Toy Review - Age of Extinction Strafe (Deluxe)

[BigTransformerTrev]

I liked this guy in both modes better than I thought he would. Fairly easy transform and one of the less garish paint jobs of the AoE Dinobots.

Only thing is with the toy I bought his rubber tails were sorta hooked in a u shape due to the packaging. Though it prevents me flailing them out behind him in robot mode or giving him that streamlined look when flying, when he is in hunched-on-ground-moster-bird-thing mode it looks like he is whipping them around to stab someone which is awesome and probably how I'll display him

I paid $15 for this guy due to a scanning snafu at TRU, he's good but glad I didn't pay the full $30

[Omega Metro]

Only thing is with the toy I bought his rubber tails were sorta hooked in a u shape due to the packaging.

Yep, mine is bent also. Doesn't anyone know of any tricks to straighten that tail? I thought about dipping it in boiling water.

[Paulbot]

Strafe is a toy that the packaging doesn't help. Mistransformed to fit, I didn't notice at first that the legs were in beast mode.

What I did like was being able to spread his wings, because those sharp angular wings are great. Shame they kind of get in the way of each other in beast mode. Maybe it would have worked better if they weren't attached to the arms? Not a fan of the beast mode at all.

His correct transformation into robot mdoe doesn't help either, those beast mode heads don't work well over the chest and are better put to face behind the shoulders (or up). Best to work with him and ignore the 'proper' way to do things.

I've disregarded the crossbow, put the 'swords' in his hands and put the wings and heads up and he becomes a goodlooking tall lean warrior robot.

[Mythirax]

I've disregarded the crossbow, put the 'swords' in his hands and put the wings and heads up and he becomes a goodlooking tall lean warrior robot.

Damn, just after I put all mine back into Dino-mode. You make me want to put them all in robot mode, just for this. Looks awesome.

[UltimateGalvatron]

Looks more like a two headed Quetzalcoatlus...

[GoktimusPrime]

Looks more like a two headed Quetzalcoatlus...

Hhmmm... yeah, the heads are weird in that they actually have two skull crests each, a Pteranadon-like backward sweeping crest, and an arguably Quetzalcoatlus-like forward sweeping crest. I say 'arguably' because the actual shape and size of the Quetzalcoatlus' crest is still unknown. We know that Quetzalcoatlus did definitely have a skull crest, but how big or small was it? Was it even noticeable? The only Transformer that's officially designated as a Quetzalcoatlus is, of course, Magmatron , and that toy has no skull crest.

Mind you, Strafe is probably closer to the size of a Quetzalcoatlus. Bumblebee's official height varies according to different sources, but they average out to be approx. 5m. A Pteranodon has a wingspan of 6m, whereas the current estimated average wingspan for Quetzalcoatlus is about 10-11m (one individual fossil's wingspan measured 15.9m! ). Looking at the size of Strafe in the film, he is arguably closer to the size of a Quetzalcoatlus than a Pteranodon.

Pteranodon size compared w/ human
Quetzalcoatlus size compared w/ a Boeing jumbo jet!

However, Strafe's Dinobot mode is officially a "Pteranadon" (sic). A gigantic double-headed, double-tailed... pteranodon... Robots In Dis---, ah stuff it!

[UltimateGalvatron]

A Dino who Destroys is more accurate... LOL

[shockNwave]

All the AOE products held no interest for me except Strafe. Time and again my attention kept being drawn to him because his alt-mode looks like something from Beast Hunters and I finally got him for $20 at TRU.

Now about that little minicon-size Swoop that comes with Strafe?
I can see why it hasn't been reviewed. It's the crappiest Transformer I have ever encountered and an insult to previous generations of the Swoop.

[Zommael]

Now about that little minicon-size Swoop that comes with Strafe?
I can see why it hasn't been reviewed. It's the crappiest Transformer I have ever encountered and an insult to previous generations of the Swoop.

Says you. I have a version of that toy from a Micron Booster pack, and I think it's pretty awesome. It has a good, standard minicon robot mode, but beast mode is where it's at. Unlike many beast Transformers it actually has good posability, with the ability to unfurl its wings as if it's just landed. Good detailing and a fun little toy.

That said, "Those who cannot die do not deserve to live" is an awesome motto, so maybe I'm being prejudiced by that. Swoopstrafe might be less awesome.

[GoktimusPrime]

Now about that little minicon-size Swoop that comes with Strafe?
I can see why it hasn't been reviewed. It's the crappiest Transformer I have ever encountered and an insult to previous generations of the Swoop.

Dude... that Mini-Con is basically a free bonus figure (especially at the discounted price that you paid ). I personally don't think that Strafe's a great figure, but I think that the Mini-Con is okay (I have the original Classics Swoop version). It's certainly much better value than the RiD2015 Deployers.