Vehicle mode is described on the package as "assault vehicle". Exactly what Strika's vehicle mode is, I'm not certain. Some kind of Cybertronian vehicle, no doubt, that looks like a cross between an ATV and a tank with a head. This mode looks very, very nice, and with the exception of some color variations, is very show-accurate. The detailing on te toy is also pretty good, especially for a vehicle, which doesn't need that much detailing anyway. What I especially love about this mode is the dark purple wash on the front part, making Strika look a bit "worn down" in this mode. Her one, long, cycloptic eye in this mode also looks very menacing and emotionless. Strika's gimmick, usable in both this mode and the robot mode, is pretty cool, although also pretty pointless. Basically, when you press down on the spark crystal located near the end of Strika's back, her "laser cannons" reciprocate (meaning that one "fires" while the other "reloads", providing continuous fire). For this toy, this basically means that the two laser cannons move back and forth very quickly. A bit too quickly, in fact- by just pressing down on the spark crystal once all the way, it makes the cannons move back and forth three times! Once per push would have been slower and a bit more realistic. Another complaint about this gimmick is that it doesn't actually fire the missiles- the missiles require you to push them out of their slots to "fire". Still, this gimmick is quite addicting, just pushing down on the button repeatedly and watching the cannons move back and forth almost faster than the eye can track them. One downside to this mode, however, is that from a directly head-on view, you can see some of Strika's robot extras under her vehicle head, and her robot legs are fairly visible behind her wheels. Still, this isn't too big of a deal, and this vehicle mode still remains one of my favorites from the Beast Machines line.
    The robot mode, although still decent, I felt could have been done quite a bit better, and made a bit more show-accurate. It's still fun to play with, what with the reciprocating cannons and Strika's "butch" stature, but she looks rather odd from a side view, and even slightly odd from a head-on view. First, and most obvious, is the fact that Strika's arms are very oddly positioned in this mode- they're a full inch behind the robot chest, not to mention that the lower arms are actually positioned on a hinge BEHIND the upper arms, making for an extremely odd pose no matter how you position them. The gold shoulder carvings are a nice, touch however. Strika's hands are also little more than engravings on the inside of some of her vehicle mode armor, but this is forgivable, since her arms were always "hidden" behind wrist pads on the show anyway. The inside of Strika's vehicle head is also very visible behind Strika's robot head, and I felt they could have hidden this extra away a bit better. Strika's robot head is still very detailed, and colored rather nicely despite this. Compared to the show, Strika's chest plate is alkso extremely small proportionally, and although the wheels sticking out of the sides of the chest plate help bulk it up a little, it still doesn't look that awful good. Strika's legs are also very small proportionally, and, because she is so top-heavy, you actually have to lean her forward a bit to keep her balanced by herself in this mode. This isn't that big of a deal, though, since she looks slightly better from an angle like that, and it sort of simulates how she "skates" to move when in robot mode on the show. Although her feet are little more than wheels with stilts for heels, this isn't that big of a problem; they actually make it look like she's wearing large platform shoes or something, which adds a bit of personality to this mode. Another interesting note about Strika is that she is the only Beast Machines toy to have no translucent plastic on her whatsoever (not including the spark crystal, of course, but those are on every toy since the Transmetals, anyway).
    A GREAT vehicle mode, although the robot mode may look a bit odd to some. Still, I'd recommend this toy to anyone wanting a great heavy-hitter Vehicon. This toy looks like it can kick butt and take names.

Review by Beastbot

(NOTE: Some confusion has arisen over Strika's name. The correct spelling IS "Strika", not "Stryka" or "Striker". "Striker" is the name of the stegosaurus Beast Machine Dinobot, remember.)

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