Phil's Beast Machines Stryka &
Universe Nemesis Stryka Review


Stryka

Nice armoured vehicle type thang with a very good gimmick - press the spark down and you get a pom-pom action with the guns which are themselves missile launchers. Wheels turn freely which is nice.

Transform - to make up for NSC this one's nasty, but has the best pegging arrangement I've seen for many a year: The front wheels unpeg from the front of the vehicle to become the feet revealing the legs running right the way under the vehicle. There's props on the back of the legs - fold them down to support the legs in either wheeled or footed mode - rotate at the ankle for choice. The hips come forward and pin into a piece that folds down from the front of the vehicle. Unpin the sides of the vehicle from the front and fold the shoulders back until they peg into the missile launcher. Fold the middle set of wheels up and slide them in to become the bulk of the chest. Lift the cab up out of the way, then fold and rotate the remainder of the front to become the robot chest. Fold the back wheels under the launcher to form a rocket pack and rotate the arms forward. You've got the sides of the vehicle on the ends of the arms which sort of look like weapons BUT they then slide through to form the forearms with pipelike molded hands inside. Fold up the neck of the cab onto the shoulders and lift the cab back to reveal the head.

You've ended up with something that's a little spindly on some of the limbs, but's got a lot of bulk on the boday and got a massive rocket pack and got twin missile launchers over the shoulders which still use the Pom Pom gimmick. There's something weird and skeleteral going on with some of the limbs and the chest plate with the grey colouring and it actually looks a tiny bit scary - serves me right for watching the League of Gentleman Christmas special last night.

Another very good toy which I believ isn't in quite show colours lending credence to there being a BM repaint assortment later perhaps ?


Beast Wars Returns Stryka

Since I wrote the review a repaint has shown up in the Japanese Beast Wars Returns line which is adds a lot more lilac to the colour scheme. Om reflection I prefer the original.

Nemesis Stryka

Nemesis Strika is a sort of tan and purple version of the old BM Moon Buggy thing. Looks good, and is the same pegasaurus tf we had before. Not the most available toy the first time round so worth a look.


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