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Beast Machine Toys

Toy Ramble

04-Oct-00 ULTRA Nightscream and Basic NightViper
Nighty night. Yup, got Nightscream last night, mini-rant on the "What's New Page". I got NightViper at a Fred Meyer's a few days ago. I picked up a Transmetal Rhinox to get the total over $15 so I could use a coupon. It's great to have around those BW characters. They're recolors so I can pas them up if I want to.

Nightscream is long and lanky. He's a huge toy for just $20. Very poseable and fairly stable. Don't hate him because he doesn't look like the CGI show. He looks better than the show!

Night Viper is another long and lanky Maximal! Wow, a trend. A decent toy for a basic, the first US snake Transformer! A must just for the unique beast form and unique transformation for the legs. Tho Corada from Japan's Neo line is a much better toy. Still, NV has a cool look to him. The lankyness doesn't restrict the WIDE range of motion on his many ball-joints. Poseability is "Maximized" with this little cobra.

11-Aug-00 SkyDive and BlastCharge
Fred comes thru yet again with the latest Beast Machine toys. I really love the long and lanky SkyDive in both modes. I flare out the shoulders to give him a more imposing look. He isn't that much bigger than other DELUXE toys but his lean stature makes him quite tall. BlastCharge is as awkward in robot mode as all the pictures have him. No helping this guy see his toes. :) I do like his vehicle mode however.
Gimmicks on both are kinda bland. SkyDive's neck lunges out and has a slashing action while giving you the "big bird" (as we call it here at the office).

LATE NOTE: I was looking him over and I am amazed at the detail! It looks like he had a deep gash right across his spark! Notice the "scabbing" on each side of the spark, look at the fractures just outside the gash. Ouch! That musta hurt. Or maybe he was just scratching with one of those big talons of his.

BlastCharge lunges too by retracting the "cab" of the truck and launching it like a battering ram. Also, the turret elevates and fires the center missile. A know on the back of the truck turns the turret. As a robot, he head would turn if it weren't for the cab becoming a big backpack and blocking the knob.

11-Aug-00 Deployers
Our local Fred Meyers (whose been getting in Beast Machines the quickest) had the deployers for about 2 days and were gone when I went in to get them. So I went on down to the ShopKo and found about 3 sets there. Using my McDonald's coupon, I bought all three. Found a Digivolving WarGreymon finally but...

Backstory:
After their apparent victory in the Beast Wars, the heroic Maximals have returned to Cyberton to find their home planet overrun by hoards of Vehicons controlled by the tyrannical Megatron.
In the deepest recessess[sic?] of Cybertron, Nightscream discovers a band of automated mechanical beasts. Forged from ancient Transformer technology, these former task drones were protected from the ravages of time. Though small in stature and lacking sparks of their own, the Deployers use their firepower and rapid transformation abilities to combat the despotic rule of Megatron.
The struggle for the salvation of Cybertron continues...

Not as good of a backstory on the Deployers. I really liked the Mutant Beast Wars backstory -- devolved Fuzors! But it's tolerable. On their Tech specs, each Deployer, Rav, Mol, and Dillo have a reference to a specific G1 character. I wish the Deployers had a stand like the Beast Riders but at least they transform! I'm almost tempted to think Mol and Dillo should have wheels... A definite gripe is the price point, 6.99. 4.99 seems a bit more acceptable.

Rav - is a very pretty bird who transforms into a crossbow thingy. I like the translucent red body. Make sure you hold down the back of a foot so when it deploys (squats down), the body isn't blocked by your finger.
Mol - is probably my least favorite. It looks vaguely animal and transforms into a confusing mass with its launcher out the rear. A bit more work and they could have gotten a nice (but crude) robot form in this mode. Eh... you can pass on this one.
Dillo - is my favorite of the bunch. He's very cute in his armadillo mode. The deployed form has lots of weapons and the bolo launcher is very powerful! Of the three, mine doesn't "mis-deploy" while holding him. I guess I have a weakness for transparent purple too.

11-Aug-00 Update - FINALLY!
This page has been getting stale. In the mean time, I've acquired quite a few of the toys. Basic rule of thumb: the bigger, the better. The larger the size, the closer to the show they are. The exception would be the McDonalds Beast Machine toys. I'm not kidding! They are probably the closest toys to the show.

Now, remember your McD BM coupons! That's $3 off a $15 (or more) purchase! Good til the end of August 2001!

Toy mini-rants:

SUPREME Cheetor - a must get! This guy is massive and loaded with gimmicks. He's pretty close to the show depiction too. He lights up and roars (weakly). In robot mode, you get missile fire when firing the "pump shotgun" arm. Rumors about spouting show lines (in robot mode) were false -- to bad.
Ultra Jetstorm - highly recommended! While he's still a far cry from the show, he is an imposing Transformer toy loaded with gimmicks. Hard to keep the chest and arms in place. Big toy for the price. 2x the Mega's price, 3x the toy. Um, when the spring gets week, you'll shoot yourself looking at him (ala Optimal Optimus)
Deluxe BlackArachnia - recommended! She's a wonderful toy in both modes. She suffers from being back heavy. But her feet are long so she doesn't fall over like TM2 BA. I really like her. The CGI show really went their own way on the spider legs but I suppose that's OK. In robot mode, she is very close to the show.
Deluxe Thrust - a must get! I just love this bike. And except for the wheels on the back, it's pretty true to form on the CGI series. I had to get three just so he can run around in a pack. Can't stand on one wheel (without the Lukis brothers accessory pack) but is still pretty cool!
Mega Tankorr - highly recommended! OK, I can see some resemblance to the show... kinda. But he's a great toy with cool gimmicks for a $15 toy.
Basic Gecko-bot - point of interest. This knuckledragger is interesting in both modes. More an ugly novelty.
Basic Quickstrike - suprisingly disturbing. I past on this earlier but someone got it for me. I figured that there are too many Beast Wars (and BM Snarl) who look almost like this. However, that switchblade arm is an unexpected shock. Watch where you're pointing that thing!
Deluxe Optimal Optimus - great toy actually. He's nothing like the show but like Tankorr, he's actually a fun toy
Basic Obsidian - it's a fine basic but hope for a larger For those who have enjoyed Season 2 already, you will want a Mega or Ultra of Obsidian! But the little guy is cute and functional. I wish the back thing could fold down for a backpack tho, it's just sticking out!
Beast Riders - well OK, um, depends They're not too bad (like Battle Beast chariots) and have some cool gimmicks. But they don't transform! Isn't that why we buy these things? At least have it seperate and create armor for the characters. I'd rather have a Deployer / Pet Probe

I look forward to the new toys:

Super Primal Prime is a great re-color.
Basic NightViper looks very good. Hats off to Hasbro for their stab at a snake Transformer.
Ultra Nightscream looks great. Probably one of the few who look BETTER than their show counterpart! Packaging I saw at BotCon 2000 had a CGI Nightscream on the front instead of Cheetor. A return to individual art? Certainly Mainframe can get a picture out pretty quickly and cheaply.
Deluxe SkyDive / AirRaptor Crammed into his bubble, (like Ultra Jetstorm) he looks big for his price-point. Looks like a great toy.
Deluxe Blastcharge / Strika Nice imposing vehicle form but a strangely shaped robot. Hmm... Court is still out on this one. Unless STRIKA is a different toy altogether, they really missed out tying the show and toy this time.
Ultra Dinobot Magmatron new to some of you, you will like this dinosaur combiner. Originally Magmatron is the evil leader from Beast Wars Neo. I really liked him in Beast Machine packaging (with that Kanji on it too!) so I will still pick one up even tho I have the Neo toy. At the BotCon 2000, Hasbro officials told us that dinosaurs are popular, a head honcho likes dinosaurs, and the Dinobots are selling as well as the main Beast Machines characters. Poor it on! We'll take all the Neo dinosaurs! But stay away from the irritating colors please.
Botanica??? ??? Some people think that Hasbro is going to attempt making her. Is hasbro misleading us or are we in for the first plant Transformer?

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