Dave's Beast Machines Rant:

     Ultra Nightscream

     Ordered this online for $20.99 plus shipping, then saw him at multiple
Targets several days before mine arrived.  Sigh.

CAPSULE

     Nightscream: Big.  Lights up.  Big.  Kinda wobbly in all modes, and with
fairly simple transformations.  Essentially a Basic design blown up to Ultra
size and beyond.  Not horrible, but could have been better.  Mildly
recommended.  $20 most places.

RANT

     So far, this is the only Beast Machines toy without Cheetor's mug on the
package (treating Dinobots and Mutant Beasts as not being "Beast Machines"
despite their blurbs).  Nightscream is crammed into a standard Ultra box, but
he kinda has to be folded up and mistransformed to fit.  And the instructions
don't clearly say how to get from "crammed in a box" mode to beast mode.
Sigh. 
     As usual, techspec edited for various purposes.  Original can be found
on beastmachines.com.  Note that officially, he's the second Maximal in this
batch with "unmatched" speed and agility.  Based on techspecs, I say the
title goes to Skydive.

MAXIMAL: Nightscream
Altmode: Electronic Ultra Bat
Function: Aerial Combat/Recon Expert
Motto: "Let's get ready to make some noise!"

As the first survivor of Megatron's transformation virus found by the Axalon
crew, Nightscream has brought a new optimism to the Maximal ranks, despite
his oft abrasive personality.  He's living proof of the organic history of
Cybertron.  In beast mode, Nightscream has speed and maneuverability
unmatched by all but a few, plus razor-sharp talons that can pierce solid
metal with ease.  The sonic pulse weapon he wields in both modes can shatter
all but the strongest alloys.  In robot mode, he loses some speed but gains
in maneuverability.  He also gains a seldom-used but devastating weapon, the
vampiric ability to draw an enemy's life energies into himself.  Nightscream
is also able to create audio illusions which distract and confuse Vehicon
drones, making them more vulnerable to attack.

STR 7.6  INT 9.9  SPD 9.7  END 7.6  RNK 6  COUR 6.9  FRP 8.9  SKL 9  Avg 8.2

     Transformation to Beast Mode from Package Mode: While the instructions
do show how to hook up the wings, they don't say anything in particular about
the rest of the body, and the pictures on the box and in the instructions
sometimes contradict each other.  So it's kinda up to the buyer to figure out
exactly what constitutes beast mode.  This is not helped by the fact that the
hips don't lock into position and the buttflap instead covers his back (the
triangular clear orange flap is supposed to cover up his hollow pelvis
area).  Also, you need to collapse the whole robot knee area into the
thighes, something contradicted by the box art of the bat mode.

     Beast Mode: I'm calling the beast mode the version shown in Step 1 of
the transformation instructions, with spread wings and legs trailing behind.
The color scheme is a mix of browns, blues and transparent orange, with no
chrome.  The wingspread is about 26" (65cm) and the length from front claw
tip to rear talon tip is about 17" (44cm), but it's hard to get a very
accurate or precise measurement given the floppiness of the toy.  There's a
lot of stiff ratchet joints, but just enough not-stiff joints to make
problems.  The tabs where his wings connect to his shoulders don't hold very
well, and to add insult to injury, they're a pain and a half to get inserted
in the first place.  There's extensions at the front of his wings that swing
forward to meet his claws, but none of the pictures on the box or in the
instructions ever show these extensions folded out.  By fiat, I'm saying
they ride up against the claws in beast mode.  There's lots of poseability in
the wings, but only one pose in which they look right, and trying to move one
part often sends five other bits out of alignment, especially the point where
the shoulder is SUPPOSED TO lock onto the body, but doesn't do much of a job
of it.  The head can turn in many directions, but it flops around loosely
when the launcher is not deployed.  And, of course, the legs are way too long
for any sort of bat, and no effort was made to make it so they could fold
away or collapse.
     The main gimmick is essentially Ultra Jetstorm's with the details
changed and operation made harder.  A disc launcher is contained within the
bat's back.  Pull it up out of the back and turn it around, and it can fire.
Once the trigger is freed up, it pops out and a bright red LED comes on,
illuminating the entire launcher (which is mostly clear orange plastic) as
well as the bat's eyes.  There's no way to turn the light off except to hold
in the trigger (although it does seem to have a sleep timer of some sort,
with the light turning off on its own after a while, it turns back on when
the trigger is depressed and let go).  Also, you have to press in the trigger
to stow the launcher, and it's a bear and a half to get the launcher's
magazine open when the launcher is stored...so you have to hold the thing
upside down and very carefully mess around with stuff to get the launcher
stowed with discs inside it.  Additionally, the thing doesn't fire very far,
and you have to put the bat's ears in a weird position to get them out of the
way.  The launcher is geared so that when it faces forward, turning it causes
the head to turn.  However, this doesn't work very well, as the range of
motion is very limited and the gear strips easily.

     Transformation to Attack Mode: This is a case where "difficult" must be
split into "complex" and "frustrating."  This is a difficult transformation,
but not a complex one.  It's just a pain, because moving one part into
position often deranges three or four others.  Stiff ratchets working against
weaker ones, etc.

     Attack Mode: This was not something they just decided on when making up
the instructions, there's parts specifically dedicated to it.  And the result
looks like a Fuzor of a bat and a swing set.  The wings become supports so
that all the claws and talons on the toy can get in on the fighting.  

     Transformation to Robot Mode: A simplified version of Fuzor Silverbolt's
transformation, basically.  Complete with the "stuff doesn't really lock into
place properly" problem.  On the plus side, most of the frustrating aspects
of thr transformation on this toy are absent from transformation to robot
mode, things just fold out of the way.  The shoulders are still a pain,
though.  

     Robot Mode: 11" (29cm) tall at the head, with the wings attached to his
elbows usually sticking up higher than that.  Yep, he's as tall at the head
as God Fire Convoy, taller than Optimal Optimus/Primal Prime, he's the second
tallest Beast-anything toy.  Of course, he's also pretty spindly and
top-heavy.  And without heel spurs, he can't actually stand up straight (I
tried using his bat middle-talons as spurs, didn't work).  You have to stand
him with his knees bent backwards one or two clicks, with matching hip
positioning.  With straight legs, he picks up a centimeter in height, but
pretty much always falls over backwards unless you position his wings and
arms in front of him like a shield.  Quick, Battyboy, the Bat-Shield!  Yes,
the instructions show the talons used as heel extensions, but this doesn't
work, they come about five or ten degrees short of actually working as heel
spurs.  About all they're good for is putting Battyboy in a bowing pose.  The
talons would need to be about 3-4mm longer to make the heel extensions useful
for something other than decoration.  Oh, and like Cheetor, the massive chest
and upper body in general often causes the ratcheting knees to give out in a
sudden clicky protest.
     The box touts "Awesome Articulation!", but it's not that awesome.
First, as mentioned before, moving one part often makes a bunch of others
move as well, auto-transforming the toy into "battle-mutilated mode."
Second, a lot of the joints don't move in the one way you WANT them to move.
The wrists are hinges up and down, while the ankles leave a lot to be
desired.  The neck joint is very stiff, and you usually end up moving the
whole "tabard" section along with the head.
     Finally, the disc launcher can theoretically be used in robot mode.
When stowed, it's pointing straight up.  You pull it out and rotate it around
to face the front (with a half-twist to keep it rightside up) with the
trigger sticking out a hole in the back.  The LED will then light up the
translucent chestplate including the spark crystal, which shows through.
There's two BIG problems with trying to fire the launcher, however.  One, he
has to have these two big plastic panels folded up and out of the way, and it
looks stupid.  Two, just pushing the trigger makes the whole launcher slide
forward and out of position.  You have to hold the launcher in place with
your hands in order to fire.  Oh, and it's not enough to push the trigger
until it's flush with the robot's back...you have to push it in an additional
half centimeter or so, which can be a literal pain for those with fingertips
larger than those of a child.

     Alternate Modes: I've found a third mode I like a lot better than the
psychotic playground equipment one.  From bat mode, bring the toy down on all
fours, with the thighs horizontal and the robot shins straight down
(obviously, the knees must be freed up for this.  The wings are furled and
positioned so they look like big 57-Chevy-style fins alongside the body (or
like Depth Charge's spaceship mode wings).  Sort of a hellhound mode.  Also,
the orange buttflap piece can be made into a control chair for a Basic or a
Microman.  
     Also, in robot mode, the wings can be positioned as a sort of megaweapon
electrical blaster/Vorlon weapon thing.  Wing Blade Cannon or something like
that.  The effect is hindered by the fact that the shoulder ratchets on mine
aren't completely in synch, and one wing folds closed more tightly than the
other.  A benefit of this mode is that it lets him stand with straight legs.

     Overall: Worth $20?  Maybe.  He's big, the biggest Transformer ever
available for the price, I believe (not counting clearance).  But he's both
simple and frustrating in many ways, not a good combination.  If you just
want something to look impressive on the shelf, it's a good buy.  But as toys
to play with go, it's pretty mediocre.

     Dave Van Domelen, oh yeah, it's not show accurate, and they've had
plenty of time to get on the same page as the animators on this one...the
wings are on the robot arms for the toy.