Transformer of the Day for June 30, 2009
DINOBOT
-Faction: Maximal
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-1998)
-Function: Front-Line Combat
-Motto: “For Glory, For Honour, For Victory”
-Notable: 10th Anniversary Deluxe (Hasbro, 2006)
Notes: A glory-seeking warrior who nonetheless finds himself on the wrong side of conflict, Dinobot is possibly the most interesting character of the series. Given this, you can imagine the disappointment in the garish colour choices in Hasbro’s Universe release. Ugh! But despite a better paint application on the Henkei version, our toy choice here is actually the Hasbro 10th anniversary reissue, which has (a) a great rendition of the classic toy, (b) superb colouring in beast mode, (c) a piece of the build-a-figure, Transmutate, and (d) a DVD episode of the Season Two episode, Code of Hero that is one of the most poignant episodes in all Transformerdom.
Transformer of the Day for April 23, 2009
TIGATRON
-Faction: Maximal
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-1998)
-Function: Reconnaissance
-Motto: “Let The Trails Lead Where They May, I WIll Follow”
-Notable Toy: 10th Anniversary (Takara, 2006)
Notes: Tigatron is one cool cat. I was filled with such regret when he was killed off with Airrazor, and then again when his reformatted Tigerhawk form also fell in battle. And he’s a perfect example of Takara’s dedication. Having already produced the superior white (rather than yellow) original version, they then reissue him in a more perfect form.
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com and bbts.com for the toy images.)
Transformer of the Day for April 12, 2009
SANDSTORM
-Faction: Predacon
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-1998)
-Function: Covert Ops Commander
-Motto:“To Deny Destiny is to Deny Oneself”
-Notable Toy: Botcon Exclusive (Hasbro, 1999)
Preface: Some prefixes and suffixes are continually popular in the Transformers multiverse. This week, we begin our review of characters who make use of the gathering clouds and make use of the coming Storm.
Notes: Having covered Stormcloud in an unrelated post, we’ll start our Storm review with the Botcon 1999 exclusive Predacon Sandstorm. A redeco of Beast Wars Scorponok, Sandstorm’s origins are shrouded in dense backstory. Like his cousin, Double Punch (a Botcon Japan exclusive), his colouring proves to bring life to a pretty dull toy mould. And the packaging is very cool!
Transformer of the Day for January 27, 2009
OPTIMUS MINOR
-Faction: Maximal
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-2000)
-Function: Ground Commando
-Motto: “Monkey See, Monkey Grab”
-Notable Toy: Transmetal 2 Basic (Hasbro, 1999)
Notes: As further evidence that Prime may be a military rank, we present Optimus Minor (of no relation to Optimus Primal). I love him for the name alone. Although the transformation of the basic figure is not particularly impressive, the toy really allows you to take advantage of the magnificant poseability that is inherent in so many of the Beast Wars toys. Articulation that, like die-cast construction, seemed to be a dying art in the 1990s.
Transformer of the Day for January 3, 2009
RATTRAP
-Faction: Maximal
-Era: Beast Wars / Beast Machines (1996-2000)
-Function: Spy
-Motto: “We’re All Gonna Die”
-Notable Toy: Mega Beast Machines (Hasbro, 2001)
Notes: What better character to start off the Beastformers era than our favourite vermin. Rattrap’s strong characterization from Beast Wars certainly took a beating in Beast Machines, but I still love a toy that puts his knievel mode front and center in robot mode.
