Dave's Basic Beast Machines Rant: Motorcycle Drone Spy Streak Battle Unicorn Managed to get Motorcycle Drone and Spy Streak at two different Targets over the course of a weekend, then a friend managed to find Battle Unicorn at Wal-Mart a few weeks later (it shipped in the second batch of new Basics). CAPSULES Motorcycle Drone: Good vehicle mode, good transformation with some very clever touchess, okay spark gimmick, good robot mode. An all around good toy. Strongly recommended. $6.99 at Target. Spy Streak: Decent vehicle mode, fairly simple but interesting transformation, good gimmicks, somewhat bulky and hard to pose robot mode. Recommended. $6.99 at Target. Battle Unicorn: Pretty good, if bulky, beast mode, interesting gimmick, good poseability. Transformation is fairly simple, but not just a retread of other quadrupeds (kinda like BW Silverbolt's). Okay, but very bulky, samurai-like robot mode. Recommended. $6.67 at Wal-Mart. RANTS VEHICON: Motorcycle Drone Altmode: Motorcycle Function: Vehicon Mobile Infantry Motto: "Run 'em down!" Edited Note: The most maneuverable of the land-based Vehicon drones, each Motorcycle Drone is a lethal adversary for the Maximals. Commanded by the Vehicon general Thrust, each Motorcycle Drone is capable of extreme speeds and amazing handling. These drones are outfitted with enormous amounts of firepower. In vehicle mode, they can fire cyclotronic pulses from their front wheels while popping a wheelie. In robot mode, one arm functions as a rapid-fire energy pulse weapon, the other as either a grappling hook or a spark extractor, depending on their mission. STR 6.5 INT 5 SPD 8 END 8 RNK 5 COUR 8 FRP 7 SKL 7.2 Avg 6.84 Pretty smart for drones. The note is actually not too bad as-is, I just clarified some grammar, added the "cyclotronic pulses" pun and the spark extractor. MD does not have a "try me" feature, but that seems limited to Deluxe-level toys anyway. One twist-tie and two rubber bands (one of which is devilishly wrapped around all sorts of stuff) hold it together in the package. The picture on the techspec card is horribly mistransformed, but fortunately the directions are clear. Vehicle Mode: 5" (12cm) long not counting the exhaust-blast missiles, add another 1.5" (4cm) for the missiles. the main colors are dark red and light grey, with black and clear yellow bits. There's no cruddy chrome, but there's a VERY nicely done paint job on the central bit that makes it look like die-cast metal (it is plastic, but I had to run several tests to be sure). The rear wheel is wide enough that the cycle stays up without any kickstands. It rolls freely pretty well, although you might have to adjust the front wheel to free it up. It's easy to do wheelie-popping action by steering the toy by its exhaust missiles. It's very show-accurate in molding, with just a few little differences like the spark crystal. It holds together very will with one exception: the missile-launching exhaust pipe. One of the pipes launches its missile while the other is just a missile holder. There's a gimmick by which the covers on the launcher spread out like a spark extractor when the missile is inserted, then snap back when you fire. They can be closed by hand, but they are kinda floppy as long as the missile is loaded. However, if you close the panels by hand and then launch the missile, the panels stay shut pretty firmly. The missile doesn't go very far, as it's big and puffy. Range is a little over a foot (30-35cm). Transformation: There's actually a fair amount of stuff involved here, and a lot of bits you can move around. I actually needed the instructions to get it in the right final mode (especially since the techspec pic is wrong). Granted, it was just the positioning of the shoulderpads I needed help with, but still. The head is a particularly clever bit...rather than swapping heads or using a mask like Deluxe Thrust does, the head transforms. The upper half turns around to meet up with a robot mode face grille. There's one bit that isn't in the instructions but I think is implied by the design. You should pull the red shoulder bits out just far enough that they fit outside the shoulderpads rather than inside them. This makes the arms look a bit better. There's a few minor "alternate modes" possible, but Motorcycle Drone doesn't have the flexibility of Scavenger. Robot Mode: There's two versions, wheeled (like the show) or footed. The footed version just splits the legs apart and uses the wheel halves as feet. No knees, no real hip poseability. As a result, the figure's very unstable when standing, and depends a lot on placement of the arms. There's only about a quarter inch (less than 1cm) difference in height between the two modes, which both stand just shy of 5" (12cm) tall. While the legs are pretty unposeable, the arms a very poseable. Ball shoulders and elbows, swivel between the elbow and most of the forearm, poseable claws. The head is on a ball joint at the top of a movable neck. I checked, and the stand that Unicron.com makes for Thrust does not work for the Motorcycle Drone. Overall: It has a few flaws (legs, floppy missile launcher covers), but is otherwise a very good Basic with some clever ideas. Buy it if you can find it. Later Note: I initially made a stand for MD out of styrene bits, but it was too floppy. So I pulled out my Znap sets and built a very nice stand out of two triangular struts (long way up) connected at the back. TRU is blowing out its Znap supplies, you might want to snap some up. VEHICON: Spy Streak Altmode: "Bomber" (yeah, right. It's a modified SR-71 spyplane) Function: Aerial Reconnaissance Motto: "I am the eye in the sky." (Looking at yo-ou...I can read your mind.) Edited Note: Spy Streak is entirely focused on one task: the destruction of the Maximals. Impressive aerial abilities and a fully stocked arsenal make him a serious threat on all fronts. His aircraft mode has two powerful laser-matrix missiles with remote detonation capabilities and a unique ability to grapple opponents in mid-air. Spy Streak's robot mode makes expert use of this giant and powerful clamp mechanism, both in close combat and as a versatile tool. He has specialized armor similar to that of Cheetor's new form, deflecting most energy pulses and absorbing radar impulses. One of Jetstorm's most valuable assets, Spy Streak never backs down from a fight. While an expert spy, he often gives Maximals reason to not underestimate his abilities as a warrior. STR 5 INT 6 SPD 8 END 7 RNK 4 COUR 8 FRP 5 SKL 9 Avg 6.5 Spy Streak is held onto his bubble by one twist-tie (totally pointless...the bubble holds firmly!) and held together at the back by a rubber band. The techspec card ALMOST has the correct transformation, but the paint job is incorrect...if better. There's a lovely metallic red on parts of the toy in the picture, but it's a dull red on the toy. So sad. Vehicle Mode: 5" (12cm) long, this is a modified SR-71 Blackbird spyplane. It's generally bulkier in the vertical direction, although it fits together well enough not to really count as "kibble". The main color is a dark olive green, with red accents (both bright red and darker semi-metallic red) and some clear yellow bits and silver accents. Plus green spark. They used a wash of metallic red paint on the fuselage that settled into the panel lines, giving the impression of an energized body lit from within. By sliding the spark crystal casing forward, you activate both the toy's gimmicks. The front clamp opens up first, and as it slides forward it eventually triggers the missiles slung under the body. The missiles are clear yellow with silver tips. The missiles are very secure in this mode and don't fire off unless you really jam the button forward all the way. Transformation: The entire front half of the jet opens up kinda like a clamshell to become the arms. The wings fold out to become the legs, although on mine one of the knees is realllly stiff, making it hard to align things. The final move is to pop up SS's head...although if you leave it in his chest he can still see out through the slot. He loves being a turtle. You have to be kinda careful about the order you transform the arms back to jet mode, because otherwise you'll find yourself popping the arms out of their sockets. Robot Mode: 4" (10cm) tall, Spy Streak is another member of the "no actual hands" club. The right arm ends in the missile launcher (which is a LOT touchier now that the triggers are exposed...but you can fire the missiles one at a time now), the left in the claw mechanism. The arms are kinda hard to pose because the upper arms are so short and the lower arms are so bulky. If the shoulders could be moved out even a few millimeters, it'd help a lot, but oh well. The clamp opens up fully in this mode (it only goes about 2/3 of the way in jet mode) and stays open well. It's strong enough to let the figure dangle by it while clamping onto my nose. Your mileage (and nose) may vary. While the topheaviness of all the missile launcher and clamp business does make the figure a bit hard to stand up, the ankles have enough range of motion in them, and stiff enough joints, to keep things fairly stable. Overall: A bit hamstrung by its huge forearms (now THERE'S a mixed anatomical metaphor), but a good figure overall. It'd fit in well with a company of Cyberjets. And any Cyberjet that protested would get the CLAMP! Sorry, Futurama flashback. Definitely worth getting. MAXIMAL: Battle Unicorn Function: Scout Warrior Altmode: Unicorn Motto: "What the enemy does not see can definitely hurt them!" At first, the Vehicons thought Battle Unicorn would be an easy target - but then they had to actually face him. Underneath his striking, elegantly armored facade is an extremely powerful warrior who is anything but elegant. While his hooves are silent on any terrain when he chooses for them to be so, Battle Unicorn can reverse this sonic dampening effect and stomp his hooves to create seismic disturbances that disrupt Vehicon formations. His armored horn vibrates at a destructive frequency that allows it to penetrate most metals and shatter delicate interior circuitry. Battle Unicorn's skill with his mighty axe in robot mode causes Vehicons who have faced him before to scatter the instant he transforms. In both modes, special battle armor based on Cheetor's stealth armor renders Battle Unicorn invisible to Vehicon radar. He has the ability, unique among Maximals, to teleport up to 500 feet in a single jump. Despite the havoc he wreaks on their forces, certain Vehicon Generals still doubt he really exists. STR 7.5 INT 9 SPD 9 END 8 RNK 6 COUR 8.5 FRP 7.5 SKL 9 Avg 8.06 Yeah, I heavily rewrote the note on this one. It was contradictory in places and just generally badly written, so I fixed it. As with the other Battle For The Spark Basics, there's no "try me" feature in the packaging. The bubble is about a millimeter too shallow for this broad-shouldered beast, so check carefully before buying: it's possible that some were broken in shipping because of the way the figure stretches the bubble out. Three twist-ties keep the figure in the bubble. Blast Punch Primal is pictured on the back of the package. Coming up with new names for Battle Unicorn seems to be a cottage industry among fans, so I'll add my own. Sundancer, after the horse in the final eps of Galaxy Rangers. Beast Mode: 3.5" (8cm) tall, 5" (13cm) long from horn to tail tip. Colors are black, grey, silver, translucent red, translucent blue, metallic red blended through metallic gold with an amber-orange spark crystal. Despite this riot of colors, they blend together pretty well, although the translucent red bits do stand out a bit jarringly. The horn is translucent red with metallic yellow painted over at the tip and fading down along the horn. The mane is the axe blade, with chrome red fading up to chrome gold. BU is very broad, with big thighs on all four legs. The legs have very stiff hip joints and "knee" joints (actually ankle joints due to the way horse legs are put together), plus pretty stiff ball joints for the hooves. The head can move down, and there's a spark-twisting gimmick to make it gore with its horn. The tail is on a hinge and a swivel, for an effective universal joint at the base. And it can be used as a crank to start BU's engine on a cold morning. }-> The forelegs thigh shields pop off kinda easily and are hard to get back on, so be very careful with them, especially during transformation. Kibble is minimal, with the robot parts hidden inside the big thighs or inside the body. Transformation: With some stiff joints and easily popped ball joints, it's quite likely you'll pop a few parts off during transformation. And the right shoulderpad is really easy to pop off if you try to fold it down at the wrong time, so be careful. That said, it's a satisfyingly complex transformation for a Basic. My only real quibble aside from the limb popping would be that the lower legs do not peg together or otherwise snap into place. The hooves become heel spurs and new toes come down from inside the thighs, but the two halves (reminiscent of Scarem's legs) do not fix together. The torso halves peg together, but not very well (the picture on the techspec card even demonstrates this). You really have to lean into it to get the thing to snap all the way closed and stay that way. Robot Mode: 4" (10cm) tall, 4.5" if you count the horn on his helmet. The shoulderpads make him 4" wide as well, and his overall look is based on bulky stylized samurai armor (kinda like the original Rhinox, but with less loose panels). The forearms and shins are a bit stubby (and the forearms are, inconguously, solid translucent red). The poseability is hurt by both the oversized shoulderpads and thighs, and by the shortness of some limb bits. On the other hand, the fact that each foot has two ball-joint ankles allows for very good foot-based stability. The axe head is the mane, the shaft is the unicorn's spine, and the tail hangs off the bottom as a tassel. The weapon is a total of 5.5" (14cm) long, and can be held in either hand. The chrome on mine has already chipped, of course. The spark gimmick does not work in robot mode. The unicorn horn sticks out like a tail in robot mode (at least it can't be swung around front). Overall: As Maximals go, this is pretty good for a Basic. And they were smart enough to compensate for a bulky design by going with a motif that fit it well. Dave Van Domelen, notes that Wal-Mart doesn't always get new product out the day it comes into the store....