The PyrosaurTM (sorry Screechers Wild, but I think we got it earlier) is the first Spektrosaur land vehicle to come into the KR line... I know, there's also the Baryanoid-Cart, but I tend to consider that a creature item rather than a vehicle.
Really, this panzer is the one that makes the most sense as a land unit: it's specifically designed to carry Lor-Drek's evil goons into battle against their rivals as well as wreak havoc and destruction in peaceful places, and take on enemy armoured fighting vehicles. The Cart, on the other hand, can't be used for much more than travelling around a golf course.
Okay, petty details and jokes apart, let's look at what probably is gonna be the last vehicle under the Foundation banner of the KR universe.
Details
Name: Pyrosaur
Subtitle: battle tank destroyer
Classification: land vehicle
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Spektrosaur
Rank: transport.
Description
The Pyrosaur is a tank-like, wheeled combat vehicle used by Lor-Drek's forces for ground assault, reconnaissance and transport of soldiers across the battlefield; when necessary, it can rise to turn into a bipedal machine that traverse the landscape on large mechanical legs. Sporting blast-impervious armour plating, this massive construct is used by the Spektrosaurs as much for psychological warfare as it is for tactical advantage. The toy version is painted in metallic light-blue with silver-gray details, exhibits tons of tech-mech details (e.g., panels, tubes, wires and pistons) and can be operated in several positions; when upright, it stands about 46 cm (around 18'') tall and is reminiscent of a mechanical tyrannosaurus.
The robotic legs display tracked clawed feet (each with an additional wide treaded wheel on the front, which is the only truly rotating part) and a pair of large ratcheted wheels at the knees, which allow the tank to roll forward or backward when in crawler mode.
The cockpit (which only accommodates one figure, unlike the comic book version that seats two combat drivers overseen by a commander sitting behind them) and the attached canopy (which can be open, closed and removed) resemble the toothed jaws of a dinosaur's head, whose neck can turn slightly left, right, up and down. Additionally, a rotating turret (which also carries one figure, and features an opening canopy and a cockpit with hand-grips) is mounted on top of the vehicle's dome-like body.
Action feature
Thanks to its rotating hip, knee and ankle joints, the Pyrosaur can easily switch positions, allowing for extreme posability with three assault modes: low-riding (i.e., kneeling) roller tank for sneak attacks, standing (i.e., two-legged) mech walker for strikes over rough terrain, and upright robotic siege engine for assailing enemy walls. Moreover, two mechanical arms are attached to the sides of the hull and feature two points of articulation each, which allow them to bend and retract. Each arm bears a menacing crusher claw that can open and close to capture enemies.
On the tank's underside (on the front when the vehicle is upright), there is an entry/escape hatch with a hinged opening ramp, which reveals a hollowed-out centre section that can fictionally hold a number of troopers and a cargo container.
The rotating turret is detachable and has the ability to act as a flying pod equipped with bat-like folding wings and a rear hatch that gives access to a weapons storage compartment. Aside from perching atop the transport's main body, the flying pod/turret can also dock at a port on the front of the head/cockpit when the war machine is set in a vertical position.
Last but not least, the Pyrosaur has an additional mechanical arm ending with a powerful flamethrower, which can be manoeuvred via a handlebar-like joystick inside the head/cockpit and can also function as a a third leg for stability. While in the comics this snake-like arm is retractable, in the toy it is a separate piece that plugs into a socket exposed by removing a metal panel on the vehicle's belly and only features a hinge at its halfway point.
Weapons and accessories
The head/cockpit armament consists of two horn-shaped temple-mounted pivoting grenade launchers and two chin-mounted heavy laser cannons; the latter are removable, in order to reveal a docking port and, as mentioned above, allow the flying pod/turret to perch and rotate. The turret itself is equipped with wing-mounted cannons and a front spring-loaded twin-missile launcher.
Finally, the vehicle comes with two attachments that plug into the flamethrower nozzle: a large translucent red blast effect and a mechanical foot-like ball jointed accessory.
Overall, the Pyrosaur is an excellent prototype and a great way to wrap up the Foundation segment of the KR line. It is a wonderful vehicle and likely to be a fan favourite. With this, we are now finished with the vehicles of the regular series (I don't believe that CoBoN 2.0 and the Gyrocarrier will ever be produced due to their enormous sizes) and while I'm looking forward to reviewing large scale items from the other chapters of the KR mythos, I still hope that new KR|Foundation figures, creatures and perhaps playsets will be created in the future. In any case, this piece makes me remember all the joy and enthusiasm with the line over the last 4 years and what was accomplished with this blog. That made it worth it.
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