While I typically only stick to hoarding Asian import toys (quality of product is kind of a thing for me), I occasionally leave my Fortress of Solitude and do what the locals do - buy things you can get from Walmart and the like. Well, you used to be able to... then COVID came along and really screwed with that around these parts.
One of these things is getting my Transformers on.
I used to be envious of how the Takara releases would generally be superior to anything we'd get, but since the Unified Product offering system, the entire world enjoys the same highs and lows that I do, with the exception, of course, of the Takara specific releases.
Even those aren't as challenging to get anymore, as opposed to back in the day when you needed to know a guy know knew a guy.
Anyway, so the latest main line is the Kingdom line up, which is a combination of G1 and Beast designs, with a heavy focus on the Beast side of things. Unfortunately, having stared and drooled at the MP offerings for over a year now, it's a bit hard for me to get excited for the product offerings, but I still like to dabble to say I did something to support the line.
Enter Airazor, the first flying Beast in the Kingdom line, and if memory serves me correctly, the first female AND flying Maximal even on the original show. With my weakness to Fembots, it was only appropriate that this was a figure that I'd get for the shelf.
She certainly doesn't look exactly like she did on the show, but you know what? It's a huge improvement over the original toy, so that's pretty much gets two thumbs up from me. There's also the benefit of not having an MP for me to compare it to. Besides, the original form on the show wasn't exactly super feminine anyway - that was the job of Black Arachnia.
First off, lets talk Contents. Pretty short discussion - you get the figure and the two wrist mounted weapons. Couldn't find a card or anything like that.
One major change between prototype and final release is that all the yellow plastic has been changed to orange. Now this doesn't exactly feel like a bad choice - certainly breaks up the monotony of the colour scheme and more importantly, it close resembles the on screen counterpart, though strangely they kept her purple tinted face. The real question is.. why was that original scheme even offered up?
As always, you're not going to get that exact perfect Beast or Bot mode, but I feel that Hasbro did an admirable job. I really like the head sculpt, screwy colour and all. The face seems pretty accurate to me, and I just love the head dress.
Here she is, unpacked and ready for action. Not too shabby looking, though I think some gray airbrushing on the brown parts would have upped the screen accuracy a tad. Detailing on the Beast parts is pretty good and is prevalent all over the body.
From the observation of a casual Beast fan, I'd say she's not a bad looking mainline toy.
Articulation wise, most Deluxe class figures don't disappoint and Airrazor is no exception. To be honest, it's really the waist that makes the difference between adequate and inadequate. Otherwise, you get your typical ankles, knees, hips, standard shoulders, bicep swivel, standard elbows, head, and various other joints that are needed for transformation purposes. Considering her weapons simply require that the forearms are pointed in the right direction so Airazord has got what she needs.
Transformation into Beast mode is pretty straight forward, and if I know Hasbro, this figure is probably a modified Aerialbot or something from the Combiner Wars series.
The various extra hinges on the wings allow for a somewhat natural looking pose, and the bird head can be rotated and tilted, and features an opening mouth, albeit one that can be somewhat hard to actually open and close.
No hiding those bot parts, though.
Paint wise, mostly base plastic colour with a coat of finisher on top. The actual paint apps themselves appear to be crisp where it counts, though areas where you don't normally see, like where the weapons peg into the forearm, can be a bit messy. As always, some extra paint would have been nice, but at least what is there isn't a trainwreck.
Build quality wise, nothing really to complain about. There's not really been much to complain about since the Unified Product lineup, as the quality of the plastic seems to have been upped and despite what some people have mentioned, I've experience fewer issues with tabbing parts since the merger. No problems with random limbs falling off or poses not holding. Finish on parts themselves are nice and smooth.
As expected, a solid entry into the Deluxe line up. Being a Beast, you do what you can from an Alt mode perspective, and while it's not going to fool National Geographic, it's at least fun to play with and generally functional, which is more than I can say for Rattrap. Aesthetics wise, closer to the screen appearance as compared to Black Arachnia.
Not entirely certain what my next mainline transformer will be. I don't exactly have anything on preorder, and Commander Rodimus Prime isn't exactly giving me warm and fuzzy feelings. Not for the same price point that brought us Jetfire and Sky Lynx. I really feel they missed an opportunity not doing a Commander class Beast Megatron or Dinobot so at least it would closer to the MP counterparts.
For full gallery, please visit:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22877494@N02/albums/72157719257677794
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