General Information:
Release Date: July 2009
Price Point: $7.99 (varies depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None

Images:

• On Card
• Official Photo (Vehicle Mode)
• Official Photo (Robot Mode)
• Card Scan
• Vehicle Mode
• Vehicle Mode (Side)
• Vehicle Mode (Back)
• Vehicle Mode (Forward view)
• Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
• Vehicle Mode (Guns aiming up)
• Robot Mode
• Robot Mode (Side)
• Robot Mode (Back)
• Robot Mode (Close up)
• Robot Mode (Angle View)
• Robot Mode (Holding weapon)

*Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicle Images:

• Front View
• Side View
• Close up of windshield
• Close up of side
• Back view
• Rear lights

*Images courtesy of Jeff aka 1momentum on ebay. You can see his current auctions here. As of the writing of this review, the auction for real life prop vehicle was still up.

Text from Hasbrotoyshop.com:
Back on CYBERTRON, most rolling surfaces are flat, lightly textured roads – perfect for speed and traction. It wasn’t until he got to Earth that DUNE RUNNER experienced anything like sand or shale. He can’t say he enjoys his new vehicle mode, but he appreciates that it lets him patrol the deserts and mountains, where many DECEPTICONS have taken to hiding.

Add this off-roadin’ AUTOBOT warrior to your collection! This is one brave ‘bot who’s ready to roll out – just about anywhere! Convert from robot mode to a dune buggy in vehicle mode! Nothin’s gonna slow this guy down! Recreate exciting movie scenes – or stage new battles of your own – right there in your living room!

Part of the function of the Scout Class of "Revenge of the Fallen" figures is to expand on the cast of characters in the Transformers Movie universe. Some of them come a bit out of left field such as Nightbeat but others are based on events or vehicles seen in the movies themselves. In the case of Dune Runner, he is based on the dune buggy type vehicles used by the mysterious organization "Sector 7" in the first movie. 2007's toy line already had a figure based on this vehicle on the deluxe scale named Landmine but this figure is not a shrunken down version in any sense of the word. It is a completely new sculpt, so fear not fellow collectors, you get something new with this figure.

Robot Mode:
One of the things that I enjoy about the Scout Class figures from "Revenge of the Fallen" is their ability to come to a middle ground between the jagged "armor on mechanical bits" design aesthetic of the movies and the more traditional conglomerate of defined shapes that make up most non-movie Transformers. Dune Runner is no exception. Like many movie characters, he has angular armor panels covering robot parts, most noticably the armor on the sides of his arms. He also has some tiny details that harken to the design aesthetic of the movies such as having only four fingers and having small details on his back that look like a spinal column covered in armor plates.

Most of this figure is rather traditional looking however, and I mean that in a good way. The chest panel and legs are fairly blocky and the head design is not some weird extreme of design, but rather a very nice head sculpt with a bit of personality to it. Indeed, as I review this figure I must confess it is easy to look at the way the face is sculpted and see what appears to be a mustache on Dune Runner! He has visor eyes with a curved "helmet" section that looks like some type of military helmet, complete with circles that look like headlights on top. Right under his visor eyes are lines that look like a mechanical mustache, leading to a chin strap that sticks out pretty far, looking like a military soldier ready for battle.

Dune Runner has a lot of other details as well including weapons mounted on his shoulders with three barrels each and intricate line details running along the length of the weapons. The arms and legs on the figure aren't just rectangles or tubes, they're angled in some places, simple squares in others and most importantly, detailed. One of my favorite details are two pistons that run along his forearm.

This figure is cast in olive green, black and two shades of metallic blue plastic. The green is used for parts such as the chest armor, the outer armor on the arms and his lower legs. Black plastic makes up most of the more "hidden" parts such as the are behind his chest, his back and upper arms. The shoulder mounted weapons are cast in a metallic blue plastic that is a much darker shade than the metallic blue on his arms and heel pieces. Paint decos are done up in black, gold, yellow and light blue. The light blue is used for his visor eyes, so they stand out a lot. The gold color can be found on his feet, torso and head. Yellow is used for any light details including the row of lights on his feet and the two on his head. Silver is found on the head and torso, where an Autobot symbol is colored silver.

Dune Runner has twenty points of articulation in this form. This includes waist and knee articulation. His shoulder mounted weapons have three points of articulation each. What I really like about the design of these hinges are the ones that allow the weapons to swing down to the sides, allowing for a bit more posability than just having them point up, down and forward. These weapons are perhaps my favorite detail on this figure (with mustache face being a close second). While the Scout Class figures in the line do not have accessories or hand held weapons for the most part, I enjoy the way the designers have made it a point to build in weapons into some of the figures such as Deptchcharge's missile launchers. Giving them this much articulation is also really sweet and adds play value.

Transformation to Robot Mode:

1. Rotate the waist around.
2. Swing the heel pieces down.
3. Push in the front ends of the vehicle.
4. Connect the two lower legs.
5. Move the robot arms down to the sides and swing the forearms back, connecting the two green armor pieces.
6. Swing the chest panel forward.
7. Swing the robot head down.
8. Swing the robot arms in so the rear vehicle mode tires swing up.
9. Bring the green panels from the arms together with the lower leg panels.
10. Bring the two cannons together.

Vehicle Mode:
Dune Runner's vehicle mode is a modified version of the dune buggies seen in the first Transformers film. The figure has the same basic design as the vehicles from the film, but embelishes with additional parts and details. Details carried over from the real life Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicle include:

• The V shaped front end.
• Two armor plates over the top of the windshield.
• A curved section in the back that goes from wide in the center to thin in the back.
• A triangular raised detail on both sides of the vehicle towards the back.
• A rail can be found on the lower part of the vehicle on either side.
• A circle detail with lines inside of it on the back, flanked by a set of three tubes on either side.
• One raised headlight in the middle of the front section with another circular piece and a vertical tube next to it.
• The cage on the rear of the vehicle has four rectangular lights, just like the real life Chenowth.
• The outline around the windshield has raised circles representing the rivets holding that section in place.

Where the vehicle differs from the one seen in the film are extra details that were added on, as if this was an enhanced version of the original. These details include:

• The two large cannons mounted on the top.
• The wheels are the same size whereas the real life vehicle had different sized wheels in the front and back.
• The hood has two raised details that look like small versions of engines sticking out in the middle.
• There is a row of three lights mounted above the windshield.

In addition, there are several details you'll find that add to the realism of the figure including springs near the front tires, pistons near the rear tires and even seat details formed from parts of the robot arm inside the cabin area. There's no doubt that Dune Runner is one extremely well detailed figure, and I'm glad the modifications were added since it really helps differentiate him from Landmine.

In this mode, there is quite the combination of colors. Yellow, red, metallic blue, silver, olive green and even a light shade of gold all come into play here. The yellow is used for the front facing headlights on the vehicle while red is used on the rear lights. Metallic blue is found on both the windshield and the cannons on top. Silver is used for small details such as the Autobot symbol on the top of the cabin cover and the raised engine sections on the hood. Olive green makes up most of the vehicle including the front and sides. The light shade of gold comes into play on the rear section with the circle and pipes as well as the armor above the windshield and the grille on the front. On the sides of the vehicle the numbers "0318" are stamped in black along with a military crest with a sword and Autobot shield. I have to say this is really a nicely painted and detailed vehicle mode. I'm quite impressed by how intricate the color scheme is on a Scout Class figure.

In this mode, you can position Dune Runner's guns and roll him along on his four wheels. Since they have some raised details on them, I find they actually roll a bit better than the mostly smooth wheels you find on most Transformers.

Final Thoughts:
Dune Runner is a whole lot of awesome in a small package. He looks great, is based on a vehicle from the movies and has some cool weaponry and deco to boot. Highly recommended!