Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Raptors! Tyrannosaurus & Indominus Rex! Calvinosaurus! Sauropods!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Thorpocalypse wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2018 3:02 am Good lord, man, slow down! That's like the entire dinosaur kingdom in 2-3 days!!! It's going to take me the rest of the week just to review and back comment!!! :shock:
LOL- sorry! I'd finished them a month ago, and the builds were so unchanged it felt lazy to release them slowly :). And I posted another every time I saw the comments slowing down!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Dino-Riders Roster

Post by Jabroniville »

The Show's Roster:
Valorians (a telepathic race who are super-nice and victimized by meanies):
Questar- Generic Hero Leader Guy
Serena- The Chick (a healer, and the only named female in the show. Only a few background women are seen)
Mind-Zei- Wise Old Guy with blindsight mental powers
Yungstar- Brash Imeptuous Young Man
Llahd- Naiive Kid Character
Gunnur- a gruff sergeant type (basically Ironhide)
Turret- a Science-nerd genius (with a visor instead of glasses)
Ikon- an unemotional Spock-like dude
The Mooks: Basically like G.I. Joe Greenshirts.

Rulons (evil animal people):
Krulos- Generic Evil Emperor Villain
Rasp- The Starscream
Antor & Hammerhead- Other Starscreams
Krok- The only loyal minion in the entire empire
The Others- basically generic headswapped Mooks named Skate & Lokus.
The Mooks- A veritable army of guys who basically look identical to the Generals (right down to colour scheme, making group scenes annoying)


Series One Toys:

Diplodocus (Questar, Mind-Zei & Aries)
Torosaurus (Gunnur & Magnus)
Deinonychus (Sky)
Styracosaurus (Turret)
Quetzalcoatlus (Yungstar)
Pterodactyl-ish thing (Llahd)

Tyrannosaurus Rex (Krulos, Bitor & Cobrus)
Triceratops (Hammerhead & Sidewinder)
Deinonychus (Antor)
Monoclonius (Mako)
Pteranodon (Rasp)
Ankylosaurus (Sting)

Notes: So as you can see, each "side" has an opposing Dinosaur of the same general price-range and style to counter the other. Diplodocus & T-Rex were the line's centerpieces and big, moving models (with THREE FIGURES EACH) and absolute TONS of armor and neat "pods" (Questar & Krulos both get separate pods). Questar & Mind-Zei were major characters in the show, while Krulos just had a pair of recolors working for him.

-The big two were followed by the two big Ceratopsians (one of Triceratops' few roles on the "villain" side of things in fiction), who could also "walk" and came with two figures. These were simple "head-swaps", with the heroes (and major character Gunnur) getting a Torosaurus. Both sides had a Deinonychus for some reason (they were swiftly becoming an iconic carnivorous dino of choice because of the legendary claws), a smaller Ceratopsian (Styracosaurus & Monoclonius as head-swaps), two flying reptiles (Pteranodon & Quetzalcoatlus- remember, those ain't actual Dinosaurs) and then finally two small-ish things- basically a tiny dino with a simple weapon and a guy (Pterodactyl & Ankylosaurus). For the mounts, most are actually original, focused-upon characters, though Mako & Sting (and any "additional" riders after the first, main character in multi-character sets) are just recolours.

Series Two Toys:
Brontosaurus (Serena, Ayce & Ion, with 3 Rhamphorhynchus)
Stegosaurus (Tark & Vega)
Edmontonia (Axis)
Dimetrodon (Shado)
Pachycephalosaurus (Tagg)
Struthiomimus (Nimbus)
Protoceratops (Kanon)

Kentrosaurus (Krok)
Saurolophus (Lokus)
Placerias (Skate)

Notes: Series II was the last one I was actually familiar with, as the series kind of vanished around this time where I lived. As far as I knew, they never even released the Brontosaurus- the largest figure in the line. It would be a decade later when I got the internet that I would discover it was a REAL THING (much like "Android Suit Krang"). The Brontosaurus was HUGE, dwarfing either the T-Rex or Diplodocus, and came with three figures (including the named Serena), along with three tiny dinos attached.

-The second line also gave the Rulons the shaft, releasing only three counter-figures. The heroes got a large Stegosaurus and Edmontonia (with generic riders), while the villains got Kentrosaurus (with named-figure Krok). The heroes got Pachycephalosaurus, Dimetrodon and Struthiomimus, countered by Saurolophus (with Lokus). And then the tiny Protoceratops was countered by Placerias (with Skate). Despite the lesser numbers, the Rulons actually came with named characters from the show.

Series Three Toys:
Pachyrhinosaurus (Atlas)
Chasmosaurus (Llava)
Woolly Mammoth (Grom)
Giant Ground Sloth (Ulk)
Killer Wart Hog (Zar)
Sabre Tooth Tiger (Kub)

Quetzalcoatlus (Algar)

Notes: Series III added basically some forgettable creatures- two Ceratopsian Head Swaps and a recoloured evil version of the Series I Quetzalcoatlus. However, these are the rarest, priciest and neatest-colored creatures in the line- Pachyrhinosaurus (a headswap of the BIG Ceratopsians) is the most expensive one period, easily fetching more than 600 bucks on eBay. They also threw in four weaker-looking models of mammalian Ice Age creatures (ridden by CAVEMEN) to go along with the cartoon's fourteenth and final episode, one which I never saw (blowing my mind, since I could have SWORN I had watched every episode of this on YTV- they didn't make that many!). It was only released on Home Video, not on TV.

Now we have the "Two-Pack" Figures- packs of two humanoid figures that were recolours of the main guys. Some were actually just the main guy in a new suit, too. It's actually shocking how many were based off of Krok and Skate- two figures I could NEVER find.

Valorians:
Quark (camo-coloured Turret)
Boldar (camo Gunnur)
Mercury (a pastel grey Llahd)
Nova, Orion & Proto (Yungstar recolours- Nova in particular even has blonde hair still)
Questar, Mind-Zei & Yungstar (silver recolours)
Questar (red shirt)
Mind-Zei (blue suit)
Serena (black-haired recolour)
Hondo (Shado recolour)
Graff & Ecco (Axis recolors)
Neutrino & Wizz (Atlas/Ayce recolors)
Ursus (Serena recolour)
* Of the Valorians, you can find almost any one of them for cheaper than the figures that came with riders... unless, of course, you want LATE-series figures. Anyone resembling Axis (Edmontonia rider) or Atlas/Ayce (Bronto extra and Pachyrhinosaurus rider) cost MUCH more, often hitting $30+ on eBay- more than you can find many unarmored DINOSAURS. It's a bit annoying, as I'm a completist, but there's no way I'm paying that much for what I actually consider some of the lamest figures in the series.

Cavemen:
Onk (brown)
Tor (red/brown)
Urg (light brown)
Agga (red top, light brown legs)
* All the Cavemen have identical bodies, and are usually REALLY expensive, hitting $30+ easily. Naturally, they're "Ice Age" figures.

"Hammerheads"
Six-Gill (gold pants)
Mako (in gold suit)
Dedeye (purple suit)
Gill (dark blue suit)
* Six-Gill and Mako cost basically nothing on eBay. Dedeye is rather pricey, but Gill is easily the rarest and most expensive, being an "Ice Age" type. Oddly, the get pricier as they get cooler-looking- Dedeye has a really neat pastel blue skin color, while Gill has a REALLY dark violet/blue suit. They're pretty snazzy.

"Rasps"
Fang (gold suit)
Rattlar (yellow/green and pink suit)
Skwirm (pink suit)
* Fang & Rattlar cost almost nothing, though finding a Fang with decent gold coloring is REALLY rare, because gold paint flakes off easily. Skwirm is the only "later" figure in the Rasp line, and he's fairly pricey (not as much as Gill tends to be, though).

"Antors"
Demon (black)
Termite, Drone, Fire (brown in different quantities. All pretty generic)
* It's actually pretty tough to tell which ant you have. They're pretty similar looking.

"Kroks"
Kraw (purple suit)
Snarrl (black suit)
Gorr (purple & black suit)
Gutz (light purple suit)
* Kroks are REALLY hard to find, and tend to net the highest pricest of any individual figure. I'm a completist, and even I don't have all of these guys (I'm missing Kraw & Gorr). Though most of them are pretty similar-looking. I luckily found a Snarrl as part of a HUGE pack a guy was selling (I got some doubles in it, but it had a LOT of guys I didn't previously own)- I was the only guy to offer a fair "Offer" price to the seller (who was getting a lot of low-balling).

"Kruloses"
Krulos (a gold recolour)
Krulos (ugly green recolour)
* The ugly green Krulos is particularly interesting, because he & Questar were released in a two-pack later in the line, so they're the most expensive ones.

"Skates"
Sludj (light-headed)
Rayy (violet/blue with aquamarine suit)
* Sludj has an interesting pale-blue look to his skin, and can be about $20. Rayy is one of the coolest-looking figures in the line, and naturally, easily the hardest of the Rulons to find on eBay. In my entire time looking, I only found him TWICE. The first time, I foolishly wanted to wait until a guy was doing one of his usual discounts (he frequently offers 20% off all his stuff), but someone snapped him up at $65, realizing the rarity. This worked out, however, as I saved more than $20 on the next time I saw one, as a guy had REALLY bad "Feedback" (he was a notorious slow-shipper with bad customer service... I kept using him because he had the BEST stuff, and knew what I was getting), and so I low-balled a bid and got Rayy and one of the Cavemen for twenty bucks less than I'd have paid for the SOLO Rayy earlier. But seriously, it was like a year difference.

"Lokuses"
Poxx (white/brown suit)
Buzz (brown suit)
Squish (red suit)
* Lokus is hard to find in most of his forms- any one of them will cost you at least $30. I think I got a deal on one or two (it pays to be one of the only people looking for the obscure types). Poxx is the coolest-looking, and hardest to find.

Plus we had the unique-figure Commandos, who were sold in individual packs and came with G.I. Joe-inspired tech gear and stuff. This was REALLY rip-offy, and I never even saw them as a kid (I guess I missed TWO episodes). It should be noted that Glyde & Bomba are the only two black people in the entire Valorian army.

Glyde (Paratrooper)
Faze (Artillery with Missile Launcher)
Kameelian (Camouflage Gear)
Rok (Mountain Climber)
Bomba (Munitions Expert)
Astra (Commander with numerous weapons- surprisingly not a girl, given the name)
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Valorians

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImage

VALORIAN TEMPLATE
Role:
Background Characters
PL 5 (78)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+6)
Athletics 2 (+8) -- Flaws: Limited to Riding
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 6 (+8)
Insight 1 (+3)
Perception 2 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 3 (+5)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Lasers- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 2, Teamwork

Powers:
"AMP Necklace" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Valorians) [10]
Communication (Mental) 2 (Extras: Area, Selective) (12)
Comprehend 1 (Speak To Animals) (2)
-- (14 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Lasers +6 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (The Rulon Empire)- The Rulons have conquered Valoria, and are chasing after the remnants.
Responsibility (Pacifism)- Valorian culture is highly-pacifistic, and they do not naturally crave war. They also do not wish to harm dinosaurs, even the Rulons' slaves.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 5 (78)

-Here's a Template for the Valorians, the telepathic "good guys" of the Dino-Riders Universe. While the show had a semi-decent cast-size of varied characters, they used a lot of 'filler' in group shots and big battles, and most of the "lesser" Dinosaur toys came with a recolour variant of one of the major heroes' molds. They also sold the characters in two-packs of a hero & a villain to fill the empty slots in most of the really big Dinos' harnesses.

-The generic Valorian is a PL 5 non-powerhouse, but it's much more capable than your standard NPC by virtue of his powers and semi-decent Stats. He has two variables to add to his stats; those being the Dinosaur itself (generally a Sidekick), and the ranks of Equipment needed for the Dinosaur's harness.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Rulons

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImageImage

RULON TEMPLATE
Role:
Background Characters
PL 5 (52)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Deception 2 (+2)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+3)
Expertise (Survival) 1 (+2)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 2 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 1 (+2)
Technology 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Lasers- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lasers +6 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +1

Complications:
Motivation (Conquering)- The Rulon Empire is devoted to ruling the universe.
Weakness (Brain Boxes)- The Rulons can only control disagreeable dinosaurs by means of Brain Boxes on their heads- if the Boxes are blasted off (a semi-difficult Called Shot, depending on the size of the Box), the creature will go wild, usually shaking off its riders or armaments, and run off the battlefield.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 2 (52)

-The Evil Rulons are a BIT stronger than Valorians, but are generally dumber, uglier and overall less-talented, being forced to brainwash the dinosaurs into doing their bidding. Many of the villains aren't quite hapless, but nonetheless end up losing fights where they outnumber their foe, thanks to superior tactics on the part of the good guys. Most Rulon Strategy seems to consist entirely of "Overwhelming Force". Unfortunately, the race of the animal they are doesn't seem to matter at all- Krok is pretty much the same sort of thing as Antor or Demon or Skate.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Raptors! Tyrannosaurus & Indominus Rex! Calvinosaurus! Sauropods!)

Post by Jabroniville »

So here's the new Dinos I built this time around, and their Power Levels:

PL 1: Dimorphodon, Psittacosaurus
PL 2: Tupandactylus
PL 4: Dracorex, Struthiosaurus
PL 5: Gargoyleosaurus, Alxasaurus, Placerias, Ceresiosaurus, Plesiosaurus
PL 7: Ouranosaurus, Ichthyosaurus
PL 8: Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus
PL 9: Saurolophus, Edmontosaurus, Euoplocephalus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Baryonyx, Amargasaurus, Cetiosaurus, Camarasaurus
PL 10: Albertosaurus, Megalosaurus
PL 11: Indominus Rex
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Ankylosaurus

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ANKYLOSAURUS
Role:
Special Mount, Shrunken Monster, Walking Ballista
Mount For: Sting (Antor Recolour)
PL 6 (104)- Minion Rank 7, Sidekick Rank 21
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 9 (+7 Size)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Close Attack, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Sacral Shield" Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 5) [7]
"Tail Smash" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]

"Dino-Sized" Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Tail Smash +6 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +8 (+3 Impervious), Fortitude +7, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 6 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 11 (42)

ANKYLOSAURUS HARNESS- 24 Equipment Points
Seats:
None (Handler must walk alongside Ankylosaur)
Armour: None (just straps) (0)
Weaponry: Large Missile Launcher (Blast 8- Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (24)

-Of all the Dinosaurs in the Dino-Riders line, NOBODY got the shaft like poor Ankylosaurus. I mean, really, in real life, these things are actually anywhere from 20 feet to THIRTY feet long, a true Growth 7 monster, and basically being as close as Mother Nature ever got to inventing the F*@#ING TANK. But here? It's about six feet long, barely the size of a Bullmastiff in some shots, with big googly eyes and they just strapped a giant bow to its back and called it a day. WHAT THE HELL, TYCO? I call shenanigans on this crap! Edmontonia gets a brilliantly huge and detailed 2nd series model, and the most famous dinosaur outside of the Big Six gets THIS?

-Ankylosaurs are pretty easily the cheapest dino you can find in this toyline- it's simple, small and doesn't even have a lot of "armor parts" to it. The Pterodactyl is pretty cheap, too, but those rockets are easy to lose.

-One of the more Minion-type dinosaurs in giant battles, you'd see swaths of these loser Dinos firing their simple Giant Bows (though really, one episode makes it clear that's actually a MISSILE, and it blows up a log wall good and nice), one shot at a time. It's a PL 5 simple creature, who's Tail Club, a +13 nightmare from hell in my original build, is barely tougher than most guys' top punches. Thankfully I didn't have to "downgrade" my Ankylosaurus build- I just switched the name of my Polocanthus build! Thank goodness for me being a completist.
Shock
Posts: 2978
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Connecticut USA

Re: Jab's Builds! (T-Rex! Sauropods! Liopleurodon! Dino-Riders!)

Post by Shock »

Fisher Price's Imaginext line has/had a few Dino-Rider type toys out there. My kids ended up with a handful of them

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M4C8
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Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab's Builds! (T-Rex! Sauropods! Liopleurodon! Dino-Riders!)

Post by M4C8 »

I had several toys from the Dino Riders line but I never actually saw the cartoon. When I was a kid I lived in London (The one in England for you Canuck's :) ) on my birthday my dad would take me the toy store Hamleys and then to see some sort of show (usually a comedy stage show or pantomime) I remember one year picking out two small Dino Riders.
I just looked them up, they were the series 2 (1989) Struthiomimus and Protoceratops.

Changing the subject completely I had no idea The Avengers: Earth Mightiest heroes, Wolverine and The X-Men, Hulk VS and maybe Planet Hulk were all the same 'reality' which makes it even more disappointing that the shows were cancelled.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (T-Rex! Sauropods! Liopleurodon! Dino-Riders!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Shock wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2018 12:45 pm Fisher Price's Imaginext line has/had a few Dino-Rider type toys out there. My kids ended up with a handful of them

Image
Hah! Neat! I didn't realize they were so similar in theme!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Protoceratops

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

PROTOCERATOPS
Role:
Special Mount, Adorable Little Monster
Mount For: Kanon (Yungstar Recolour)
PL 4 (27)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 6
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+1)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Combat

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Ceratopsian Beak" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Ceratopsian Neck Frill" Enhanced Dodge & Parry 1 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Beak +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (+5 Frill, DC 15), Parry +4 (+5 Frill, DC 15), Toughness +3 (+4 Harness), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 6 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 5 / Defenses: 7 (27)

PROTOCERATOPS HARNESS- 11 Equipment Points
Seats:
One (lie-down front-facing saddle)
Armour: Protection 1 (large-ish saddle) (1)
Weaponry: Mini Gun & Double-Barrelled Blaster (Blast 5) (10)

-Among the cheapest Dino-Riders toys, Protoceratops actually has one of the best likenesses- this thing really holds up as a high-quality, well-painted toy. It's also got a well-designed little kit with a simple harness and weapons. Too bad it's packing a generic Yunstar Recolor as a rider. Like the Transformers, Dino-Riders attempted to let even the poor kids play along, hence small critters like this. Not everyone's parents could afford the damn T-Rex or Diplodocus, after all. But really, the actual dino-model here was REALLY, REALLY nice- almost photorealistic to the real critter. Truly the model befitting the World's Cutest Dinosaur.

-Protoceratops isn't exactly an elite warrior, having little in the way of natural weapons and only being tough because of its frill, but I guess it's something (it's enough that one died in combat with a VELOCIRAPTOR, resulting in a famous "battle fossil"). The Saddle Lasers are hilariously-small, but this IS one of the smallest models in the entire line, so it's fitting.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Pterodactyl

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

LLAHD
Role:
The Kid, Kidnapper Bait
PL 6 (55)
STRENGTH
-1 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+4)
Athletics 4 (+8) -- Flaws: Limited to Riding
Deception 1 (+3)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 4 (+6)
Perception 2 (+2)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Lasers- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 2, Sidekick 5 (Pterodactyl), Teamwork

Powers:
"AMP Necklace" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Valorians) [10]
Communication (Mental) 2 (Extras: Area, Selective) (12)
Comprehend 1 (Speak To Animals) (2)
-- (14 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +1 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Lasers +5 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Missiles +5 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +1 (DC 11), Toughness +0, Fortitude +2, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (The Rulon Empire)- The Rulons have conquered Valoria, and are chasing after the remnants.
Responsibility (Pacifism)- Valorian culture is highly-pacifistic, and they do not naturally crave war. They also do not wish to harm dinosaurs, even the Rulons' slaves.
Responsibility (Kid)- Llahd is smaller and weaker than the other Valorians, and seems to be one of the only children around. He is often underestimated and ignored by others.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 6 (55)

---

PTERODACTYL
Role:
Special Mount, Scouting Mount
Mount For: Llahd
PL 2 (22)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
STRENGTH
-1 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+5)
Perception 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Wings" Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [4]
"Can Carry Llahd Around" Power-Lifting 1 (100 lbs.) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness -1, Fortitude +1, Will +2

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: -6 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 12 (22)

PTERODACTYL HARNESS- 21 Equipment Points
Seats:
One (hangs via a glider underneath the creature)
Armour: None (just a hang-glider)
Weaponry: Two Missile Blasters (Blast 7- Area- 30ft. Burst) (21)

-Filling out more of the generic cast of Dino-Riders is Llahd, the aptly-named "Kid" of the team. Apparently an orphan (his parents were never seen), he was always being stupidly-brave, running off on his own without orders, and befriending people, but tended to get shot at, kidnapped, and threatened by dinosaurs & Rulons alike. That, combined with having by far the wussiest dinosaur of the entire team (a "Pterodactyl", basically a generic smaller winged reptile- the true creature is called "Pterodactylus" and is too small to even carry a Beagle, much less a human being), made him a pretty useless person to have around, but he saved the day, Wesley Crusher-style, at least once or twice.

-Llahd and his dino are among the cheapest in the line to buy even today, as they were SUPER-common. Oddly, there's an alternate "Adult Llahd" that existed before they made the "Kid" mold, and this one is a bit more expensive. He's basically a Yungstar mold colored in Llahd's "blue with light brown hair" scheme. There exists, however, a MAIL-AWAY version of the Pterodactyl that will cost you more than most of the LARGE dinos in the line! This one came via the same way the old Cobra Commander did for G.I. Joe- you had to collect "points" (each package contained a "points rating"), and could mail away the proof-of-purchase and get a very neat dark brown Pterodactyl with orange highlights on the wings & head.

-Cheap on points, Llahd & his Pterodactyl (capable of supporting the weight of a child in this version) were pretty useless in a fight, but could be a nuisance to the enemy. The "Missiles" weren't exactly frighteningly powerful, but give him his PL 5 status, and the dino's notable lack of size means he can go places the other Dino-Riders never could.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Pteranodons

Post by Jabroniville »

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RASP
Role:
Ambitious Underling
PL 6 (86)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Athletics 2 (+7) -- Flaws: Limited to Riding
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 1 (+3)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4)
Perception 1 (+3)
Technology 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Lasers- Blast 4, Pteranodon Harness), Ranged Attack 4, Sidekick 10 (Pteranodon), Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lasers +6 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Pteranodon Guns +6 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +4, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Conquering)- The Rulon Empire is devoted to ruling the universe.
Weakness (Brain Boxes)- The Rulons can only control disagreeable dinosaurs by means of Brain Boxes on their heads- if the Boxes are blasted off (a semi-difficult Called Shot, depending on the size of the Box), the creature will go wild, usually shaking off its riders or armaments, and run off the battlefield.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 21 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (86)

---

PTERANODON
Role:
Special Mount, Flying Mount
Mount For: Rasp
PL 5 (48)- Minion Rank 3, Sidekick Rank 10
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Aerobatics 5 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+6 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Move-By Action

Powers:
"Wings" Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [4]
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Powerful Wings & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Wings & Beak +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4 (+5 Harness), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 9 (48)

PTERANODON HARNESS- 19 Equipment Points
Seats:
One (saddle on top)
Armour: Protection 1 (small saddle) (1)
Weaponry: Two Double-Barrelled Blasters (Blast 6- Multiattack) (18)

-Again why Dino-Riders was a very generic '80s toon beyond the concept: Rasp, the second-in-command (mostly) of Krulos' forces, was basically just Starscream with a different voice. He didn't taunt Krulos nearly as much as Starscream did to Megatron, but he pretty much tried to lead the other minions into open revolt every time Krulos showed weakness or was injured. Hell, he basically tried to KILL HIM in the episode when Krulos was badly-injured by an earthquake. Like most Rulons, he was a classically "evil" or nasty animal-man, but sadly lacked any cool powers to come with it. He never bit anyone, had no poison, couldn't slither, etc.; it was all cosmetic. In one episode, he fights Questar in hand-to-hand, and gets his ass kicked so badly he looks like a helpless toddler fighting an adult (Questar holds both of Rasp's hands with one of his own, forcing the villain to kick uselessly).

-Rasp & his Pteranodon (he could be seen in many different saddles if I recall correctly, but he came with the Pteranodon toy) are pretty much like Yungstar & his Quetzocoatlus, but he loses points because of his lack of Telepathy. Battles in the show tended to end if a Dino had its equipment shot off, or its Brain Box taken out. The toy itself was well-detailed, but had very "Generic" Rulon Equipment (the Blasters & Sadddle look nearly identical to those of the Monoclonius & Deinonychus). The Brain Box will be the trickiest part to find aside from the plastic "standing cone".
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Quetzalcoatlus

Post by Jabroniville »

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YUNGSTAR
Role:
Hot-Headed Young Man
PL 7 (111)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+11) -- Flaws: Limited to Riding
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 6 (+8)
Insight 1 (+2)
Perception 3 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 3 (+5)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Lasers- Blast 4), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blasters), Improved Smash, Ranged Attack 4, Sidekick 10 (Quetzalcoatlus), Taunt, Teamwork

Powers:
"AMP Necklace" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Valorians) [10]
Communication (Mental) 2 (Extras: Area, Selective) (12)
Comprehend 1 (Speak To Animals) (2)
-- (14 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lasers +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Dino-Lasers +8 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications: 
Enemy (The Rulon Empire)- The Rulons have conquered Valoria, and are chasing after the remnants.
Responsibility (Pacifism)- Valorian culture is highly-pacifistic, and they do not naturally crave war. They also do not wish to harm dinosaurs, even the Rulons' slaves.
Responsibility (Show-Off)- Yungstar lives up to his name, frequently showing off, taking big risks, and poking fun at his teammates. This often gets him into trouble.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 26 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 8 (111)

QUETZALCOATLUS
Role:
Special Mount, Flying Mount
Mount For: Yungstar
PL 5 (48)- Minion Rank 3, Sidekick Rank 10
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Aerobatics 5 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+6 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Move-By Action

Powers:
"Wings" Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [4]
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Powerful Wings & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Wings & Beak +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4 (+5 Harness), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 9 (48)

QUETZALCOATLUS HARNESS- 19 Equipment Points
Seats:
One (saddle on top)
Armour: Protection 1 (small saddle) (1)
Weaponry: Two Double-Barrelled Blasters (Blast 6- Multiattack) (18)

-Yungstar is the aforementioned Brash Young Guy. He was the first to go flying into battle without thinking, had a rivalry with Aero, another Flier, and got captured/hurt a lot. They even completed the stereotype by making him a Flyboy as well, giving him one of the cooler dinos in the show, Quetzocoatlus (here given the same size as a Pteranodon, its Evil Counterpart). Only a few of the Dino-Riders ever REALLY had "dibs" on any particular dino, but he was pretty much always seen flying solo on one of those purple flying dudes, so he's pretty standardized. One episode featured him nearly losing "The Way" of the Valorians, growing angry and thus losing his telepathy as he becomes more Rulon-like, but he quickly meditated and came back from it.

-A balanced PL 7 build, Yungstar's a good place to start for a more "Player Character"-y Valorian. Quick but low on Awareness, he's idealized as a fast combatant. Like all Valorians, he gets an "AMP Necklace", allowing him to communicate with dinosaurs and his comrades telepathically. His Quetzocoatlus just re-uses my Pteranodon stats, since they're built exactly the same on the show (it lacks the sheer size of it's real-world version, which has been alluded to reach the height of a GIRAFFE on land!). The Laser Blasters on its wings are the only weapons. These critters make up the majority of the Valorian Air Force, usually doing battle with Pteranodons- Yungstar, Aero & Serena were the chief pilots (Serena sometimes used a purple Pteranodon), though Llahd had his Pterodactyl, and one episode centred around a massive air war that saw most of the land-based guys flying too.

-The Quetzalcoatlus was one of the better "baseline" toys, being simple and distinctive, yet easily-collectible (ie. not too pricey) and with gear that wasn't too cumbersome, but still looked good. All three of these head-swap fliers had a push-button that flapped their wings, and REALLY mobile heads- it could move up, down, and swivel completely around. VERY rare in 1980s toy-making, let me tell you. Expect these to be some of the easier dinos to find online... unless you want their lil' plastic "cones" for them to stand. Good luck finding a thin, plastic cone intact after thirty years.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Quetzalcoatlus (Rulon Variant)

Post by Jabroniville »

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RULON QUETZALCOATLUS
Role:
Special Mount, Flying Mount
Mount For: Algar (Krok recolor)
PL 5 (48)- Minion Rank 3, Sidekick Rank 10
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Aerobatics 5 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+6 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Move-By Action

Powers:
"Wings" Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [4]
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]
"Powerful Wings & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Wings & Beak +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4 (+5 Harness), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 9 (48)

QUETZALCOATLUS HARNESS- 31 Equipment Points
Seats:
One (hangglider on bottom)
Armour: None
Weaponry: Two Massive Lasers (Blast 8- Multiattack) & Two Missiles (Burst Area Blast 10)

-Among the rarest toys in the line is the ultra-beloved RULON Quetzalcoatlus, the only villainous toy released in the very limited-release "Series III" Dino-Riders toy set. This thing is AWESOME- it's a mere recolor of the heroic Quetzalcoatlus, but it eschews the purple coloring for a brilliant bright yellow look, with naturalistic brown splotches that make the thing resemble a combination of a real, live animal and a fighter jet. This is just a spectacular toy. And the gear makes it even better- rather than cover up that great paint-job, they make the armor bear a HANG-GLIDER beneath the animal, give it the best Brain Box in the line (fitting right over the head and sporting vicious-looking "Hammerhead" bars off to the side), and give it combination Laser Gun/MISSILES. It just really looks threatening.

-Expensive? You betcha. I lucked out on both the Brain Box and the Dino itself, but finding the gear is probably gonna be too rich for my blood. It's just too hard to justify the cost when things are THIS rare, even if they do look awesome. Finding loose gear is actually MORE effective in this dino's case, as a "fully-loaded" Rulon Quetzalcoatlus will easily go for more than $400 on eBay if you're lucky. Never mind his "standing cone" isn't CLEAR plastic, but a distinctive RED clear plastic, which makes it look awesome AND be more expensive. 

-This guy's so pricey that even his mount, Algar, is ridiculously-costly, going for $60-70 by himself. I had to warn one seller not to accept low-ball offers because he had a huge "Lot" of figures containing one. Algar is easily the coolest-looking of the Kroks, who are the rarest and priciest of the solo figures, so he's probably the most expensive guy overall, even compared to Atlas, who rides the rarer Pachyrhinosaurus, but is a plainer-looking heroic figure. Algar has the darkest, blue-green coloring of all the "Kroks", who tend to look pretty same-y (most have purple outfits and are plain green).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Jan 27, 2018 1:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Placerias

Post by Jabroniville »

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SKATE
Role:
Background Character
PL 9 (74)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Deception 2 (+2)
Expertise (Science) 3 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 1 (+3)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+7)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 1 (+3)
Technology 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Lasers- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 3, Sidekick 6 (Placerias)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lasers +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Fang-Claw +7 (+9 Ranged Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +2

Complications: 
Motivation (Conquering)- The Rulon Empire is devoted to ruling the universe.
Weakness (Brain Boxes)- The Rulons can only control disagreeable dinosaurs by means of Brain Boxes on their heads- if the Boxes are blasted off (a semi-difficult Called Shot, depending on the size of the Box), the creature will go wild, usually shaking off its riders or armaments, and run off the battlefield.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (74)

PLACERIAS
Role:
Special Assist Monster
Mount For: Skate
PL 5 (28)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 6
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+1)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Combat

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Bite +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+5 Harness), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications: 
Disabled (Animal)- Dinosaurs cannot speak to humans, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold Climates)- The Age of Reptiles was a much hotter time period than our own. Creatures from that era will be more susceptible to Cold and Ice-based attacks.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 9 (28)

PLACERIAS HARNESS- 20 Equipment Points
Seats:
None (handler must run alongside creature)
Armour: Protection 2 (back armature) (2)
Weaponry: Dino Fang-Claw (Snare 9- Limited to One Target) (18)

-Placerias showcases another aspect of the Dino-Riders toyline: the similarities between several of the dinosaurs themselves (its counterpart is the Valorian Protoceratops). It was actually kind of neat to see this dinosaur though, since most toylines are fine with just producing the Big Six (T-Rex, Sauropod, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Raptor-thing, Pteranodon) and leaving the rest to rot (unless they throw you a bone with a Pachycephalosaurus or something). But PLACERIAS? I'm the hugest dinosaur nerd I know, and *I'VE* never even heard of this thing! I have to give them full credit for not just trotting out the generic dinos everyone would recognize.

-It's a pretty short, sprawled-out dino with an odd head and fatter legs, but it at least has the Grappling Claw to make it stand out. Skate was a nice addition as well, as the Rulons were gonna get REALLY boring with all the ant-heads and cobra-heads out there- I never had a toy of him or Krok, which always bugged me as a kid. Skate in particular was an odd obsession of mine, as he almost NEVER appeared in the cartoon, so I was hyper-obsessed with his one or two appearances (with an odd head that hid any sense of emotion from his expressions).

-Placerias is a bit tricky to find for a good price online, and his Brain Box is EASILY the smallest and rarest in the line, making him a bit of a nuisance if you get one without all his gear. He's generally a bit pricier than the Protocertops in every way, but that Brain Box is usually at LEAST $20. Skate himself, being one of the "Rare Rulons", also goes for MUCH higher than the Valorian Kanon that came with the Protoceratops. His recolors, Sludj and Rayy, come from the 2-Packs, and go for MUCH more.

-Placerias is very similar to Protoceratops, but with a different weapon and no Ceratopsian stuff, which is limited in that it can only hold one creature at a time and just lock it's leg or something, but still pretty effective for that, especially en masse. Skate himself becomes PL 8 thanks to that powerful weapon, but is barely better than a standard Rulon, and would handily lose to one of the main heroes in a fair fight, and is lower than even the Big Three or Rasp, Hammerhead & Antor. He was shown as a bit brighter than the others in his squad at times, being less impatient.
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