"Rise of the Beasts" Voyager Class Rhinox Toy Review

06/21/23

General Information:
Release Date: May 2023
Price Point: $34.97 (Depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (International), Walmart Exclusive (United States)
Accessories: Gatling Blasters x 2

Official images and text below in italics are from Walmart.com
Rhinox, the strong Maximal warrior, knocks enemies aside as a powerful rhinoceros. Deluxe Class and Voyager Class figures are based on characters from the new Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts! Figures are articulated for posing and come with cool weapon accessories. (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. Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.© 2023 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro. Includes: figure, 2 accessories, and instructions.

VOYAGER CLASS RHINOX TOY: Voyager Class figures stand at 6 inches tall and are articulated for cool battle poses
2 MODES: This brown Transformers Rhinox action figure converts from robot to rhino mode in 21 steps
BATTLE ACCESSORIES: This Rhinox toy includes 2 gatling blaster accessories
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS: Featuring robot and beast characters inspired by the epic Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts!
LOOK FOR MORE TRANSFORMERS MOVIE TOYS: Collect other Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie toys (Each sold separately, subject to availability)

Background:
The Rise of the Beasts toy line began trickling into Target stores in March of 2023, but it would bein April 2023 that the line would take over shelves in a full blown launch at Walmart stores (Target stores appear to be catching up). Many of the figures released in the Rise of the Beasts toy line featured scales and play patterns clearly aimed at younger fans including the simplified transformations of the "Beast Alliance" figures. However, a small subset of the line were Voyager Class figures much more akin to figures from the Generations line of figures. However, at no time were these figures marked as Generations figures on the packaging. These were also separate from the eventual Studio Series versions of the characters.

Rhinox is one of the original Maximals introduced in the 1996 Beast Wars TV series and toy line, so it is no surprise that he would be part of a film bringing in elements of Beast Wars into the live action movie continuity. Rhinox was part of the second wave of Voyager Class figures in the Rise of the Beasts toy line. When photos of this figure leaked online earlier this year, I thought this figure was going to be a retool and redeco of the Kingdom Rhinox figure, but I was wrong. The two do not share a sculpt and mechanically their parts simply move (and transform) differently. This is a whole new sculpt.

The Rise of the Beasts Voyager Class figures were mass releases outside of the United States and were found at various stores including Toys 'R' Us. Inside the United States however the Voyagers had a very strange release. As of June 2023 the figures have only been spotted at Walmart stores. Even then, distribution has been spotty at best. Some stores have almost never had any of these in stock. At the same time I have seen fans claim that their shelves are flooded with Optimus Prime and Rhinox figures. Optimus Primal however is fairly rare because he (apparently) only shipped in the first wave of these figures. This is why I have listed these as Walmart exclusives in the United States. If these appear in other stores later in the U.S. I will edit this review accordingly.

Packaging:
Rhinox is packaged in a rectangular box, similar in shape to a Studio Series box, lacking the angles used on boxes for Legacy. The packaging uses the green background found on other packaging in the line. A large Transformers logo is set vertically on the right side with a small Maximal symbol above it. The top half has an open window that shows off the top half of the figure without a plastic window. Below that is stock art of Rhinox in beast mode. Below the art is the name Rhinox with the Maximal symbol. The Rise of the Beasts logo is set below that.

The back of the box shows off Rhinox in both modes calling out a 21 step transformation. A symbol that looks like it is from an ancient temple featuring a rhino is in the upper right hand corner. The green background features fauna in a jungle, calling back to one of the settings in the film.

Accessories:
In the Beast Wars cartoon Rhinox carried Gatling Blasters that enthusiastic fans dubbed his "Chainguns of Doom". This weapon was chunky, powerful looking and extremely effective. It became forever associated with the character so it was very appropriate that this figure came with two of them! If you read my Kingdom Rhinox review you may recall that I was very disappointed with the less than robust design of that figure's Chainguns. This time out, I am happy to say Hasbro nailed it. Each of the weapons has a handle section with a base that has details resembling ammunition curved on the sides. The "barrel" of the weapon is a giant saw blade with two barbs on it, both carry over details from the weapons from the original Beast Wars Rhinox action figure. The front has four barrel openings, but sadly they do not accommodate Blast Effects.

The handle section of the weapons are brown plastic. The saw blade/weapon barrel section is painted silver on the edges and metallic green in the middle. These colors are "classic Rhinox" colors and they look great!

Unlike the weapons that came with Generations Thrilling 30 Rhinox, these do not have any kind of button to press, but they do have blades that spin if you push them manually! This is a huge step up from the static weapons that came with Kingdom Rhinox. I was super happy to see this. In addition to a 5mm peg at the bottom, there are also pegs on the sides allowing you to connect this to any 5mm port on Rhinox or other figures.

Rhinox also includes horns on the beast mode head that can be detached. The horns are one piece with a 5mm peg at the bottom. They can detach to be connected to the ports on his shoulders. You don't have to do this but it is a fun option that makes this figure look more distinctive.

Robot Mode:
When developing any action figure, a toy company needs a certain amount of lead time to develop the toy and get it onto the market. This can range anywhere from six months to a year depending on the type of toy. Transformers figures can generally take anywhere from nine to twelve months to develop and get to market. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures is able to revise Transformers CG models weeks before the release of the film if they wished. What this means is that for some Rise of the Beasts toys Hasbro had to work off early CG models or in some cases just make best guesses as to how a character would look. In the case of Rhinox, there seems to have been a bit of a blend of both. To offer some contrast, our best look at the Rhinox CG model is the Studio Series figure that was recently revealed. When you look at those pictures it is clear that this figure is not based 100% on that design. This figure needs to be judged more on its own merits than screen accuracy.

As I mentioned above, this figure is not a retool or redeco of a previous Rhinox figure. When you put it side by side with Kingdom Rhinox, this figure is slightly shorter, standing at about 6 inches (about 15.24cm). This figure is also not quite as bulky. That said, including their weapons both figures weigh in at 5.6 ounces.

Rhinox's aesthetic is a really interesting one. Like the Beast Wars incarnation of the character his head sculpt features a distinct helmet section that looks like it has a short mohawk on top. He has round, powerful looking shoulders and his legs are thick and look like they could kick a Terrorcon across several football fields! That said, his torso has a completely different design than the traditional Rhinox design. Most Rhinox figures (and his 90's animation model) had the lower jaw of the beast mode making up most of the torso, so you'd see a triangular shape with teeth on the edges. This looks more like a semi-organic (and in some parts almost rocky) humanoid chest complete with what look like pectoral and abdominal muscles. These organic looking details are balanced out by mechanical details including piston details in his forearms and chains on the sides of the biceps. He also has spikes on the sides of his forearms and legs. I really love the design of this figure. It may not be screen accurate or even accurate to Beast Wars but it certainly captures the spirit of the character in an interesting way.

Rhinox is made up of brown and silver plastic. Most of the figure is brown, with smaller parts like his elbow and shoulder joints made of silver plastic. Silver paint is used on the face, the arms, torso and legs. The only extra paint I would have liked to see would have been a kind of grey wash over some of the brown sections. This would have helped draw the eye more towards the intricate sculpted details and given him a "dusty" look as if he had been in battle. I was surprised that metallic green appears on the weapons but not on the figure itself. Some hits of green would have really popped.

There are twenty four points of articulation on this figure. This includes four in each arm and five in each leg. He even has waist articulation even though the rhino head is on his back. Each shoulder has a 5mm port and he has ports in his fists as well. You can fit either of his weapons in his fists or you can use the pegs on the sides to attach them to his shoulders.

Transformation to Robot Mode:

Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
Attach the horns to his beast mode head.
Swing each fist into the forearms.
Rotate the robot head around.
Swing the rhino head over the robot head.
Swing the panel at the bottom of the beast mode head section back.
Push the beast mode head/neck section forward and down.
Swing the robot arms out to the sides, then rotate the forearms forward.
The arms sit on a silver piece that swings back. Swing this section back, which moves the robot arms up.
Swing the robot arms down to form the front legs of the beast mode.
Swing the front panels on each lower leg out.
Rotate each lower leg around.
Point the toes down.
Swing the back of the lower legs down.
On each lower leg swing out the rear beast mode legs.
Rotate the lower body around.
Swing the rear section up, connecting the panels from the legs to the back of the beast mode head section.
Position the rear beast mode legs so they line up with the front beast mode legs.
Swing the side panels down, using the tab near the openings on the panels to connect to the slots on the sides of the robot mode thighs.
The weapons can be attached to the 5mm ports in the shoulders, making Rhinox look like a fierce attack tank!

I found this transformation much less frustrating then Kingdom Rhinox's transform. Especially when we're talking about transforming the legs. I found the leg transformation on Kingdom Rhinox really confusing and not really well done. This figure however is intuitive and fun to transform.

Beast Mode:
This beast mode looks similar to the packaging art. While the patterns on his armor/skin look organic, the way the various panels that make up the beast mode seemingly overlap points to them being metallic in nature (or maybe a combination of both?). There are other sections that are clearly mechanical such as his ears and the panels that make up most of the rear of the beast mode. The top has vents and the sides have a long screw-like cylinder inside it. The beast mod head has some really nice intricate details around the eyes and they look great.

This mode mostly shows off brown plastic with smaller silver bits sticking out here and there. Several sections are painted silver including his ears, front hooves and the areas around the eyes. The eyes themselves are metallic green. I'll repeat my comment about wishing there was some type of light wash over the brown parts as they would really help bring out a lot of details.

The legs can each move forward and back in this mode. The head can also be tilted so it is looking up. Each of the front legs have 5mm ports, allowing you to connect accessories such as his Chainguns of Doom.

Final Thoughts:
I'm going to make a bold statement here (well, I think it is anyhow): this is a better Rhinox figure than the Kingdom Rhinox. That figure disappointed me with its tiny weapons and overly complex leg transformation. In contrast this figure has robust weapons and an intuitive (and fun!) transformation. It also looks great, offering a new interpretation of the character. It's not a perfect figure. It could definitely use some more deco and not having the weapons fit Blast Effects is a missed opportunity, but to me this figure is still recommended!

Pros:

Excellent sculpt that is full of mechanical and organic looking details.
Excellent accessories.
Fun transformation.
Good articulation.

Cons:

Could use a bit more deco in both modes.
You cannot use Blast Effects with the weapons.

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