Dave's Deluxe Transmetal II Rant:

     Scourge
     Prowl
     Jawbreaker (review at end)
     Iguanus II (review at end)

     Found Scourge at Kay Bee and used a $2 off coupon I had, so it only cost
me a buck more than everywhere else...then I found it at Wal-Mart.  Ended up
driving across town to another Wal-Mart to get Prowl.  No Basics yet, and
it's too slagging hot to go shopping tomorrow to the third Wal-Mart I go to
just to check on them.  They can wait until I get back from San Antonio.

CAPSULES

     Scourge - Looks nice and it's pretty big for a Deluxe.  But it's floppy
and frustrating and I'm not surprised it's already a pegwarmer.  Very mildly
recommended.  $12.99 at Kay Bee, $9.76 at Wal-Mart.
     Prowl - Funky gimmick, good looks and reasonably stable in both modes.
Recommended.  $9.76 at Wal-Mart.

RANTS

     Before I go into the two toys, just a note on the packaging.  They've
added the beast mode under the name in the upper right hand corner of the
card front, useful considering how a lot of the TMII beast modes are pretty
bizarre.  The numerical transformation difficulty has been replaced by just a
category (Basic, Intermediate, etc) which means no more than what price point
the toy is at.  Finally, the photos on the back don't show the toy itself,
leaving more room for other toys.

PREDACON: Scourge
Beast Mode: Locust
Function: Special Operations Combatant
Quote: "A plague upon all their houses!"

Scourge is possibly the most despicable of the already loathsome Predacons.
Delights in taking depravity to all-time-low levels.  Obsessed with
germ-warfare and lethal chemical development.  Despised by peers for his
inclination to test deadly viral and bacterial concoctions on fellow
Predacons.  Skilled in combat, Scourge wields photon cluster cannons with
chemical warhead capabilities.  Has electrostatic disruptors inside antennae;
capable of leaping distances exceeding two miles with use of wings.

STR 4.6  INT 7.0  SPD 8.7  END 6.5  RNK 6.0  COUR 8.7  FRP 7.8  SKL 9.3
     Avg 7.325

     I gotta wonder how you can affix a chemical warhead to a photon
cluster.  Also, is it just me, or does every other Predacon get tarred with
the brush of "nastiest/worst/most despicable of the Predacons?"

     Beast Mode: Size is variable due to the legs, but at its most compact
it's 6.5" (17cm) long.  The legs are easily able to carry its weight, and it
usually stands around 4" (10cm) tall or slightly more.  The colors are
garish.  Solid plastic colors are red, black and purple.  Chrome is gold with
neon green accents.  And there's also translucent yellow-green parts.  The
beast mode is sorta stable, but the wing pack isn't really secured by
anything, nor is the insect head.  This makes it hard to use the wing gimmick
without turning Scourge into a pile of insect parts.  The gimmick works on a
similar principle to Silverbolt's...push a lever and the wings flip forward,
firing a missile.  In this case, only one wing actually fires, I guess to
keep people from losing both missiles at once.  }->  Flipping open the left
eye (vaguely disturbing) reveals the spark.  Anyway, while okay on display,
you can't really play with the beast mode without having to spend time
retransforming it.
     Transformation: Very frustrating.  Bits fall off easily when moved
around, nothing actually snaps into place, and the abdomen is so hard to open
up thanks to chrome pegs in chrome holes that you almost have to break it the
first time.  Once you figure out all the frustrating bits, though, it's a
pretty basic transformation.
     Robot Mode: A floppy mess standing 5.5" (14cm) tall and taking up more
shelf space than Optimal Optimus thanks to all the kibble.  As mentioned,
NOTHING locks into place.  Shoulders and torso are especially annoying...
couldn't they spring for a few plastic nubs to help things click into place?
The big locust rear legs become the lower legs of the robot, a state of
affairs which doesn't really work...and leaves him with "heel spurs"
extending four inches (10cm) behind his body!  The remaining four insect legs
all end up on the left arm where you sort have to form them into a claw or
something.  Almost as bad as Transquito's situation.  The right arm looks
nice, has an actual hand and can hold the missiles as swords, but is hampered
by the looseness of the shoulder.  It is theoretically possible to position
the wings so that he can fire his missile at targets in front of him, but
this makes his floppy torso sag forward and then he falls over entirely
despite his huge feet.
     Overall: Not a bad idea, but seriously hurt by a lot of cut corners.
Takes up space far in excess of any nifty factor, and this guy's only going
to last out on my desk until I get another toy of Deluxe size (which will
happen pretty soon, since I have an order of Neo on the way in the mail).


MAXIMAL: Prowl
Beast Mode: Hunter Owl
Function: Military Strategist
Quote: "Logic is the ultimate weapon."

Prowl strives to find logic and reason in everything.  A listener, not a
talker.  Has most sophisticated logic center of the Maximals.  Able to
analyze and advise no complex combat situations almost instantaneously.
Fires highly corrosive acid pellets.  Cybernetic eye and frontal lobe
interact with wing-mounted ion orbs, supplying limited telekinetic power.
Afflicted with ironic, dry sense of humor.  Believes himself to have been a
great military strategist in a former life.

STR 6.1  INT 8.2  SPD 7.9  END 7.6  RNK 6.5  COUR 8.1  FRP 8.8  SKL 7.9
     Avg 7.6375

     No mention is made WHERE the pellets come from.  But real owls leave
pellets too, so....  And I object to the assertion that an ironic, dry sense
of humor is an "affliction."  Well, I *would* object if I thought the
techspec writer knew what "affliction" actually means.
     Oh, and as a side note, someone should come up with "Prowl Owl" to the
tune of "Royal Oil."

     Beast Mode: A 5" (13cm) tall owl with am 8" (20cm) wingspan at full
extension.  Opaque colors are light grey (with metallic blue paint accents)
and dark grey.  Translucent reddish orange plastic is found throughout, and a
nice deep blue chrome with some gold and gunmetal accents.  The wings are
reasonably poseable, but the legs are a bit restrained by the stuff around
them.  Kibble is limited to the robot arms being tucked under the owl's
tail between the rocket boosters.  Pressing a button on the back will cause
the owl's head to spin, and the computerized dome atop the head can flip over
to reveal his spark.  But, as the Ronco guys say, that's not all!  You can
flip the wings around and bracket the head with them, and they'll spin along
with the head as a buzzsaw weapon (it fails utterly as a rotary fan,
however).  If you're so inclined, you can also unhook them from the head and
just swing them around in a circle.  Oh, and you can tuck in the wings so
that the owl looks like a regular owl would in repose.
     Transformation: Simple, but not obvious.  Once you know how it goes,
it's a ten second transformation with everything snapping firmly into place.
But it's a real puzzle to figure out without the instructions...and the
instructions aren't a great help either.  
     Robot Mode: 5" (12cm) tall, with the same wingspan option as in beast
mode.  The overally look is reminiscent of Silverbolt, with claw feet and
wings forming shoulderpads.  The owl head forms a big chest, but he can just
barely reach past it.  His forearms are clear red plastic and look kinda out
of place.  One is in a fist, the other an open hand.  Since he has no loose
bits to hold, this is largely cosmetic.  More red plastic gives him the
classic glowing eyes effect.  About his only serious loose bit is the waist,
which doesn't lock down.  However, the joint is stiff enough that this isn't
really a problem.  He follows the Beast Wars Neo trend of having a robot head
that has elements of his beast mode.  Finally, he can use his spinning wing
gimmick in robot mode, although not while on the ground, as the wings strike
the tabletop.  Presumably his telekinesis employs the wings out formation
that the spinner uses.
     Overall: A pretty good toy with an interesting gimmick.  It gets in its
own way a little too often for me to strongly recommend it, however.

     Dave Van Domelen, now to review the Iron Giant toy he also got....


Dave's Transmetal II Rant:

     Iguanus
     Jawbreaker

     This was almost just an Iguanus review.  I noticed Jawbreaker on the peg
at the same time a little kid did, and being a non-scummy fellow, I let the
kid have it.  Fortunately, there was another Jawbreaker on the racks behind a
Prowl which I helped the little kid's younger brother get (he thought it was
Tigerhawk, I pointed out Rampage as an example of how big Tigerhawk would be,
the kid wanted Prowl anyway).

CAPSULES

     Iguanus - So-so beast mode, okay transformation, okay robot mode.
Mildly recommended.  $9.76 at Wal-Mart.
     Jawbreaker - Nice-looking but unstable beast mode, kinda tricky
transformation, okay robot mode.  Somewhere between mildly recommended and
recommended.  $9.76 at Wal-Mart.


RANTS

PREDACON: Iguanus
Function: Demolitions & Artillery Expert
Beast Mode: Lizard (quoth the package)
Quote: "The shortest distance between two Maximal points is a heat-seeking
     missile."

Iguanus is a master of combat calculations.  Armed with long-range tactical
missiles capable of carrying a wide variety of warheads, his firepower rating
is among the highest of the Predacons.  Able to accurately calculate target
position from incredible distances, he obliterates enemies from thousands of
kilometers with cutthroat precision.  Special titanium armor plating
withstands even the most severe blasts.

STR 5.6  INT 8.1  SPD 3.5  END 6.5  RNK 4.5  COUR 7.2  FRP 8.3  SKL 7.3
     Avg 6.375

     Cutthroat precision?  Oooookay.  There's about a half dozen twist-ties
keeping Iguanus in the package, a tad excessive.  Pictures of the line on the
package show BA, Cybershark, Scourge, Prowl, Jawbreaker and Dinobot
(Jawbreaker's package shows Iguanus instead of Jawbreaker).

     Beast Mode: 6.5" (17cm) long from snout to tail, it's a mostly metallic
(not chrome) blue lizard of some sort with more tech than organic.  Frill is
silver chrome painted over with orange.  One eye is big and orange, the other
is small and green.  Interestingly, the missile launcher only works in beast
mode, giving Iguanus little reason to transform in most situations.  When the
missile is fired, the neck frill pops up a few millimeters...you almost miss
the effect if you're not watching for it.  Missile fires a little over a
meter.  You can get the frill action without the missile by simply pushing
the barrel of the launcher in (closing the mouth will push it in nicely.  The
beast mode is fairly stable, but the rear hip halves aren't locked in
position, and tend to move apart when you move the toy.  However, this isn't
a big problem, since the toy has a low, squat stance.

     Transformation: There's a fairly nifty bit where the head folds away
into the robot's back, and the forelegs become robot legs.  A couple of
panels on the flanks swing aside to allow motion, while letting the toy avoid
having holes in its body.  The rear hips just pull apart to become shoulders,
and the tail folds down to reveal the face.  Not terribly complicated, but
decent for a Deluxe.  Note, you do have to remove the missile before
transformation, and cannot store it in the launcher in robot mode.

     Robot Mode: 5" tall, still mostly blue, but with some more orange and
silver showing.  Has jagged red teeth and one red eye, the other eye being
covered by a metal plate.  His spark is hidden behind a chest plate that
swings open the same way Lioconvoy's matrix cover does.  The hands have
opposable thumbs like TMII Cheetor, but they work a LOT better than his do.
The missile becomes a club, and its shaft has a scale pattern.  Ankles and
wrists are ball-jointed, although the wrists bend back the wrong way for most
attack poses.  His beast tail becomes a long ponytail of sorts, but even with
the neck frill (which is now a skirt) and the ponytail out back, Iguanus has
no trouble with tipping backwards.  Oh, and while he can't fire his real
missile in robot mode, his left shoulder has a missile pod molding on it, so
I guess he can "in character" launch stuff in robot mode.  One bit of his
chest detailing reminds me of Max B from BWII.

     Overall: As one of the last pre-Beast Machines toys, it's a bit of a
letdown.  Not bad, really, but not great either.  No big problems, but
nothing to make you sit up and go "wow!"


MAXIMAL: Jawbreaker
Function: Close-Combat Specialist
Beast Mode: Hyena
Quote: "Laugh and the world laughs with you; howl and you howl alone."

The most aggressive of the Maximals, Jawbreaker never backs down from a
fight.  Prefers combat situations where odds are stacked against him.  Most
effective in close-combat battle, where his powerful jaws can be
devastating.  Utilizes magnetic field generator between his shoulders,
drawing unfortunate Predacons into his spinning deltoid blade.  Possesses a
twisted sense of humor; laughs a lot - but generally laughs alone.

STR 7.2  INT 5.1  SPD 6.8  END 8.3  RNK 5  COUR 9.4  FRP 6.6  SKL 8.6
     Avg 7.125

     Um, the spinning blade is not deltoid (shoulder muscle) in nature.
Either it's between his shoulderblades in beast mode, or on his forearm in
robot mode.  Nor is it delta-shaped (triangular).  Not that I expect much
grasp of anatomy from anyone associated with TMIIs.  }->

     Beast Mode: An impressive 8" (20cm) long, and about 4" (10cm) high at
the sawblade.  Lots of joints, lots of blades...and lots of instability.
Held together by two pegs and a tab, none of which is really that strong.
His robot chest just sort of dangles between his forelegs, and there's no way
to secure it to anything.  In fact, it takes a fair amount of trial and error
to get the toy to be at all stable in beast mode.  Unfortunately, due to
warping during shipping or something (and possibly related to the half dozen
twist-ties used), he tends to tilt to one side when stable.  Getting him
balanced requires undoing the tab in the small of his back.
     Something of a riot of colors.  Dark brown fur with gold spots, plus
light blue parts all over, red claws, and chrome in red, silver, gold and
orange around his shoulders, neck and back.  Pumping a lever on his back
causes the sawblade between his shoulders to rotate, but it's not free-
spinning, and only spins during the pumping.

     Transformation: Hindlegs become robot legs, tail pulls out to become
sword.  Then it gets tricky.  Back and head become the right arm, the left
arm is hidden in the chest, and both of the massive beast mode forelegs end
up curled up on the shoulders of the robot mode.  Because of the instability
of the beast mode, the reverse transformation is a bear and a half.

     Robot Mode: 4.5" (11cm) tall at the head, you can fiddle with the
shoulder kibble to increase the total height.  His sword is almost as long as
he is tall.  Legs are jointed almost exactly like TMII Cheetor's, but with
big spurs along the back that keep the knees from bending very much.  The
beast head can rotate with a "wrist" joint, and he can hold his sword in
either the beast's jaws or in his semi-open left hand.  The sawblade becomes
a forearm weapon, and his spark is revealed to be on that forearm.  If you
want, you can unfurl the beast forelegs for him to use as extra combat arms.

     Overall: His primary strength lies in the complexity of his
transformation.  Beast mode's unstable, and robot mode's a bit shrimpy and
overburdened with kibble.  Again, like Iguanus, there's nothing really wrong,
but nothing really right.

     Dave Van Domelen, two more to go before Beast Machines....