Dave's Recolored Beast Wars Rant: The three finally popped up in my area long enough for me to snag some, but I intentionally didn't get Buzz Saw. I think it's a bad idea to just recolor old toys (note: I only have Starscream, not Skywarp nor Thundercracker, so I'm not being hypocritical on the new stuff), so it took more than just "it's there" to get me to buy these guys. I also saw the painfully mangled-into-the-bubble Dinobot, which didn't seem to have any noticeable changes made to it. No Capsules this time, and just a few comments after the techspecs of each one, since the physical details are identical to those of the originals. Tech specs of Buzz Saw courtesy of The Weeter's post. GENERAL NOTES Colors were a little more garish this time around, a little more unnatural. The card art used the heads not used on the cards for the original toys, so Tigatron has the mutant head (with bugging eyes and (gag) tongue sticking out), Blackarachnia has the robot head and Buzz Saw the robot head. Line art is recycled, errors and all, from the originals. PREDACON: Blackarachnia Function: Double Agent Secret Weapon Location: Launcher in abdomen, missiles as legs Quote: None Moving like a venomous shadow under a midnight moon, Blackarachnia is an evil temptress posing as a Predacon double agent! Capable of converting thermal energy into poisonous cyber-venom, she lures Maximals into her darknened den and then stuns them by firing a poison-tipped missile! After restraining them in her powerful legs, she sinks her fangs into their armor to suck their life-force dry. STR 4 INT 7 SPD 6 END 6 RNK 5 COUR 8 FRP 7 SKL 8 Avg 6.375 Comments: I think they mean "Maximal double agent," since she *is* a Predacon, and you don't act as a double agent in your own faction (that would be "triple agent"). And woooo ha, but the sexual themes fly fast and furious in this note. Wrapping her legs around a victim and sucking his lifeforce out...yes, it's pretty much what female Black Widows do to husbands not fast enough to escape, but methinks the guy who wrote this needs to get out more. }-> The body is formed from smoky translucent black plastic with some gold accents, and would look keen hung on a lampshade. Legs are gold, robot feet are "Decepticon Purple." Underbody is mainly green, and has been noted by others, her hourglass is on the wrong side. Her robot head has been painted in places to more firmly distinguish it from Tarantulas's, and bears a slight Nightbird resemblance. The card art accentuates the more feminine aspects of the toy, but she's still a scary spider lady. The artist also gave her a spiked collar, which is what the toy could use to offset the gimpiness of the robot head's neck. Reason to buy: She's the first official US mass-market release female Transformer. Minerva (in Japan, recolor of Nightbeat) was the first mass-market female, and Nightracer (BotCon 95 Exclusive) was the first US female, but finally we have the combination of both. Also, the base toy is pretty cool, so if you don't already have Tarantulas, pick up her instead. Oh, and in case you haven't heard already, she will be in the Beast Wars cartoon, voiced by the actress (Venus Terzo) who does the voice of the female Ranma in the Viz dubs of Ranma 1/2. MAXIMAL: Tigatron Function: Reconnaissance Secret Weapon Location: Gun from tail, from stomach Quote: None. Appointed by Optimus Primal for northern polar sector reconnaissance. Roams the frozen tundra in animal form, but quickly converts to robot mode for battle, removing its titanium tail and converting it to a powerful quasar cannon to vaporize Predacons. Powerful and considered fearless, Tigatron is also equipped with a toxic fluid blaster that stops enemies cold, rendering their bodies useless! STR 8 INT 3 SPD 8 END 7 RNK 4 COUR 10 FRP 7 SKL 6 Avg 6.625 Comments: While he could outwit a slice of toast, don't be so sure he could handle raisin toast. In cream and teal with silver accents and black stripes, he looks pretty good as a Siberian Tiger. In robot mode, he's intended to use the dippy mutant head, and the card art shows him with his tongue (!) lolling out, not to mention loving detail on the intestines of his squirter gun. The art seems to have been done for the orange Bengal Tiger version, especially when you look at the tiger's face where it fades to white. About the only other thing worth mentioning is that I found a keen third mode for this body type, a sort of cat-faced starship form. Reason to buy: Good colors. Tigatron will also be in the show, but I'm told that his character design will not just be Cheetor with colors changed, but rather a whole new body. PREDACON: Buzz Saw Function: Aerial surveillance Secret Weapon Location: Stinger becomes gun, missiles in wings. Hunts enemy Maximals from altitudes of 20,000 feet. Uses infrared scanning sensors wired within its eyes to detect movement below, then zeroes in and launches powerful air to ground "sting" missiles to induce temporary paralysis. Buzz Saw can exit Earth's atmosphere at any time, but perfers hunting land based enemies where it has the advantage of flight. Known to gang up on victims with its evil partner, the wicked Waspinator. STR 7 INT 6 SPD 8 END 5 RNK 6 COUR 5 FRP 7 SKL 6 Avg 6.25 Comments: No real difference between the two. Buzz Saw is a bit more bright and garish, but not particularly better than Waspinator. And it seems there's little personality difference either. They try to pass him off as a bee, but there's too many physical differences. Reason to buy: None that I can find, unless you're a completist or don't have Waspinator. Still, between Buzz Saw and Waspinator, I'd say Waspy's the better toy. Dave Van Domelen, already has Blackarachnia hanging in a really cool pose from another of the screw holes near where he has Tarantulas hanging.