Slag (G1)/toys
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Slag does not like that he is the quintessential Autobot triceratops.
Toys
The Transformers
- Slag (Dinobot, 1985/1986/1991/1992)
- Japanese ID number: 28
- Accessories: "Energo Sword", "Electron Blaster", "Rocket Pod", 3 rockets
- Slag was released as part of the second series of Transformers in 1985. The toy transformed into a robotic Triceratops, and came with a missile launcher that could fit in the shoulder socket of both the robot and dinosaur, a red sword, a silver "electro blaster" and three silver rockets. Like many Diaclone-era toys, Slag had a conspicuous driver compartment contained in his chest.
- Slag is mistransformed in the photo at right: His robot mode legs can be slid out further.
- Slag was later re-released in the European-markets "Classics" series. In Japan, he and the other Dinobots were offered as mail-away items during Operation Combination, at a cost of 2300 yen (his original retail price) and two Robot Points.
- It also seems that Slag was designed to have fully moving legs (not just at the knee) but this was squared off. Careful filing to where the molded circle is can restore this functionality.
- In 1985, a variant of Slag was released in Canada. The variant has a red face, red fists, red tail support, and white thighs. The red painted torso also appears to be a brighter shade of red than the regular release.
Generation 2
- Slag (Dinobot, 1993)
- Accessories: "Kinetic Sword", "Blaster Gun"
- The original Slag toy went through several iterations in the Generation 2 line. First, he was re-released in the original silver base color; the only notable difference in the toy proper is the inclusion of the "AUTOBOT" tampograph on one of his robot mode legs.
- The toy then had its silver changed to red, and then changed again to dark green. The final green coloration is the most common, while the red and silver variations go for a little more on the secondary market.
- All three versions retain his original sword and rifle (which were renamed), but do not have the rocket pod or missiles from the Generation 1 release.
Age of Extinction
- Dinobot Slug (Evolution 2-Pack, 2014)
- 25 OF 30
- Available only at Toys"R"Us stores in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, this Age of Extinction two-pack features the Generations Deluxe Dinobot Slug toy, with no known differences from the normal retail release, packed with a seemingly unchanged Dark of the Moon Mini-Con Triceradon, described as 'Classic' Slug.
- Unlike the Strafe Evolution two-pack, which incorrectly depicted the original Generation 1 package art of the Technobot Strafe rather than Slag's fellow Dinobot Swoop on the card bubble, the Slug two-pack's packaging correctly depicts G1 Slag.
| Classics mold: Knockdown | ||
|---|---|---|
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Transformers (2014)
- Dinobots Generation One 4-pack (Deluxe, 2014)
- Accessories: 2 swords
- Available only as part of the Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive "Dinobots Generation One 4-pack" that was first made available at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, Slug is a G1-inspired redeco of Age of Extinction Deluxe Class Slug. He comes packaged with Grimlock, Strafe, and Snarl, and their box unfolds into a diorama of the crashed Ark in Mount St. Hilary. A similarly-themed toy of Sludge was released via Amazon in Age of Extinction packaging.
Kre-O
- Kreon Class of '85 (Kreon figure set, 2015)
- Set number: B5152
- Voted: The Criminal
- Accessories: Small pistol, sword
- Kre-O "Slug" (thank you, non-US slang) is a small brick-built Kreon figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body tampographs are heavily toy-based, but he has a red helmet to match the toy as shown in the original catalog, not the final version released in the US.
- He was only available as part of the San Diego Comic-Con-exclusive "Kreon Class of '85" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through Hasbro Toy Shop after the show.
Generations
Platinum Edition
- Dinobots (Platinum Edition 5-pack, 2015)
- Accessories: 2 swords
- Part of the Platinum Edition Dinobots 5-pack, "Dinobot Slug" is another redeco of Age of Extinction Slug, this time retooled to have a more G1-inspired head.
- Slug was bundled with Grimlock, Slog, Snarl, and Strafe.
- This set was initially released as a Toys"R"Us exclusive in Canada in October 2015, followed by Singapore a month later (although it's currently unknown whether it was exclusive to any particular store there or not). Much later, it became available via the Australian Toys"R"Us website (but never found in stores). In the United States, it was initally only available online via Amazon and BigBadToyStore before being found at discount chain Ross a year after its intial release in Canada.
Power of the Primes
- Dinobot Slug (Deluxe Class, 2017)
- Power of the Primes Slug is an all-new mold, visually simplified from his original G1 design, which can transform into a robotic Triceratops, as well as form a limb for Volcanicus or any other Combiner Wars-style combiner (or into one of Legends Godbomber's legs). Like the other Dinobots in this subline, Slug is partially composed of translucent plastic with gold paint on the inside to give him a 'layered' look reminiscent of his original toy. Like all other Power of the Primes Deluxe Class figures, he comes with Prime Armor with a place for a Prime Master, Enigma, or Matrix core) that can transform into a hand for a combiner. It can be plugged into his back in Triceratops mode, or worn on either his chest or back in robot mode. He also comes with a piece that can fill the gap in the chest armor or be held as a gun.
- Despite his colossal footprint in robot mode, Slug has an annoying tendency to be back-heavy, even with his dedicated heel pieces. The peghole on Slug's leg used to attach the combiner feet is also very thinly molded and easily broken. Extreme caution should be taken when plugging anything into it or manipulating what may have already been inserted. Should the plastic snap, its tension will be severely reduced and may lead to the combiner hands or feet falling out. In some cases, it may simply not be possible to avoid breaking the peghole aside from not using it. The peghole on the bottom of his foot used for combiner hands is considerably thicker and less prone to breakage however.
- Stock photography shows him with a mistransformed beast mode: the Triceratops head/neck is adjustable to have the frill around the head stand up closer to the G1 dinosaur model. This does however mean the Triceratops head does not lock in place in dino mode, it simply rests atop the tabs which would otherwise secure it in place.
- While his instructions show his arms pointing toward the combiner torso in arm mode, the slots on the outside of his arms and pegs on his sides suggest they should be pointed backwards and pegged in place.
- In China, he was also released along with the other 4 Dinobots as a gift-set, exclusive to Hasbro China's TianMao site.[1]
- This mold was heavily retooled into fellow Dinobot Sludge.
Selects
- Volcanicus (Gift set, February 27, 2021)
- Hasbro ID number: TT-GS11
- Accessories: 2 guns, 2 swords, 2 Magma Swords, 2 arm-mounted cannons, twin 'stunner' laser rifle, 2 foot-plates, left & right fists
- Generations Selects Slag is a redeco of his Power of the Primes figure, but now with a G1 cartoon-inspired deco. TakaraTomy Mall gives this figure the title "Dinobot Flame Warrior Slug".[2]
Studio Series
- Dinobot Slug & Daniel Witwicky (Leader Class, 2021)
- Hasbro ID number: 86-07
- Accessories: Daniel Witwicky, pistol, "Mockery of Justice" backdrop
- Studio Series "Dinobot Slug" is the second Dinobot to receive the Leader Class treatment in the Studio Series 86 subline after Grimlock. While his robot mode is a remarkably faithful rendition of his animation model from the "Generation 1" cartoon, his dinosaur mode is takes a similar design stance as Grimlock, hybridising his animation and toy designs together. Slug towers over most figures in the War for Cybertron Trilogy toylines, while being a similar height to his teammate Grimlock.
- Slug comes with a
n objectively terriblenon-transforming Daniel Witwicky figurine, which can mount his dino mode's back or sit on his robot mode's shoulder. Slug also comes with a cartoon-accurate pistol and a diorama display depicting the Dinobots' infiltration of the Quintesson court in The Transformers: The Movie. The back of Slug's packaging gleefully references the scene where he squishes the Quintesson Prosecutor beneath a door.
Merchandise
Decoy
- Cybertron Hero Collection 9 (multi-pack, 1986)
- Slag (1987)
- Decoy number: 5
- The figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots, and Technobots.
Robot Heroes
- Snarl Vs Sharkticon (2009)
- Series: Generation 1 Series
- A tiny, adorably homicidal "Slag" that came packaged with a Sharkticon. Like Animated Snarl, who was also designed with G1 Slag in mind, the Robot Heroes figure was released using the name of Slag's fellow Dinobot Snarl, so Hasbro could release the toy in the United Kingdom ("Slag" is considered an insult there).
Transformers Trading Card Game
- Dinobot Slug, Hot-Headed Warrior (2018)
- Wave 1
- Rarity: CT
- Card Number: T17/T40
- Stars: 9
- Dinobot Slug, Hot-Headed Warrior is one of forty double-sided character cards available in Wave 1 of the Transformers Trading Card Game.
- The artwork for the card is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game, with Alt-mode line-art by Dan Khanna.
- Dinobot Slug, Battering Ram (2019)
- Wave 2: Rise of the Combiners
- Rarity: RT
- Card Number: T19/T46
- Stars: 8
- Dinobot Slug, Battering Ram was released as part of the Transformers Trading Card Game Wave 2: Rise of the Combiners. Like all other members of combiner teams released in the set, this version of Slug is a folding card, with the Bot and Alt modes being depicted when the card is folded in half, and a holofoil portion of the the combined mode depicted when unfolded. The reverse of Dinobot Slug, Battering Ram depicts Volcanicus' left arm, which is formed by Slug in the artwork.
- The artwork for Bot and Alt Mode is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game.
- Dinobot Slug, Battering Ram can be used to form Volcanicus, Fiery Champion with the use of the Action card Dinobot Enigma while he and the other Wave 2 Dinobots are in Bot mode on the battlefield or KO area.
Notes
- Slag's original toy was originally a Diaclone Dinosaur Robo Triceratops. In the Diaclone lore, this dinomech was a pilotable vehicle that could travel at speeds up of to 250 kilometers per hour and was designed for grasslands operation and melee combat. It also had a slightly different color scheme for its robot mode bits.
- An early prototype of the Transformers version, which was used for the stock photos on Slag's packaging, featured a red helmet, hands and back hinge, plus white legs. Additionally, the prototype's horns are also chromed, whereas the final toy needed to had them changed to soft red plastic for safety reasons.[3] This protoype was used as a basis for the color scheme of his animation model that was used in the cartoon. In a bizarre twist, Canadian release of Slag's toy actually retained the colors of that prototype.
- Slag's name is also a popular Cybertronian expletive. That just seems right, for some reason. In The Real World, Slag is also a term of abuse in the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe, which forced Hasbro to release toys (such as an Animated toy designed with G1 Slag in mind) under the name Snarl in the late 2000s to avoid possible problems with cultural sensitivities. The original Snarl has yet to comment on the matter. Fall of Cybertron solved the issue without causing an identity crisis by calling the character "Slug", a name that stuck with subsequent incarnations and was eventually applied to the original Slag as well.
- A Slag toy can be seen in the recreation of the Scottish artist Sir Eduardo Paolozzi's studio at the Scottish Dean Gallery. This makes him the second Dinobot to have a toy in a museum.
