General Information:
Release Date: July 2022
Price Point: $73.99 (Multi-Pack that includes Goldbug, Ransack, Scorponok & Skywasp)
Retailer: Target Exclusive Accessories: Goldbug (Cannon pieces x 3, Skis x 2, Car trunk/shield), Ransack (Blaster, Energon Blades x 2, Alternate Head), Scorponok (Missile Piece, Cyberbee, "Mutant" Head), Skywasp (Stinger/Blaster, "Mutant" Head)
In July 2022 Target stores across the United States released the "Creatures Collide" four pack of figures, the latest addition to the (increasingly difficult to categorize) Buzzworthy Bumblebee collection of Target exclusive figures. There was never (and has yet to be) any official announcement about this set, but its existence was confirmed by In Demand Toys in the UK in June. As I write this review, the set has yet to even appear on Target's web site making it a bit of an anomaly. That said, this set is highly anticipated as it contains four Deluxe Class figures for $73.99 USD (a relative bargain nowadays). The four figures are:
- Goldbug: A redeco and retool of the Netflix Bumblebee
- Ransack: A redeco and retool of Legacy Kickback
- Scorponok: A redeco of Kingdom Scorponok
- Skywasp: A redeco of Kingdom Waspinator
With Goldbug and Ransack in this set, it became a must have if you wanted to add updated Generations style versions of these characters to your Transformers army.
Packaging:
"Creatures Collide" is being released at a time when Hasbro is working to remove plastic from their packaging as much as possible. Unlike the previous Buzzworthy Bumblebee four packs, this set is in a closed box. Instead of a window box showing all four figures inside, the designers created a beautiful piece of art in the front showing Bumblebee fighting against Ransack, Scorponok and Skywasp. The box has the yellow and black borders seen on all Buzzworthy boxes along with the "Evergreen" Bumblebee head in the lower left hand corner. The other side has the Generations and vertical Transformers logo along with the Buzzworthy Bumblebee logo. The Legacy logo hovers above the artwork which effectively places this boxed set into three categories at once. In my book I see this as a Generations set first, then Legacy and finally Buzzworthy Bumblebee. The center features the "name" of the set: "Creatures Collide". But wait, you may ask, isn't Goldbug a vehicle in his alt mode? Sure, but first off he is named Goldbug and second his vehicle mode is an official Volkswagon Beetle so the theme totally works!
The back of the box features each figure from left to right in the same order they appear on the artwork in front. Each figure has its transformation steps called out. Goldbug has twenty, Ransack has fourteen, Skywasp has twenty and Scorponok has twenty five. Behind each character is their faction symbol. In a bit of consistency with Kingdom, Skywasp and Scorponok both feature the modified Predacon symbol from Kingdom. Goldbug has the official Volkwagon logo next to him, indicating this is a fully licensed vehicle mode, a rarity nowadays in the Generations line. Overall this packaging is beautiful. If we must lose the plastic window, this is a cool way to do it!
Background:
Most Transformers fans know about the three original Insecticons Bombshell, Kickback and Shrapnel. However, less known are the Deluxe Insecticons Barrage, Chop Shop, Ransack and Venom. These four Insect-based characters did not appear in the G1 cartoon and their appearances in print were sparse, so it is no surprise they are not well known. Hasbro has not forgotten about them however. Years ago Chop Shop was paired with Megatron as a sort of Targetmaster before getting his own Legends Class figure. Now another Deluxe Insecticon figure is joining the Generations line in the form of Ransack!
Ransack is a redeco and retool of Legacy Kickback so check out that review for my more detailed look at the sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Accessories:
Ransack includes three accessories:
- Blaster: This weapon is based on the one included with the G1 Kickback toy (and featured in animation). It has an interesting design, with a flat section in the back, a raised section (a targeting scope maybe?) on top and an ammunition drum towards the front! This piece is made of black plastic. The weapon has 5mm peg on the bottom and the barrel is sized to fit Blast Effects.
- Swords: Two new weapons are a pair of swords. At first, their design seems a bit odd for swords. They don't have handles with a thin blade. Instead, the handle portions are pretty tiny and the blade portions are huge with ridges sculpted into the sides. In reality, these two swords can be put together and attached to Kickback's mid-body in beast mode to act as the abdomen section of his beast mode. The swords can also be connected to his wings using the tabs on the sides. Each features a point in front to fit Blast Effects, making them energy weapons too! They also have 5mm pegs on the bottom, allowing you to attach them to other weapons as extra blades or perhaps to Ransack's forearms. Each of these swords is translucent plastic with a layer of yellow paint to match up with the yellow on Ransack himself.
Robot Mode:
Ransack features a new head sculpt based on the character's G1 action figure. The head features a round helmet section with the insect eyes showing very prominently on the sides and antennae sticking up in the back. The face features visor eyes and a mouth plate as opposed to Kickback's nose and mouth. The head is black plastic with red paint details while the antennae are yellow plastic.
Like Scorponok and Skywasp in this set Ransack comes with an "alternate head" in the form of a head using the Kickback sculpt. However, the deco is different than the previous release featuring black and silver colors that match up more with the G1 Kickback action figure than the animation model. To swap the heads you can just pull the Ransack head up and pop in the Kickback head.
Ransack features colors inspired by the G1 figure. This means most of the figure is a combination of black and yellow (both in plastic and paint form). The wings in between the shoulders and chest are translucent orange plastic, another color callback to the G1 figure. Yes the body is pretty much Kickback's body, but between the new head and the colors this is a solid looking Ransack in my book.
All the joints on this figure are every bit as tight as the ones on my copy of the Kickback figure. All his weapons attach without a problem.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Detach all accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing each fist into the forearms.
- Turn the robot head around.
- On the back, swing up the middle panel to cover the robot face.
- Swing the wings forward.
- Swing the arms back, then separate the front insect legs from the middle ones.
- Swing each lower leg forward slightly at the knees.
- On the back of each lower leg swing out the rear insect legs and move the feet down.
- The blaster can attach to the underside of the main body.
- The swords can attach to the wings (via tabs and corresponding slots) or they can connect together and fit into a slot in between the legs to form an "abdomen" piece.
Beast Mode:
Although Ransack uses the same body sculpt as Kickback, he is really meant to represent a locust in beast mode and not a grasshopper (as Kickback does). To distinguish this beast mode from Kickback's, the designers created the sword weapons to combine and then attach to a port in between the legs. This gives him the abdomen piece that was also seen on the G1 Ransack figure. You could do this with Kickback too, but it was not mentioned in his instructions.
The biggest difference between the two figures is the head. The Ransack head is curved with two huge bug eyes and features large antennae sticking up from the middle section of the head. This is a very different design than Kickback's and immediately helps distinguish this figure from its predecessor. This head design also calls back nicely to the G1 Ransack's head.
Color-wise Ransack does a nice job referencing the original Ransack toy. Most of the front half of the figure is black (with smaller yellow parts) while the legs have yellow parts surrounded by black plastic. That said, his wings are set differently than the original toy. That figure had the wings on top and they could be raised up. Here they are set to the sides between the front legs and the main body. Still, they are made of translucent orange plastic which is a nice callback to G1 Ransack. The beast mode eyes are painted red, contrasting beautifully against the black plastic on the head.
All the joints on Ransack feel as tight as those on Kickback and all the weapons attach and hold without a problem.
Final Thoughts:
Ransack is a fantastic part of the "Creatures Collide" 4-pack. After Goldbug he was the figure I was most excited for. The character has been rather neglected over the decades since G1 and it is great to see him get a new figure. The Kickback sculpt is also awesome on its own so I think it was a cool idea to use it as the foundation for this figure. On its own I would definitely highly recommend this figure.
As for the entire set as a whole, overall I think this set is awesome. From the fantastic packaging art to having a Goldbug that actually transforms into a licensed Volkswagon Beetle there is a lot to love. The price is also right at about $20 USD per figure and the inclusion of the additional heads was a fantastic idea. Overall this four pack is highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent new head sculpt.
- Deco does a wonderful job calling back to G1 Ransack.
- Excellent articulation.
- Cool Energon weapons.
Cons:
- Some fans would have preferred a more extensive retooling (like perhaps moving the wings to the top of the beast mode) but for me this figure does the job without a problem.
