Dinoforce
From Transformers Wiki
- The Dinoforce are a Decepticon subgroup from the Victory portion of Generation 1.
Hailing from Chaar, the Dinoforce (恐竜戦隊 Kyōryū Sentai) has the combined brainpower of a melon. And not even a particularly bright melon. Looked down upon by the other Decepticons, most notably the Breastforce, they are often relegated to mere grunt work, made to haul stolen energon and other supplies around. Often seen as disposable, they're typically sent in first to do the unglamorous stuff while the higher-ranking Decepticons enact the real plan.
If you need a group to mindlessly break stuff, they're your bots. But their general sloth and simple-mindedness is a massive hindrance in any situation more complex than "smash stuff and steal energy", never mind their penchant for going off-plan even when they're not just outright bungling. In general they are only somewhat efficient in combat against Autobots, mainly beating foes by sheer numbers and relentless firepower, splitting from their semi-autonomous dinosaur shells to double their number. Team leader Goryu tries to keep them in order, but even a more competent commander would have a hard time with this crew.
And yet, despite the bickering and beatings, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more eager, tighter-knit group of soldiers in the Decepticon army. They stick up for each other and their commander through thick and thin, and put their all into every mission. You can't fault their enthusiasm.
The Dinoforce consist of:
- Goryu (leader, Tyrannosaurus rex shell)
- Doryu (Stegosaurus shell)
- Gairyu (Ankylosaurus shell)
- Kakuryu (Triceratops shell)
- Rairyu (Brontosaurus shell)
- Yokuryu (Pteranodon shell)
If things get really hairy, the six robots can combine into the colossal Dinoking, whose monstrous strength is nothing to scoff at.
| “ | The stupidity of you fools is as limitless as the universe. | ” |
Contents |
Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Super-God Masterforce cartoon
Clips of the Dinoforce were seen when Shūta Gō and Grand Maximus were talking about the new Supreme Commander Star Saber. Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!
Victory cartoon
Some years ago, the Dinoforce attacked a human freighter as it returned from Mars. The freighter proved no match for the Dinoforce, and they tore the ship to shreds, absconding with the energy onboard before it exploded. The only survivor was an infant named Jan, whose parents had bundled him into an escape pod before their death. Attack! Leozack
While Star Saber and the Rescue Patrol Team were away on Planet Micro, the Dinoforce attempted a fuel raid which was random and uncoordinated even by their standards. The Autobots on Earth were able to stop them, but were confused all the same. Rescue! Guyhawk
After finally acquiring enough energy, Deathsaurus had the Dinoforce take the Thunder Arrow into the heart of the Dark Nebula to reactivate his fortress. Their celebration at their apparent success was cut short when the power cut back out again, but for once their emperor was not enraged, having expected the power to falter and merely wishing to see whether the fortress still worked. Then Yokoryu spotted Galaxy Shuttle passing on the ship's sensors. At Deathsaurus' command, they attacked and paralyzed the Autobot ship, while he fought Star Saber. However, the Dinoforce found their way blocked by the Rescue Patrol Team and Jan pelting them with random debris. A frustrated Goryu ordered them to fall back in favor of sending a really big bomb over to the Autobots. That also failed thanks to Jan, who sent it back to the Decepticon ship, where it careened about madly, though thanks to Kakuryu's forgetting to install the ignition plug, it didn't explode on them. Humiliated, the battered Dinoforce went to retrieve their leader so they could get away. Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress
With the Autobot forces depleted after Star Saber and God Ginrai's injuries, the Decepticons took the opportunity to start plundering with wild abandon. The Dinoforce attacked the New Cheyenne Airport fuel depot. Though the Autobots attempted to stop them, the Dinoforce were able to get away with the energy. Ginrai Dies!!
After the Thunder Arrow was damaged by the newly formed Victory Saber, the Dinoforce got to work repairing it, while Goryu attended Deathsaurus's latest bawling out with the Breastforce. The Dinoforce leader was inspired by this to come up with his own plan, his "By Me and For Me" plan. The plan, such as it was, was to attack the Schwimmbad School attended by Jan in the hopes of drawing Star Saber out. However, as they scouted out the place, Kakuryu and Rairyu spotted some mysterious new Autobot near the place. After some initial uncertainty, they called in Goryu, who brought the rest of the Dinoforce with him. Not sure about the newcomer's abilities, they decided to just attack the school anyway. This resulted in a stand-off with the mysterious mech, which Goryu tried to break by having the Dinoforce circle around him. Their inability to do so quickly resulted in the whole team making a comical pile-up, allowing Jan and his mech to get away. The Dinoforce chased after him, soon catching the human as Star Saber and Victory Leo arrived on the scene. The distraction allowed Jan to bombard the Dinoforce with smoke grenades, sending them into a panic and allowing the human to slip away. Ever defiant, the team combined into Dinoking, but even with their newly formed "Dinoblaster Cannon" they were unable to beat the Autobot commander. Faced with an immensely angry Star Saber, Goryu begged him to spare his troops in exchange for his life, while his troops tried holding Star Saber off so their boss could get away. The display moved Star Saber enough to allow the Decepticons to leave instead. Jan - Defend the Campus!!
After a solid month with no Decepticons having any idea on how to get energy, Hellbat stumbled upon the missing continent of Atlantis, and presented the idea of raising it to Deathsaurus. On doing so, the Dinoforce were immediately set to work gathering up the tremendous amounts of energy this generated, blissfully unaware of Wingwaver's presence as he monitored them. Once they gathered enough energy, Deathsaurus boarded the Thunder Arrow and assured the Dinoforce he'd come back for them. Totally reassured, the Dinoforce decided to remain where they were for when he returned. Then Atlantis sank again, the tidal waves washing the hapless 'cons out to sea. The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves By astonishing coincidence, they washed up not far from the Autobot Shuttle Base. Goryu was insistent that despite all evidence Deathsaurus hadn't abandoned them, and shot down Kakuryu's hopes that his absence at least meant they could take a vacation. Yokoryu detected a nearby shuttle base, and so the Dinoforce went off to pillage it. As they were in mid-plunder, Star Saber and Victory Leo arrived to confront them, only to break off when one of the Planet-Destroying Fortress's meteor bombs started hurtling toward their location. Dinoking didn't believe the Autobots were telling the truth, and failed to notice the projectile until it was right on top of him, the resulting blast breaking him back into his badly battered components, with Goryu taking the worst of it. The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress! Taken into Autobot care, Goryu was forced to admit his emperor had abandoned him and his men to die, and so passed on to the Autobots the knowledge needed to destroy the fortress.
Afterward, the Dinoforce reformed, taking on jobs on Earth as construction workers, except for Kakuryu, who got a job at an amusement park instead. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
Victory comic
During the final showdown between the Autobots and Decepticons within Deathsaurus's Space Stronghold, the Dinoforce proved to be of little use against Galaxy Shuttle and the Victories. Eventually, however, Deathsaurus admitted defeat and introduced the Autobots to what he was really fighting for: the Decepticon civilians living in the city atop the Stronghold. With peace at last attained between the two factions, the Dinoforce were joyfully reunited with their precious babies. The Grand Victory War
Games
Transformers Roleplaying Game
Onslaught disparaged the Dinoforce as little more than a gang of witless conscripts. The Enigma of Combination
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
- Dinoking (Dinoforce giftset, 1989)
- ID number: D-328
- Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)
- Released in the Victory-branded portion of the Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline, under the Dinoforce gimmick-based subline imprint, the Dinoforce toys are redecos of the Hasbro Pretender Monsters' inner-robot molds, with original dinosaur shells that feature cyborg armor attachments. Each one transforms into a small monster-robot, plus has a third mode as part of the combiner Dinoking.
- All six members of Dinoforce were available both in individual boxes, and in a complete six-piece giftset. While there are no differences in the toys themselves, the giftset lacks any bio or Tech Spec cards for the individual components, only having cards for the combined mode.
Legacy
- Dinoking (Gift set, 2024)
- Accessories: Multi-part axe, multi-part cannon
- Known designers: Evan Brooks (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui and Shuhei Umezu (TakaraTomy)[1]
- Finally achieving the form this mold set was clearly meant to be from the beginning, Legacy: United Dinoking is a redeco and retooling of the Legacy: Evolution Core Class Dinobot combiner Volcanicus, with his deco favoring the anime portrayal over the original toy's. Also unlike his original toy, his limbs are not designed to swap with each other.
- Aside from everyone in the set having a new-mold head, Dinoking comes with a slew of new parts. His new fist-parts give him wrist swivels and a bit more forearm structural integrity. A pair of large non-firing missile pods attach to the soles of his feet, giving him extra stability thanks to the broader, solid surface and addition of ankle tilts. Three new melee weapons combine with the single small sword accessory from the original Snarl tooling to form his signature axe from the anime. He also has a handgun based on the cannon from the original toy. Whew!
- He was only available in a Hasbro PulseCon 2024 box set of six Dinoforce members: Doryu, Gairyu, Goryu, Kakuryu, Rairyu, and Yokuryu.
Notes
- The Dinoforce shells are notable for developing a green patina on the painted-gold portions, as well as a slimy texture over their whole surface over time. What causes this is unknown, but ick. Even previously unopened samples will develop this nastiness. While some water and a little bit of hand-soap should take care of the slime, there's not much to be done about the green discoloration.
- The Dinoforce is unique among Transformers subgroups in that their Japanese name entirely uses native Japanese words—"Kyōryū Sentai", literally, the "Dinosaur Squadron". Still, Takara provided an apt English translation—"Dinoforce"—spelled out in Latin letters on the toys' pack-in cards.
- Despite being fairly regular characters, the Dinoforce never transform to their monster modes in the entire series.
Foreign names
- English: Dinosaur Regiment (Omni Productions dub)
- Spanish: Batallón de Dinosaurios (Latin America, "Dinosaur Battalion")
- Mandarin: Kǒnglóng Zhànduì (China, 恐龙战队, "Dinosaur Combat Team")
