Dave's Fuzors Rant:

     Noctorro
     Terragator
     Bantor (review at and)
     Buzzclaw (review at end)

     Found them at Toys R Us (Sawmill Rd. for you Columbus-area people)
today.  Still no Injector, though.

CAPSULES

     Noctorro: Okay beast mode, okay robot mode, gimmick gets in the way of
both, which could be better if the gimmick wasn't there.  Bonus points for a
few extra joints not needed for the transformation.  Very mildly
recommended.  $4.99 at Toys R Us.
     Terragator: Beast mode looks good, but has trouble holding together
right.  Surprisingly intricate transformation, nifty gimmicks.  Cool robot
mode.  Only minus is the tendency to fall apart (lots of pegs and holes).
Recommended.  $4.99 at Toys R Us.

RANTS

MAXIMAL: Noctorro
Function: Airborne Warrior
Transformation Difficulty: Basic (2, but I'd give a 3)
Quote: "Only the weak rely on weapons."  (Note: no, they didn't start 
     putting quotes on the techspecs again, I just started making my own)

Quick-tempered, strong as a bull, and fast as ultra-sound, Noctorro blasts
through the night air securing Maximal outposts and performing recon
missions.  Fierce, efficient and highly dangerous when angered, Noctorro is
no Maximal to be toyed with.  His immense strength and speed let him go
without heavy weaponry in battle, preferring to rely instead on his powerful
horns, arms and claws - a fact of which he is very proud.  His highly
sensitive sonar tracking mechanism can be used to locate Predacons and
confuse their radar systems.

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

     On the one hand, it's a good techspec in that it covers abilities,
personality and attack mode.  On the other, it has some howlingly bad bits,
the biggest of which is asserting that sonar can jam radar.  His Firepower is
still too high for someone without weapons...maybe he's supposed to have
eyebeams that he prefers not to use or something.

     Beast Mode: A mix of Brahma bull and bat.  The Brahma is the original
"sacred cow," a breed common in India (and the result of domestication, so
not possible in the cartoon's continuity).  The toy is packaged in a sort of
awkward quadruped stance, with the foreclaws dragging the ground, but I found
that it actually looks better in a sort of "gerwalk" mode, with the legs
pulled down and forwards so that the figure can stand on just two legs and
keep the claws free for attacking.  The gimmick is that the wings flap
downward.  The inner wing surfaces are attached to the spring mechanism, and
the arms and outer wings fit loosely onto a peg so that they follow when the
wings pull down.  Doesn't really cause problems in beast mode.  Color scheme
is dark blue with gold accents/back and green eyes.  The gold is sprayed on
rather sloppily, though.  As a side note, he can hang from his feet in this
mode pretty well, and graced my rearview mirror on the drive home from the
store.  
     Transformation: Very simple, but has a few non-trivial bits to it.  The
legs twist around and straighten, the bull head pulls down to be the chest,
the horns remain on the robot head, and the inner wings theoretically pull
back out of the way.
     Robot Mode: The weird jointing of the shoulders required for the
wing-flapping gimmick makes it really hard to pose the arms well.  On the
other hand, the ankles are ball joints, as are the *wrists* (although the
wing parts make it hard to do much with this), and the waist turns, even
though it's very clearly not part of the transformation to do so.  Along with
Transmetal Cheetor's waist, this suggests that the designers are trying to
give twistable waists wherever possible.  The butt-flap flips up out of the
way to allow for full torso twisting.  Unfortunately, the wing flaps which
should stay neatly out of the way tend to spring forwards on their own, kinda
painfully if you're holding the toy.  Even when they don't act up, they get
in the way.  The colors are mainly the same as the beast mode, but with the
addition of a dark red face which works well.
     Overall: Making the gimmick a little less awkward would have gone a long
way to making a potentially good toy into an actually good one.  As it is,
there's a VERY high annoyance factor from the wing flaps, and it counters
most of the positive aspects of the toy.

PREDACON: Terragator
Function: Swamp Warrior, Amphibious Assault 
Transformation Difficulty: Basic (2, but should be Intermediate (4))
Quote: "Time to get down and dirty!"

Most Transformers find that smelly, mucky environments clog up their
circuitry.  Not the half-croc, half turtle Terragator.  He prefers it.
Terragator is most at home in the swamp lands and sewers.  Part of the
Predacon elite amphibious warriors, his specialty is land/water assault.  In
robot mode he wields an impenetrable shield, and his hand reveals an awesome
weapon.  

STR 6  INT 6  SPD 4  END 5  RNK 6  COUR 9  FRP 7  SKL 7  Avg 6.25

     I think they missed the boat on this one.  With a name like Terragator,
he should have been an inquisitor...an inTerragator.

     Beast Mode: Looks like a croc with a turtle shell on its back,
basically.  Not the most inventive of fuzions, but serviceable.  Back legs
move a little, front legs hardly at all (although you can get a bizarre
gerwalk mode out of it).  When you push forwards on the tail, the head lunges
forward and the mouth opens.  Neat.  Unfortunately, pegs hold both the tail
and the shell on, and they're prone to falling off.  Plus, I can't seem to
get the tail and head to stay on the same straight line.  The color scheme is
VERY nice.  Slightly metallic green croc flesh with beige underside, and the
shell is painted in bone, orange and brown with good detail work, with just
enough of the green underneath showing through to give it depth.
     Transformation: VERY nice.  The arms are crossed over the robot's
shoulders, and the robot abdomen twists and turns sideways and to the side so
that the whole affair fits under the shell.  Lots of extra hinges and joints.
     Robot Mode: Kinda scrawny, but very robotic-looking, even down to the
left shoulder joint being a cylinder shape rather than the more organic
shapes of every other regular beast's shoulders.  Head is reminiscent of
Megagator's, as is the somewhat dippy gun (at least it has a molded ammo belt
on the inside, which is a nice touch).  Left wrist is hinge jointed so that
the shield can be positioned.  Hands are really claws, painted to blend in
with the rim of the shell in beast mode, another nice touch.  Ankles are ball
joints, waist turns, and the croc head forms a big shoulderpad...gimmick
still works in that more, even.  Really cool toy in this mode.
     Overall: If it weren't for the instability of the beast mode, I'd call
this the best Regular Beast yet.  Still, even with that problem, it's quite
good.  


Dave's Fuzor Rant:

     Bantor
     Buzzclaw

     By my somewhat arbitrary reckoning, this marks the last of the Second
Wave Fuzors.  Found 'em at Target, which makes the second non-Wal-Mart
sighting I know of.  Looks like these two are getting good distribution now.

CAPSULES

     Bantor: Nice-looking if somewhat flimsy beast mode, clever
transformation, pretty good robot mode albeit with an excess of beast
kibble.  Gimmick's not too bad.  Recommended.  $4.99 at Target.
     Buzzclaw: Cool beast mode, is also somewhat unstable (but not to the
extent Bantor is).  Complex transformation, robot mode a little cluttered
with beast kibble as well, and unstable.  Recommended.  $4.99 at Target.

RANTS

MAXIMAL: Bantor
Function: Jungle Warrior, Demolitions Expert
Transformation Difficulty: Basic (2, yeah, right...easily a 4)
Quote (of my creation): "Be not sanguine of your expectations for positive
     outcome, recreant!"

Tempermental and solitary, Bantor relishes his Fuzor animalian fusion.
Enhanced by the attributes of a baboon's and [a] tiger's instincts, he is a
natural warrior in total flux [I have NO idea what the techspec writer thinks
flux means] with the ways of combat.  Extremely versatile, Bantor combines
the cunning patience of a tiger with the near-demented frenzy of a baboon,
deleting the need for ammunition in close-range combat.  Optimal Optimus's
first choice for recon demolition missions, Bantor can traverse deep into
Predacon territory and escape undetected.  Largely unknown by the enemy, his
reputation for setting undetectable traps exceeds his identity, though his
power-ram head butt and right hook are widely considered devastating.

STR 6  INT 9  SPD 6  END 7  RNK 5  COUR 9  FRP 4  SKL 8  Avg 6.75

     DEEEEEEP HURRRRRTING!  This techspec not only needs clarification, it
screams out to be MSTied!  EGAD, someone take away the writer's thesaurus
before he opens it again.  Deleting the need for ammunition?  Recon
demolition missions?  I was gritting my teeth in pain as I typed this piece
of self-contradictory purple prose.
     In order to preserve the remnants of my sanity, I have decided that
Bantor's name is in fact a pun, referring to a tendency to banter.  On and on
and on.  He's solitary not by choice, but because no one can stand to be
around him for long.  He obviously wrote his own techspec note, hence my
loquacious quote for him.
     Shudder.  Oh, and he watches too much Ren & Stimpy.

     Beast Mode: 5" (12cm) long from snout to tail tip, he looks like the
rear half shrank in the wash a bit...tigers are, after all, a lot bigger than
most baboons.  What's REALLY weird about his back half, though, is that it
looks like his left rear leg has a baboon hand-like foot, while his right leg
terminates in a tiger paw.  The colors are pretty good, mainly golden orange
and shiny brown, with some baboon-like facial features.  His mouth can close,
but this moves his robot arm forward and into view.  Clever to use the elbow
as a lower jaw, though.
     Poseability's so-so.  The rear legs can move at the hips only, and while
the forelegs have full jointage, the molding of the rear legs doesn't leave
too many options for beast mode poses.
     The gimmick is that pushing a tab in the mid-back causes the head and
mane section to spring forward in a head-butt.  Works best in beast mode,
since it's a little hard to reset in robot mode.  It springs forward very
quickly and with a fair amount of force.
     Undercarriage garbage is minimal, some of the hip harness is visible and
the lever for the head sticks out the side.

     Transformation: Pretty quick once you get the hang of it, but involving
some pretty clever steps.  The forelegs of the beast mode rest on several
hinged pieces which swing down and fold together into the pelvis of the
robot.  The spine splits apart into the arms, with the beast head forming one
shoulder and something of a mess on the other arm.  Then the head is slid
up. 

     Robot Mode: 4" (10cm) tall at the head.  Very little painted detail, but
molding looks nicely robotic.  The launching head becomes a powerized fist in
this mode, and does not seem to have the hair-trigger of Polar Claw's claws.
However, it is pretty hard to reset in robot mode.  The left arm is covered
in hindquarter kibble, and since the elbow is a hinge it's even harder to get
this junk out of the way.  The overall appearance evokes Lioconvoy's a
little, but he keeps his hinder on his shoulder, not his forearm.  An
additional weapon not mentioned in the techspec is a slashing blade formed
from his tail...but it can't swing forward quite enough to work properly as a
weapon.
     Er, strike that.  It just fell off the fist.  He has an independently
mobile hinder...it was just really snugly on the peg there.  The blade is a
much better weapon once it can be repositioned.  He's a Buttmaster.
Unfortunately, the peg will only fit on his left arm, not his right.  Then
again, putting a pointy object on the end of a spring-loaded ram might have
struck the designers as a violation of child safety laws.  Note: the fact
that the hindquarters are removable is not mentioned in the instructions, nor
hinted at in the art.  Easter egg, eh?

     Overall: Has a few proportion problems in both modes, and could use a
little extra paint, but a pretty good toy in general.  And he has a removable
butt.

PREDACON: Buzzclaw
Function: Saboteur, Quick-Attack Specialist
Transformation Difficulty: Basic (2, again this is really more like 4)
Quote: "To the Inferno...and beyond!"

Part mantis, part lizard, Buzzclaw has all the makings of a ferocious but sly
warrior.  In beast mode Buzzclaw crushes his enemies with spiny pincers and
venomous mandibles while a powerful tail lashes out to land his surprised
prey on their backside [presumably a different prey than the one currently in
his pincers].  As a flying robot Buzzclaw generates lethal ion discs from his
forearm-mounted stilettos, paralyzing his victims and rendering them
helpless.  Generally stoic and silent, when it comes to the business of
battle Buzzclaw is arrogant, resourceful, and intent on the job at hand.

STR 6  INT 7  SPD 5  END 5  RNK 3  COUR 5  FRP 5  SKL 9  Avg 5.625

     Looks like neither the artist nor the techspec writer were told that the
pincers and tail detach in robot mode to form a weapon and shield.  Oh, and
for those noting the dearth of grunts, here's one.  Rank 3.  Which fits with
the "makings of a...warrior" bit.  Green (and orange) recruit.  Lots of book
larnin' skills, but not much experience.

     Beast Mode: About 6" (15cm) from pincer tip to the end of his tail,
Buzzclaw is mainly opaque green plastic (largely patterned in lizard skin)
and translucent orange plastic (painted in various day-glow colors).  The
colors given to his tail hide the fact that it's essentially a lizard tail,
so this toy is more of a fusion than initially appeared.  Mantis in front,
lizard in back, with blending of patterns.
     The forelegs have hinges for the front part of the pincer, but not for
the "elbow" points.  The shoulders are ball joints, but restricted by the
gimmick.  Fortunately, the forelegs are the same except for the socket side,
so you can get full poseability by simply swapping the forelegs.  The rear
legs have stiff enough joints that the figure can easily stand on just two
feet, using the tail only for balance and not for a third leg.  The wings are
on somewhat limited ball joints, and the tail can move up and down a bit.
The head cannot move...well, not in any way it SHOULD move.  In fact, it
moves quite a bit, since there's no peg or snap-together bit to hold the head
and shoulders area together.  The mouth does not move.
     The gimmick is a plunger in the back which you push to make the arms
flap apart.  It's not too impressive in beast mode, since the motion of the
arms is in a somewhat non-threatening direction.  Like with Retrax, the
motion required by the gimmick interferes with the regular motion of the
limbs, at least the way it comes in the box.  But as mentioned above,
swapping the forelegs will go a long way towards solving the problem here.

     Transformation: Pretty elegant, involving some tricks normally seen only
on Deluxe-level toys.  The head and shoulders area unfolds to reveal the
robot head, with the insect head snapping into place as the robot chest.  The
Wing/Claw unit folds back out of the way, and is meant to be removed
entirely.  The beast hips rotate up (much like Manterror's do) so that the
beast mode rear legs become the robot's arms.  The feet kinda still stay in
the way, though.  The underside of the tail splits to become the robot legs,
and the upper part can be removed (pushing it toward the robot legs seems to
be the easiest way) to become a narrow shield.  Nice transformation.

     Robot Mode: A somewhat spindly 4" (10cm) tall, and MOSTLY stable.  The
exception is the head, which flops around quite a bit due to a lack of a
locking peg.  Pressing in on the bug-head chest will cause the robot head to
pop up, and since it's natural to grab the figure by the chest, this happens
a lot.  Full poseability, including a waist swivel which isn't necessary for
transformation (in fact, swiveling the hips around makes the beast mode look
worse).  The shield fits in a few positions on the left arm, but the blocky
beast foot gets in the way.
     The main weapon, however, is another matter.  Yes, it can fit into the
hand of the robot, and the pincers can be moved so that it becomes a credible
man-catcher weapon.  But it's nearly as heavy as the rest of the toy is
without it, so it's nearly impossible for the figure to stand while holding
it.  You can use the wings as a sort of prop, but this is inelegant.  If you
leave it on his back, it doesn't do much as a weapon, but it makes a nice
evil decoration.
     One color note: a really eye-bleeding neon yellow is painted onto the
robot shins.  This makes the robot a real rainbow warrior, since there's
purple on the wings and shield, blue insect eyes, green limbs, yellow shins,
orange body parts and red accents on the shield, face and insect head.  Just
lacks indigo, and no one really knows what that's supposed to be.  }->

     Overall: Colorful.  Transformation tricks above and beyond the call of a
Regular Beast.  Gimmick's a little over-ambitious, but that can be forgiven.
A pretty good close to the second wave.

     Dave Van Domelen, saw scalpers grabbing the Gabrielles (Xena toy line)
out of the box before they could even be put on the shelf at Kay Bee
today....