Dave's Beast Machines Rant:

     Buzzsaw
     Scavenger
     Mirage

     Well, Beast Machines finally hit Columbus this week.  Bought these three
at Target, where they had shelf tags up for the Deluxes as well, but no
Deluxes.  Then hit Wal-Mart and snagged the Megas (to be reviewed tomorrow,
need time to play with them first).

CAPSULES

     Buzzsaw: Decent beast mode, interesting transformation, okay robot
mode.  Gimmick is so-so.  Mildly recommended.  $6.99 at Target.
     Scavenger: Nifty weird vehicle mode, another intersting transformation
(yes, there's a pattern developing here), somewhat loose robot mode.  Nice
gimmick.  Recommended.  $6.99 at Target.
     Mirage: Cool vehicle mode, interesting and complex transformation for a
Basic, great robot mode and keen weapons.  Strongly recommended.  $6.99 at
Target. 


RANTS

     Before I go into the specific Rants, I want to comment on the packaging
for the Basics (I'll discuss Mega packaging tomorrow).  The cards are the
exact same size as the Basics cards from Beast Wars, although the design
makes them seem taller and narrower.  The word "Transformers" is written
along the left front side from bottom to top, with a smaller Beast Machines
logo at the top.  The art on the front of each card is identical, a
touched-up CGI Cheetor bust, with a spark glow behind the rectangular bubble
holding the toy.  The name of the toy is NOT on the front of the card, so you
can't just look down the top of a peg full of toys to see if there's any
copies of a particular toy.  Instead, the name of the toy and a picture of
the robot mode is on a sticker affixed to the front of the bubble.
     The back of each card also has "Transformers" up the left side.  The
techspecs use photos of the toy prototype in robot mode (not the final
product, however...this is important on Buzzsaw).  Altmode, function,
faction, quote and note are all included.  The numerical stats are in two
columns of four stats, and they've returned to integer values.  None of the
Basics are shown on the back of the Basic cards.  Rather, the Megas and first
two Deluxes are shown.  The rainbow-like "degree of difficulty" bar from
later TMII toys is retained, and continues to mean almost nothing now.  Just
a measure of what price point the toy is.


MAXIMAL: Buzzsaw
Altmode: Wasp
Function: Aerial Reconnaissance
Motto: "I float like a butterfly but sting like a bee!"  [Sure, Ali.]

Saved by Rattrap from the effects of the conversion-freezing virus, Buzzsaw
is grateful to the Maximal cause.  Impressive aerial abilities and tendency
towards gossip make him an excellent reconnaissance scout - likes to be the
buzz about town.  Multi-function stinger can pierce even the most
impenetrable armor and functions as a highly sensitive receiver/transmitter.
Slightly proud, often heard referring to himself as "the bee's knees," a
statement none of his Maximal associates can discern.

     [Oookay.  He should be grateful to the Maximals, or loyal to the Maximal
cause, but not grateful to the cause.  "Reconnaissance scout" is a bit
redundant, and impenetrable is impenetrable...no "most" about it.  Sounds a
lot more than SLIGHTLY proud.  And I think the writer just blindly used a
thesaurus here, since "discern" doesn't mean what he thinks it means.
"Decipher" would probably be a better word.]

STR 5  INT 6  SPD 8  END 8  RNK 7  COUR 4  FRP 5  SKL 9  Avg 6.5

     Twist-tie note: two ties securing it to the bubble.

     Beast Mode: 6" (15cm) from mandibles to stinger, with a full spread
wingspan of 6" as well.  Wings are fully poseable on ball joints, head can be
moved up and down or side to side, legs can move a bit at their "hips," not
too bad for a Basic-level insect.  The main part of the abdomen is connected
to the rest of the body by a spring that has a loop of string down the center
to keep the spring from being pulled out too far.  This is totally unlike the
picture on the techspecs, which shows a very loose spring wrapped around a
flexible plastic rod.  Guess they decided going with just a spring would work
better.  There's joints at both ends of the spring, so you can actually put
the wasp in a stinging position, with stinger thrust forward...the first TF
bee/wasp/hornet to be able to do so since Scorponok's cyberbee.  Overall,
pretty good poseability for a Basic.
     With the exception of the metal spring, Buzzsaw sticks to a neon
greenish yellow, a neon green, black, translucent red, and a translucent neon
greenish yellow, making for a reasonably good color scheme.  The red spark
crystal is concealed within the abdomen/claw, and since it's in a totally
translucent part, you can get a good glow from it.  The insect eyes are
translucent red as well, but not set up to glow.

     Transformation: The thorax of the beast mode is entirely made up of
folding panels, or at least it seems that way.  In a departure for insect
transformations, the wings actually become the legs and the abdomen becomes
one of the arms.  Most of the legs end up as shoulderpads, with two of them
forming a claw-hand on the other arm.  It was a bit tricky to figure out
without the instructions, but fairly easy to perform once you've figured it
out.  

     Robot Mode: 4.5" (11cm) tall, some have been calling this guy a shorty,
but he's as big as most BW Basics.  The robot mode does suffer from the
cleverness of the beast mode and the transformation, however.  He has no real
hands, with one arm ending in two insect legs and the other being his claw
(both arms have two good joints, however).  His legs suffer from Road Rocket
Syndrome, so-named after the Laser Cycle from G2 that has hips barely more
than a centimeter long and huge shins.  Buzzsaw has a bit better poseability
and stability than Road Rocket, though.  His only weapon is the stinger that
can extend from his claw (and I should note that the claw is kinda hard to
get open unless you have long fingernails).  All of the neon green plastic
(insect legs, robot head, stinger) is rubbery.  I don't just mean soft like
the usual softer plastic used in BW toys, but actually rubbery.  This may
have been an attempt to make the thin and spiny bits of the toy both safer
for kids and less likely to break.  It also makes the head easy to pop off
its ball joint.

     Overall: Looks pretty good in both modes, and has a nifty
transformation, but the robot mode lacks hands and tends to be harder to pose
because of joint positioning.  A decent toy, but it doesn't justify the
higher price as well as the others do.


VEHICON: Scavenger
Altmode: Destruction Vehicle
Function: Demolition Drone
Motto: "The road to ruin is short when I'm driving."

Perhaps Megatron's most horrific invention ever is his army of programmable
drones which unquestionably [unquestioningly] serve his every wish.  Falling
under Tankor's charge of specialized tank drones, Scavenger's application is
focused on [Scavenger focuses on] one thing; brute force.  Heavy armor makes
Scavenger practically unstoppable.  Galva-conductors on his back channel
deadly electric currents.  Enjoys nothing more than getting out and wrecking
something. 

STR 8  INT 2  SPD 4  END 6  RNK 4  COUR 9  FRP 7  SKL 5  Avg 5.625

     Twist-tie count: None, but a rubber band held his claws together.

     Vehicle Mode: 4.5" (11cm) long with a scoop crane that can rise to 4"
(10cm) high.  Olive green, black, silver, neon red-orange and translucent
yellow make this toy a bit garish, but compared to real life construction
vehicles, it'd fit right in.  In an interesting twist, he has a glowing eye
gimmick in vehicle mode...the "control tower" on his left side has a block of
clear yellow plastic in it and gives the glowing eye effect.  Folding down
the side of this tower reveals his green spark crystal (spark color seems to
no longer denote allegiance), but the two clear bits do not connect, so no
glowing spark effects.  
     The toy rolls along on two large rear wheels and two smaller front
wheels that are hidden within treads.  It rolls pretty well, and can even
turn because the jointing of the robot mode waist lets you swing the treads a
few degrees either way.  A pair of mostly silverchrome claws hang out the
back, but don't do much in this mode.
     The crane is a very nifty part of the toy.  It has a ball joint at its
base and a "hydraulic" hinge at the middle.  Pulling back on a rod at this
"elbow" joint causes the rock crushing mouth scoop to open up wide.  The
scoop also has positionable weapons on both sides (a gatling cannon and a
missile rack).  Whoops, correction on the base joint...it's a ball joint
*plus* a swivel, so you can get even more positions out of the crane.
     Definitely one of the coolest "Cybertronian" modes I've seen, and almost
worth the purchase price without being able to transform.

     Transformation: One of the weird things about this transformation is
that the main "deck" of the vehicle stays horizontal.  Flip up the rear wheel
assembly to become the shoulders, swing down the legs at the hips and do some
manipulation, and you're basically done.  The crane scoop becomes the chest,
with weapons pointing out.  The driver's cockpit remains upright at the
robot's side.  You can even fiddle with the legs a bit and get a treaded-leg
look if you want to go for a show-like appearance (not that Scavenger's on
the show, but none of the Vehicons have traditional legs/feet in the show).

     Robot Mode: About 4.25" (11cm) tall and hunchbacked, with his "head"
being a bit of eyes and nose poking up out of his chest.  Unfortunately, it
doesn't click into place, and will slide down easily.  At least it has
glowing eyes.  The arm jointing is weird, a "barbell" double ball joint that
turns inward, the wrong direction.  Essentially, you get an extra joint that
doesn't do anything.  Also, the shoulders don't snap into place very firmly
(they're held by a nub in a panel joint that only keeps them near the right
position, not locked on).
     On the plus side, he has these nice silvery claws on both arms, with
both fingers and thumbs movable.  The chrome doesn't go all the way to the
tips of the "fingers," but I think that's intentional, to simulate wear and
tear (or the mech-fluids of his enemies staining the claws).  He has a waist,
and the treads can be adjusted to act as extra-long heels if needed to
support a pose.  You can get some really nice dynamic poses out of this guy.
Unfortunately, his "gut" is a bit big as a result of his main deck remaining
horizontal, so turning his waist can make him look a little odd.
     The scoop gimmick still works in this mode, letting Scavenger use his
claws to pull an opponent close, then...CHOMP!

     Overall: After so many toys where the combat aspect is hidden or
downplayed, it's nice to see one that is so unabashedly out to blow things
up, in both modes.  A true Destructicon, to use an earlier name planned for
the toy.  If only some of the bits locked into position better and some of
the joints were better though-out, this would be an excellent toy.  As it
stands, it's still pretty good.


VEHICON: Mirage
Altmode: Indy Race Car [well, sorta]
Function: Warrior
Motto: "Eat My Dust!"

Mirage is a real trickster - and like most practical jokers, loves being
devious.   An experimental, high-speed weapon created by Megatron to breach
[bridge] the gap between Vehicon generals and their drones.  Still, not very
smart.  Would be useless without Megatron's supervision.  Enjoys playing
tricks on fellow Vehicons.  Can appear from out of nowhere to attack
Maximals.  Sneakiest and most elusive of all Vehicons.  Top speed of 300
miles per megacycle [er, why use real distance and fictional time?].  Can
instantly teleport up to 200 yards.  Wields piasma mine biaster [yes, piasma
mine biaster...someone OCR'ed this without checking it closely] and dual
missile launchers.  Unpopular amongst fellow warriors.

     [Why is it that the baddies always get the no-brain prankster goobs?]

STR 5  INT 4  SPD 8  END 7  RNK 5  COUR 6  FRP 7  SKL 7  Avg 6.125

     Twist-tie count: None, but had two rubber band wound elaborately
throughout its body.

     Vehicle Mode: 5" (12cm) long, not counting the missile ends sticking out
the back, which add an extra inch (2.5cm).  Dark turquoise with silver, black
and yellow accents, and a lot of clear blue plastic at the back.  Rolls well,
although mine seems a tiny bit off true and turns to the left a bit.  With
the missiles in proper position, the robot mode face is concealed.  Has
non-launching missiles molded onto his spoiler, plus a gun sticking out of
his driver's seat.  The clear blue missiles, which work on the Cyberjet
principle of pushing a ball-shaped bit past blockers, can be fired if you
lift the spoiler back a bit (it's the only part not pegged into position).
And if you want, the head can be rotated so that there's a face sitting over
the driver's seat.  Oh, and as far as appearance goes, the missiles form the
elaborate exhaust pipes of the main engine.  A few smaller exhaust pipes
stick out the center of the rear.  The topaz spark crystal is located under
the front cone of the car.

     Transformation: Pretty neat.  The spoiler and rear engine area become
the arms and torso, with lots of translucent plastic exposed.  The front end
of the car becomes a backpack rather than forming the chest as is traditional
(although you can easily rotate a few things and make the front of the car
the chestplate if you want, although the missile launchers will get in the
way).  There's some rather complex joints which let you turn the rear wheels
(with wheel covers) around and sideways to become the feet, but they don't
let you really put the wheels as "rollerblade" feet.  In fact, there's a
blocker that keep the wheels from touching surface in any but the correct
orientation.  So no skating Mirage.

     Robot Mode: 4.5" (11cm) tall, a little more if you leave the gun atop
his head.  Yep, he has a gun on his head which can be removed and held as a
pistol.  The first Basic with a gun in a while.  His shoulders are broad and
his chest narrow, giving him a slightly odd appearance in robot mode.  All of
the toy's clear blue plastic is exposed in this mode, which makes his upper
body clash a bit with his opaque lower body, but it's not a huge problem.  He
sort of has a glowing eyes trick, but the opening's too small and the plastic
too dark for it to work well, even in direct sunlight.  His head can move a
lot, but it looks out of place if it moves too much.  Very streamlined
faceplate, though.
     As some people have remarked, his missiles look kinda like hockey
sticks, although he can't hold them separately.  But he can deliver a wicked
high-sticking, yes?  Too bad his feet don't really do the rollerblade trick,
or he could be Roller Hockey Con.
     Mirage shares the puny thigh problem with Buzzsaw, but his big feet help
compensate for it when in action poses.  Unfortunately, the sides of his feet
are rounded, so he tends to rock back and forth a bit.

     Overall: He's very stable in both modes (lots of pegs and stiff panel
joints), has good weapons and looks pretty good in both modes.  Plus his
transformation is fairly challenging for a Basic.  I'm calling this one the
best of the trio, and well worth your money.  While not showing as much
promise as Scavenger, it doesn't have the many flaws of that toy.

     Group Overall: Due to design elements, these tend to look a little
smaller than the previous Basics, but they're actually just as big.  And all
three feature innovative transformation schemes and some nifty new gimmicks
on some.  A success, I say.

     Dave Van Domelen, has played with Cheetor a little and thinks the
transformation is more frustrating than interesting, but does have some nifty
bits nonetheless....