General Information:
Release Date: October 2019
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: None
Note: This figure was provided to Ben's World of Transformers during Hasbro's NYCC 2019 unboxing event. I was unable to preserve a box as part of the process but I did take photos that you can see here. BWTF thanks Hasbro for the kind consideration in providing this sample for review.
Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon.com:
Recreate the ultimate battle with Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege, featuring classic G1 characters. Siege plunges fans into the epic fight to survive on the final day of the Autobot and Decepticon battle to control Cybertron. The Decepticon resistance army and the Autobot counter-resistance fighters are equipped with the universe's most advanced modular weaponry, including the weapon and armor modes of Micromaster figures -- sentient bots that become weapons!
- 1.5 inches (3.81cm) tall
- Made of plastic
- War for Cybertron trilogy introduces an expansive ecosystem of collectible figures
- Spy Patrol two pack convert to armor mode
- Attach armor mode to equip other Siege figures
- Ratbat converts to beast mode in 4 steps
- Rumble converts torobotmode in 4 steps
- Ages 8+
Ratbat and Rumble are two of Soundwave's "cassette force" going back to Generation One. Over the years, these guys have popped up here and there in the Transformers toy line. Rumble appeared in Generations as recently as Titans Return while a version of Ratbat appeared in the Robots in Disguise line in 2015. This two pack follows the same theme as the Soundwave Spy Patrol, teaming up two of Soundwaves minions in a "Micromaster" price point two-pack.
Packaging:
The "Siege" Micromasters are packaged in a bubble attached to small card. The card features the same dramatic artwork style as larger boxes in the line. This includes a black background fading into a honeycomb pattern behind the figures. The right side features the "Transformers", "Generations" and Takara Tomy logos. The left side features a vertical chyron with an Autobot symbol, the alpha numeric code "WFC-S18" and the names Laserbeak and Ravage printed on it. Rumble is in robot mode while Ratbat is in beast mode. The insert inside the bubble has the large "War for Cybertron: Siege" logo on it. It is dramatic and eye catching and I love how it looks on toy store shelves.
Beast Mode:
As with so many characters in G1, Ratbat's animation model differed quite a bit from the toy it was based on. The G1 Ratbat toy had a lot of angles on the wings and head and he even had two small bat ears sticking out on top of the head. When Sunbow created his animation model however, they rounded out his beast mode head and filled it in more. His ears changed from tiny little "L" shaped pieces to full on bat-ears attached to his head. Meanwhile, his wings became thin and more aerodynamic looking. This figure follows that animation model's design, looking a lot like his G1 animated counterpart.
On top of the details mentioned above, Ratbat does carry over one design element of his G1 toy: machinery details. On his wings, main body and back there are details sculpted into almost every inch of this figure. These range from vents on the wings to the drums of his cassette mode on his chest. His head sculpt features a wide head and snout that sticks out, offering up several layers of sculpted detail. While Ratbat does not have his iconic "radar dish" weapons mounted on his back, the designers did sculpt in boosters on the back based on the bottom half of G1 Ratbat's weapons. From a sculpting standpoint this figure looks great even without his "radar dish" weapons.
Ratbat is cast in purple plastic, but a lot of gunmetal grey paint is used on his body. Silver is used on the hinges where his wings connect to his main body. His eyes and "boosters" in the back are painted gold. A small tampographed Decepticon symbol rounds out the deco. The deco is not overly complicated, but it does not need to be. Ratbat had a very simple set of colors in the cartoon and this figure does a great job of looking like his cartoon counterpart.
There are seven points of articulation on this figure. Four are in the wings and his head can tilt forward and back (really, it's a function of his transform). His feet can also move (again, a function of his transformation) and that's good because it takes a bit of playing with them to balance him out before he can stand properly. Sadly, he lacks any mechanism on his feet to "lock" him into place on Soundwave's forearm like Laserbeak. To balance him out you'll need to adjust his feet and wings. It's a bit challenging at first, but it is doable.
Transformation to Drone Armor Mode:
- Push the head back.
- Swing the feet up.
- Push the wings in against the torso.
- Swing the outer part of the wings against the inner parts.
Drone Armor Mode:
The "Drone Armor" Mode is a way for the designers to explain a very "cassette" looking form for characters like Ratbat and Rumble. In this case it works because Ratbat has very little of the G1 Ratbat design elements in this form. There is no replication of his G1 stickers or the letters "MC" or the numbers "60" anywhere. Instead, one side features raised details that look like some type of alien machinery. The other side is mostly Ratbat's beast mode features staring at you, so I would not focus too much on that side.
The side with the mechanical details features the gunmetal grey, silver and gold paint. This fills in the details beautifully. The other side is just the beast mode detailing with no new colors being revealed.
On the side with the mechanical detailing, you can swing up a peg in the center to attach to other figures as "armor" or a "shield generator" if you prefer. He can also fit into Siege Soundwave (or Soundblaster's) chest compartment.
Robot Mode:
Rumble was one of the first Decepticons released in 1984, so his look is very iconic. This figure reflects a lot of the details found on G1 Rumble. These include:
- The head design features a "helmet" with a central crest and two flat panels on the sides. His face has visor eyes with a nose and mouth.
- Each arm has a series of lines and notches on them that are based on the designs of G1 Rumble's arms.
- The torso has a series of designs that were (in part) inspired by G1 Rumble's cassette mode including raised designs around the holes that wind up where his cassette tape spools would have been.
- The lower legs each feature a series of horizontal line details on the top and bottom with a flat panel in the middle. These designs are based on the stickers used on G1 Rumble's legs.
- The feet have a curved design with grooves that seprate out the sides from a raised section in the center. This is based off the design of G1 Rumble's feet.
When early photos of this figure were released online, many fans found Rumble looked rather squat. His G1 proportions made for a leaner looking figure. This Rumble does indeed look rather bulky and wide. It does not look bad in my opinion. He still looks like the same troublemaker fans have known for years and the more I have played around with this figure the less I even notice him being wider than normal.
Rumble is cast in black plastic. Red, gold, gunmetal grey and silver paint is used to provide detailing. These colors are all based on colors from his G1 incarnation and they look great. I would have liked a bit of blue too (to match his G1 colors a bit more) but given the size class of the figure I get why they were not able to do that.
There are seven points of articulation on this figure. This includes the head, arms and two points in each leg. The lower leg is connected to the thigh via a ball joint, so you have some good range of motion there. Each fist has a peg on it to attach Blast Effects parts. Some fans may not like the pegs being there, and I totally get that. They kind of bugged me too at first, but once I started attaching Blast Effects to them I had enough fun that I did not mind them anymore!
Transformation to Drone Armor Mode:
- Turn the head around.
- Raise the arms up to the sides, then push them in against the head.
- Point the fists down.
- Rotate the lower legs in.
- Swing the legs up over the fists.
Drone Armor Mode:
Unlike Ratbat, Rumble has many more of the stylings from his G1 counterpart, thanks in part to the torso designs. Here they are very obvious. Unfortunately, there is a ton of information printed in silver (such as Vietnam, Tomy, Hasbro etc.) which really detracts from the deco. Fans who don't mind customizing their figures may want to find a way to eliminate these printed details. The back of the figure largely shows off red paint over sections with some cool mechanical details similar to those found on Ratbat along with some cool panel lines.
Rumble has a single 5mm peg that can swing out, allowing you to attach him to larger figures like Soundwave as "armor" or a "shield generator". He can also fit in the chest compartments of Siege Soundwave or Soundblaster.
Final Thoughts:
This two pack is not perfect, but there's also a lot to love. Ratbat looks awesome in beast mode and Rumble has a lot of G1 influences. Recommended!
Pros:
- Ratbat has an excellent sculpt in beast mode.
- Rumble looks good in both modes (but not all fans may agree).
- Fun play pattern with Soundwave/Soundblaster in "Armor" mode.
- Nice deco on both figures.
Cons:
- While I like the way Rumble looks, some fans may not like his "wide/squat" appearance.
