Ravage
(RotF)
Ravage's alternate mode
is a "re-entry mode", and that's about as specific as I can get. It's his
cat mode curled up into a ball (even complete with his hands covering his
face in a kinda funny "you can't see me!" pose) with some wings sticking
out. The wings actually look pretty neat with the metallic teal detailing,
though I wish they were a bit bigger. The wings are really the only thing
to comment on about this mode that isn't present in his "real" mode, because
it really is just his cat mode curled up, with no real attempt made to
hide it. As far as colors go, the black and metallic teal work nicely,
though the light milky gray is pretty boring-looking even in the small
amounts it's used. A duller, more gunmetal gray would've worked better,
I think. Maybe adding a bit of red would've made him look even more eeeevil
and added some contrast, as well. His mold detailing is fantastic, though,
with little plates and such covering any relevant surface. He definitely
looks like something sleek and stealthy, while also being quite deadly
and spiky at the same time.
Ravage's mecha-cat mode
is definitely where it's at, and where the vast majority of the toy's engineering
has gone into. No alt mode extras or anything to be seen-- if the toy were
to be judged solely by a look at this mode, it would be doubtful whether
it can even transform. The proportions are right-on, and he's looking mighty
mean. The spike/spines on his back and tail, the one eye, the jagged teeth,
the hooked claws-- this is definitely one kitty you don't want to mess
with. (The translucent purple used for the eye is too dark for light piping
to work there, unfortunately.) He's fully articulated-- he can move at
the hips, knees (at three points on the front legs and two points on the
rear legs), and the ankles. His hip-guns can move at two points each (though
sadly can't point any direction but forwards), and his tail can move at
three points too (with the same articulation issues as the guns). He also
has a joint at the waist, and his action feature is very cool-- pushing
back on the tab behind the spikes on his back causes his head to jut forward,
his maw opening and ears pulling back to look like he's lunging/growling
at something. A very neat effect, and it's kept in that pose until you
push the lever back to its default position. His mouth-- which is on a
spring-- does hang limp when it's open, though, so if you fiddle around
with him his jaw will clamp up and down depending on his momentum. His
"Mech Alive" gimmick is minor and honestly pretty lame-- when you move
his front legs from side-to-side, a little piece of plastic in the upper
leg meant to simulate turning gears moves along with it, but there's no
hidden mechanic pulling them or anything. His tail configuation, which
looks like three blades pulled inwards towards the tail to form a three-pronged
claw, can also have the top (grey) claw rotated outwards like a blade,
which is another nice design touch.
RotF deluxe Ravage is
a great toy-- in his "default" cat mode. Like the other movie beastformers,
though, he's not much of a transformer, with a very lame alt mode basically
consisting of his limbs all squished up against his body and wings pulled
out. It's up to you if the bad alt mode is trumped by the awesome cat mode--
I'd argue yes, but then again I seem to be relatively easy to please.
Review by Beastbot