Torox/Tantrum
The #Transformers reviews start back up with a series: the Power of the Primes Predacons! This one is called Torox these days, but he’ll always be Tantrum to me. I have the G1 figure of this guy, so he’s as good a place to begin as any!
Tantrum has a lot going for him: lots of articulation points, down even to ankle tilts! I love the unabashedly “bottom of bull face” head sculpt. The color scheme screams “evil, but loves candy corn” and is honestly iconic.
Now the bad news: all the articulation is pretty much wasted due to the gigantic titan thigh hanging off his back. The size of the kibble alone is bad enough, but it is so heavy you can’t make any really cool poses.
Bull mode is very reminiscent of the G1 toy, and pretty much what we expect these days. One variation from the original is the forelegs being black, and not red to match the hind legs. The cool arm/leg engineering from the 80s toy is sadly missing and this is lazy.
Does the titan thigh look any better in bull mode? From two angles, yes. From any other, no. Obviously there are tradeoffs with any combiner ‘bot but Tantrum is not a great toy, much as I want to like him. Will his teammates fare better?
Headstrong
Headstrong is very similar to Tantrum, with many of the same strengths and weaknesses. I like the yellow!
The headsculpt is good, and while it’s not exactly the same face as Tantrum, it’s so close as to make you wonder why they bothered. He can sort of do the Desperado pose with his giant gun!
The enormous combiner thigh kibble is still an issue in robot mode, as well as in rhino mode. The legs still don’t match, which again is unlike the G1 toy. The gun foot thing can be attached but doesn’t stay on well.
From the side or behind, he looks bad. I guess that’s probably true for me, too, but it’s not what I want in my mechanical robot bulls! I like this guy slightly better than Tantrum because the color scheme pops more, but neither toy is great.
Rampage
Moving on we take a look at Rampage. He changes into a kitty! He’s also got a baffling red on orange color scheme that sort of washes all together into a warm-hued blur. Apart from that, it’s a very strong robot mode with great proportions.
He has a gun, but it doesn’t peg in well. But he can stand on one leg, which makes for a cool pose! The back kibble is present, but not as egregious as the leg bots. One nitpick: the head doesn’t quite rise flat, so it looks like Rampage is nodding off all the time.
Here’s tiger mode! The gun changes into a tail. He can open his mouth so you can make roaring sounds if you like. (Tantrum and Headstrong are tight-lipped.) Unfortunately these are the only two angles that look anything close to nice in tiger mode.
You can see right through him from the side! I feel like maybe I am missing something, a tab or flap to cover up the ugly space? Tell me if so. And that back end is garbage, with hollow haunches and a pancake butt. Robot mode is where it’s at with this one… poor kitty.
Divebomb
Fourth of the five #Transformers Predacons is big bird boy, Divebomb. He’s probably the most awkward of the bunch, which is really saying something. His legs are short and stumpy, the torso is enormous, and it throws the proportions off.
The head sculpt had potential, but is a bit of a floppy mess. He’s got this strange high forehead going on. Also irritating are his guns; he can’t hold them in the traditional way due to the shortness of the pegs. Bot mode is not great for ol’ Divebomb.
Bird mode is BIG. Seriously large wingspan on this dude. He basically has two bird modes, one a more flat, flying mode, pictured here. It’s just a cube with wings, not very aerodynamic. Note you can attach the guns, presumably for bombing dives.
Perched bird mode is actually pretty good. If I were displaying in alt mode, this would be it. Divebomb is probably my least favorite of the set; Robot mode is wonky, and bird mode is clunky at best. But worry not: the best of the Predacons is to come.
Razorclaw
Maybe it’s natural that the leader of the Predacons is the best of the lot. (Or maybe it’s Maybelline?) Razorclaw has great proportions, a great color scheme, and a totally rad lion head on his chest. What’s not to like?
I am partial to faceplates and this head sculpt is a great one! Razorclaw has very little kibble anywhere, unlike his teammates. Balance is great, and he has a neato rocket gun cannon thing that he can actually hold. Go figure!
Lion mode is pretty good, but not as great at ‘bot mode. You can’t see through his ribs, and there’s not much articulation, but at least the limbs all match colors. The back end isn’t anything to write home about but it’s still better than the rest!
If being a robot lion isn’t enough, just add a gnarly weapon to the back and ROAR! Razorclaw is my favorite Predacon by a large margin. Tune in tomorrow for a review of their combined form: Predaking! He’s so tall I may have to take him to Olan Mills for the session.
Predaking
So… at last, the combined form of the #Transformers Predacons, Predaking! He’s gigantic, and thus hard to photograph. Any sense of regret or apathy at the component bots is washed away by the huge wave of grooviness that is combiner form!
The joints are all very, very sturdy, making Predaking one of the most stable combiners on my shelf. I love how he’s got bull and rhino knees, because of course he does.
The arm motion is somewhat limited, but not enough to really complain about. The two weapons making a larger gun is neat, but this guy needs his sword! Seriously, that seems like a crazy oversight. Third parties have stepped up but it should been here to begin with!
The face (mouthplate!) is good, and dual cannons are very intimidating. Predaking is sleek, even from behind, which you can’t say about many combiners. Note the huge unapplied sticker sheet. I don’t like the awful stickers provided lately; good thing he looks fine without!
Obligatory (albeit poorly focused) Decepticon combiner shelfie. Predaking rivals Devvy in height, and is even taller than Unicron! He was absolutely worth the $63 I paid, which is quite low. Definitely a good representation of an iconic G1 combiner!
Marc Allie.Com 