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

LISTEN NOW!

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.

Rise of the Beasts

I tend to see movies on opening weekend as opposed to opening day. I specifically perfer to see them on Sunday mornings to avoid a big crowd. That being said... I just saw Rise of the Beasts and boy are my arms tired... wait. So anyway, I'm here to talk about this movie today! Since this isn't a clickbait news site, there'll be no intentional spoilers. However I will be talking about some of my views of the movie, so there will likely be some. With that in mind, if your reading this on the main page, please continue after the break if you'd like. If you followed a link, fair warning.

MAYBE SPOILERS BELOW

Zone Beast

My excitement for Rise of the Beasts is nearing critical level. NGL, I'm gonna explode and take at least one hemisphere with me. As of this writing I don't have any of the toys from the movie (by the time you're reading this, I have), but they're starting to show up at stores and I am literally chomping at the bit. I normally get excited for a new line, but I haven't been this ecstatic in a VERY long time. I'm specifically excited for the mainline toys. The Studio Series releases are nice... and I'll likely get them... but I'm mostly focused on the mainline. It's a wonderful blend of all sorts of things I gravitate towards in Transformers toys.

I'm of course a huge Beast Wars fan, so the incorporation of it into the mix is of course a welcome one. Then you have partner figures that turn into weapons and armor. That's something I generally go crazy for. I was sad when Battle Masters went away... so seeing them return is just awesome. During the Bumblebee movie I had a LOT of fun with the Energon Igniters line and several of those toys are getting worked in as well with new characters to boot. Not to mention, as I've mentioned more recently... the economy is putting a strain on finances. Sure, I'm ok, but man it makes those ever climbing prices of Generations and Studio Series figures feel irresponsible. Thankfully the mainline figures are following a more economical route. So I can indulge and not feel guilty.

I tend to prefer smaller figures and there's seemingly plenty to choose from. Not to mention the larger Beast Mode figures. Silly, but they're making me think of Weaponizers from Prime or even Power Charge Bumblebee from the Bumblebee movie. I originally didn't intend to get that toy, however it was a Christmas gift from my mother that year. It went on to be one of my favorite Transformers releases that year. This looks like an almost completely positive experience for me. Hopefully the movies good, and I'm prepared for it not to be... but *fingers crossed*. I enjoyed Bumblebee so much that I'm riding into this one on a high note.

Beast Lord Dino Robot

Dino Robot is a set I've been tracking down for a few years now. Thanks to Shawn's tip, I found a set at my local Rose's. A store I often forget exists. As you can tell by looking at the pictures Dino Robot is a knock off of Go! Goradora/Beast Hunters Abominus/TF5 Infernocus. Specifically it's a K.O of Goradora as those are the closest in colors it comes to. The individual combiner members are sized up a little being closer to Core Class scale than the Legion/Legend scale the originals were. I'm a fan of both size classes (as you probably know by now), but having more Core Class bad guys is definitely a good thing. I have both versions of Abominus, Infernocus, and multiple (but not all) of the individual uses of these molds... but no Goradora. So Dino Robot is a good substitution for the Goradora I don't have. However, I'll be refereeing to the set at Dino Robot the rest of this post because I kinda love that name. It's a discount store bootleg robot toy... it damn well better have a name like Dino Robot.

Speaking about names... these guys man. Each member's name is their alt mode, or what the shady company that made the set thought their alt mode was. Jurara is named Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is a stretch. However the original mold has been used for Grimlock a few times, so I guess it works. Barara is named Pterosaurs. Which I guess works, even though he's more of a take on Firebird from the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon. He's supposed to be a dragon of sorts, but now you can't unsee it either. Burara is Monster... which fits. Lastly both Dorara and Garara are named Double Dragon. Which is awesome. However as they both are named Double Dragon... I guess one is the NES port. These are not complete 1 for 1 matches to the originals as the colors are not exact. Dino Robot is closer to this team than the others, however.

This is a pretty good set for some knock off toys. For Twelve dollars and ninety nine cents I got what the box advertised as an 8 piece set. The Five In One Dino Robot and three weapons. Yeah... they counted the weapons as pieces to advertise on the box. The figures are larger than their original use as I said above, but don't look too bad. Considering the age of the original toys and multiple uses they look pretty sharp. Of course I don't know when this mold set was made off the original toys or if it's just a  stolen CAD file as the box art is CGI models. There is some loose joints here and there, but for the most part the figures are decently sturdy enough. Pterosaurs is probably the worst of the batch when it comes to that. Those three weapons... the group does have a problem holding them correctly and they don't connect together well either. So I just kinda had to make them work where they could.

I was pleased with how stable they were combined together. When it comes to these sets the combination is either sorta ok or a complete shit show. These guys were pretty high in the sorta ok end of things. Everything actually worked pretty well, but the legs could have been a lot better. Admittedly the original toy's legs were never so great either. This was during an era of Transformers where there was obvious sandbagging when the creatives didn't want to do something the higher ups commanded. You'd think HBK was loosing the match with those legs. Honestly, the arms are a little half assed too design wise, but considering it's supposed to be a monstrous robot... it works. Just the legs could have benefited from a little more effort. To be fair they were small toys sold at a pretty low price.

I am pretty happy with Dino Robot as is, not only does he make a good stand in for Goradora but at that bigger size makes for a great villain for the upcoming Core Class Volcanicus to fight. It's been a while since I've bought a discount store robot and that's an itch I've been needing to scratch that Dino Robot fulfilled. Despite some hit or miss points in the toy, it is a satisfying experience. For twelve dollars and ninety nine cents you're not getting a lot these days, hardly even lunch at a fast food place. So a somewhat decent robot toy set that didn't crumble in my hands (it has happened before) that definitely has a purpose... yeah. Dino Robot's ok.

Beasts Awaken, Then Rise And Shine For Breakfast

I honestly was going to hold off talking about Transformers:Rise of the Beasts/Transformers:Beast Awakening for a little bit. Right now it's been announced and a few details have been given out. That's nice, but whatever there is to talk about has already been. The announcements and various rumors that may or not be true is all we have to go by for now. Not to mention, with the daily bios and text fiction I've been posting, I didn't want to overdo it. But there's a few things I'd really like to say about the new movie. Do people still say YOLO?

The new movie will be following the Bumblebee movies newer narrative. Notice I didn't say reboot? That's because Bumblebee was both a prequel and a reboot. You could take it as a new beginning or an earlier adventure he had. Transformers has never had the tightest continuity and that's always been pretty evident. At best it's been a squint a little and shrug before saying 'ok'. I'm not making excuses here, just stating the facts. For me and to the film makers, it's the follow up to Bumblebee. Which I loved. So I'm happy.

We've got Autbots, Maximals, Predacons, Terrorcons, and Decepticons. This is starting to look more like  an adaption of the 2001 Robots in Disguise. That ain't bad y'all. Optimus, Bumblebee, and a few other Autobots will get into an adventure that will see them cross paths with the other groups during the 90's in what looks like an epic road trip adventure. That sounds super fun. I do worry that there will be too much going on and that could bring down the movie. However big budget spectacles can still be really good movies. So we'll just have to wait and see. I hope it's good. If it's not, well, it wouldn't be the first time I've seen a bad movie. It's ok, I have a life.

Just like the other movies I'm looking forward to the new toys and all the cool promotional tie ins. It's a lot of fun and a big part of the reason I enjoy a new movie so much. I went nuts over Energon Igniters in Bumblebee. I'd love to see something like that return or some way cool Legion Class beast bots! Of course Studio Series versions would be wanted as well. It'd sure be cool to get a Cheetor combo at Burger King. Wait, no. A Maximal Meal at Beast King. I'll take 10!

Bios: Cutthroat

Function: Shock Trooper

"Compassion is the currency of losers."

Not a trace of mercy can be found among his microchips. Insatiable lust for destruction. In battle, lashes out with wings, beak, and claws to cut everything to ribbons. In creature Mode can leap 4 miles in one jump, breathes flame. In robot Mode, carries double-barreled magnetizer that oppositely charges any metal target so it tears itself apart. Combines with fellow Terrorcons to form Abominus.

Terrorcons And Technobots Down Under

The Australian version of this commercial is pretty much the same as the American one. Aside from the voice over. Which sounds like the voice over for a local supermarket.

Demon General Abominus

I got the rest of the Terrorcons this past weekend at my local Walmart (because wave 3 is going to be impossible to find *snicker*) and am really looking forward to assembling my Abominus on July 4th. I got Rippersnapper with my birthday presents in March and Hun-Gurrr some time back, now all I need is the spare time of a holiday to enjoy them all. I was pointing out to my wife that Abominus is my favorite combiner and realized, I sure do have a lot of him. The original (including countless individual Hun-Gurrrs), a great color reversed ko, two different variations of the Beast Hunters version (I think I got extra Hun-Gurrrs there too), the Kre-O version, Infernocus, (who's basically the movie version, and is made of the Beast Hunters Abominus) and now the POTP version. Honestly, I could use a couple more. I find myself often wishing there was an Action Master or a SFC version.

What's not to love about that abominable fella?

Abominable Beastking thinking

Earlier, I lucked up on finding Hun-Grrr from Power of the Primes when the Walmart by my work apparently got a few cases of Voyagers. I had been slightly worried as the Terrorcons are kinda a big deal to me and I had been hoping to get my new Abominus without much trouble. I've had Rippersnapper since March when the wave 2 deluxes were part of the birthday presents from my wife. Then as luck would have it, POTP toys started getting spotty distribution for awhile there, I started to worry I'd have to pay too much on ordering him or the Takara version.

It doesn't help that so much doom and gloom is going around and making the outlook look like we'll never get these figures. Facts are facts and we know POTP is shorter than anticipated and Transformers is having a bit of a slowdown. But if one remembers the giant leak from last summer, it outright outlined the majority of the toys in the line. It just so appears that the line is a bit shorter than we're accustomed too for whatever reason. But assuming Studio Series is in the general same arena as Generations toys to the corporate offices of Hasbro, it might be a little more easy to see. And frankly, if War for Cybertron is running side by side with more Studio Series figures (and by all accounts looks to be) it may be a little shorter as well. Because they may consider it in the same basket at those corporate offices (it's not a stretch to see how and why they might). Or they all could simply be coming from the same factory in different production cycles.

What helps me form that train of thought is looking at how the line has played out in release. First waves were at stores right before Christmas. Second waves started right as spring started hitting and by late spring it was all Studio Series. Until what is now early summer as those are at retail saturation for the first waves and what do we have? Well the rest of those POTP wave 2 voyagers have been popping up as well as the third wave voyagers are showing up. It's like something came unplugged in the distribution channels all the sudden right? Looks like the Studio Series initial push might have bottle necked things a little, at least to me (this is all my opinion after all). But thinking about it, since wave 2 was so sparse after first showing up 2-3 months ago, I wonder if it's still shipping?

Now, what about those wave 2 Legends. Well, wave 2's are usually harder to find in any line and man I really hope I find them sooner or later or I'm going to cry a big old pile of tears. BUT, what about that dooming and glooming that's been crying out? What about wave 3 deluxes, will we ever get those? Well, look at that pic of Abominus above. It's an official image, it's from those image leaks from last October, before all the recent doom and gloom. Read the other three members info.

Coming late 2018

So, seeing as we don't know about things until after the decisions are already made (everybody is just an arm chair quarterback in this game after all), I think the rest of POTP is intertwined between batches of Studio Series and that first batch of Cyberverse (due in the fall). When in that Financial call report, it's reported that by December 2018, "Power Of The Primes will effectively close down the Prime Wars ‘event’ which took place under the Generations banner.". So going by the picture up top, that report, and just putting things together, I think everything's going to be fine. Just spread out and maybe a little janky in distribution (there could be another dry patch in between batches). Though I have been wondering if Hurricane Harvey might have caused a brief plastics shortage since it happened. That could have also come into play if it did have any cause and effect.

Of course I don't know for sure, I don't claim to know everything. Just I've been at the TF game for a long time, and I've learned how to anticipate things. Professionally, I've worked a lot in logistics and various contract based businesses that require multiple factors and different hands at parts of the process to complete a product on time. I have seen what issues can and will happen if one of those hands has a problem and boy it can be a mess. Hell, maybe the sky is falling and it's as grim as the gloomy prediction readers see in their java script crystal balls. Who knows for sure? Time will tell, but we just have to wait for time to tell.

We must fight these TERRORcons

So... exactly what is Blot again? A monster nose?