may be the best overall deluxe so far, rivalling Dead End/Streetwise for the simple reason of being fun. The play value is the best of any individual Combiner Wars toy so far, and while visual flaws do exist, there's they ultimately don't matter. Assuming you are not a G1 purist rejecting the toy on principle, this a transformer you need in your collection.