BEAST WARS: TOY REVIEW
Name: RATTRAP
Allegiance: Maximal
Function: Spy
Beast Mode: Mecha-Rat
Average Price: 25 AUD
BEAST MODE
Length: 12cm (discluding tail)
This is a very robotic looking rat with almost no organic
parts visible at all! The entire moulding bristles with a plethora of mechanical
features such as wheels, vents, grills, grooves and bolts! Inspite of this,
they've managed to keep the overall shape of this mode as being very rat-like.
It's a pretty well rounded shape that dances well with the aforementioned
mech-features. The primary colour of this toy is metallic brown. The head
is accented with metallic silver decos, including the teeth. The eyes are
bright green. The two big bolts on the cheek are also painted with chrome-red.
The mid section is almost entirely chrome-red, except for the grill section,
which is orange. The rear section is mainly metallic brown, except for
the two chrome-red wheels. There are some orange decos throughout this
section as well. The two mufflers for the vehicle mode can be seen here
two. Also, the word "RATTRAP" is printed along the centre of the back in
metallic beige. The legs/paws and most of the tail (except for the tip,
which is metallic brown and chrome-red) are also metallic beige. There
are two gray joints connecting the forelegs to the mid-section. This toy
is obviously designed to be viewed from above, because the a lot of robot
kibble is visible from underneath (in fact, only the robot chest and head
are concealed). But this is nothing new to Transformers. The right robot
fist holds the tail and is quite visible upon closer inspection.
There's not a huge amount of articulation in this mode. The front paws
offer four points, whereas the highly prehensile tail gives a whopping
eleven!
TRANSFORMATION TO VEHICLE MODE
Swing down the front wheels and tuck the front paws in to
form pedals. Bring out rear wheels and tuck in hind paws. Swing out mufflers.
VEHICLE MODE
Like all Transmetals, Rattrap's vehicle mode is really an
in-between intermediate mode. That being said, it's a fairly decent intermediate
mode.The wheels move quite freely. The axles are a can get a bit loose
and the toy will flop down if too much pressure is applied. But it works
fine to support the toy by itself and will roll well if pushed gently.
For any of you who may be wondering, yes, the original Dinobot
toy can ride this mode (some argue that this is a sign that the
Mainframe staff must actually play with the toys!). :-)
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Fold wheels and mufflers in. Fold down forelegs and separate
head halves. This can be a bit tricky, but it's no rocket science. Unlock
robot feet and swing robot hips forward. Swing out robot arms. Flip out
robot head and bring entire robot torso-hip assembly down. Turn robot legs
around. Flip down robot feet. Insert tail-whip into either fist.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 12cm to the head
Where the beast mode was very robotic, the robot mode
looks quite organic! The overall sculpting gives this form a "flesh" look.
The beast mode parts carry on the same colours, however, some of the robot
parts introduce some new colours. Like the original Rattrap,
the head has that weird exposed "brain," which is painted orange here.
There's a rim bordering this brain that's metallic beige. The face and
teeth (yes, the toy is snarling, although it doesn't look too constipated)
are metallic beige. The rest of the head is metallic blue and the eyes
are bright green. The body is a shiny metallic beige with metallic blue
accents towards the sides. There's an orange panel on the left breast.
The shoulders, waist and hips are gray. The arms, hands and legs are metallic
beige. There are some blue accents on the calves. The feet are also gray.
This mode features fifteen points of articulation, as well as a whip with
eleven (no Ben, not twelve) points of
articulation, allowing Rattrap to strike some very cool poses! This toy
is more balanced than the original, although I do wish that he came with
a gun.
RUB STICKER LOCATION
Look between the robot legs. Oooh... a rub sticker.
OVERALL
Rattrap exemplifies the 'robotic beast mode - organic robot
mode' Transmetal theme. I highly recommend this figure for any Beast Wars
fan, and strongly recommend it for any Transmetal fan!
VARIATIONS
The Japanese version ("Metals Rattle") has a lighter
shade of chrome-red and the word "RATTRAP" has been replaced with "CYBERTRON."
The following information is from Kasady Voorhees:
"In 1998, Wal-Mart stores in the US sold an exclusive
recolour of Transmetal Rattrap. The red chrome was changed to blue, the
brown was changed to a very dark blue-green, the orange was changed to
neon green, the gray was changed to a grayish-blue, and the light tan was
changed to a reddish-brown. The sides of the head were also changed to
yellow, the
blue leg paint was changed to orange, the green beast
eyes were changed to yellow, and he lacks the blue spray details on his
stomach. The joints are also a bit weaker, due to the change in the type
of plastic. This was probably meant to be left in the package as a "collector
exclusive", as the chrome chips easily and he refuses to stand up
due to the weak joints."
According to the Hasbro
site, Wal Mart Rattrap was released in March of 1999. Also, I find
that all chrome paints chip easily. :-(
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.
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