Battle
Unicorn
Beast mode is a technorganic
unicorn, obviously. (Could they possibly THINK of a less creative name!?)
This mode really doesn't look that technorganic, though- it actually looks
almost entirely mechanical. There are small spikes and studs molded into
the plastic everywhere, especially on the front part of the legs and the
hooves. The unicorn face is also molded into a very determined, angry stance,
and looks very neat. There's also "armor" molding on much of Battle Unicorn,
making this unicorn look like anything BUT a sissy fantasy creature. One
of the most amazing things about this mode, however, is definitely the
"mane". Not only does it have a very sharp, mechanical look to it, but
is also has a veeeerrrry pretty red-to-orange fade. This mode does have
a few minor faults, though. For one, I think there's a bit too much transparent
plastic in the upper back legs, and it detracts from the look a bit in
that area. Those upper back legs are a bit too big proportionally as well.
Battle Unicorn's "spark gimmick" is also rather weak, as well; by pushing
the spark crystal piece on the left front shoulder forward, it will cause
Battle Unicorn to do a weak "head-butting" action. Thing is, this actually
scraps the already-delicate metallized plastic used for the main, and it
can actually cause the mane to chip quite easily. Not to mention that the
spark crystal piece is a pain in the butt to push back after you've pushed
it one way.
Robot mode is awesome,
as well. Very nicely balanced, and the "armor" in unicorn mode complements
this mode as well. It actually makes Battle Unicorn look like a kind of
robotic samurai covered with armor. A very nice touch! It definitely adds
a lot of personality! Another neat point is that the unicorn mane and tail
detach to become a large battle axe. INGENIOUS! Kudos to whoever thought
that up, as that makes one nifty-looking axe! The holes in his hands are
rather shallow, though, so he can't hold the battle axe as easily as he
should. One might complain that Battle Unicorn's thighs look too big in
this mode, but if you think of him as in samurai armor, it actually looks
about right. A few minor quibbles about this mode, though. The unicorn
hooves on the back of the robot hands can get in the way of articulation
a bit in that department. Also, Battle Unicorn has his unicorn horn sticking
out of his butt (evident from a side or back view), and it makes for some
rather... inappropriate jokes. The major complaint that everyone seems
to have with Battle Unicorn, though, is that his right shoulder pad- which
overlaps his spark crystal piece a little- is a bit tricky to transform
and move correctly without it snapping off. You can get it back on, but
it takes a long time, and it's HARD. This is really the only major problem
with Battle Unicorn, though- the others are pretty minor complaints.
Despite the rather stupid
name, Battle Unicorn (who I just prefer to call Knightmare) is a great
toy, in both modes. Definitely worth picking up, even if you're a casual
Transfan.
(NOTE: Because he was one of the last toys released for the Battle for the Spark line, Battle Unicorn is a pretty rare find. If you find him in a store, regardless of whether you like him or not, I recommend you pick him up; he's worth quite a bit of money. In fact, the only way I got mine was by purchasing one from an exclusive run for an online toystore- and I had to pay $20 for it, which was actually pretty cheap compared to what he was going for on Ebay!)
Review by Beastbot