Dave's Transmetal Rant: Waspinator Rattrap Airazor (review at end) Terrorsaur (ditto) Looks like these babies are showing up all over the country this weekend (you can stop sending me emails about it, in other words). And they're blowing out just as fast...I got the last Rattrap and second last Waspinator at the store I checked today. CAPSULES Waspinator: Very nice colors, good beast mode, vehicle mode needs some work, nifty-looking (but unstable) robot mode. Recommended. $9.99 at TRU. Rattrap: Good colors, very good beast and vehicle modes, pretty good robot mode (big backpack and tapered feet make him unstable in most poses). Very close to the TV version. Recommended. RANTS PREDACON: Waspinator Function: Aerial Attack Transformation Challenge: Intermediate (5) Quote: "Wazzzzpinator takezz doggie-botz temperature now!" (Okay, not really, but after Tengu's comments about the gun...) After the quantum surge, Waspinator became a meched-out, armored wasp with the ability to change into a fighter-jet as well as a bio-genetically enhanced robot. His personality, however, did not change much; he's still high-tempereed, aggressive and dangerous when angered. Only now Waspinator is faster, armed with a toxic stinger and more driven in his mission to wipe out the Maximals forever! STR 7 INT 6 SPD 9 END 7 RNK 5 COUR 4 FRP 7 SKL 6 Avg 6.375 Firstly, I think the techspec writers should be barred from now on from opening a note with any variation of "After the quantum surge." Second, as often happens, the specs don't match the cartoon's characterization. I'd drop Waspy's STR by a few points and up his COUR to at least 8. Maybe drop a few points of INT as well. He's often too stupid to give up. }-> Beast Mode: Very nice use of translucent blue on the wings and gold chrome everywhere, balanced by black. 6 inches (15cm) from mandibles to stinger and with a wingspan of 8.5 inches (21cm), Waspinator's legs are too spindly to support him...but thanks to the placement of his jet cockpit when in beast mode, you can fake it pretty easily. The hind legs use the same basic design as Inferno's, but stiffer and with another joint or two. Wings are poseable, mandibles are movable, and of course all the legs are movable, making for a very agile bug. The wasp eyes are gold and multifacted, a VERY effective use of the chrome. Vehicle Mode: Turning the wings into jet wings is accomplished pretty cleverly, and the mouthparts of the wasp head hold the jet cockpit quite firmly. It really does look like a tricked-out jet of some sort. The main problem is what to do with the legs, especially since there's no nose wheel, so all the legs stuffed to the back make the jet nose into the dirt. I found that using the front insect legs as landing gear by bending them the right way helped a lot. It makes the already bad levels of undercarriage junk even worse, but helps the appearance from above. Transformation: Quite involved, I'd almost give it a 6 or 7 rather than the 5 Hasbro assigned. I especially liked how the abdomen of the wasp hid the *arms* rather than legs or just sitting there as an appendage to the robot mode. Again, finding places for the insect legs is a bit tricky, since they get in the way pretty much no matter where you leave them. But the main problem is that the holes in the abdomen which the instructions say are there for putting pegs into...aren't. This leaves the robot form unstable, and makes it really hard to figure out when you have the exact right combination of joint angles (the shoulder area has something like four or five joints in total to mold into position). [Later Addendum: Okay, the "holes" are really grooves, and it takes a fair amount of work to get the pegs to settle into the grooves just right. You can stop emailing me about it. }->] Robot Mode: The arms and legs are really poseable, and the joints are stiff enough to hold in most poses. Unfortunately, they're stiffer than some of the joints holding the torso together, which can lead to trouble. Plus, as mentioned, the insect legs get in the way. That aside, the only real disappointment in poseability is that once again, his feet are fixed, so you can't get a lot of neat poses to stay standing. The robot mode stands about 5 inches (13cm) tall and for the most part looks really cool. There's even glowing eyes, for once. The two detractions from his cool appearance are 1) his weapon does look like a rectal thermometer (albeit a painful one), and 2) the irony of having his cockpit squarely over his groin is just too much. Overall: If the insect legs were just a little more poseable (to allow for getting them out of the way) or easily removable, this would be a very cool toy. As it is, it's still a cool toy. Grab it when you find it. MAXIMAL: Rattrap Function: Spy Transformation Challenge: Intermediate (5) Quote: "We're all gonna die." (Well, if Hasbro won't give them quotes, I will.) Following the quantum surge, Rattrap gained the advantage of a meched-out armor shell and a swift dragster vehicle mode. A top-notch soldier, his fellow Maximals rely on his reconnaissance reports to locate enemy outposts. The new hot rod mode has increased his speed and agility on the battlefield, and a powerful, battle-whip blade that he wields while in robot mode has made him a powerful adversary to all Predacons. STR 6 INT 7 SPD 9 END 5 RNK 5 COUR 8 FRP 6 SKL 7 Avg 6.625 Gah, enough with "following the quantum surge" and "meched-out," already. And given that he and Rhinox seem to switch off as second in command in the show, I'd think a Rank higher than 5 is in order. And a Skill definitely over 7. He's too much of a deus-ex-Maximal to have a Skill of only 7. Beast Mode: Body is 4.5 inches (11cm) long, the tail alone is nearly 6 inches (15cm) long. Looks almost exactly like the cartoon version in this mode, but isn't terribly poseable. Main colors are brown and a brownish pearly color, with metallic red back, hip/wheels, tail tip and accents. Plus green eyes. Since his tail attaches to his robot hand in beast mode, it looks kinda like there's a fist sticking out of Rattrap's behind, a non-too- pleasant mental picture, yes? Vehicle Modes: Before discussing his dragster mode, I wanna note that if you fold his rear wheels out to the sides as far as they'll go and flip the hind feet in, you get a sort of hover-rat mode. Anyway, the "Brodie" mode has nicely free-wheeling wheels and is probably the first vehicle mode to really do what it's supposed to do. Primal's skateboard came closest before this, since you could get it to roll along if you were careful, same with Tarantulas, but the only stable ground mode was Rhinox, and it had no real wheels. About the only flaw in this design is the exhaust pipes, which are wimpy both in size and color. Maybe I'll add some silver paint to them later. Transformation: Very satisfyingly complex, but not too hard once you get the hang of it. The only irksome parts are the head halves which have to be wrestled into place around the rat forelegs. It's weird how the entire front side of the torso folds up to store inside the rat head, while the robot arms fold down like Hooligan's (cyberjet) to store in the rear of the body. Robot Mode: Very nice looking main body and limbs, but the backpack and shoulderpads tend to dwarf this. Stands 4.5 inches (11cm) tall, and I don't want to know if that pattern on the pelvis is supposed to be intestines. The color scheme is pretty good, but gold paint instead of orange on the "brains" and chest badge would have looked a LOT better...that orange looks tacky, and also looks like it's about to wash off. The feet are long both directions from the ankle, but taper to points, which reduces their usefulness in terms of giving stability to poses. And since the toy is so top-heavy with all the backpack stuff, it's even more of a challenge to find stable poses other than straight-legged, feet-together. Weapons: The only intended weapon is a highly-flexible whip-tail, which uses alternating hing joint directions. A total of 12 segments including the metallic tip make for some almost whiplike poses. There's no gun (although I may kitbash him one), and the rear wheels do not detach to become shields like in the cartoon. However, you can simulate their use as a shield by pulling one forward as far as it will go, then putting Rattrap's forearm behind it. Makes for a low block, but hey. Overall: It's not a perfect toy, but all of the flaws are minor. I'd say it's the second best Transmetal so far, edged out by Cheetor mainly on the strength of Cheetor's beast mode. Dave Van Domelen, notes Rattrap has a few mystery holes in his arms which go with no existing peg on the toy.... Dave's Transmetal Rant: Airazor Terrorsaur When I picked up the new Tomart's specifically for the pictures of these two (I'll have them up on my page as soon as I can get to the scanner), I just knew I'd find the toys this weekend too. On the plus side, I found them today, so I can cut short my shopping trip tomorrow and spend less time in the heat wave out there. On the minus side, I found them at Kay Bee, so I paid an extra three bucks each. Ow. CAPSULES Airazor: Okay beast mode and vehicle mode, nice robot mode, sweet shield mode (yes, a fourth mode!), good transformations. Recommended. $12.99 at Kay Bee, $9.99 at civilized stores. Terrorsaur: Very good beast mode, okay vehicle mode, good robot mode, good transformation. Recommended. $12.99 at Kay Bee. Note on both: they don't come packaged in any actual mode. Both require some fiddling to get into Beast mode, especially Airazor's legs. And a reminder to newcomers, the toys still don't have quotes, but I've begun adding my own. RANTS MAXIMAL: Airazor Function: Aerial Recon Transformation Difficulty: Intermediate (5) Quote: "Three quarters of the planet is covered with water...all of it is covered with air." A quantum surge has completely rearranged Airazor's structure to provide a metal-armor coating and a pontoon plane substructure that provides the added advantage of sea reconnaissance. Already quick as lightning, her twin jets furnish extra high-level acceleration and agility. Her optical matrix scanners can detect Predacon ground movement from 30,000 feet while her armor-ripping talons send fearful sparks through the Predacon army. STR 5 INT 7 SPD 9 END 6 RNK 6 COUR 7 FRP 4 SKL 7 Avg 6.375 They seem to be finally recognizing that if you don't give the toy a gun, it shouldn't have a high Firepower score. Oh, and for a real world reference, the SR-71 Blackbird's normal operating altitude for spy missions is 80,000 feet, with cameras which can pick up human-sized objects, so Airazor's abilities aren't unreasonable. }-> Beast Mode: About six inches long (15cm), with a variable wingspan from 7" (17cm) to 11" (27cm). Color scheme looks like a dragon kite or something, lots of white and blue with yellow, orange and red accents, plus light lavender chrome. Looks kinda garish and knock-off-like from the colors. I'm also not too keen on the tail section and how the robot legs just sort of stick out alongside it. However, it is a very stable mode, once you jam all the pegs firmly into the right holes, and the legs are designed so that the bird can stand quite well...neither the "knee" nor ankle joints will let the bird pitch forward, and the engineering keeps it far away from tipping back. Only the hips can move in these directions, and they're strong enough to stop that from happening. The only stability issue of any kind is the chromed beak, which is hinged to get out of the way during transformation to robot mode, but doesn't really stay put very well. There's a little "undercarriage junk" effect happening with the robot head visible in bird mode. Vehicle Mode: It's a little difficult to get the pontoons set up at first (the little catch to pull out one of the struts isn't quite enough unless you have really strong nails or resort to a tool. Also, you have to put the bird legs back into a supporting position, because the pontoons are too far forward (even after you move the wings back) to balance this mode on. Looks like a bird on pontoons with jets strapped to it more than it looks like a pontoon plane. Transformation: A little tough at first, since excessive force must be used to crack open the chrome part when you don't know the right way to hold the wings. There is a lot of folding involved in getting the torso together, almost at the level of Silverbolt, and it's a bit tricky to get the wings moved around without bumping into the shoulders. But there's no "what were the designers smoking?" moments and nothing requires excessive force once you *do* know how things work. }-> Robot Mode: A fairly leggy five inches (15cm) tall. The construction of the torso is very nice, with no obvious bird parts showing, and a sort of bare midriff look. The dominant color on the robot body is yellow, with brown accents, blue upper arms and feet, and white midriff. The face has a metallic red feather-motif mask, and there's a bit of silver on the chest. The robot isn't unmistakably female, but is is more elegant and slender. Neck, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees are all unremarkable joints. The ankles are VERY stiff swivels, with the feet being single pieces resembling boot bottoms. The waist does have a swivel joint, but this doesn't get a chance to work since the hips are pushed up against the back piece (you can get it to work if Airazor leans forward, but that looks bizarre). Oh, it's worth noting that the knees don't bend very far, which is a pity for such a lithe-looking figure. The hips are fairly weak, and there's a serious backpack problem, so it's hard to get the robot to stand on its own two feet. Fortunately, the wingtips can act as very stable third and fourth feet, supporting the figure in action poses (including ones with only one foot touching down). About the only real mar on a groovy robot mode is that the bird talons are attached to the wrists as weapons, which look kinda dorky. The hands have holes and could grip weapons, too bad none were provided. Shield Mode: Now this one shows the designers were giving the toy some thought...or one of the testers was clever. If you put the arms close to the sides in robot mode (with talons facing out to the sides), you can close the chrome back cover over the figure's chest, making an armored breastplate and deploying the wings for flight in this mode. It also supports the upper legs, so the figure doesn't sag over in the event of weaker than normal hips. Overall: A very nice figure, if a little garish. A lot better than I feared it might turn out, and actually worth the extra three bucks I paid. PREDACON: Terrorsaur Function: Aerial Attacks Transformation Difficulty: Intermediate (5, I might go to 6) Quote: "You're the one who's going to be extinct!" A quantum surge has altered the structure of the tyrannical Terrorsaur, turning him into a jet-powered, vehicle-like Pterodactyl with an unfettered rage for the Maximals. If Terrorsaur was once known as fearless, his new armor has made him kamikaze. Hidden jet thrusters leave a trail of fire in his wake and often ignite the terrain below - a fact that tickles his twisted humor circuits endlessly. Fierce talons and turbine spikes offer a dangerous arsenal that keep[s] him involved with his favorite activity: battling Maximals. STR 6 INT 4 SPD 10 END 3 RNK 5 COUR 8 FRP 3 SKL 5 Avg 5.5 Rage for the Maximals? Oh well...at least neither he nor Airazor are "meched-out." Oh, and unlike most Transmetals, he has his name printed on a non-chromed piece, like Megs does. Beast Mode: This has to be assembled first, and the wingtips have to be put onto the forearms. On the plus side, they're labeled R and L. On the minus side, I didn't look that carefully and wondered for a minute why they kept falling off. }-> Beast mode is 6" (15cm) long with an 11" (27cm) wingspan, and has anatomy fairly close to that of a proper Ptero. Closer than the original Terrorsaur, it's worth mentioning. In Beast mode, Terrorsaur can't stand, he crawls on his belly (although you can fake it by extending his engine cowling and perching him precariously on his haunches). This is the proper place for his belly, since it doesn't look so good. The color scheme is purple, gold and maroon, with some moss green accents on the claws and beak, and a few touches of silver and yellow. The neck can move up and down, and the long beak/snout opens and shuts. Mine has the lower jaw shifted over to one side a little, like he's just been punched int he face by Megs. The inside of the beak looks like a needlenose pliers, which is a cute touch. Pegs keep everything held together quite snugly. Vehicle Mode: The "cockpit" observed on his tail is, in face, an engine cowling, and not a cockpit at all. Mind you, an alternate vehicle mode can be made by tucking in the head and pretending the cowling is a cockpit, and it looks pretty cool. But the intended vehicle mode has the rear open up to reveal jet engines, while the coverings on the wing hoverfans flip forward to become attack spikes. Careful, if you open the butt up too much, it'll pop the body open and start the transformation to robot mode. Transformation: Pretty quick and easy once you done it for the first time. Like Airazor, the torso consists of two pieces folding around and coming together. But in this case, you have to really shove them together to get them to stay in their places. The pteradactyl head does a little fold-and-roll thing reminiscent of the original Starscream's nosecone, but all contained within the chest (head is on a separate piece). Beast Mode: Not counting the Evangelion-like shoulders, he stands a little shy of five inches (14cm) tall, with long, clawed arms. The tan pieces of the toy come out more in this mode, which is mainly maroon and tan with purple arms and center torso. The head is a modified version of the original head, a little more organic, with a grimace. If you're inclined to be silly, the beak can flip out from the chest and snap at foes. The toy's backpack is counterbalanced by the long arms, which is a good thing since the feet aren't really as poseable as they seem at first...the center of each foot is a thruster cone which doesn't move, and the talons aren't stiffly jointed enough to support some poses on their own. A rather cool joint is the knee...the kneecap is a separate piece, hinged onto both the upper and lower leg. The weapons, while still not ranged, are a little more impressive than Airazor's (not a difficult task, mind you). The wingtips can be removed and put into the figure's hands via peg holes in the palms, and become large scythe/swords. Once you remove the wingtips, the toy's resemblance to an Eva unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion becomes even stronger, by the way. Overall: This is another one I was worried about, but my worries were proved wrong. It's a very good toy, and while not without flaws, the flaws are more than balanced out by virtues. Dave Van Domelen, off to the scanner....