Rattrap (Beast Machines)
Rattrap's Beast ModeRattrap's Robot ModeRattrap's Wheeled Mode
Allegiance: Maximal
Size: Mega
Difficulty of Transformation: Hard
Color Scheme: Dark green, silver, light grey, dark grey, glossy light red,  glossy dark red, transparent orange, and some transparent red, transparent black, light red, and yellow (whew!)
Similarity to counterpart: !!
Rating: 6.8

    Beast mode is a rat- a green technorganic rat, but a rat nonetheless. This mode, overall, looks pretty nice. In fact, out of all the beast mode forms Rattrap has had, I'd have to say this is my favorite toy-wise. For once, his legs actually have near-unrestricted movement, which is nice. In fact, posability is one of this form's strong suits. This mode is very posable, and he can even stand on his two hind legs, just like on the show! This toy has a veritable plethora of colors, which are most prominently displayed in this mode as well. Rattrap also has a pretty fat rear in this mode, which enhances his personality some too. One thing I don't like visually about this mode, however, is the fact that Rattrap looks decidedly cute- it definitely doesn't fit his persoanlity. Detailing on this toy is also only so-so in most areas when compared with other more recent Transformers. Another annoying thing about this mode is his gimmick- if you turn his tail from side to side, his head will move about some as well, and his ears will twitch. Although cool at first, it just becomes annoying later, as you can't move his tail without moving his head, and vice versa. This can be partially fixed by unlocking Rattrap's head from the gear slightly, but this still is annoying. The only visible "extra" in this mode is Rattrap's robot head, which can be easily seen from the rear embedded in Rattrap's beast butt. Kinda sick, actually.
    A note about the spark crystal: Like Tigerhawk's, Rattrap's spark crystal can only be seen during transformation- it is on a medium-sized gray panel near the middle of Rattrap's workings.
    Robot mode, to put it quite blatantly, is hideous. The proportions are way off- Rattrap looks more like Quasimodo than an actual transformer in this mode. His arms are also very oddly jointed, and it's hard to put them in any position that seems "normal". His weapon is very weak, as it's just another tail taken off and passed off as a "whip". Although it's nice to see Rattrap have some legs, the "sawblades" are pretty weak. They don't even spin by themselves, and collapse in on themselves pretty easily, leaving you with just a ratbot with wheels on his knees. His legs are also too small proportionally, as well. His head has a "talking" gimmick- pull back a bit in Rattrap's visor and his mouth will move a bit. Normally, this would be nice, but Rattrap's mouth is twisted in such an odd way that he looks like he's talking like a gangster. "Nyah, see? Nyah!!" It's a shame Rattrap's visor can't be pulled over his face, like on the show. That would have been a nice effect. Pushing back too much on the visor will cause the chest plate to become unlocked- not that it doesn't become unlocked ridiculously easy in the first place. It's very hard to get the whole rat-head-and-front-legs assembly to fit snugly behind the chest plate while transforming him, so this will consistently push his chest out and unlock it. His chest also can open in the front for an inexplicable reason- this is not needed during transformation or in any of the modes, so I don't know why it was put on. I guess the only good things I can say about this mode is that it's reasonably stable, and the "light piping" effect in the eyes works very well.
    Wheeled mode has all the ugliness of the robot mode, minus the legs. Although he's slightly more show-accurate in this mode, his proportions are, again, horribly wrong. His wheels aren't big enough, and they can't enough roll!
    A great beast mode, but a horribly done robot and wheeled mode. Could have been a much better toy than it was- not to mention the fact that this toy is a LOT bigger than it is supposed to be.



Rattrap Bio:
FUNCTION: Intelligence/Surveillance Expert
MOTTO: "My mind is my ultimate weapon!"
Wisecracking Rattrap always has something snide to say, and is known as a chronic complainer. Recon and surveillance expert. Fits into the tightest of places. Although weaponless in beast mode, his tail is a major asset - tactile capabilities grab objects and act as an electro-whip weapon. In robot mode, weapon serves multiple tasks - can tap into computer systems, break codes and pick locks. His resourcefulness and intelligence are major assets to the Maximal cause.
Strength: 5.0
Intelligence: 9.9
Speed: 8.7
Endurance: 7.6
Rank: 7.0
Courage: 6.9
Firepower: 4.8
Skill: 9.0

Review by Beastbot

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