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.

Transform Squadron 57- Dial One for Terrorcon

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Rob’s gushes over Transformers One and the promotional box Hasbro sent Zone Base! Also, the Halloween episodes continue with talks of Terror... Terrorcons that is!

Bios: Cruellock

"By the time you see me, it will be too late."

Cruellock is the most powerful and cunning of the Terrorcons, combining incredible strength with lightning speed. He is a great tactician whose hunting skills are unmatched. In raptor mode, he can jump to great heights and attack his enemies with powerful energon claws and teeth. In robot mode, his energon-cutting blade can slice through anything, or anybody that stands in his way. It has been said by many that Cruellock's gaze is as deadly as his bite. Beware!

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 8 Speed: 9 Endurance: 8
Rank: 4 Courage: 5 Fireblast: 6 Skill: 6

Terrorcon Novakane (Studio Series/Core Class)

Rise of the Beasts introduced many characters into the live action movies giving Studio Series quite a bit of extra toys to choose from. Novakane is another of the similar to Frenzy styled robots used by Scourge during the movie. Novakane is a repaint and retool of Freezer, whom we looked at this past summer. I quite liked Freezer a lot, so of course Novakane would be favorable. Novakane has a somewhat 'battle damaged' head and a darker color scheme compared to Freezer.

While it's easy to compare Freezer and Novakane to Frenzy from the 2007 movie, the two are pretty similar to classic Rumble and Frenzy as a pair of trouble making twins. I like the Giger-esque styling of them and find them overall neat. Novakane, like Freezer, can turn into a rifle that can be help by other Transformers or a cannon mode that can attach to Leader Class Scourge. One day I'll own that toy and find out for myself )man those leader class ROTB figures are harder to find than the Loch Ness Monster). It's hard not to like such a funky little bot and I was happy to find it among the many Christmas gifts from the Mrs. 

Battletrap (Autobots Unite/ Power Plus)

Autobots Unite is a rather odd little sub-line from the Rise of the Beasts movie toys. It's basically all reissues of the Energon Igniters figures from the Bumblebee movie that I went nuts for here with the exception of Battletrap, the only new toy. Battletrap so far has only 2 toys despite being an on screen character. A Studio Series Voyager and this. I don't mind it... but find his lack of toys odd. This is also a straight repaint of the Ironhide Energon Igniters toy. At first I thought this was a weird choice... but it really does work even if not very screen accurate. As you'd guess with the Power Plus class name, there is an an additional 'Energon Core' included.

The Energon Core is a small motor block that can connect to a compatible figure adding a pull-back gimmick to the vehicle and adds to the appearance in some cases. A Power class figure from the Energon Igniters figure could fairly be called an up-scaled Legend/Legion/Speed Series toy. For me, they drew heavy mental comparisons to G2 figures in stature and build. They're simple and not for everyone. I'm pretty sure the types they're not for don't read this site.

Battletrap turns into a 70's/80's-ish pick up truck similar to the one in the movie but without the towing attachment. I didn't really mind that and in his 'attack mode', Battletrap really looks cool. He's a straight repaint of the Ironhide figure... but the new deco really looks good here. It's a simple set of colors, but Battletrap is a nice looking little figure. I don't have to tell you than transformation is simple and articulation is limited. You can tell from the pictures. Considering I paid $4 for him at Ross, I'm not complaining. In Energon Igniters, this class generally cost around $15. I'm not sure if Autobots Unite was supposed to be a discount line or not as they seemingly never appeared in stores until now at liquidation type places. I did see some more in the same class for $8 at the same Ross, so I have no clue what price he'd if you were to find one. At $4 though... I'm happy.

Scourge w/ Predacon Scorponok (Beast Alliance/Beast Combiners)

Coming back to the Beast Alliance figures from Rise of the Beasts is Scourge with Scorponok. This set is a nice departure from the other Beast Combiner. There's something about Scourge rocking the beast armor that just works. Like other Beast Combiner main bots, he is a more simpler figure. That doesn't take away from the pleasantness of him. He's a satisfying toy of the movie incarnation of Scourge with a little more color. In the movie Scourge is really dark while this toy gives us a little visual variety with a mainly copper/brown body. It makes for a good looking departure. He turns into a Mad Max style truck like other Scourge toys.

Scorponok is a pleasantly large partner figure. A scorpion (duh) that combines with Scourge (or any other Beast Combiner) easily by fitting over the base robots head and shoulders. His tail becomes a melee weapon that I like to think is a whip. Combined mode really stands out as it gives Scourge an extra set of arms and an overall gnarly look. It's worth noting that Scorponok fits onto Scourge facing forward as opposed to sideways across the shoulders like the other Beast Combiners. Thanks to Scorponok and Scourge's dirtier colors combined with the more monstrous looks... we get a pretty unique looking robot. There's a definite fantasy flavor to the super robot styling of this toy. I like it. This is a pretty unique Beast Combiner and so far the best looking one I've covered so far. We've got one more Beast Combiner to look at soon, but until then, let's appreciate this mutant freak.

Battletrap (Studio Series/Voyager Class)

Rise of the Beasts is certainly a bright spot in recent Transformers for me. One unexpected stand out was Battletrap, the orange Terrorcon who didn't get much focus in media leading into the films release. However, once the movie got rolling, there was this badass villain that I found myself wanting more of. He's a little slim on toy releases for some reason, but today we're looking at the Studio Series toy of him in all it's glory. Battletrap is a Voyager Class figure that turns from spike covered robot bruiser to a somewhat rustic looking tow truck. There's some great character design going on, it's a shame he was just in the background for the most part. 

Battletrap's tow hook can be used as a melee weapon as it's kibble is a part of his arms. This can also be done with his wrecking ball. I do wish he had more in the line of weapons. You could really see him carrying a battle axe, hammer, or some crude rifle. In fact one of my only complaints about this toy is those arms. They just don't look right to me and that kibble doesn't help. The other complaint is transformation was rather difficult for me. Admittedly, I could have been just having a bad day or clumsy hands... but he just didn't want to go together right. Those arms I spoke of earlier were part of that. That's really a shame because he's such a cool looking character and this is a really nice looking toy outside of those issues. 

I REALLY like the way Battletrap looks. There's some visual cues reminiscent of Kamen Rider Zero-One that goes well with the more brutal looks of live action Transformers villain designs. Orange is one of my favorite colors and it plays so well with black. Of course he works just right for a Halloween time post here on the site. I also like the older GMC pickup truck used. The movie takes place in 1994, but the truck looks to be a late 70's model. Being a work truck, it would normally be an older model and seeing one of it's year wasn't out of the norm around that time. I feel that's more realistic than the out of touch decisions you normally see in movies. In vehicle mode, Battletrap looks all too familiar thanks to the vehicles I was accustomed to seeing my family members from my fathers more rural side of the family drive.

In all Battletrap is pretty great despite a few problems I had. It's hard for me not to like him thanks to all the things mentioned above. Just a great looking robot and a cool character. I really wish he got more character time and the character was a little more fleshed out. That's one thing I liked about the 2007 robots, they got another life in assorted media. I could see Battletrap in some anime really causing a problem. Though with his name being reused from a classic character, he'd probably be called something else. Honestly I wish he would have been Big Hoss. Unfortunately, Battletrap so far only has two toys, and the other is an Ironhide repaint. I'd love to have seen him in Beast Alliance. 

Freezer (Studio Series/Core Class)

Freezer is a pleasant surprise in the Rise of the Beasts cast. Like others, I was initially happy with the return of another bot similar to Frenzy from 2007. However thanks to the onslaught of trailers, I learned that Freezer is more of a generic Terrorcon soldier. As of this writing, I haven't seen the movie yet (but will have by the time you've read it). So, I can't help but to compare these movie Terrorcons with the ones from Energon. Despite the confusing name reuse, I was really fond of those and and happy to see them return even if the Unicron Trilogy similarities are coincidence. 

Freezer is from the Studio Series expression of ROTB toys and is a Core Class. You've probably noticed his (speaking generally) funky insect like appearance. It makes me think of Frenzy from the 2007 movie (I loved him). I think having the visual connection between that first movie and this one is neat. The more traditional bots seemingly blend well with the Bay style robots pretty well. The look also gives me Xenomorph vibes and I love Aliens. This toy is causing a lot of mental comparisons and I like that. It's fun. Freezer is very articulated for a toy his size. His multiple arms and chicken legs can be put in multiple poses.

This is a benefit from a rather neat alt mode. Freezer can turn into a gun for larger robots to use, and a self standing cannon type weapon.That cannon can attach to Studio Series Scourge. I don't have a Scourge at the moment, but it can. That's freaking neat. Freezer isn't technically a Battle Master, but here I am hoping a Battle Master version is released. Freezer is super cool. He's a neat looking little guy that draws a million mental comparisons and a cool toy overall.

Nightbird (Jungle Mission 3 pack)

Nightbird was a pretty pleasant surprise in the Jungle Mission 3 pack. Initially I wasn't concerned with her toy. She looked cool, but memories from Transformers fandom days of old kinda tainted her for me. However looking past all that nonsense, I really dig her new design for ROTB. She looks super cool, and honestly makes think of the original Shadow Striker with her colors. Considering that particular version of Shadow Striker's history, it's only ironic that a new Nightbird would look so much like her. With that considered, it's funny that it's all due to a Beast Wars flavored movie. All that aside... this is a great figure.

One thing I really like about these ROTB mainline figures is how they are traditional Transformers through and through. They tie into a new TF movie, but could be from a cartoon. These just feel like how a Transformer should feel. Speaking of feelings, I feel like Hasbro is going back to the 2007 book with ROTB. Clearly trying to build on the franchise like in 2007. I haven't seen the movie yet as of this writing (but will have by the time you read this), hopefully all these good vibes don't go to waste.

Back to Nightbird, I like this toy a lot. I'm saying that about everything regarding ROTB and that's a good thing. I'm not paid off like some others, this is my honest opinion. This is wholeheartedly genuine. Nightbird is freaking cool. She turns into a sports car that looks really great. There's a bit of the 'get everything exactly right for no apparent reason' in the transformation complaint I've been having recently. That's something I'm going to have to learn to live with. A cool feature in vehicle mode is her spoiler. Which is Nightbird's weapons in robot mode. The connector pieces make a cool wrist mounted claw weapon, while the fin is a neat sword. The car kibble gives a cool winged appearance to the robot mode that according to various commercials, isn't just for show. 

Nightbird is pleasantly articulated and I just don't have really anything bad to say about this toy. If anything that transformation gripe is a slight annoyance and I'm not super fond of her feet. Their bird like. It matches with the overall design... I'd just like them a little more substantial. Really surprised that I liked Nightbird so much. I wanted the set for Wheeljack and Cheetor mostly, so this is an all around win. I'd absolutely like more toys like this in the future.