Toy Review

BEAST WARS: TOY REVIEW

Name: BUZZCLAW
Allegiance: Predacon
Function: Saboteur, Quick-Assault Specialist
Beast Mode: Praying Mantis / Lizard fusion
Average Price: 12 AUD

Photo courtesy of Benson Yee.

BEAST MODE

Length: 13 cm
Height: 8 cm
This beast mode doesn't look too bad for a Fuzor at all. This is mainly because it looks a lot like a Praying Mantis with some lizard bits attached, primarily in the limbs and sides of the thorax, as well as a lizard tail sticking out from behind. Other than that and a few scales moulded throughout, it pretty much looks like a mantis. A big green button protrudes from the back. Press it and the arms swing out in a "peek-a-boo!"-like action. The arms themselves are green and look reptilian with lizardlike claws sculpted, however, the middle claws have been replaced with mantis hooks. The head and thorax are almost completely insectoid. The head is translucent orange with a read accent. The mandibles are green, as well as the jaw. The eyes are blue and the nape is also green. The thorax is primarily translucent orange with some green reptilian-like accents. Mounted on the back are two wings which are translucent orange with red and purple accents. The tail is translucent red with purple accents as well as some yellow and translucent features underneath (which are obviously the robot legs). The tail section carries most of the lizard features.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE

Fold the green nape-section down to reveal robot head. Swing robot head up. Swing the entire wing and fore-section up and pivot 180. Swing the sides of the thorax up (in a similar fashion as you would swing Dinobot's beast legs up to form the arms). Push beast feet up and pivot each forearm round 180 degrees. Push mantis head down and lock onto chest. Separate and reposition robot legs. The wing section and tail can be removed and placed in robot hands to form a pincer weapon and shield.

ROBOT MODE

Although the shield looks pretty neat, the pincer weapon doesn't. It just looks far too big and cumbersome for Buzzclaw's lithe frame to make it an effective weapon in combat. Buzzclaw more resembles the package art when the pincer-wing section is left attached to the back. The two claws protruding from beneath each forearm would be far more efficient close-quarter weapons. The head is translucent orange with a red face and white teeth (more on the teeth later). The torso is transucent orange and green with the mantis head being the chest. The arms and legs are also translucent orange and green, although the lower legs have yellow accents spray painted onto them. A nice touch. There are eleven points of meaningful articulation packed into this little 10 cm high figure. The only thing that erks me about this mode is the mouth, which is gritted, revealing the teeth. I've never liked this look on toys, even on Predacon leaders like T-Rex Megatron, Galvatron and Magmatron.

RUB STICKER LOCATION

Underneath the tail/shield section.

OVERALL

A surprisingly good toy! Even for a Fuzor!! I honestly underestimated this toy up until the moment I started playing with it. The beauty of the beast mode lies in the fact the way they were merged together. It's fundamentally a praying mantis with four legs ripped off, with the mid-legs replaced with lizard legs, and the abdomen replaced with with a lizard tail. I generally don't like Fuzors at all, so it's a real compliment to the designers of this toy when I say that this is one cool action figure!

BEAST TRIVIA

Praying Mantis

Aliases: Mantis, Mantid, Praying Mantid.
Order: Mantodea
Family: Mantidae

There are over 2000 species of this large (about 5 centimetres long), slow-moving insect. All Mantids are characterised by an elongated prothorax (first thorax segment) and front legs modified so that the tibia of the lower leg fits into a spined groove in the femur of the upper leg. The mantid, which feeds exclusively on living insects, seizes its prey in a vicelike grip. When alarmed, the mantid assumes a "threatening" attitude by raising and rustling its wings (if it is a winged species) and often displays bright warning colouration. Usually found among vegetation rather than on the ground, a mantid may be disguised to resemble green or brown foliage, a dried leaf, a slender twig, a lichen, a brightly coloured flower or an ant. This camouflage hides it from predators and also makes it inconspicuous as it stalks or awaits prey. The female, who often eats the male after they mate, lays about 200 eggs in a large cocoon-like capsule (called the ootheca), which serves to protect the eggs during adverse weather conditions or from enemies. The nymph, which lacks wings but otherwise closely resembles the adult, emerges with other nymphs; they often end up eating each other.

The majority of mantid species live in tropical or sub tropical regions. The most widespread genera in Europe is the Mantis, Mantis religiosa, followed by Ameles, Iris and Empusa. Some North American mantids include the Stagmomantis, Litaneutria (the only mantid native to Canada), Thesprotia and Oligonicella. Mantis religiosa, Iris oratoria, Tenodera angustipennis and Tenodera aridifolia sinensis are not native to North America, but were introduced by European settlers. The most familiar mantid in North America is the Chinese Mantid, which is native to many parts of eastern Asia and is the largest mantid in North America, with length ranging from 7-10cm.

The name mantis, meaning "diviner," came from the ancient Greeks who believed that the insect had supernatural powers. The name mantid, meaning "soothsayer," reflects this belief. Numerous myths and legends are associated with the mantid because it can remain motionless or sway gently back and forth, with head raised and front legs outstretched in an apparent attitude of supplication. According to Western superstition, the brown saliva of the mantid can cause blindness in a human, and if a mantid is eaten, can kill a horse or mule. In Chinese superstition, the mantid is also a symbol of misfortune. However, it is also the patron animal to the Bazhua martial art, Tanglang Quan (Praying Mantis Kung Fu). Legend has it that a monk spent years observing and studying the movements of the mantid when it attacked other insects. He then adapted these movements into a fighting style.

Although names such as Gottensanbeterin (German), prie-Dieu (French), prega-Diou (Provençal) and "god-horse" (West Indian) all suggest piety, being such ferocious carnivores, perhaps the name Preying Mantis would be more appropriate.

Lizard

Any of about 3,700 species of vertebrates that, together with snakes, make up 95% of living reptiles. Although most diverse and abundant in the tropics, they are also found from the Arctic Circle to southern Africa, South America and Australia.

Like snakes, lizards also have ectodermal scales, paired with male copulatory organs (hemipenes) and flexible skulls. Typical lizards have moderately cylindrical bodies, four well-developed legs, a tail slightly longer than the head and body, and movable lower eyelids. They range in size from about 3 to over 300 centimetres, but most are about 30 cm long. Ornamentation includes crests on the head, back or tail, spines, brightly coloured throat fans and throat frills.

Like fish and amphibians, lizards are cold-blooded animals; i.e., the temperature of the environment regulates their body temperature, although a few species have the ability to store the Sun's warmth for extended periods of time. Most lizards lay eggs, which they bury in the ground. The embryo forms a special tooth for rupturing the shell. A number of species, however, bear live young. Most species feed on insects and rodents, but some, such as the iguana, are herbivorous.

Bibliography: Encyclopaedia Brittanica

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