Beast Wars knew how to do G1 fanservice right, compared to some modern attempts at doing the schtick. See, instead of going for the minimum effort of making forgettable crossovers and making people think that the licensed novelties matter more than the official War for Cybertron stuff, Mainframe previously had Starscream had a guest appearance that made sense and didn't feel like he'd take the spotlight of everyone else. The same went for the G1 characters shown in Season 2 and 3, who were pretty much in stasis lock, but Ravage's guest appearance in The Agenda and the original Megatron's cameo from the Golden Disk combined with the Maximals living in the Ark after the Axalon was damaged made for a focus on the G1 stuff without overthrowing the characters that were already in the show. See, Hasbro, you can let your then-new stuff get all the attention without suddenly making G1 the main focus out of nowhere like you did with Studio Series 86! Ravage himself was given a new body and went from Decepticon to Predacon, and his more independent form granted him a robot mode even though he still turned into a cassette. Anyways, onto the review!
If you wanted to see something not many people know about with the G1 Cassettes if they have them but not the WFC Micromaster partners for Soundwave (or vice versa), here is G1 Ravage next to the WFC Trilogy Netflix version of the character, seen here painted to look as cassette-like as possible. The attempt is appreciative, and I'm sure it looks better than the other one, but I won't lie when I say that the G1 version looks much more convincing if you ask me.
Transformation is pretty simple, for the guy, as you have the beast head to flip out, animal legs to straighten, tail to flip out, and the rockets to attach near the rump. The jaguar mode is very flat, especially when viewed from the front, but I think it was neat that Takara engineers managed to make an animal out of a shape (especially since this was a Micro Change guy before he was repurposed as Ravage by Hasbro). The design is pretty decent, and the cannons do give him an extra bit of width at the very least. Of note, the die-cast parts on him are not chrome like on the G1 toy but are instead in the bare-metal look of the Masterpiece Movie figures. That looked more appropriate for those figures because it better suits the real-world look, yet this clashes with the G1 guys since they look worn out (and the figure's guns are chromed, too). While he is articulated in the legs and a bit at the head and tail, it's not easy to pose him without him falling over.
For a jaguar mode comparison, here he is with the previously shown Netflix WFC Ravage. The size is different between the two, but my god does the WFC version look thicc. It's a little more fitting for someone like Steeljaw, but I never really liked how the WFC version of Ravage looked. The G1 toy does a better job of being more like a jaguar, but the Universe version is the best mainline approach.
And here we have the Covert Agent side of things, with the Deluxe-ish Ravage in his beast mode. He never transformed in the show, but this is a reference to the fact that he transformed in the Takara version of the Beast Wars toyline (which had a Ravage figure of its own). This beast mode is certainly a mix between organic and robotic compared to the other characters in the line, and it mainly boils down to the fact that it reuses parts while also striving for the robot mode accuracy. The jaguar mode we end up with is done up rather well, with a good amount of anatomy kept intact while striving to be a transforming toy, and the proportions are made to fit a jaguar more given how its stature differs from the cheetah or some of the sleeker feline predators. The legs of the robot and beast mode are the same that came with Shadow Panther (which we'll get to), though I will mention that you may have had a copy with swapped parts. It should be easy to switch the jaguar legs around, no problem, given how it's all on ball joints.
The beast mode definitely starts to show how much it favors the robot mode from the sides because the weapon storage is a vague echo of the G1 toy's rocket launchers. Of course, they're pointed backwards, but it's still amusing nonetheless. I won't deny that the thighs being unchanged for the robot is amusing since everyone else hides their robot parts better than him despite him being the more premium toy. That said, Ravage's articulation is a little better than the other guys: his legs have most of the same range as the original Cheetor figure, but the waist swivel is freer for him, his tail can move up and down, and the head can turn left and right on top of an articulated jaw. Some of the added points give him more posing options that the original Cheetor tooling lacked because of how that figure transformed its beast mode torso, which is different from Ravage's as some of the beast mode parts Cheetor had were used for the robot mode design. Since it's the same as on the robot mode, I should mention that it's going to deviate itself from the show as it prioritizes being used for the beast mode as much as it has to be screen-accurate, so it may not look 1:1, but more importantly, it also has the added fur sculpt work that the CG model didn't have given how it was smooth and shiny from the CGI quality at the time.
For a beast mode comparison, here he is next to Shadow Panther, who may look like Ravage to some less experienced fans. So basically, Shadow Panther began life as a Takara-exclusive repaint in their BW line before Hasbro brought him to their defunct collector's site to tie-in with a release of a Walmart Tripredacus Agent repaint of Transmetal 2 Cheetor, the black repaint of Cheetor went from being called Shadow Panther to Tripredacus Agent with a new bio making him less of an evil clone to hide among the Maximals to being a new take on Ravage. Amusingly, Hasbro never imported the actual Ravage. Anyways, both of these two have different proportions, with Ravage being taller, bulkier, and having added articulation. The head sculpt is especially where it stands out, with the different design and head movement that doesn't have it stuck facing down.
Transformation is very different from Cheetor when going from the waist up, as the torso doesn't change due to it being a more humanoid chest design like in the show, so it has to open up in order for the arms to hinge out and unfold while the organic part of the body that has the jaguar head has to hide inside the torso and the front legs go on the back all the way (differently from the Cheetor tooling where they hang on the shoulder parts. The tail stays in place, and the beast head becomes the robot head. The resulting robot mode ends up being very faithful to the show model apart from some transforming toy liberties and reused parts, but it kind of struck me that he looks a little weird for his proportions. The torso is at a superhero-like V shape, yet the skinny arms and thick legs make him look a tad obese. It may just be from how the figure is designed, but it is a thing you can't unsee, especially when they don't go all the way down because of the tabs used to secure them. The new parts are plentiful for the robot mode, even the thighs are new for this guy. The kibble does hang to the back, but at least it does so in a decent manner and don't get undone like with the Cheetor figure.
Head sculpt is the same as before, so I'll mention that he has just about the same articulation that Cheetor had for the robot mode, though his arms have double-jointed elbows. His jaw not only has added paint for the teeth and tongue to further make him look more complete, but he also benefits from having more display options for photos to take. Ravage comes with two guns that don't seem blast effect compatibility but are decently painted like they are in the show. The designs are a bit generic, though. Comparing him to the original Metals Ravage, and you can see how night and day they are when it comes to accuracy. The original figure, being a retool of Transmetal Cheetor, tries to be closer to the cartoon design yet ends up being more robotic and not as slender as the new guy. The head is especially distinct, looking nothing like how it did in the show. That being said, both figures are good in their own right, with one being the more show-accurate approach and the other being a more fun toy to handle (on top of the Transmetal figures still being good from what I have seen in reviews).
I should mention that the backdrop this figure comes with is reminiscent of the Studio Series backdrops as well as the Pit of Judgement set from the WFC line. This guy takes it a step further by making a more interesting design. Honestly, with how often we've seen the same locations for the Studio Series line (apart from 86 ones though I don't own the boxes for those because they don't fit the same approach), so I was happy to see how this one spices things up as a diorama. It's angled differently for the inset part of it, there is no base that has the logos or other nonsense, it's sturdier than the other options, and there is a bit of interactivity for the cassette deck meant for the G1 toy. It's even displayed in mid-air thanks to the plastic tray! I'd say this outdoes ANY of the Studio Series backdrops. And here he is with Shadow Panther for a comparison, which shows you that the two really aren't anything alike. Their lower legs are pretty similar, but that's the only main thing reused between figures. Shadow Panther is basically a mostly black Cheetor with a new mutant head in homage to the old toy. Ravage, on the other hand, is a wholly new design that was loosely inspired by Transmetal Ravage. The shades of black between the two are the same, but the silver on Ravage isn't as shiny as it is on Shadow Panther, and Shadow Panther has black pins instead of silver like with Ravage. Oh, and you can store the guns on the hips, though they do bulk up the already bulky legs a little more.
And here he is with the Season 1 Predacon cast, which is appreciative since adding Dinobot with the Maximals, we'd get 7 characters for the main team and a lot of underrepresentation for the Preds (if you exclude the non-show toys). He's also of a decent height that doesn't feel too undersized when put next to Megatron. Terrorsaur is far away in 2022 while Tarantulas and Inferno have yet to be made. So now what with Covert Agent Ravage? Well, he's currently priced at $52.99, which is rather overpriced when some initial listings had a lower price. Apart from the packaging and backdrop, you're mainly getting a Deluxe figure with a bit of budget, which makes him feel similar to Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, who was a Deluxe figure with Voyager engineering and an increased accessory count. On top of that, he comes with a reissue of G1 Ravage that has die-cast parts kept intact. The set itself is nicely done, and is more accessible than any figure from the Collector's Club from years ago, but I must confess that the price is not worth it for those that have to buy plenty of things in 2021, especially with Kingdom being a massive line as well as having Studio Series, Generations Selects, and any remnants of Siege and Earthrise. That or if you took advantage of any gift cards for select shops and used the normal money for Hasbro Pulse or BBTS. I doubt this guy will have a discount on Hasbro Pulse, so the set is up to you if you want to get it right away.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment