BEAST
WARS: TOY REVIEW
Name: RATTLE (a.k.a. Rattrap)
Allegiance: Cybertron
Function: Intelligence
Beast Mode: Norway Rat
Average Price: 750 JPY
BEAST MODE
Length: 10cm (disincluding tail)
Not a terribly impressive beast mode. Don't get me wrong
here, it's not too bad... but it's also not too good either. The fur moulding
is reasonably good and I like the way the brown and gray blend with each
other on the back. The eyes are yellow and the feet are pink. One minor
drawback is that the hinges and seams are clearly visible. Also, there's
a lot of, as Andew Sorohan would say, "robot kibble" visible from the underside.
Mind you, a lot of the original Transformers had their robot parts painfully
visible from the underside. Almost all of the original Autobots had their
robot parts exposed from underneath. One interesting feature is the mouth
which is moulded in a way that the "fangs" are exposed in a sort of...
growling fashion. Do rodents growl? Underneath the mouth is an ominous
cavity. (puts on an Arhur C. Clarke voice) "Was there supposed to be a
jaw there that for reasons that we may perhaps never know, was never placed?"
Who knows. Who cares. This mode has ONE point of articulation: the tail
can move up and down.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Pull the tail up and the sides of the animal (including the
legs) split open, the rat head swings down and everything else just fits
into place. The fists are attached to two posts on either side of the hips.
Simply disconnect them. Next to these posts are two pieces which assemble
to form Rattle's gun. Put the gun in any fist. Très simple.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 9.5 cm
Points of Articulation: 9
One of the most starking features of this toy is the
head. The top of the head is silver with "brainlike" moulding... so if
he were organic, it would look like his skull was cracked opened with the
brain exposed. Of course, that doesn't apply for a robot. Don't worry,
it's not quite as repulsive as it may sound. The eyes are red. Both the
eyes and "braincap" look like they were made from separate pieces of plastic.
I suspect that this toy was once intended to have that light-optic gimmick...
you know, the one that Thrust and Machine Wars Optimus Prime have where
light enters from the top/back of the head and makes the eyes glow. Evidently
any such plans were ultimately abandoned. There are two 'steps' moulded
on the base of the head. There is no nose and the shape of the mouth is
rather strange. The jaw protrudes very prominently. The mouth appears to
be moulded in an open position and two fangs are visible (these fangs were
modified into rodentlike incisors in the show). Other than the eyes and
"braincap," the entire head is gray.
The chest is basically the rat head, which fits in quite
snugly. The upper arms are brown and rounded with a few very basic mechanical
details moulded on. The lower arms are more squarish and gray. The elbows
and fists are silver. The hip is brown and very unimpressive in appearance.
The thighs are also brown and have humanlike 'muscles' moulded on. The
lower legs look a tad more mechanical and are gray with silver accents.
For some strange reason, there are three toes with claws on each foot.
The annoying thing about the arms is that there is a gap of about 5mm between
the shoulders and the torso. Some fans don't like the way the rat halves
stick out to the side, but I don't mind them so much. However, the toy
is a bit back heavy which can create some problems when placing the toy
in more intricate poses.
RUB STICKER LOCATION
Forget it.
OVERALL
Not too bad considering that this was one of the very first
Beast Wars figures ever released. He ain't the best, but he isn't
too bad either.
BEAST TRIVIA
Rats are commonly thought of as dark animals with pointed noses and bare
feet and tails. They are similar, but generally larger, than mice. The
word "rat" usually refers to either the black rat (Rattus rattus)
or the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). Both are members of the order
Rodentia. Rats are aggressive, active, omnivorous, adaptable and fecund
animals that live with humans and have accompanied us almost throughout
the world. The senses of these rats are highly developed and their ability
to jump, climb, burrow, or gnaw gains them entry to places inaccessible
to many other small mammals. They are able to breed at three to four months
of age and can produce up to seven litters a year, each containing 6 to
22 young. Black and Norway rats have have destroyed vast quantities of
poultry, game, crops and stored grain. They have also been implicated in
harbouring or transmitting either directly or indirectly over 20 diseases.
The Norway rat is also known as the barn, brown, sewer or wharf rat.
It differs from the Black rat by having relatively smaller ears (Black
rat ears are about half the length of the head), a more robust body and
a tail shorter than the combined head and body length of 18 to 25 centimetres.
Its colour is usually brown but may be gray, white, black or pied. Laboratory
rats are domesticated albino strains of the Norway rat.
In contrast to the Black rat, the Norway rat digs burrows and is an
adept swimmer (whereas the Black rat is more adept at climbing and jumping).
It is larger (Black rats have a head and body length of about 20 cm) and
more adaptable. When both species are living in the same area, they occupy
different habitats. For example, in a building, the Norway rat tends to
occupy lower levels, while the Black rat lives on the upper floors.
The most effective methods of rat control are adequate santitation and
ratproof construction. Other methods include trapping, poisoning and fumigation.
Bibliography: Encyclopaedia
Brittanica.
Email
Back