Ransack
(Cybertron)
Ransack's vehicle mode
is a futuristic motorcycle. This mode is, overall, pretty cool-looking.
The transparent tires somehow make Ransack look faster, and he's got a
very streamlined look to him. I especially like the design of the front
part-- it looks like he has four headlights, and the smaller-than-normal
windshield would apparently offer less wind resistance, so it contributes
to the sleekness of the mode as well. However, looking at him from a side
angle, the shape of the bottom half of the motorcycle doesn't quite fit
the upper half-- there's several slim gaps in the sides of the motorcycle
because of this, and it's my major complaint with this mode. By just fiddling
with the shape of the robot legs a little, this problem could've been solved,
which makes it all the more aggravating. His hands are also a little visible
on the seat of the motorcycle because of the two holes near the rear of
said seat, but that's a relatively minor complaint. Ransack's mold detailing
is relatively sparse for a Cybertron toy, though this is probably a side
effect of being a small Speed Planet toy-- too many details would have
made him look less sleek. His color scheme is pretty good-- red, black,
gold, and silver always work together. However, I think the solid red plastic
is a bit too light-- making it a darker shade would have made the toy look
better, I think. One other cool feature this toy has is that several "fan
mode" variations can easily be made from it-- my favorite is the "hoverbike",
where you split the rear tire and then fold those halves out, then turn
the front wheel to a horizontal position-- but there's several others people
have come up with as well, and more play value is always a good thing.
Ransack's robot mode
is also pretty good, and easily the best robot mode out of the first wave
scouts. He's got full articulation in any place you can reasonably expect,
including the waist (in fact he can lean forward at the waist as well!).
His proportions are also spot-on. His vehicle extras all tuck away rather
nicely, with the exception of the large wheel halves on the sides of his
legs, which I think look a tad odd-- however, that's my sole complaint
about the mode. My favorite part of the robot mode by far is how much PERSONALITY
Ransack's got in him. His chest plate looks like the top of a tuxedo, and
the shape of his shoulders only magnifies this effect. His face has a black
paint masks surrounding the eyes, and with his smirk, he looks like a well-dressed
bandit of some sort that could weasel his way into (or out of) anything.
I love it when you don't even need a bio with the toy to figure out its
personality! If you insert his Cyber Planet Key into the detachable rear
section of his vehicle mode, two barrels flip out to become a gun for his
robot mode. It's not much, but hey, it's just a scout, you can't expect
too much of a gimmick. The gun is a bit too large for Ransack, though,
to the point where he can't keep his lower arm up under the weight, so
his gun almost always points to the ground because of this. His Cyber Planet
Key is also unpainted except for the symbol-- a real oddity, since it's
not like Ransack has a ton of paint apps compared to other Scouts. I can't
fathom why Hasbro didn't fully paint the Cyber Key.
Ransack is a very nice
basic, definitely an above-average one for the Cybertron line. His vehicle
mode could look a little more solid, and I wish his gun weren't so big,
but he's still got a really nice look to him in both modes. Recommended.
Review by Beastbot