Transformers Prime Beast Hunters 2014 Predaking review

Predaking once began his life as a combiner in G1 before he would return years later in Transformers Prime as a dragon. Honestly, despite my issues with Beast Hunters' lack of Predacons, I like Predaking as an individual beast since he doesn't feel like yet another combiner. That said, he'a an odd one to go over since he changed sizes in the show and was later killed off in RID15, but in terms of merchandise, his figures haven't been too accurate to his robot mode, and the colors can be inconsistent at times. His 2013 figures were seen in mixed-positives lights, but how does the less-common 2014 figure stack up?

Here is the dragon mode in its translucent glory. What I mean by that is the fact that the wings are clear (something that Predaking toys haven't done before), but you can also see a bit of that from the body, where the dark gray plastic (which almost has a charcoal-purple look to it) is slightly translucent overall. The tail's fiery blade could go for a bit more of that translucent plastic, but at least the opaque orange looks good on the neck. Also worth noting is that the sharper parts of this toy are actually hard plastic, which is certainly a surprise for anyone that has held the regular Voyager in-hand. Only odd thing is that some parts of the toy aren't fully painted, like the forearms of the hind feet. Otherwise, this is an impressive dragon mode.

The poseability of the dragon mode is alright, with a hinge for the dragon head, shpulders that move front and back, in and out, and topped off with bicep swivels and elbow bends. The arm articulation is entirely unchanged for the robot mode. The hind legs only move front and back, but the wings can expand and hinge up and down.

The wingspan looks really cool for this toy. It's pretty massive in-hand while the wings themselves have some nicely etched veins to resemble ones that real dragons would have. Also looks great in clear plastic.

For a size comparison, here he is next to the Voyager version of the character. My old Voyager was a toy I amateurishly painted in 2013, so the added paint apps suck. Yeah, it's night and day. If you want to know how it looks next to Ultimate Predaking, their beast modes aren't the same in design but their sizes are close.

For a random comparison, here he is next to Studio Series Grimlock. It's crazy seeing how a one-time 2014 Voyager would somehow be as big as a 2018 Leader. 

Here is another look at the sizes of the beasts, where they can actually look eye to eye this time.

If there was a crossover story in Transformers fiction in the style of Ready Player One, I'd love to see these two battle in their beast modes, especially considering the strength they have almost rivaling one another.

Predaking's transformation is fairly basic compared to the last Voyager, yet at least has a bit more going on than the Ultimate version did. It's best summed up with straightening the arms, hinging the dragon neck onto the back, folding the wings up, and straightening the legs. The leg transformation isn't as cool as what the old Voyager had to offer, but it's a bit more involved than Ultimate Predaking's method. Still, the transformation's simplicity would normally seem like a bad thing, but here's the kicker: it's made for younger fans. See, this figure was made from a short-lived wave of Beast Hunters toys where Hasbro thought of making them oversized versions of the older figures, yet without looking too much like knockoffs. The result is debatable with Bumblebee, Smokescreen, Twinstrike, and Windrazor, the Deluxe figures that were chosen to be for Series 3, but the results turned out better than expected for Predaking and Optimus to some extent.

The robot mode looks really good this time around for Predaking! Not to say that the previous figures were awful, but they didn't quite have a more focused approach in making their designs look good. With Predaking, his colors aren't 100% accurate but the smokey look to him further makes him look a lot more sinister, while the spikey parts that would normally be rubberized on the old Voyager look sharp (while still not a safety hazard). The wings being made of clear plastic also helps make the toy pop along with the orange kneecaps and chest details, all without looking like safety caps. The deco does look a bit incomplete, though. I wish the forearms were entirely black while the biceps, claws, thighs, and feet were painted in silver. I also wish the shins had some gold paint added to give them a bit more solidity.

Here are the side and rear pics of the character design. The side doesn't bulk up the figure from the back too much, and the back almost gives it the look of a cape (despite the dragon head being exposed). The legs do look hollowed out from the back, but it at least it's somewhat forgiving on a figure made for younger fans at the time.

The face sculpt isn't quite prominent because of the lack of paint on it. It would really look cool if the face had some silver paint on it to look less hidden from the rest of the robot mode. I also wish the head spikes would be consistent.

Articulation is pretty good. The neck swivels left and right, and while the arm articulation is the same as with the beast mode, the legs have more movement this time around with hips that move front and back as well as in and out. The lower legs swivel above the knee while the knees bend, but the most surprising aspect is the fact that the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees are on ratchet joints. You wouldn't get that at all if it was an actual upscale.

The weapon he comes with is the tail he had in dragon mode. Like I said, I wish he had the blade in clear plastic, but the weapon does look nice overall with the fiery motif.

For a size comparison, here is the 2014 Voyager next to its 2013 counterpart. I have to say just how nice it is to have a Predaking that isn't as compromised by size as badly as the 2013 Voyager. Also, the colors, despite being translucent and not quite in the right shade, definitely feel less friendly than the 2013 Voyager. Even handling it isn't as annoying as with the 2013 Voyager, as the figure doesn't have any weird inconsistency with the joint tightness along with the lack of stupid rubber parts.

Is there even a need for a contest in terms of who beats who?

Here is a comparison with the much more expensive Ultimate Predaking. Ultimate Predaking does look pretty cool, don't get me wrong, but if you were to have both figures next to each other and consider the price, 2014 Predaking already is big enough and was more affordable, too. It's also great when he was discounted even more, costing 12 bucks in some shops.

Here is a comparison with Grimlock in robot mode, and I feel the sizes between the two work well (at least if they had an even height since Grimlock is bigger than he is in the movies while Predaking shrank in robot mode). 

Like I said, I want these two to fight each other someday. Maybe if someone was willing to make a comic crossover that wasn't exclusive at a convention and wasn't just a G1 circle jerk. As for Predaking himself, he's a surprisingly good toy! While there could be at least a few more paint apps, at least this figure manages to be a good example of a simplified Transformer done right. Despite transforming like the Cyberverse Commander figure, this guy is still a new mold nonetheless. Get this guy when you see him, though note that he should come with a pressure-fired missile launcher, which is basic and is otherwise not really needed since the figure's great as he is.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐