Transformers Review – Beast Megatron (Robot Master)

Intro:

            When Beast Wars was first aired, fans were wondering about the direction of the series. The character names were similar to those that came before, but did the similarities ended there, or were there something more than meets the eyes (pun intended)? As the series progressed, it was eventually revealed that all of the Beast Wars characters were descendents of the original G1 Autobots and Decepticons, although no familial relationship.

            The character Megatron was undoubtedly one of the more exciting characters from that series. Beast Megatron, or for the sake of differentiating him and the legendary Decepticon leader, was an egotistical Predacon leader, had great ambitions of being the ruler of the universe, eclipsing even his predecessor namesake. In fact, he chose that as mentioned in the Covenant of Primus, about the coming of a great destroyer bearing that name, and Beast Megatron believed that he was that destroyer.

            After I’ve gotten the Robot Masters Optimus Primal figure back in 2005, I knew that I just had to get Beast Megatron as his sparring partner. So when the opportunity presented itself, I knew I just had to take it.

Alternate Mode:

            Beast Megatron transforms into that iconic purple Tyrannosaurus Rex, and to be honest, I kinda like this mode.

            In fact, I have to admit, it was one of the better modes amongst all other Beast Wars action figures. 

            As far as I am concerned, he is almost screen accurate, in terms of designs, except for the colors though, since I feel that the on-screen Beast Megatron had a darker shades of purple. From his massive jaws, all the way to his diminutive forearms, which always tickles my funny bones, evoking memories from an episode where he desperately tries to dislodge a time bomb at the back of his head.

            Articulation-wise: his mouth opens and closes, but instead of the norm of having the lower jaw moves, Beast Megs has his head moving instead; the shoulders of the small forearms are on ball-joints, though the movements are limited by the designs; hips are on ball-joints; the knees bend; and finally the 3-toes plates move downward. It’s kinda ashamed that the tail doesn’t move, but I could live with that. 

From left: Beast Megatron and Optimus Primal

            Overall, I kinda dig this mode.

Robot Mode:

            The transformation from T-Rex mode to robot mode is kinda simple, and you probably won’t even need the instructions for that.

            I also like the head sculpt, which is a clear homage to his G1 namesake. 

            The robot mode feels kinda buff, as if Beast Megs really work out a lot – broad shoulders and all.

            On his left shoulder, there is a Decepticon logo instead of a Predacon’s, which is kind of a letdown. However, this is understandable since Robot Masters was a standalone series in its own right, where characters from various Transformers series and universes converge. 

Beast Megs has the T-Rex’s head as his right hand and also an actual left hand.

Articulation-wise: the head is on a ball joint; inner shoulders hinge; right outer shoulder swivel; the right elbow (T-Rex’s head) rotates on his neck joint, and the mouth now acts as a hand; the left outer shoulder swivels and rotates, and the elbow bends; there is also a waist joint; while from the hips downward, the articulations are identical to his T-Rex mode. 

From left: Beast Megatron and Optimus Primal

            I kinda wished that his left wrist would rotate – is it too much to ask?

            The tail piece can now be wielded by his left fist as some sort of a weapon, which I have absolutely no idea what it is.

            Anyhow, overall, I think it’s a neat robot mode.       

Overall:

Well, I have to admit, I kinda like this figure. In fact, I even prefer him to the Robot Master Optimus Primal figure. He has a more exciting transformation sequence compared to his opposite number.

Highly Recommended.

            Final verdict: 8.5/10.

Transformers Review: Gimlet (Beast Wars Deluxe)

Intro:

            Welcome back to another review and today we will review a unique character named Gimlet, from the Beast Wars series. To be frank with you guys, as far as I’m concerned, Gimlet is one of those obscure figures/ characters. In fact, I had no idea that this guy even existed until I saw him one day at Dataran Pahlawan’s Robot Master Branch. Although the Canadian Beast Wars series received quite an exposure here, the Japanese Beast Wars series such as Neo received almost to none. 

            Gimlet is actually a remold of another figure called Sea Clamp, who is also 1/3 of the Tripredacus combiner team, also in Beast Wars. Since I do not have the other 2 figures, I have no way to review the gestalt robot itself. Still, at least we have Gimlet, don’t we?

            Another thing that I would like to state is that the character Gimlet is supposed to be a Maximal, well, at least that was the info that I got from my various resources. Oddly though, the box itself states that this guy’s a Destron, with a Predacon’s logo. Now, based on the info I have, it is his purple-colored mould-brother Sea Clamp who is supposed to be a Predacon. If only I could read Japanese, then probably I would be able to decipher whatever that is written on that box.

Alternate Mode:

            This has got to be one of the most unique alternate modes I have ever had in my entire collection – a crayfish. Predominantly dark gray and deep maroon in color, Gimlet’s alternate mode is absolutely lifelike.

            Articulation-wise: the whole arm/ claw apertures are on a set of universal joints; bend at the ball-jointed elbows; the claws themselves swing inward and out, and are able to open and close, thus allowing Gimlet to hold small items in them; the four feet on the left and right are on a separate pieces; and finally, the tailfin opens and closes. 

            Despite the lack of articulation that I would normally hate in a Beast alternate mode, surprisingly I’m quite fond of this mode. I mean, what more articulation could you wish from a lobster, except probably a bendable tail. Anyways, I think the alternate is quite unique and convincing at the same, and it can kinda make you feel hungry at times, especially if you’re a fan of crayfish like me. 

 

Robot Mode:

            This is one of those rare instances where I would opt for the delicious crayfish… I mean alternate mode, over the robot mode. The robot mode just seems a little bit too awkward for me.

            Gimlet got long hands – really, really long hands, and this is even worse than a gorilla’s hands!!! It’s so bad that you can’t even extend the hands straight downward. To make matters worse, instead of using the clayfish’s claws as hands, it has yet a set of smaller claw protrusions, which serve no purpose since they has no articulations at all. The full length of them will even exceed the length of the leg, thus it would have Gimlet standing straight up clownishly on his two hands instead!

 

            Gimlet has quite a descent amount of articulations: ball-jointed head; ball-jointed inner shoulders, and the shoulder pads rotate; the real shoulders are on universal joints; ball-jointed elbows; claws bend inward and out; waist joint available; and finally, ball-jointed hips and knees. 

 

            Apart from the awkwardly-designed arms, my other gripe would be the shell flap behind the legs. The shell is currently locked in place, thus can be quite a hindrance to his lower body movements. If that flap is moveable, then it could’ve solved that issue.

Accessories:

            Well, it’s not really an accessory for Gimlet per se, but a collector’s card. The front depicts Gimlet in his robot mode and made with reflective materials, while the back indicates his tech specs and presumably his bios.

Overall:

            Uniqueness doesn’t guarantee excellence, and that’s exactly what can be said about Gimlet. I love his alternate mode, no question about that, but the robot mode could be better. As far as the original Canadian TV series go, Gimlet never appeared in it, thus remain as one of the many unknown entities.

            Buy him if you’re really into collecting Beast Wars figures, or even if you’re a sucker for uniqueness just like me.

            Final verdict: 7/10.

Transformers Review: Robot Masters Beast Wars Optimus Primal

Intro:

            Big Banana; Fearless Leader; Boss Monkey – well, those are just a few nicknames that Optimus Primal was known as during the events of Beast Wars & Beast Machines, thanks to one Rattrap. Optimus Primal was the leader of the Maximal faction (descendants of the Autobots), when their ship, The Axalon was damaged and crash-landed on prehistoric Earth.

            The Beast Wars series, when they were released in the 90’s, were intended to revive the flaying franchise. Personally, I love the animated series, which was all done in CGI. The scripts and storyline were good, and I especially love the character Rattrap, for all his wisecracking jokes and sarcasms.

            Action figure-wise, now that is a different story: while the initial released of the figures were okay, the subsequent figures in the line such as Trans-metal and Beast Machines figures were largely animation-inaccurate – for better or for worse.

            Optimus Primal – the character was not a reincarnation of Optimus Prime. He was rather a brand new character, who took on the name based on the legendary hero as more of a reverence rather than anything else. Although he may not be the bearer of the Matrix, he was a worthy successor to the leadership mantle for he has the legend’s compassion and leadership ability. Character-wise, he had the potential; action figure-wise? Let’s see… 

Alternate Mode:

            Optimus Primal transforms into a friggin’ gorilla. The original Optimus Primal was a Silverback Gorilla. This Robot Master version however, doesn’t seem to reflect that, since he is only depicted as a black-colored gorilla. 

 

 

            Articulation-wise: the shoulders are severely restricted in movements; the elbows, though bendable, looks hideous when doing so; no wrist movements; no waist or head joints; hips are on tight ball joints; bendable knees and those are about it. 

 

 

            To be honest, I don’t really like this mode. It’s just full off robot kibbles. The folded shoulder cannons are clearly visible. I wished they had installed some sort of a camouflaged flap on the back panel. It would’ve been nice.  The robot mode’s colors are still clearly visible, especially around the legs areas. I just wished that they could’ve somehow done things differently. 

 

Robot Mode:

 

            Well, this is also one of the reasons why I really hate a robot that transforms into an ape-like creature – the transformation is so simple that you’d almost feel cheated. Both modes share the same limbs and body – well, at least in this case, you’d have to turn the lower body around in order to get to the robot mode. Anyways, it’s just kinda insulting to one's intelligence, if you ask me. 

 

 

            Now, once you can get pass all those stuffs, the robot mode is actually way better than the gorilla mode. The head looks dead-on Optimus Prime, or should I say, Optimus Primal. Instead of the signature faceplate, this Primal has lips instead. 

 

            Articulation-wise: the head is on a ball joint; the shoulders have more range of movements compared to the gorilla mode; elbow joints; waist joint; ball jointed hips; and bendable knees. 

 

 

            Instead of his allegiance to the Maximals, this Primal is allied to the Autobots instead, as shown on his left shoulder. 

 

            Primal also comes with his signature shoulder cannons and arm-blasters.

            I have to give credit to the color-scheme of this mode though – they blend quite well.

Overall:

            Standing at barely 5-inches tall, Optimus Primal is much smaller than your average Deluxe-class figure, but cost more. While the visual details such as fur linings and color finishing may be worth mentioning, this figure could be further improved in terms of its disguise and articulations. Still, if you are an Optimus Primal fan, or a Beast Wars action figure fans, this is probably the figure for you.

Highly Recommended.

            Final verdict: 7/10.