I'm starting to get some feeling back into my hands (more later, nasty TF related injury story en route) so I'll review this morning's new arrivals. (I love working at home on a Wednesday ;-) ) I told you there was a tf related injury story en route. I'd already mildly strained my hand pulling the tape off the box. One of the first thing that happened when I was transforming BU is his shoulder pad fell off. Could I get it back on ? Could I **** ! ! The pieces kept slipping out of alignment, refusing to snap into place. And when I did get it on I realised the **** thing was the one from the other side. Most people know I've got a bit of a muscle problem - well by that pt my hands were in agony from too much work and having to hold stuff for too long.....
But apart from the shoulders this is a great toy. The beast mode is solidly built like a cart horse and not elegant like Mach Kick. It's mainly coloured in grey with black on the body and clear blue on the rear hips. A head butting action is generated by rotating the spark in the Unicorn's left shoulder causing the head to lower pointing the horn forward and the neck to bend down. Each leg bends at the hip and the knee.
TF: The rear of the beast separates down the middle and folds to the side. The mane and the tale are on opposite ends of a staff like piece - set that to one side for now. Rotate the rear of the beast round at the shoulders and lock it round the unicorn's head with the horn sticking out the back. The upper front legs are raised to the sides as shoulder pads - the troublesome one has to fold around the spark which is where I ran into trouble, the back of the front legs fold up the back of the arms then the robot legs & arms fold down from the four beast legs. The mane/tale staff straightens out to form a weapon and can be placed into the robot's hands via a handle in the side.
The robot's head has a nice big spike coming out of it, and as others have commentated has a vaguely samurai feel to it. What no-one's said is the resemblance this toy has to the dearly departed Rhinox ! Both toys have horns, the robot head is similar with the addition of a horn that's more rhino like than unicorn, both have a Samurai theme. IMO This is Rhinox, reincarnated at the end of BM to once more assist the Maximals. The head is mounted on a ball joint, the shoulders turn, have a ball joint bellow them and then bend at the elbow. The hips are ball jointed, the knees bend and both halves of each foot are attached via a ball joint.
Insanely unavailable when first released at the end of Beast Machines a special production run was done by Big Bad Toy Store which took years to sell through completely !
Not a bad basic at all.
This review is adapated from an original written in 2001.