Here it is; the big kahuna, the Predaking toy that is massive compared to almost every other Prime toy-- as is the case in the show. Predaking's dragon mode replicates his show model reasonably well, and more than any other version of him has proportional wings-- they're still just a TOUCH small given how incredibly huge they were on the show, but here they're basically his main feature, which is accurate. His proportions in this mode are also quite good, with the main caveats being that his rear legs are a bit too bulky and there's rather large, non-show-accurate shoulder spikes sticking out behind his shoulders. Otherwise he's remarkably show-accurate, with the usual Prime aesthetic mold detailing of large portions of little mold detailing (like his wings) that look like curved pieces of "metal" punctuated with sections of quite impressive mold detailing, like the little hinges on each of his dragon toes. The color scheme is pretty much by-the-book Predaking, with black and orange being the main colors with a bit of metallic gunmetal gray/silver paint on places like his claws and a rather nice spray gunmetal paint app along the underside of his tail. (I do wish all the orange on his wings had been punctuated with another color, though.) There's also a bit of translucent yellow on the headcrests for both his dragon AND robot mode, due to his electronics. And speaking of electronics, if you pull down on the little handle on the side of Predaking's neck in this mode, his head will lunge forward, his maw opening up while his head crest and eyes glow bright red. It's a pretty darned cool gimmick, though Predaking's mouth doesn't separate in the Alien-like manner it does on the show, Hasbro instead opting for a more traditional mouth structure on this toy. Also, when this gimmick isn't activated his head is tilted up slightly, which is a minor annoyance. Predaking also has two spring-loaded missile launchers, which are mounted on his wings in this mode. For articulation-- not including his gimmick articulation-- Beast Fire Predaking can move at the shoulders at three points (one at the spikes), front knees (at two points), front ankles, at the middle of each front foot (the front three claws are all one piece, as are the back two talons; they simply "clench together"). He can also move at the wings (at three points each), though an annoyance here is that these huge wings are held on to the main body by friction clips, so if you put too much pressure near the wing tips the whole wings can come undone from the clips-- again, you can just clip them right back on, but it's still a bit of a bother. He can also move at the hips (at three points) and at the rear ankles-- sadly his rear knees are only detailed in, and can't move at all. (Most of these articulation points are on clickety ratchets that hold up his weight quite well.) His tail also can't move at all, which for a toy this large is a bummer.
    Predaking's transformation is very straightforward; very much the typical "stand me up and flip my head" beast transformation. The only difference here is that the rear dragon legs fold back into line with the body to become the robot legs, a nice manueuver that keeps these legs proportional in both modes. Beast Fire Predaking "shrinks" in this mode substantially, being about Weaponizer-class height. This fits in with his transformation in the show, but it means that the toy this toy is meant to fight against-- Ultimate "Beast Hunter" Optimus Prime-- towers over him in robot mode, which is bit of a letdown. Given how much is shared between both of Predaking's modes, my comments about his detailing, proportions, and colors from beast mode also largely apply to his robot mode, though I do REALLY like the orange-to-yellow fade on his upper legs and wish it had been applied to more of him, show-accurate or not. The headsculpt and chest sculpt are also extremely well-done, and I like that his feet have the dragon claws on the back for heels, giving Predaking some good stabliity that keeps him standing by himself despite the large backpack he has made from his wings and the dragon head folded behind his back. (The dragon head stays out of the way when it comes to articulation and doesn't stick out that much, so I consider it a minor downside if that.) Other than said dragon head, he's pretty extra-free in this mode, and his wings are articulated such that he can "retract" them a bit in this mode by angling said wings back where they attach to the main body, though they definitely can't retract nearly as well as they do on the show model. Predaking's usual tail-sword is alive and well in this mode, and is a MASSIVE sword, though it's not two-dimensional enough to pass as a realistic blade. I also really don't like all the hollow bits on the tail, and wish they had covered up with plastic a lot of that so his tail looked more like armored scales. In fact, his sword is so large and heavy that his ball-jointed wrists can't hold it up very well without some good balancing, which is a bit of a shame. For articulation, Predaking has the same articulation in his arms that he had in his front legs in his dragon mode; his wing articulation is the same as well. He also has right-to-left neck articulation and movement at the hips (at two points), knees (at two points), and ankles. I do wish he had waist articulation-- there's nothing inherent in his transformation that prevents it-- but otherwise he's pretty well-articulated here. Predaking still has an electronic gimmick in this mode-- pressing down on the small translucent yellow button on his right shoulder causes his head crest, eyes, and some parts of his inner chest to light up-- a VERY nice gimmick that doesn't detract from anything else on the toy, a rarity among electronic gimmicks.
    Beast Fire Predaking is the toy for those who want a nice, huge Predaking with a lot of mass. His transformation is very much by-the-book, but his downsides are minimal in both modes and he's got good proportions (including accurately-proportioned wings, for once), a decent color scheme, and some nice electronics. I REALLY wish his sword looked like an actual sword, though, and how short he is in robot mode may make some people think twice about buying him for full price-- until you realize how bulky he is. If you've got the money, this is the version of Predaking I recommend the most-- though if you want a more innovative interesting transformation, go for the 2013 voyager version.

(Continued from Chapter 17, Ultimate Beast Hunter Optimus Prime)
Predaking faces Optimus Prime across the desert expanse near the Autobot base, the Infernum Blade humming in his hand. He can see that the Autobot leader's new weaponry isn't fully activated, and he knows this is a battle he will win. "No more plots," he says. "No more grand plans. Megatron is gone. I will destroy you, wipe out your Autobots, and return Cybertron to the old ways." Then his sensors detect Optimus Prime receiving an incoming transmission - and power surges through the arsenal carried by the Autobot leader. Optimus Prime looks into the ancient predator's eyes and says, "This battle isn't over yet". And Predaking, so confident of victory only a moment ago, feels fear for the first time in millions of years.
(Continued in Chapter 19, Deluxe Arcee)

Infernum Blade:
-An ancient and terrible weapon with unknown origins.
-Keyed to the cyber-genetic material of Predaking. No other warrior can even lift it.
-A single strike can drain the Energon from a victim, sending him into total shutdown.

Strength: 10.0
Intelligence: 8.0
Speed: 9.0
Endurance: 10.0
Rank: 10.0
Courage: 10.0
Fireblast: 10.0
Skill: 6.0

Review by Beastbot

*Beast Fire Predaking was only a Target Exclusive in "Predacons Rising" packaging the U.S.; in most other countries he was a mass release in normal Beast Hunters packaging.

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