Scourge [Beast Alliance/Battle Changers]

It's been almost 2 years since we began our look at the Beast Alliance toys from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and with all the excitement surrounding the upcoming Transformers Wild King line, now seems like the perfect time to finish the series. Today we'll be looking at Battle Changers Scourge. Since it's been awhile, Battle Changers were the lowest priced toys from the Beast Alliance series and as you can tell from the picture, pretty simplified figures. It is what it is and they are what they are.

For the price, Scourge looks pretty good. He's got a pretty decent sculpt that looks great in his limited deco. Honestly, he could pass for an Acroyear. Obviously, there's limited articulation (shoulders, legs at the waist), but he does have the weapon gimmick that other Battle Changers have, and that's a built in weapon that can be folded away. That's a nice way of giving the character a weapon, but including it as part of the figure and not another molded part (they've got to keep it cheap). Considering the Beast Battle Masters are compatible with all the other figures in the series, it's a good trade off. Scourge's weapon is the double bladed sword he used in the movie, and that oversized left hand is also a cannon. So he's coming out ready for a fight even without a Battle Master to partner with.

Transformation is obviously simple, but results in a decent enough truck mode. His robot arms are visible in alt mode, but one could argue they're part of the overall post-apocalyptic look he has. I have to laugh with some of these far out vehicle modes. They're robots in disguise, but who's not going to notice him driving by? Scourge is the last of the Battle Changers from Beast Alliance and one the better of the class, second only to Rhinox. I like the sculpting and the colors. Like I said, he could almost pass for an Acroyear. So obviously that's working in his favor. He has a neat design that can carry even the simplest of toys. Not to mention, it's good to have a bad guy now and again.

Mirage (Battle Changers/Beast Alliance)

Returning to our looks at the Battle Charger class is Mirage from Rise of the Beasts. Like the others before him, he's a simple figure to scale with others in the Beast Alliance sub-line. He's also a lot like the Bumblebee Battle Charger in that there's no interacting with Beast Battle Masters unfortunately. One can't be held nor one cannot be plugged into a port. Ignoring the gimmick incompatibility, Mirage is still a neat little figure. I'm not the only one who has noticed Mirage's toys aren't exactly screen accurate. Like some of the Cheetor toys, I'm guessing this is another result of designs getting changed during toy production. Maybe one day we'll get a more screen accurate figure, but honestly... I like the look of the current toys.

Thanks the silver, Mirage makes me think of Baron Von Joy. His simplicity goes with that comparison. I initially thought there was a mouth plate instead of the face we all know... but was wrong. He's got a mouth, just not a super obvious one. Admittedly... I kinda like the idea of a mouth plate. It may not be screen accurate, but it'd match this design. Mirage turns into a Porsche 911, which looks pretty great. We've all had the Jazz conversation before, it just is what it is. I don't mind it so much here. Maybe because it's so hard to hate on Mirage after seeing the movie. Like other Battle Changers, a hand will flip out into a weapon. It's a harmless way to give Mirage a gun that won't get lost and works well on such a simple toy. I like the gimmick. I like this Mirage, he's a simple little toy for not a lot of money.

Rhinox (Beast Alliance/Battle Changers)

We're back with another Rhinox toy this week and a pretty good one at that. Since I've spent a little time talking about the Bumblebee and Optimus Prime from the Battle Changers size class, I'm assuming you know my mind set on these going forward. Rhinox is the better of the three currently available in this wave. Thanks to his transformation, there's some additional knee articulation. That's a nice touch. There is some hollowness a discount priced Transformer is bound to have. You know, I'm mentally placing Battle Changers as a middle ground between an up scaled Legion/Legend class to and a Authentics figure. They're fun little toys for not a lot of money. I'm hoping for some crazy repaints.

Rhinox looks as he should, though noticeably darker because movie. I don't mind it at all though, it reminds by his Armada toy a little with these colors and reliance on gimmicks. That's not a bad comparison, to me anyway. I loved Armada and that Transmetal mold. Speaking of Transmetal... that's what these movie versions of the beast warriors make me think. There's a strong bio organic theme going on and Rhinox is a good example of it. Even in this more simple figure, you can really see it. I was always a fan of the Transmetal look and it's a good aesthetic for live action designs. Rhinox is a mixture of gray and silver with a little gold and green in robot mode. It's a simple color scheme, but it works well. If you're into customizing, he's a pretty good blank canvas.

Transformation is pretty easy and both modes are fairly simple. Like the other Battle Changers, Rhinox has a flip out weapon. Though his completely replaces a hand... awkward. However it spins! His trademark chain-gun of doom is represented here decently enough. If you pair it with his Battle Master version then there's so many chain-guns of doom! Ok... just two, but that's still a lot of doom. You could even plug another into his arms via ports! This is a pretty cool little figure. You may disagree and that's cool. Me though, I like it. Sure, the price is what I paid for the Transmetal Rhinox I bought 20 something years ago but... dang, that's a sticking point isn't it? Who can we blame? Inflation? Corporate greed? Dick Van Dyke? Yeah... fuck that guy.

Optimus Prime (Beast Alliance/Battle Changers)

I'm taking another look at the Beast Alliance Battle Changers with Optimus Prime. He is a better representative of the size class than Bumblebee with gimmick compatibility. Battle Changers Optimus is similar to a Legion/Legend class toy only sized up. I can see that being a turn off for some folks, but if you know what you're getting going in... then it just is what it is. Battle Changers are meant to be a lower cost option and seeing as they're to scale with the higher priced Beast Alliance figures... it kinda works out. I'd be lying if the fact that this lower priced option is what I paid for a deluxe about 11-12 years ago didn't irk me... but times change.

Optimus turns into a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), which is a militarily truck that's kinda like a hardcore version of his standard semi truck. Personally, I think this fits Optimus pretty well. It looks cool. As you'd expect the transformation to robot mode is fairly simple and you end up with a fairly satisfying figure of Optimus Prime. Optimus has a basic level of articulation, arms move from the shoulders and legs from the hips. His forearms do swivel from transformation adding a little extra possibility. Like I said prior, he has compatibility with the lines gimmicks. Specifically the Battle Masters. Optimus can hold one in weapon mode or it can plug into his forearms. Like other Battle Changers so far, he has a flip out weapon. His sword from prior movies folds out and it's pretty neat.

Battle Changers Optimus Prime is a fun simple toy that's probably not going to be for everyone. That's ok... there's literally a ton of product coming out for this movie, so I'm sure there's a little something for everyone. This is clearly intended for children to have little adventures with that's more affordable in these somewhat harder economic times. Considering this toy was probably designed during the pandemic with expectations for the current economy in mind... just think what's in store about two years from now.

For somebody who likes gimmick toys and enjoys oddball little things like myself, Battle Changers are pretty neat. They're an entryway, lower cost figure for a play pattern designed sub line. Honestly I do wonder if these will continue past Rise of the Beasts as it sure is a pretty fleshed out system for a movie tie in line. I've been a fan of these simpler toys for some time now anyway as they make me think of older style robot designs. While I've been happy to see the advances in things going forward, older style robot toys still had a place in my heart.

Bumblebee (Beast Alliance/Battle Changers)

Transformers Rise of the Beasts means a lot of new Transformers toys. Ever since it's announcement, I've been most interested in the Beast Alliance sub-line. Featuring the return of Battle Masters and partner figures for larger bots that are a mixture of beast and traditional TF characters... it's the kind of thing I really go for. Not to mention, it's priced very fairly. That's been a sticking point lately. In some ways Beast Alliance is similar to the Energon Igniters from the Bumblebee movie. A simple, gimmick based line obviously intended for children as opposed to the more serious and costly Studio Series offerings. However, Beast Alliance is a much better toy line and striking a positive chord within a large part of the Transformers fandom. I like it too.

Today we're looking at Bumblebee from Beast Alliance, or more specifically his Battle Changers figure. Battle Changers are more simple figures sold for around $10. They're mostly compatible with the Battle Masters and to scale with the other figures. In the case of Bumblebee here... he feels like a sized up legion/legend class toy and lacks compatibility with Battle Masters unlike the others in this class. Honestly, he feels like a holdover from another design stage before the gimmicks were decided on. The simpleness can be ignored easier with the other figures in this class thanks to the gimmick integration. Bumblebee can't hold a Battle Master, nor can one plug in anywhere. Considering how gimmick heavy Beast Alliance is, the lack of comparability is impossible to ignore. Aside from that, Bumblbee is a pleasant little figure.

Bumblebee returns to his Camaro alt more we're used to in the movies. However this time, it's a fun off road variation that I'm pretty fond off. I can't stop thinking that this is an up-scaled legion/legend toy as the transformation is VERY similar to prior movie Bumblebee toys of that class as is robot mode. Perhaps the engineering was reused or this is a modified CAD model. One neat feature Bumblebee has that seems to be a standard feature in Battle Changers (or all the ones I've seen) is a flip out weapon. You can spin his right hand around giving us that trademark buster style gun BB uses in the movies. It's simple, but satisfying. Speaking of simple, in robot mode he has basic arm and leg articulation. That'll be a sticking point for some people, as would the basic nature of the toy itself. With the others in the class I looked it over with the gimmick capability. I'm only harping on it so much here because it's impossible to ignore considering just how largely it plays into the rest of the line. 

Beast Alliance Battle Changers Bumblebee is a very pleasing figure. His simple design allows for fast transformation. Perfect for playing around with while watching TV or a little buddy to carry around with you. If you enjoy a desk bot, he'd make a good one. While working at the computer, the need to take a little break happens and a little something to fiddle with is a good way to  clear out the mental fudge. Drive him around and getting in an epic shoot out with the stapler, or just transform back and forth a few times. We're starting off with our dive into Beast Alliance with arguable it's weakest figure, but still a fun little one regardless. It's uphill from here... and this is not a bad start at all.