Predaking's dragon
mode on his voyager-class version is a bit different than his other larger
toys, mostly in its leaner proportions and two extra heads. First, let's
tackle the proportions; the main body is a bit longer than on his other
versions and his head is nearly level with it. For the most part I find
this to be a positive change, but the middle of Predaking's back sticks
up a bit, being very obviously one of his robot feet-- this is definitely
the biggest eyesore in this mode. Predaking's wings are also a bit skinny
proportionally, and not nearly the HUGE things they are in the show. Otherwise,
Predaking's proportions are pretty solid, with a surprisingly long tail,
proportionate limbs, and extremely well-detailed heads, with many rubbery
plastic ridges along the top of his main dragon head. The mold detailing
is typical for a Prime toy, particularly a Predacon-- he's got large spaces
of relatively sparse, ornamental detailing, such as his wings, and a few
intricately-molded spots, such as his head, claws, and shoulders, with
a few Cybertronian symbols here and there, perhaps to emphasize his ancient-ness.
His color scheme takes a cue from G1 Predaking
in being mostly black and orange, with some light milky gray as a secondary
color. (Unfortunately, it's exactly that really boring, blah shade of light
miky gray that I dislike so much.) There's also a few accent paint apps,
namely the gold on parts of his head, the end of his tail (which ends in
a really cool blade-like ornamental manner), and a few parts on his main
body. There's also a bit of silver on his "minor" dragon heads, but by
and large I do wish Predaking had a few more gold or silver paint details--
particularly on his wings, which are all orange, which just looks bad on
plastic pieces that large. Predaking's main gimmick in this mode are his
two extra heads (never shown on the show), which can each launch a spring-loaded
projectile if you press on the gray trigger near the back of their heads,
the heads "lunging forward" a bit as they do so. Each minor head can rotate
where it meets the main body, but because of the nature of the gimmick,
they can't move in any other manner, unfortunately. As for Predaking's
other articulation in this mode, he can move up-and-down at the main head's
jaw and at two points of his neck; rotation at the base of his neck; and
at three points on each wing, at three points on the front shoulders, at
the front knees, at three points where the front toes meet the front ankles,
and at the rear shoulders (at two points), rear knees, and slightly at
the rear ankles.
Predaking's transformation
does something different from the usual "stand me up and flip my head/chest"
beast transformation-- his lower legs actually compress around to form
his main dragon body, and this leads to a bit of a more unique robot mode
(the rear dragon legs folding behind his lower robot legs to give him longer
feet is also a stroke of genius). Predaking's robot mode looks pretty boss,
all things considered. His proportions are very close to the TV show--
he's got dangerous-looking spiky arms (particularly at the shoulders),
claw-fingers, and legs that are a bit on the long side with very long orange
kneecaps that could impale a 'bot if they're not careful. He does have
a bit of a backpack, though; his wings, obviously, but they hang a bit
lower behind his back then they should, and don't look quite as good this
way. Also his dragon head is behind his back, though it's partially covered
up (badly) by a section of his dragon tail, which also folds behind his
upper back. Other than this, he's pretty much extra-free in this mode.
The mold detailing on Predaking's chest is exceptionally well-done, looking
both royal and ornamental while also a bit skeletal, emphasizing how Predaking
was re-created from fossilized remains. His robot headsculpt is also quite
well-done and reflects his show model quite well, complete with all the
little ridges behind his head and evil-looking yellow eyes. This said,
because of all the little protrusions, Predaking's robot head is made out
of rubbery plastic, just like his main dragon head and hand-claws. Although
this isn't really an issue with the hand-claws, both of his heads store
in a rather compact space; particularly with the dragon mode, this can
lead to some warping of the plastic ridges over time, which is most definitely
a bummer and something Hasbro should've paid a bit more attention to. Predaking's
paint apps are a bit more apparent in this mode, but his shoulders (and,
as mentioned before, the wings) could still definitely use some paint to
break up his colors a bit more. Both of Predaking's dragon heads can combine
into one dual-barreled weapon in this mode, which can fire as one in this
mode, and can be held in a peg on either of his wrists. The last section
of his tail also comes off to form an axe-weapon, which is detailed nicely
and fits into a slot on either of his palms, though the connection is a
bit on the loose side. For articulation in this mode, Predaking can move
at the neck (at two points), shoulders (at three points), elbows, at three
points where his claws meet his palms, and at the hips (at two points;
the forward-back point is rather loose on my version), the knees (at three
points), and very slightly at the front toes. His feet are adequately large,
but given the wings, dragon head, and section of tail on his back, he's
rather back-heavy, and thus not quite as poseable as you'd think given
the articulation points just listed.
Beast Hunters 2013 voyager
Predaking is a pretty neat mold, being a little more complex than most
other Predacons and foregoing the usual "stand me up and flip my head"
beast transformation for something a bit more interesting. He's also got
some great articulation, though some back-heaviness in robot mode keeps
him from utilizing all of it, and the bendy plastic on his main dragon
head and robot mode worries me a little about the long-term viability of
this mold. Still, other than a few niggling things this toy looks pretty
darn good in both modes, and quite accurate to the show in robot mode.
If you want a larger Predaking toy but don't want a simple transformation
but want some neat weaponry like extra dragon head-guns, this is a no-brainer
purchase as your version of Prime Predaking.
(Continued from Chapter 5, Voyager
Optimus Prime)
Even as his blasters spew nova-hot flame
across the quickly melting walls of the ancient starship, Predaking scans
the cargo hold for signs of the powerful weapons the Autobots have come
to find. So focused is he on holding off Optimus Prime and accomplishing
his goal that he does not see the skulking form of Lazerback, flitting
from shadow to shadow. No one does, in fact, and even as battle rages,
the Predacon saboteur manages to plant enough explosive to utterly annihilate
the derelict ship. When the charges detonate, all of the combatants are
caught off guard. Predaking watches as his Autobot opponents escape with
a precious few of the weapon crates in their possession. Only when he turns
to make his own escape from the disintegrating starship does he see Megatron,
surrounded by fire, plunge helplessly through the damaged floor, followed
by hundreds of tons of debris.
(Continued in Chapter 7, Deluxe Starscream)
Hydrafire Blasters:
-Semi-sentient weapons track and destroy
their own targets.
-Weapon charge fueled by the limitless
rage of Predaking.
-Permanent bond to Predaking-- no one
else can use them.
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