While I have recently dipped my toes into the original Beast Wars molds, even as far back as my review on Dinobot before Walmart reissued the vintage toys, I never did any Beast Machines reviews of any kind. Put simply, the line didn't have any real appeal to me due to the weird translation that comes from the abstract CGI models of the Maximals to the plastic toys that wouldn't mimic their conversions or organic accuracy that well. That and the scale was wack in addition to some figures having poor execution all around. I mean, I think the character designs were cool, but their figures would need a lot to work with if they wanted to be as close to the models as possible. The Vehicons, on the other hand, don't have that issue due to them being more technological. While they still have to deal with the stylized robot designs, there is quite a lot of potential that lies from making these unique designs into cool toys. And that's something I feel Hasbro did well for both the on-screen and off-screen characters! So let's take a look at the non-show Scavenger and the prominently shown Tankor!
Here is Scavenger in his vehicle mode. It's a destruction vehicle, which is quite the amusing distinction from the construction vehicle schtick that we see from Transformers. I mean, tanks and jets can be considered destruction vehicles for how militaristic they are, but it's still an amusing thing nonetheless. This guy's color scheme is similar to that of ROTF Bludgeon, who was made like a decade later. As far as the vehicle mode aesthetics are concerned, he's very abstract and unusual. He's got some missiles and a battling gun on the sides of the control tower, the tank treads stand out on the sides,, and the back has the wheels as well as the claws as well. The control tower can become a claw of sorts as you push on the lever on the back while moving the neck forward, which makes it reminiscent of the other Beast Machines Vehicons in terms of having their cockpits be the faces of the robot modes.
His transformation is the more involved of the two, as the legs hinge back while the treads swivel around. The back of the vehicle becomes the arms, the tower becomes the torso, and a new face flips up, revealing the hunchback design of Scavenger. This guy's so wicked in terms of design, though I gotta admit I wish he was a little more refined due to him not having any tabs to lick himself in place because of the transformation. It's weird, too, because he's not really a floppy mess beyond that. His design's more humanoid out of the other Vehicons due to him not having any unified legs or half-way point transformations, but it's neat that it's the case since he stands out from the others. His claws are in chrome with orange tips that are faded.
Head sculpt is nondescript, as it is on a mere panel where the light-piped spark crystal lies. His articulation consists of ball joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees while the claws are articulated via hinges.
As far as his repaints are concerned, this is Robots in Disguise 2001 Scavenger, who is given a rather friendly deco due to him being an Autobot in this universe. Kind of a weird choice, I admit, but hey, at least the claws are in gold chrome!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And this is the Tank Drone! This guy is definitely a scout-sized Tankor thanks to the color scheme, and it's funny because this is supposed to be the army-builder yet he's closer to the show model than the Mega Tankor figure is! I like this combination of gray, metallic blue, and reddish orange and yellow highlights on the figure, and there is also chrome applied. Sometimes, the chrome varies in terms of it fitting with the toys or not, but this is on the G1 levels of things where it fits well, and less so on the Transmetal gimmicky nature or the Henkei/Age of Extinction levels of over-the-top. When you hinge the cannon back on the gear and roll it forward, it can launch a missile as the barrel spins like in the show.
Transformation is a little simpler for the Tank drone, as the back becomes the arms, the front threads become the legs, and the middle portion becomes the torso. It may seem similar to what Scavenger did, but the transformations are otherwise distinct from each other, thankfully. He even has a waist swivel! The resulting robot mode is very retro beep-boop robot thanks to the chrome, the colors, and the legs almost being perfect for a wind-up walking gimmick. Beast Machines' Vehicons may seem less normal than the average Transformer, but that's the charm of their designs: they vary from their practicality being different, from the sleekness of Jetstorm to the speed of Thrust and the brutish strength of Tankor. And the Tank drone captures that well, I'd say! Some may find the wheel on the right shoulder pad distracting, but that's the only major issue.
Head sculpt is more distinct than Scavenger's, though he doesn't have his mouth open like Tankor did in cartoony fashion (still more expressive than any of the robots in Energon). His articulation is much more restricted due to his design, as the shoulders rotate with varying results while the neck can turn and the elbows can bend. The shoulder cannon can be placed downward and point forward at any of his victims.
Tank Drone has some additional repaints to go for, this one being Beast Wars Returns (which is the Japanese version of Beast Machines) Tankor. Yes, the Tank Drone figure that looked closer to the character model of Tankor, was given the colors of the Tank Drone in Japan...and no, they didn't repaint the Mega Class figure in the show-accurate colors. And yes, this Tankor would be out of scale with the others. It also looks worse. I mean, as the Tank Drones, it is fine overall, but Tankor has that delicious metallic/chrome look to him that this toy lacks.
And this is Universe Stockade, who is in a color scheme reminiscent of giraffes...yeah, and he's an Autobot too. He feels too much like a knockoff, honestly. And I wouldn't get this one just because he looks inferior to the Tank Drone.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment