General Information:
Release Date: December 2013
Price Point: $19.99
Retailer: General release (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Gatling Guns of Doom x 2
*Images with asterisks above are from HasbroToyShop:
Rhinox is rare among robots. He has a brilliant scientific mind, as well as a deep philosophical curiosity about the nature of the universe around him. He is astoundingly strong - able to hold his own against even the most powerful opponents. He is friendly, good-natured and charismatic, with a fine strategic mind that would make him an ideal leader for the Maximals forces if they didn't already have one. What's more, he carries one of the most powerful weapons of any Maximals in the form of the twin Gatling Guns of Doom, which pump out a Predacon-shredding storm of hot lead. This is one Predacon-pounding warrior who's got the weaponry to whoop up on anyone!
Convert your Rhinox figure from robot mode to rhino mode when the battle calls for some major beast strength. He'll unleash a storm of ammo at any enemy with his twin spinning Gatling guns in robot mode! Keep converting him back and forth so his enemies can't keep up with him!
Includes figure. Series 02 #005 Rhinox Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.
In 1996, the "Transformers" universe changed forever. For over a decade, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons had been the focal point of all "Transformers" series no matter what types of powers or gimmicks the Robots in Disguise took on, it focused on robotic Autobots and Decepticons duking it out (sometimes with organics tossed in). In 1996 Kenner (the division of Hasbro in charge of action figures at the time) relaunched the "Transformers" brand as "Beast Wars Transformers". The story now focused on the heroic Maximals versus the evil Predacons with Transformers who could transform into organic animals. Though controversial at first, the series became a gold standard of "Transformers" television shows for fantastic writing.
One of the most memorable characters to come out of "Beast Wars" was Rhinox, a Maximal who was strong, smart and loyal. There was a Rhinox toy in the original "Beast Wars" toy line, and he went through many iterations over the years (even becoming another character altogether in the "Beast Machines" series). However, one thing fans of the show have pined after for years is getting a "show accurate" version of Rhinox. In late 2013, Hasbro finally released their answer to this wish: Generations Voyager Class Rhinox! Highly anticipated since his reveal at Botcon 2013, this figure is a treat for any fan of "Beast Wars".
Weaponry:
The original Rhinox action figure came with a multi-part weapon. The base was a rectangular piece with a mechanism activated by a trigger that spun a peg. To this peg you would attach a saw blade. To the saw blade you would attach two ball and chain pieces. When it's all taken as a whole, the entire mechanism spun as a crazy melee weapon. When Rhinox needed a ballistic weapon on the television show, the writers took a rather creative approach and turned this weapon into the infamous "Chaingun of Doom", basically a gatling gun with a saw blade as part of its barrels. This weapon made an amazing debut in the episode "Chain of Command" where in an amazing burst of firepower it took down the Predacon Waspinator in spectacular fashion. It was this weapon that the designers decided to give Rhinox in this incarnation. Even better? They gave him two of these (now named) "Gatling Guns of Doom"!
True to its roots, this weapon has a squarish base piece with a saw blade mounted onto it. There are even spiked balls at the edges of the saw blades along with four barrels. On the top of the weapon is a targeting scope. Push that scope down and the saw blade/barrels spin, just like they did on the TV show! The weapon has a ton of fantastic detail including layered blade like details on the saw blade and even holes on the sides of the guns like those you'd see on a machine gun barrel. There is no doubt these weapons look absolutely badass!
The base of the weapon is cast in a metallic green plastic. The saw blade and targeting scopes are beige. There are no paint applications on these weapons. The edges of the saw blades could use them, especially on the spiked balls but it's not a huge deal. The weapon still looks intimidating and echoes the one from the television series.
Robot Mode:
In robot mode, Rhinox stands at about 6.75 inches (approximately 17 centimeters) if you count the beast mode head piece on his back sticking up. He's also wide, measuring about 4.25 inches (approximately 10.7 centimeters) across from shoulder to shoulder. He's an imposing presence for sure. Even better, this robot mode's proportions are inspired by the TV show's CG model, featuring a body builder style form with a wide upper body that narrows in at the hips and waist and then comes out a bit more with his legs, leading down to thick lower legs.
Several of the intricate details on this figure harken back to elements of both the original "Beast Wars" figure and the TV show CG model. From the original "Beast Wars" figure his chest and waist armor panels have an intricate set of layered lines/details. The chest panel has a row of teeth around the edge. The rest of the figure uses the TV show CG model as its source. This is most evident with the head sculpt, which has a mohawk like crest, a thick brow and a raised piece around the edge of his jawline that looks almost like a beard. These details were present on the original Rhinox figure, but a much less pronounced fashion. It was the CG model that enhanced them to really give the Maximal a distinct look. Despite being a robot in disguise, most of his parts are very organic looking, with his rhino "skin" forming armor panels on his arms, chest, thighs and lower legs. The way these parts are laid out on this figure very closely mirror the CG model. Some robot details also match the CG model including his forearms with rows of lines on them and only four fingers on each hand. A similar pattern appears on his thighs. Indeed, the main detail from the original figure and the TV show that is missing are a circle of spikes on the lower legs. Given how many other details they did include this is minor in my book. You can argue his "shoulder bands" aren't on this figure but he sort of does have them in the form of the way the shoulder joint has two disc like sections.
Rhinox is cast in beige and metallic green plastic. The robot parts are generally metallic green while the more organic parts are beige. Paint details are done in a combination of metallic green, gold, white, gunmetal grey, red and black. These colors are used all over the figure to provide detailing. One of the most intricate set of paint applications are found on the head. All the parts that protrude out (the mohawk, the jaw details etc.) are painted gold. The eyes are red and on top of his head are two Maximal symbols. These are all details that reflect his CG model's coloring perfectly. His chest and waist details have more gold detailing and a bit has been added to mechanical details on the sides of his chest. Black is used on parts of the forearm, thighs and the front of his feet. Overall the color detailing looks fantastic and I really appreciate the way details from the CG model are incorporated into this figure.
Rhinox has nineteen points of articulation in robot mode. This includes four in each arm and five in each leg. Located on the back of each shoulder is a 5mm port allowing you to store his weapons there if you want his hands free. This was an unexpected feature and I was happy to see the principle of having weapons storage in both forms was carried over to this figure.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Detach the weapons if attached and press the saw blades together to combine them. Swing the handles in.
- Swing out each forearm and swing the fists in against it, then push it back into place.
- Rotate the forearms around and push them into the upper arms.
- Raise the arms up out to the sides.
- Swing out the panels on either side of the chest armor.
- Pull the top of the beast mode head from the back up.
- Pull the chest panel (along with the robot head/neck section) forward then up.
- There is a "T" shaped piece on the underside of the beast mode head's top half, this connects to a corresponding hole on the back of Rhinox's robot head.
- Push the lower robot jaw up.
- Swing the waist armor up.
- Swing the beast mode front arms up and in.
- Rotate the lower legs and waist piece around.
- Drop the combined weapons into the slot where the robot chest was. Make sure the handles are pointing to the front of the beast mode.
- Swing each of the side panels in, holding the weapons in place.
- On each of the robot leg sections, swing up the beige panels.
- Swing up each of the rear beast mode legs.
- Swing the waist piece up on the central hinge.
- Attach the tabs on the beige panels from the lower legs to the pieces in the middle.
- Swing the back armor/tail piece down.
Beast Mode:
In the "Beast Wars Transformers" television show Rhinox was an ancient rhinoceros, with a large head and thick looking skin complete with a gigantic horn and a smaller one behind it. While he was meant to represent a "real" organic rhino, his facial features were exaggerated to give him an extra large snout and very human looking eyes. By virtue of what his beast mode is, this iteration of Rhinox bears resemblance to his on screen counterpart, but he is largely based on the appearance of a real rhinoceros. He has a long head to be sure, but the snout isn't as pronounced as the TV show's CG model and the eyes are painted black, not the softer looking eyes of the TV show.
The rest of the details on this figure match up rather well with the CG model and real life rhinos including pronounced ears that curve in and come to a tip at the top. Inside his mouth are long rows of teeth on the top and bottom. Each of his legs have a fold of skin over them and there is a small tail sculpted onto the rear end with a tuft of fur at the end. From front to back there are really beautifully sculpted details including the folds above his nostrils, the round-ish detailing on his skin and large wrinkles/creases on the sides in the middle section. His feet also end in hooves that are rather pronounced. The only "robot" detail that peeks out are parts of the robot arms that appear in the back of the front legs. Overall, this is a fantastic sculpt and it really drives home the "organic" nature of the beast mode.
A few of the pieces on this mode are made of a rubbery plastic. This includes the ears, horns and rear section (including the tail). I think this is in part for safety (in the case of the horn) and functionality (in the case of the rear panel). The rear panel in particular has to slot tabs into the panels from the legs to complete the transformation. Having this piece made out of soft plastic makes it easier.
Most of the beige panels from the robot mode wind up covering the beast mode. His horns and hooves are painted a white. His teeth are painted white and his eyes are painted black. It's not a particularly complex color scheme - but it doesn't need to be. The CG model was fairly uniform in color (though a much deeper brown color) and in real life rhinos are relatively uniform in color as well (though most of those tend to lean towards grey in color).
In this form Rhinox has seven points of articulation. This includes two in each front leg and one in each of the rear legs. The mouth can also open and close. Since it swings open as part of the transformation (much like the original "Beast Wars" toy) it looks a lot like the CG model used on the show when it transformed. Frankly, being an "organic" rhino there's not a whole lot of articulation necessary so the points that exist work perfectly.
Final Thoughts:
Rhinox was one of my most anticipated figures of the year, and now that I finally have him in my hands I have to say I am not disappointed. Rhinox looks great in both modes, he has a fun action gimmick with the guns. In the end, this is the Rhinox figure fans of "Beast Wars" have waited over ten years for and I'm ecstatic we finally have it!
