Dave's Regular Beast Rant:

     Powerpinch
     Snarl
     Spittor
     Lazorbeak (review appended to end)

CAPSULES

     Powerpinch: Surprisingly tricky transformation for a Regular, and while
both the Beast and Robot forms have minor problems, it's a very good toy.
Recommended.  $4.99 at Target.
     Snarl: Another interesting transformation, good-looking Beast form,
pretty good Robot form (except for the wrists).  Gimmick doesn't work too
well, though.  Recommended.  $4.99 at Target.
     Spittor: Looks good as a frog, transformation isnt as complex as
Powerpinch's but is still fairly involved.  Robot mode needs work, and the
gimmick is just disturbing.  Recommended, but slightly less than the other
two.  $4.99 at Target.

     All in all, a very good batch of new toys.  And they all hunch down and
forward in beast mode, oddly enough.

RANTS

PREDACON: Powerpinch
Function: Infantry
Challenge Level: Intermediate (3) (I'd give it a 4, personally)
Beast Form: Earwig
Quote: None

Despite his long body length and the giant pincher claws he drags behind him,
Powerpinch is surprisingly fast: six speedy legs power him forward over
almost any obstacle.  His greatest assets are the powerful pincher that are
strong enough to sever most enemies in half.  And as all Maximals know, those
pincher claws are as dangerous in insect form as they are when he converts to
robot mode, which is why they never underestimate the ferocity of this truly
evil insect.

STR 8  INT 4  SPD 9  END 4  RNK 2  COUR 7  FRP 4  SKL 5  Avg 5.375

     Nice to see a complete grunt for once, someone with a really low Rank
score.  Snarl, too, has this low Rank.  Unfortunately, about the only
characterization we're given is that Powerpinch is "truly evil."

     Beast Mode: Dark green translucent plastic which looks black from a
distance, accented with bright orange, this earwig measures six inches (15cm)
long in beast form.  Unfortunately, when correctly transformed, he tips back
onto his tail in beast form, leaving his legs waving in the air.  He's only
stable when his tail is up on pseudo-scorpion "attack mode" or if you bend
his head down a bit.  PP joins Retrax in being wired into his bubble,
presumably to keep his head from falling apart into arms while in the
package.  His insect eyes are bright yellow, as are his robot eyes (all three
of these guys have the same color eyes in both modes).
     Transformation: Not too hard once you get the hang of it, but there's a
lot of rotating parts and moving panel action involved, reminiscent in some
ways of Inferno's transformation.  And it's harder to transform back to
insect mode exactly, so be careful to check over the insect mode before the
first time you transform Powerpinch, there's several tabs and slots to keep
in mind, and the robot knees have two joints each to fiddle with.
     Robot Mode: Looks like Insecticon done better, except in dark green and
orange.  His insect legs hang off his upper arms, but are easily popped out
if they get in the way.  The torso is very cleverly formed, and quite solid
for a BW toy that doesn't have its beast head as its chest (like Jetstorm,
his head splits to form his forearms).  Unfortunately, he has no real hands,
just poseable clawlike appendages formed from his mouthparts.
     Weapon: His tailpincer comes off and forms his weapon, but since he
holds it by the activation slider peg, it works weirdly in his hand in robot
mode.  It's also a little counterintuitive in operation in either mode.
     Overall: Sure, it's a weird insect to use, but the toy's quite good.
They seem to be putting Deluxe-level effort into these toys.


MAXIMAL: Snarl
Function: Surprise Attack
Conversion Challenge: Basic (2) (If this is a 2, then Lazorbeak must be a 0)
Beast Form: Tasmanian Devil
Quote: None

Snarl is seldom seen until the moment he attacks.  His camoflage coloring
allows him to sneak into Predacon basecamps undetected.  Powerful legs give
him the ability to lunge forward to attack startled enemies, and in robot
mode he can jump straight up to escape incoming missile fire.  Snarl is a
fearless fighter whose gnashing, serrated teeth and razor-sharp claws are
enough to fend off would-be attackers...if they know what's good for them!

STR 7  INT 5  SPD 9  END 5  RNK 2  COUR 7  FRP 4  SKL 5  Avg 6.25

     Well, no personality here either.

     Beast Mode: 5.5 inch (14cm) long with the tail included, he's a
crouching Tasmanian Devil.  All legs move at at least one joint, tail has two
positions (in the launcher or in a storage or resting position) and the mouth
is hinged to open in an appropriately fearsome manner (opening the top
automatically opens the bottom as well).  Light brown with dark grey tail and
accents, with blue eyes (and black nose, white teeth, red tongue, etc).
     Transformation: Again, another where the head does not become the
chest.  It becomes the feet, something of a rarity in BW toys.  Well, okay,
his lower jaw becomes his chest, like Rhinox.  And no way is this a 2
challenge level...with all the bits which have to be done in the right order,
hidden pegs and so forth, it's at least a 3 if not a 4.
     Robot Mode: Very nice looking.  The dark grey central body and upper
limbs work well with the brown extremities and chestplate (with its red and
white accents).  The oversized feet allow for extremely good stability, a
necessity given the amount of garbage he keeps on his back due to his
gimmick.  About the only real complaint about his robot mode involves his
hands.  They don't hold anything (his weapon sticks onto his forearm) and
they're kinda limp-wristed...they bend weird.  Kinda Delbo-ish, for those who
have read the G1 comic.
     Gimmick: His tail plugs into a spring up his behind, and he can be
launched.  Just not very far.  Maybe I got a bum spring, but even on a really
smooth surface, his beast mode only skids a couple of inches, and in robot
mode he doesn't even leave the stick, just popping up a bit (like, less than
half an inch (1cm)).  And the relevant parts are snapped and/or glued
together, not screwed, so I can't take it apart and put in a stronger
spring.  
     Overall: Rather nice toy, although this'll rank among the Top Ten
Gimmicks That Didn't Work The Way The Designers Hoped, I think (along with
Tranquito's head, Polar Claw's claw and Bonecrusher's head).


PREDACON: Spittor
Function: Surprise Attack 
Conversion Challenge: Not given, I'd say Basic (2).
Beast Form: Poison Arrow Frog
Quote: None

More poisonous than a Cybertron razor snake, Spittor can immobilize an enemy
in less than seven seconds.  Highly sensitive microchips existing just
millimeters below his "skin" instantly release venom upon contact with
aggressors.  When on the attack, his powerful legs allow him to leap in front
of enemies over 100 yards away.  After catching them off guard, he releases
his head-butting poison tongue to knock 'em out cold.  Talk about tough, this
guy doesn't feed on flies, he feeds on Maximals!

STR 2  INT 7  SPD 5  END 6  RNK 6  COUR 9  FRP 4  SKL 7  Avg 5.75

     Not gonna knock too many out with a Strength of 2, good thing it's
poisonous, I suppose.  And the writer seems to be using metric units as
jargon, since he uses yards for a later measurement.  I can just see other
Predacons saying, "Hold still, Spittor, I want to stab my sword into your
back to get some poison on it!"

     Beast Mode: Well, it looks like a frog, although not really a poison
arrow frog (too bulky).  The translucent blue and bright orange work for the
color scheme, though...poison arrow frogs are nature's version of the G2
colors.  An alternate beast mode is possible, by the way, since the robot
legs are normally tucked under the frog's stomach.  Pull them out, and you
get a mutant frog exposed to too much UV and sprouting six legs.
     Transformation: A bit clumsy since the frog forelegs have to be hidden
and the hidden robot legs have to be pulled out.  Shoulders rotate up in a
manner similar to Dinobot's transformation, and the frog head becomes the
oversized robot chest.
     Robot Mode: WAAAAAY overlong arms, since they're the hind legs of the
frog.  Legs are too short and stubby even for the torso, much less compared
to the arms.  At least Manterror has long legs as well as arms, Spittor just
looks kinda goofy.  And again, because of the extra limbs, you can make a
mutant four-armed version.
     Gimmick: His robot head shoots out on a shaft 1.5 inches (4cm) long when
a trigger is pushed.  This acts as the frog's Barugon-like tongue-ram, and
just makes the robot mode look even goofier...long arms, long neck, stubby
legs. 
     Overall: Nice frog, decent transformation, goofy robot, silly gimmick.
Not bad, but compares unfavorably to Snarl and Powerpinch.

     Dave Van Domelen, thinks Spittor's robot head has a really bizarre mouth
too....

Dave's Beast Wars Rant:

     Lazorbeak

     Finally found this puppy, lost amid several dozen Drill Bits at Toys R
Us.  

CAPSULE

     It's Terrorsaur with new colors and slight remolding.  While the new
colors look good, overall this recolor is inferior to the original.  Mildly
recommended.  $4.99 at Toys R Us.

RANT

PREDACON: Lazorbeak
Function: Aerial Attacks
Transformation Difficulty: Not given (I'd rate it as 2)
Quote: None
Secret Weapon Location: Behind head.

A fast-flying sky pirate with a thirst for battle, Lazorbeak upholds his
motto of believing the only good point he likes about the Maximals is their
melting point.  His laser weapon can melt through most of the Maximals'
battle armor, but such aggression tends to drain his Energon levels, allowing
him to initialize only brief periods of aerial attack sequences between robot
and pteradactyl modes.  Still, when his energy levels are charged, he's one
mean menace!

STR 6  INT 4  SPD 9  END 3  RNK 5  COUR 8  FRP 5  SKL 5  Avg 5.625

     GAH, that was a painful techspec to type in.  Every single sentence is
wordier and clumsier than it needs to be, the prose more purple than
Lazorbeak himself.  Did Dilbert's boss write this one?  Ick.  And yes, that's
the original Laserbeak's quote mangled in there, about the melting points.

     There's only a few differences between Lazorbeak and Terrorsaur, and
some of those differences may have been introduced in the second run of
Terrorsaurs, as well.
     1) Colors.  With the exception of the head, Lazorbeak is purple where
Terrorsaur is orange, and orange/red where Terrorsaur is black, with orange
paint on his fists and shins where Terrorsaur has blue.  His head is purple
with an orange face and no crest painted on, and he has a ripple/tiger stripe
effect on his back and robot chest which looks pretty good.  Unfortunately,
the paint is clumsily applied in several places, most notable being the
fists. 
     2) Mold differences.  Obviously, a place has been flattened out on the
wing to hold the rubsign.  In addition, the mold behind the robot's head
lacks the two strips which keep the pistol securely held in place when
hidden.  The two slots behind Lazorbeak's shoulders are slightly larger,
which means you can't put his pistol into one of them and turn it into a
shoulder-mounted weapon as you can with Terrorsaur (at least the early
Terrorsaurs).  The handle of the gun seems a little thinner and the fist
holes a little smaller as well, but other than that I found no further mold
differences.  The plastic is of the same quality on both toys.

     Well, all I need now is for my BotCon exclusives to arrive in the mail,
and I'll have a small army of the new Seekers...Terrorsaur, Lazorbeak and
Fractyl. 

     Overall: It's still one of the better molds of the first wave of Regular
Beasts, and if you don't have Terrorsaur already I'd recommend getting
Lazorbeak.  Otherwise, don't bother unless you're a completist or really dig
purple.

     Dave Van Domelen