Transformers Studio Series Rampage review

Rampage's incarnations have varied quite a bit. Once, he's a Predacon bull, then there was an unrelated Beast Wars Predacon that was a Transmetal crab, and ROTF gives us a Constructicon with no legs but a tail. Funny enough, he was yellow in older merchandise while the robot we have here is called "Skipjack" in the credits. He wasn't as prominent as some of the other robots in Revenge, and his only line was the name of the human friend of the Autobots, Sam Witwicky. Despite this, I do like the scene where Sam was willing to stand in front of the Decepticon to protect Mikaela as well as his kidnapped parents (something most movie-haters forget about, but their loss). The battle with Bumblebee was also pretty cool, especially when the yellow scout had to make do with getting moved around with Mikaela and the tow truck that resembles Longarm. So Rampage may have one stand-out scene, but perhaps he could make up for it with a better toy than the one made in 2009, right?

UPDATE (7/17/20): Skipjack added for repaint history

Here is Rampage in vehicle mode, a red bulldozer with a really nice amount of silver paint on the shovel blade. While the rest of the vehicle is somewhat sparse in paint apps, at least the gears found within the treads have some paint to stand out among while the cockpit has dark blue windows to contrast from the black frame. It's a good looking vehicle, though I can't help but feel that its proportions seem somewhat off from how they should look. They have the real-world details of a bulldozer, yet the proportions look a bit more toyish in comparison, what with the cockpit looking a bit oversized, the shovel blade not being as wide as it normally would be, and the treads looking a bit stylized. It's not a killer, but it's something I have to mention since the way the vehicle mode looks varied between previous toys and the brief glimpses of either the red or yellow Rampages in the movie.

It's a pretty good alt mode despite having some of the toyish nature of other construction vehicles, though some parts of the robot mode are visible, like the parts holding up the shovel blade and the hands. Also, I really hate the color patching with the red bars that tab onto each other. There's a part of it that's painted red, while the other parts are red plastics with different shades.

From the bottom, you can store the base from underneath so it won't be lost. That's a neat method of storage, where it's subtle and doesn't get in the way.

Transformation is fairly involved, and moreso than I originally thought. I didn't expect that it'd have steps revolving around the mermaid tail and making the arms look more clawlike than one would expect. Regardless, I think it works pretty well, even if the cockpit remains unchanged from the rest of the toy while the shovel has nowhere else to go. Transforming the claws is fairly involved, but I hate the hinges that have the wheels attached to them; they feel thin and could break at any moment. Thankfully, they have yet to be snapped off, though I know that they have a chance of doing so with anyone that isn't being careful when transforming this figure.

The robot mode's certainly unique. It's got big claws and no legs whatsoever, so the best I can think of for that lower portion is a mermaid tail of his. I know that's not what it really is, but it's the best term I can call it. Thankfully, he has a stand to keep him up, because as cool as he looks, he won't be up on that 5mm hole. Either way, it's a neat design, and compared to the old ROTF figure, which opted to have a 4-legged mode due to the jackhammer mode not being the main mode (and with the red is oddly reminiscent of Overload), at least the newer figure captures the look of Rampage better in my opinion. There is still a bit more gray around the figure along with the reds and blacks, though if you look very closely, you can see some WARNING labels in yellow and black around his armpits. Wonder if it's because they don't smell too well (I'll stop).

Side profile looks decent, but the back doesn't have anything special going for it. It's almost like Rampage was covered up by the cockpit and the shovel. At least the arms still look different than when they were treads.

Headsculpt is certainly mean-looking. It's got the squinting look that the character had, but it fills up the Decepticon checklist: angry looking head, alien mouth, red eyes. At least the head is red, and I can still hear him shout "Saaaam Witwiiiiiiicky!" like in Revenge of the Fallen.

Articulation's a weird aspect of this toy due to the design. The head is on a ball joint and on somewhat of a hinge for looking left and right, and the shoulders can move forward and back as well as in and out. The biceps sort of swivel, but there are no elbow joints. It's possible to have added them, but they might get in the way of the red pieces housing the wheels. The claws are decently poseable, with one for the inner fingers while the outer two move a bit more freely. If you want, you can hinge with the hinge and ratchet joints of the torso for a more squat look.

These two gray piston pieces can be removed from the body, though it seems odd that this would be done due to how small they are. While his weapons didn't look like they stood out from the rest of his hand, these stand out even less because some fans may think they're only for decoration.

However, they can fit under his inner fingers to make him look like he's armed with guns smaller than his fingers.

Now, I'm not sure if anyone else mentioned this in their reviews, but this figure is misassembled on all copies. The top shows what the misassembly looks like, while the proper assembly has the details in the right format. The robot mode details are visible in vehicle mode while the robot mode details are in the vehicle mode. It doesn't affect the transformation, and it is a subtle misassembly, but I don't think it'll be easy to fix the joint.

Here is Rampage in his leg mode. The transformation is more involved here, but I don't mind it. It makes the combination with Devastator feel more engaging than before, moreso than the Legends Devastator or the crappy Supreme figure. It's also a decent portion of the leg, with the rest of the leg soon to be completed by Overload when he comes out. It does look like it's a messed up bulldozer from the back, but it's acceptable. It's also the mode where you can have it pivot and hinge forward, though I'm sure it'll be hard to pose him with Devastator's weight. Also, Rampage wasn't really with Devastator; a yellow lookalike was the Constructicon that combined with Devastator, which is why there's a yellow leg next to Long Haul. A repaint based on Skipjack should come out later in the line.

This figure is the only Constructicon to be repainted. Meet Skipjack, a yellow repaint of Rampage that replaces everything that's red except for the eyes. This is only recommended for the fans that want to get a screen accurate left leg for Devastator.

This figure is one of the first offerings of the Constructicons in the Studio Series line, and I think it's a decent stab at the character design. The vehicle mode doesn't look too bad despite the slight toyish look to it, the transformation to robot mode is alright, the robot mode's pretty cool (save for the lack of elbow joints and the negligible accessories), and the leg mode's pretty decent. While Rampage is more suited in action poses, you'll really need a flight stand to make the poses more effective. Those that don't want to complete Devastator may not want to get this figure unless its on clearance.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Beast Wars Dinobot review

While most fans think of the term "Dinobot" as exclusive to the team of dinosaur Transformers from G1, I feel that the Beast Wars Predacon turned Maximal deserves the spotlight even more. He's a warrior who believes in honor, he slowly respects the Maximals he once didn't see optic to optic with, and he even saved mankind with the last of his energy. This doesn't translate as well on the toy, which looks a lot bulkier and doesn't even have a mouth. Of course, the toys came out long before the cartoon did, and while Mainframe Entertainment did initially have models based off the toys, they were later streamlined to look a lot less clunky. Of course, Season 2 and 3's Beast Wars characters were generally closer to the toys, with minor differences. Does this mean the original Beast Wars figures are awful because they're not accurate?

Here is Dinobot's Velociraptor mode. While many now realize that velociraptors have feathers, this beast mode came from around a time when velociraptors were more recognized by how they looked in Jurassic Park. The color scheme, while inaccurate, doesn't look too bad, what with the pinkish skin and the black stripes to make it more visually interesting. I also love how the eyes are painted as well as how the skin's textured to look a lot less smooth. However, like most early Beast Wars figures, it suffers from exposed robot parts ruining the look of the organic beast mode. It's a trend most figures go through when they're based on real animals instead of the more robotic designs. Here, Dinobot's legs mess up the appearance, as does the gap where the dinosaur neck is. I guess the legs could git in better with this mode if they were colored or even textured to somewhat fit in, but having them in clear plastic is not so hot. This is a bit of a nitpick, but I wish the claws are painted better.

Articulation's alright for what it is, though the bulk of the beast mode kind of makes it hard to pose right. The jaw opens, the little dino arms move around slightly on ball joints, and the legs move front and back as well as in and out. Even the knees bend while the toes can open and close. The tail doesn't do anything, but check out that button sticking out! Also, because of how the tail becomes a spinning blade, it's easy to mess up the alignment of the deco.

The transformation may be somewhat basic at first glance, but it does have a bit more going on compared to other velociraptor-based Transformers. The tail does come off, making this somewhat of a partformer. The leg transformation is nothing new and is part of similar Transformers like Grimlock. What makes up the sides of the torso is pretty interesting, as they swivel up to complete the look, even if they have a bit of a gap on either side.

Dinobot's robot mode looks different from the cartoon design because the toys came first while the cartoons came second, as previously mentioned. It's nowhere near as sleek as the character looked in the show, and the design, while not awful, isn't correct to how Dinobot normally looks. The show has him as a more refined robot that was also one of the tallest characters in the show, while he looks pretty chunky here. It's especially noticeable on the sides, which have the dino head stick out as well as having quite a bit off kibble on the back. I guess it wasn't too bad before anyone ever saw the show, though it's one of those cases where you can tell how disconnected the toy designers and the showrunners were in this instance in terms of keeping robots fairly consistent at least during Season 1.

The head sculpt is one of the signs of inaccuracy that Dinobot has, what with its color scheme and its design not matching up to how he looks in the show. For example, he has a mouthplate! The thing I find weird is that the back of the head has some grange exposed, which would kind of evoke how light piping is seen from the back of a Transformer's head, but it's painted like the eyes. Yeah, I don't get it either.

The image next to the head shows Dinobot with the mutant head halves that the earlier Beast Wars toys had. These were never in the show, and they got in the way when they weren't put together. Fans actually removed these on purpose since they looked bad.

Articulation is not too bad, especially since the later G2 and early Beast Wars figures began to use ball joints. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back on swivels as well as in and out on hinges. The biceps swivel and the elbows bend. The fingers can open if you want for added movement. Hips move front and back as well as in and out on ball joints while the knees also bend on ball joints.

One of his weapons uses the tail, splitting in half to become a Cyber Slash tail weapon. There's also a button below to have it spin.

The one accessory that I'm sadly missing is the Energo-Drill sword, which could honestly go for some silver paint if I ever find one. It could peg into the hole of the rotary blade. This weapon also completed the look of the tail because without it, the tail looks like it's got the tip cut off.

This figure went unchanged for a Japanese two-pack with Tarantulas. For a while, Takara didn't alter the Beast Wars toys until their next version came out.

The later-released Japanese Dinobot gives the figure a darker tan, a bronze helmet, and red eyes, but is otherwise similar to the American version. This is one that fans may not really have to go out for in my opinion.

Next up is the Fox Kids version of Dinobot, giving him a lighter gray with red markings. It doesn't look too appealing, but the silver interior of the blades is nice. The deco itself just looks like he's got skin burns, and parts of the dino mode don't match the rest of the beast mode, mainly the hips/shoulders and the dino arms.

This is the 10th-anniversary version of Beast Wars Dinobot. It's better painted than the original version, but the colors aren't quite right. I guess it's alright in robot mode, but the beast mode doesn't look correct. A Maximal symbol was added onto the figure, even though it's not show-accurate; Dinobot never saw himself as a true Maximal. This figure has an awful fate of Gold Plastic Syndrome in 2013, so don't buy this one unless you're super lucky or know how to prevent GPS.

Finally, this is the Telemocha Dinobot, from TakaraTomy's Beast Wars own 10th-anniversary line. It's not too shabby, though it is known for having a mouth as a paint app. By this point, it's safe to assume that the toy has been retired because the design of this toy and the colors from the show can't quite be as accurate as they could be when combined. The mutant head halves now have deco added on them.

In terms of other characters, this is Grimlock, a dalmatian-colored repaint of the mold. This version now has ratcheting shoulders, which is what most repaints of the mold use. He's also a sufferer of GPS, but he kind of brought back rub signs with the not-seen Energon chip)

The next figure is a heavy retool of the old Dinobot mold, and is first reused as Thrustor, who has nothing to do with the G1 Conehead Seeker. While it's odd to see a more prominent character's figure be retooled into someone else, at least the differences make this figure look a lot more unique. The weapons he owns are awesome!

Next up, it's Hardhead, who has less extensive retooling but does have a nice color scheme. Its feature is that the silver head moves up when the jaw's opened. Somewhat reminded of the Cephlazord from Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.

Hardhead was repainted for the Beast Machines line as Dinotron (creative name), this time with green, black spots, and a bright yellow forehead.

Another Grimlock was made from this mold, this time for the Dinobots subline and with a deco similar to the Fox Kids version, but the colors somewhat resemble the G1 incarnation. This figure has an Autobot insignia on the forehead, and came in a two-pack with Terranotron, a repaint of Terrorsaur.

This figure may not scream "legendary warrior", but it's still fine to own if you're into collecting toys that are inaccurate but do represent a version of a character. I'm sure fans will be more interested in buying the Henkei or Masterpiece Dinobots, but this is at least a better toy despite its inaccuracies than, say, most of the older G1 figures. Looking at you, Ratchet and Ironhide (this is setting aside the fact that they're Diaclone carryovers).

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Energon Rodimus review

In Transformers Energon, Rodimus was a new incarnation of the "Hot Rod" character. Instead of being a futuristic sports car with an engine, he's a red truck with a transformation mimicking that of Combat Hero Optimus. Also, he has a long nose with flames, quite a bit before Movie Optimus Prime made his debut in 2007! I'm sure most will scoff at the Energon cartoon for its animation quality and the plot overall, but there was a bit to love about that series. Rodimus is one of the stronger characters, even if he was later put under Optimus's command. While Hot Rods were normally seen as young and reckless, seeing this more serious take on the Rodimus Prime character was neat, and kind of better than the lackluster version of the character from the cartoon. Now, given how Energon was known for having Autobots lack articulation (at least for the Deluxes), does Rodimus hold up along with recent offerings?

Here we have Rodimus in his vehicle mode, and what a vehicle mode we have here! It's almost as if Laser Prime and Rodimus Prime had a love child of their own, but it looks very nice! I love the deco, what with the gold flames, the silver stacks, the metallic light blue windows contrasting from the darker reds, and even the bronze grill and rims look decent! While the truck mode does have a more toyetic look compared to other trucks we got before an after, it does benefit this figure altogether, and hey, it makes a better truck mode than Energon Prime. I do wish there was some gold paint on the details that resemble the stripes on G1 Prime's trailer, but I guess that would get scraped off from having it move around the floor.

It's overall a nice take on the altmode, though I can't help but think of Mike's New Car when I see the tires. While trucks have six tires, this one gives me a vibe of how the car was designed, especially with the...spoiler? Yeah, between the spoiler of the truck, the front tires being larger than the rear tires, and the fact that it's a Cybertronic vehicle from the Unicron trilogy, it does look "Playskool" compared to other trucks, but at least it fits this take of Rodimus.

There are two interesting symbols found on this toy. One is transparent and is the Energon Star port, which can use the stars that came with Scout figures to recreate a larger Transformer getting an energy boost, while the other is a less detailed and somewhat negligible Powerlinx symbol in silver, which is colored as such for Deluxe Autobots.

Rodimus's transformation feels similar to Combat Hero Optimus Prime's, mainly with how it's not a traditional truck transformation and involves making the cab the chest while attempting to make some form of chest unrelated to the alt mode. What I do like is that the fists are on somewhat of a rotating joint to have them in either as boosters or as fists. That's something you don't see very often. As for the head, it's on plenty of hinges that bring it onto the torso. The legs are generally basic in comparison because of their steps, what with the sides of the cab becoming soles for the feet and big heels swiveling out.

The robot mode itself is pretty nice-looking for the most part. Maybe not as nice to some, but I appreciate it not being too slavish to the G1 Rodimus Prime design. I dig the torso as well as the big tires somewhat resembling cannons, but I kind of wish his head wasn't too small. Thankfully, this figure's head looks nice, as it has an "older" look compared to G1 Rodimus Prime. I even like the yellow highlights near the head, which is what Classics Rodimus pays tribute to.

The side profile may give the impression that he has big feet and the back is oddly hollow, but it does have a bit of that Energon charm of the hips going up real high. Weird how even if this Deluxe has more mass compared to modern Deluxes and even Voyagers yet has somewhat hollow shoulders.

Articulation's alright, though somewhat limited. Head is on a ball joint yet doesn't have real movement because it's on a stem rather than having a real neck. Shoulders are on ball joints while the arms somewhat hinge in and out. The elbows bend on ball joints and serve as the swivels at the elbows. Hips move front and back as well as in and out on ratchets, and the skirt piece moves up for the added range. The knees bend at 90 degrees, also on ratchets. They're the joints close to the fists, btw.

Here is Rodimus in the pants mode. Basically, you reconfigure the upper part of the robot and make some junk in the trunk. Beyond that, the legs look like they had the torso sliced off.

Here he is in his torso mode. This mode's more involved than the pants mode, and it kind of has the spoiler from G1 in a way. Head looks just as small, and the hands should use some paint, but without another Energon partner, Rodimus lacks the context of Powerlinx thanks to fellow Transformers fan Carnivius saying that Rodimus is ready for some Energon love. Yeah, I wish I had at least one more Autobot fpr Rodimus.

Sadly, my Rodimus is missing the gun and missile, but here is what they look like. They're cast in transparent plastic and are one of my favorite things about the Energon weapons. Sometimes, it's neat to have a weapon that's not siover or black at times! These plug onto the spoiler and serve as a rocket booster.

There have been a few repaints of this toy. This is a magazine giveaway from Takara back in 2004, where Superlink Rodimus Convoy: Black Version was a prize for Transformers fans. Superlink is he Japanese name for Energon (and Powerlinx too). Looks like it was burnt badly; maybe some purple would make it look cooler and reminiscent of Shattered Glass Rodimus, right?

The next two are gold and silver prizes from Takara Tomy. These lucky draw blingers are nothing but rare gems that Takara does with dipping toys in chrome every year. Fans could have either silver or gold.

These Hasbro repaints are a bit more interesting due to them representing other characters. This is Checkpoint, who came in a two-pack with a G1-colored Prowl while also resembling Prowl himself. That head even has the red crescent, too. While it may be seen as yet another Unicron Trilogy repaint, the fact that it resembles Prowl is amusing to me.

This is Thunderclash, who does wear the Energon Rodimus mold decently. While it does look more like a prototype in comparison, that's how Thunderclash's colors are. And hey, they still look nicer than Machine Wars Prime.

At the same convention, Thunderclash had a Shattered Glass variant. This one looks a lot more like a prototype in comparison, what with the use of white and teal in a not-so-sleek palette.

This figure probably won't be on everyone's wishlist, but it is one of the more unique looking Rodimus figures out there. Truck mode may be the best part, but the robot mode is fine save for the big feet, limited articulation, and the small head. I feel you're good enough with regular Rodimus than getting any of the repaints. Don't forget a Powerlinx partner, though.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐