General Information
Release Date: November 2023
Price Point: $5.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: None
Official images and text in italics are from Walmart.com
Airazor, the brave Maximal scout, soars overhead to get an aerial view of the battlefield and converts into her fierce blaster weapon mode. Classic Transformers robots and beast robots join forces in an epic alliance! Combine the Beast Alliance Beast Battle Master Airazor toy with other Beast Alliance figures to gear up for battle! (Each sold separately, subject to availability.)
The battle on Earth is no longer between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces mysterious factions, the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons, in an epic 90s globetrotting adventure. Build the ultimate beast alliance and gear up for battle with Transformers Beast Alliance kids toys inspired by the new Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts!
TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2022 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro. Includes: figure and instructions. Figure scale: 3 inches Ages 6 and up Warning: Choking Hazard -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
- BUILD THE ULTIMATE BEAST ALLIANCE: Classic Transformers robots and beast robots form an epic alliance! Combine Beast Alliance toys with beast weapon figures (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- BEAST BATTLE MASTERS: Beast Battle Masters toys convert from beast to weapon mode. Attach Airazor toy in weapon mode to weaponize other Beast Alliance toys (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- 2 MODES: This 3-inch yellow Transformers Airazor action figure converts from Transformers falcon to blaster weapon mode in 8 steps Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Beast Alliance toys feature robot and beast characters inspired by the epic Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts!
- COLLECT TRANSFORMERS MOVIE TOYS: Beast Battle Masters kids toys work with other Beast Alliance figures. Collect other Beast Alliance toys to build the beast alliance (Each sold separately, subject to availability)
Packaging:
Airazor is packaged on a card that is partly folded over the figure (alternatively you could call this a box-ish thing). Following Hasbro's desire to use as little plastic as possible in packaging the only non-cardboard packaging here are the flexible ties used to hold the figure down.
The graphics on the packaging are gorgeous, featuring stonework that looks like it's from an ancient building. Towards the upper right is the Rise of the Beasts logo and under it is the vertical Transformers logo. Airazor's package art shows her in beast mode on the upper left hand corner. The figure is packaged in beast mode and the cardboard flap over the figure shows off the "Beast Alliance" logo and the figure being "held" by a drawing of Optimus Prime in weapon mode. Under that is Airazor's name with the Maximal symbol next to it.
The back of the packaging shows the figure in both modes calling out a 4 step transformation. The rest however is all legal information in multiple languages.
Background:
Back when the War for Cybertron: Siege line debuted, a new class of figure was added into the mix: Battle Masters. Basically these were a new version of Targetmasters that could not be priced into the cost of other classes of figures, so they were sold on their own. For the most part, Battle Masters eventually fell by the wayside but when the Rise of the Beasts toy line was launched they returned as part of the "Beast Alliance" sub-line.
The Rise of the Beasts Battle Masters mostly took characters from the films and made them into figures with beast and weapon modes. Previous releases include Rhinox, Optimus Primal and Skullcruncher. Airazor was the final Battle Master released for this small sub-line.
Beast Mode:
In the Rise of the Beasts film, the Maximals were portrayed more like the Transmetal 2 characters from the original Beast Wars series featuring mostly mechanical detailing with some indication of organic like details here and there. In contrast to that, this representation of Airazor is mostly mechanical looking. Her basic shape looks like an organic bird, complete with an oval shaped head, a curved beak and wings with layers of feathers and lines etched into them that look almost like organic feathres. All that said, the actual details sculpted into the figure look mechanical. This is most apparent on parts like the head and feet which have machine-like lines running through them while the legs and feet have clear mechanical hinges. I really like this sculpt, especially the head and wings which have a ton of detail for such a tiny figure.
Airazor is made up of gold plastic, which will of course send a jolt of fear into many fans but (in theory) Hasbro figured out how to prevent "Gold Plastic Syndrome" a long time ago so until proven otherwise, I won't be worrying too much about this figure crumbling. The color looks great as a foundation. On top of the gold are paint details in silver and metallic green. The paint colors are foundo n the head, wings and back so the gold color is broken up nicely.
There are three points of articultion on this figure: the wings and the legs. Each is on a ball joint allowing them to move up and down and be rotated. Both legs are attached to the same hinge joint so they move in unision as you move them up or down.
Transformation to Weapon Mode:
- Push the rear section of the figure down.
- Swing the front half of the body forward.
- Push the tail section down over the head and push the feet up, compressing the figure into a flat shape.
- Swing the 5mm peg on the bottom of the weapon down.
Weapon Mode:
Airazor is described in the product description as a blaster but she looks inspired by a crossbow. The way her wings stick out to the side evokes the front limb sections of a crossblow. The blaster barrel in the middle is short, set between the wings looking like you would load an arrow (Energon arrow?) inside. The rest of her body forms a section that resembles the middle and back section of a crossbow, completing the visual analogy.
This mode shows off the same colors as the beast mode, but the silver on the edge of the barrel is more visible now.
Larger figures can hold Airazor in this mode thanks to the 5mm peg on the bottom of the weapon. The weapon barrel is designed to accommodate Blast Effects (which are not included). Now, as fun as this is, Airazor has one surprise not called out on her packaging: an extra mode! In addition to forming a blaster, Airazor can form a shield!
Transformation to Shield Mode:
- Starting in beast mode, swing the wings up, rotate them so the green sections face the same side, then clip them together using the tabs and slots on the edges of the wings.
- Push the tail section down, then swing it back and push the tail feather section over the beast mode head.
- Attach the two tabs on the tail section to the corresponding slots on the bottom of the wings.
- Swing the 5mm peg out.
Shield Mode:
It may seem like this is just a "fan mode", but the way the tabs on the tail feather section aligns with the slots on the wings is no coincidence. It's also called out in the instructions. This is by design, especially when you see the weapon barrel sticking out in the front while the peg in the back is in the perfect place to be attached to larger figures. With the weapon barrel sticking out in front, you can attach other weapons to the shield which is lots of fun.
Final Thoughts:
I've been a huge fan of the beast-based Battle Masters in the Rise of the Beasts toy line and this figure is no exception. I've been excited to get this figure for months and now that I have it in hand I'm super happy with it. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt.
- Beautiful colors.
- Two alt-modes adds some good play value.
Cons:
- None
