Dave's Animorphs Rant:

     Jake/Lizard

     Well, good thing I hit a Taco Bell during the dead part of the
afternoon, because I ended up making the worker dig through a few boxes of
Rachels to find the Jakes hidden at the bottom for next week.  If there had
been a line behind me, I'm not sure I would have gotten out alive....

JAKE/LIZARD

     Beast mode is 7" (18cm) long from snout to tail, although nearly half of
that is tail.  The tail is the toy's main gimmick, having one swivel at its
base and four hinges along its length.  All four legs can move at the hips,
and the sides fold around the human very well, leaving only the lower legs
sticking out the backside...which has the unfortunate appearance of making it
look like Jake tried to hide by jumping up the butt of a lizard.  However,
Jake has the same movable pelvis design that Rachel does, so you can fold his
legs over entirely.  This isn't a huge improvement, though, since now his
feet stick out under the lizard's head.
     Transformation involves pulling the side panels away from the body,
folding the legs down if you have them folded up in beast mode, and then
pulling the head down over Jake's pelvis.  The side panels are also
removable, the same "bug advertised as a feature" that Rachel's wings and
insect legs have.
     Jake is 3.5" (9cm) tall at the head, plus a little more for beast
kibble.  As with the others, his shoulders, hips and knees move, and his neck
moves a little.  Unlike the other three, who all fold their beast heads back,
his rests over his pelvis like a reptilian loincloth.  Because of the way the
head is hinged onto Jake's shoulders, he's more broad-shouldered than the
others as well.  The lizard tail helps with stability standing Jake up in
this mode, and the rear lizard feet can be pulled down to further help.
     Overall, another nice toy, especially considering it's a buck.  I expect
the profit margin on this one is thinner than on regular toys because it
comes out of the advertising budget, but I think if they'd sold this type of
toy in stores for, say, $2 a pop, maybe $3, it would have been a hit.  If you
have a Taco Bell in your area, start pestering them for these toys before
they go away.

     Dave Van Domelen, or wait a few months and buy them for 50 cents each at
flea markets....