BEAST
WARS: TOY REVIEW
Name: K-9 (no relation to Dr.Who)
Allegiance: Maximal
Function: Guard Duty
Beast Mode: German Shepherd
Average Price: 20 AUD
BEAST MODE
K-9 is a remould (yes, remould, not repaint. He’s got SIGNIFICANT
differences to Wolfang, and most of his moulding is different) into a German
Shepherd. His almost mode is 170mm long and 75mm tall. This makes him somewhat
bulkier in beast mode than Wolfang (which is fairly realistic).
He has the same problems as Wolfang’s beast mode, almost
nil articulation, and visible robot arms. However, better painting makes
him look less bland and the fur moulding is just as good.
The major problem, really, with this mode, is that it
does NOT fit with the Beast Wars. They’re back millions of years in earth’s
past, German Shepherds weren’t around! They evolved because of human tampering!
Ok, so he’s NOT on the show, but it peeves me when a Beast
Mode could NOT appear on the show. It undermines the toy somewhat.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Almost identical to Wolfang. The only different is that his
shield changes differently. It’s a simple matter of pushing the handle
up, and it’s ready to hold. On the down side, when he holds it his knuckles
are exposed.
ROBOT MODE
Very similar to Wolfang… but with some significant differences.
He’s 145mm tall making him a little shorter than Wolfang, but thanks to
remoulding, he’s actually a lot less stocky (his legs are in better proportions
too).
His face is better looking with the mutant head down,
though it looks pretty much the same with the mutant head down. I prefer
K-9’s colour scheme to Wolfang’s, though Wolfang has better moulding in
certain places.
His shield is almost twice the size of his counterpart’s
and MUCH cooler (I also prefer black to grey), even despite the exposed
knuckles thing. The only major let down is his gun. Like Wolfang, K-9’s
tail forms his gun. However the tail it curled, not straight. This makes
his gun more obtrusive and a lot more dorky to look at. Also, his missiles
have less cool moulding, and don’t have the little ridges that make them
lock into his body. It’s quite a serious detractor from the toy (though
I DO love the shield-gun combo, especially with a shield that could actually
protect him).
OVERALL
He’s a nice remould, and in many ways superior to Wolfang.
But his alt mode really counts against him. B (or B+ if you don’t care
about the alt mode).
This toy review was written by Andrew
Sorohan.
BEAST TRIVIA
German shepherds, also known as Alsatians, are a breed of working dog developed
in, strangely enough, Germany, from traditional herding and farm dogs.
A strongly built, relatively long-bodied dog, the German shepherd stands
at 58 to 64 centimetres and weighs 27 to 39 kilogrammes. Its coat of coarse,
medium-long outer hair and shorter, dense inner hair, ranges from white
or pale gray to black and is often gray and black or black-and-tan. Noted
for intelligence, alertness and loyalty, the German shepherd is valued
as a companion and watchdog. It is used as a guide for the visually impaired
and also serves in police and military work.
Bibliography: Encylcopaedia Britannica
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