(APR-2013) Beast Wars Era Toys - Reviews and Favourites

[Autocon]

Beast Wars was the best animated Transformers series we will ever have, but it was also a great era for toys, particularly the first couple of years of the US line and the unique Japanese lines. Also, this was time after G2 when Transformers finally seemed to be truly dead - I can still remember my heart skipping while reading an issue of Previews in the mid-nineties which showed the upcoming Kenner toyline of Basics and Deluxes. I even named myself after my favourite Beast Wars toy/character, but (off the top of my head) other awesome figures from the line included Blackarachnia/Tarantulas, Silverbolt, Transmetal Rattrap, Basic Megatron, Transmetal 2 Megatron, Tigerhawk, Orcanoch, Inferno, Dinobot, Rhinox, Mega Optimus Primal, Drancron, Elphaorpha, Scorponok/Sandstorm, Survive/Polar Claw, Dead End, Magmatron, Archadis, Killer Punch, Longrack, Corahda, Heinlad, Apache/B'Boom, Magnaboss, Hellscream, Max-B, Dirgegun, Thrustol, Poison Bite, Icebird and Rātorāta/Injector (yes). There were also crap toys like Transmetal Cheetor, Depth Charge and the entire Transmetal 2 line with the exception of the Ultras. But it was truly a renaissance for Transformers when most of the toys were fantastic - something that couldn't be said of the subsequent Beast Machines line or Transformers today.

Depth Charge!! Some TM2 were ok.

Tidbit: Correct if wrong. Scorponok was meant to be sandstorms colours but something happened in the model process for the TV show. Same with Grizzly Bearbarian and Polar Claw concerning a colour switch.

Scorponok/Polar Claw = normal toys
Sandstorm/Grizzly Bearbarian = Botcon toys
Doublepunch/Survive = Japan toys

[Sky Shadow]

Tidbit: Correct if wrong. Scorponok was meant to be sandstorms colours but something happened in the model process for the TV show. Same with Grizzly Bearbarian and Polar Claw concerning a colour switch.

Scorponok/Polar Claw = normal toys
Sandstorm/Grizzly Bearbarian = Botcon toys
Doublepunch/Survive = Japan toys

Not quite.

This is what the original promos for the toys looked like:
[LOL at "colors may vary".]

The bear was later released in approximately those colours at Botcon Japan 1998 as Barbearerian/Grizzly-1. And then similarly in his general Japanese Beast Wars Neo release as Survive.

Botcon Japan 1998 Double Punch was the closest that prototype Scorponok got to release - the promo version was really a cross between the normal Scorponok and Double Punch.

Sandstorm was a unique deco for Botcon 1999.

[MayzaPrime]

First Beast Wars figures I got was Optimus Primal and Scorponok for my birthday, but the first figure that I bought myself was Dinobot.

Best
Rampage and Depthcharge

Worst
To be honest I cant pick one, I really like them all.

[Hursticon]

• What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?

Best:
This is such an excruciatingly hard thing to decide, I imagine its akin to choosing one's favourite child (If I had any ) but I'd have to go with... TM2 Megatron (For the moment anyway )
Stunning Beast & Bot modes with a fun transformation and reasonably unobtrusive gimmicks.

Worst:
Hasbro's TM Megatron; as the choice to use exceptionally fragile plastic for the shoulder assembly's construction rendered this figure, on many an occasion, garnering a notorious reputation of breaking on store shelves! - let alone getting it home to play with

Do yourself a favour and seek out the far superior Takara version, at any and all costs!

• What was your first one, and when?

Predacon - Inferno, circa 1997 I wanna say?... It was he or (Ultra Class) Maximal - Optimus Primal (aka Black Jack).

• What ones are you currently most looking for and why?

As I have a nigh complete "Western" Beast Wars collection (Just missing that damned Laserbeak ) (Which doesn't include Convention, Wal*Mart or Fox Kids exclusives), the figure's I'm currently after are the Japanese era or Beast Wars II & Neo lines of figures - Focusing primarily on the unique molds from these lines and then moving onto the figures that are essentially repaints of "Western" releases.

• Any Photos?

This isn't all of 'em, not by a long shot!, but these are currently the best illuminated for photography purposes:




Oh, and there's this stuff too! :

[Autocon]

• What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?

Best:
This is such an excruciatingly hard thing to decide, I imagine its akin to choosing one's favourite child (If I had any ) but I'd have to go with... TM2 Megatron (For the moment anyway )
Stunning Beast & Bot modes with a fun transformation and reasonably unobtrusive gimmicks.

Worst:
Hasbro's TM Megatron; as the choice to use exceptionally fragile plastic for the shoulder assembly's construction rendered this figure, on many an occasion, garnering a notorious reputation of breaking on store shelves! - let alone getting it home to play with

Do yourself a favour and seek out the far superior Takara version, at any and all costs!

• What was your first one, and when?

Predacon - Inferno, circa 1997 I wanna say?... It was he or (Ultra Class) Maximal - Optimus Primal (aka Black Jack).

• What ones are you currently most looking for and why?

As I have a nigh complete "Western" Beast Wars collection (Just missing that damned Laserbeak ) (Which doesn't include Convention, Wal*Mart or Fox Kids exclusives), the figure's I'm currently after are the Japanese era or Beast Wars II & Neo lines of figures - Focusing primarily on the unique molds from these lines and then moving onto the figures that are essentially repaints of "Western" releases.

• Any Photos?

This isn't all of 'em, not by a long shot!, but these are currently the best illuminated for photography purposes:




Oh, and there's this stuff too! :

Where are those trading cards from?