General Information:
Release Date: August 2021
Price Point: $20.99 (Varies by retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Swords x 2, Claws x 2, Helmet
Official Product Images and Description in italics are from BigBadToyStore:
The battle between heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons continues on the Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures animated series! As a powerful new threat targets Cybertron, it is up to Grimlock and his new friends, the Dinobots, to unite and save the planet! Discover the unique powers and skills of each Cyberverse character, and see how those powers will be used to defend Cybertron… or threaten it.
Easily convert and attack with Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures Deluxe Class figures (Each sold separately)! Convert Cheetor figure from robot to cheetah mode in 11 steps. Attach accessories in both modes and imagine Cheetor unleashing his Saber Strike attack move!
The Cyberverse cartoon came to an end in 2021, but not before a whole new line of figures was released under the "Dinobots Unite" banner. Meanwhile, the Deluxe Class of figures continued using similar packaging, but featuring the "Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures" logo instead (I know, confusing). Most of the Deluxe figures were repacks of figures from previous years, but one new figure was sprinkled into the mix: Cheetor! Even though the character did not appear in the final season of Cyberverse, he had not received the Deluxe treatment previously so this was a welcome addition to the assortment.
Packaging:
The packaging for the Deluxe Cyberverse figures released in 2021 are rectangular with an open window without a plastic window. This is part of Hasbro's commitment to reducing plastic in their packaging. That does mean you can touch the figure right in the box, so some fans may not be crazy about that. Me personally? I am fine with reducing plastic, and so long as the figure is intact I'm all good. The packaging carries over a lot of the design elements of previous Cyberverse packaging including a black vertical "Transformers" logo against a yellow background. A large illustration of Cheetor in beast mode is featured in the front and the background features the green "skin" like pattern from the "Dinobots Unite" packaging seen elsewhere in the line. The back of the box features Cheetor in both modes calling out an 11 step transformation. It also describes his "Saber Strike" attack. Interestingly the back of the box uses the "Dinobots Unite" logo.
Accessories: Cheetor includes several accessories, which is cool to see since this time there are no build-a-figure parts. These parts are:
- Helmet: Shaped like a mechanical feline head, this helmet fits over the beast mode head and also attaches to his arm as a shield in robot mode. The piece is made of translucent green plastic with yellow paint over it. The only problem I had with it was detaching it from the beast mode head. It took a bit more force than I would have liked to remove it, so be careful.
- Swords: Cheetor includes two swords that are callbacks to his Beast Machines counterpart. The swords are curved on one side and angled on the other. Both are translucent green plastic with yellow paint in the middle.
- Claw Weapons: Cheetor's claw weapons are designed to fit over his front paws in beast mode and attach to his shoulders in robot mode. These are also translucent green plastic with blue paint on them. I do wish the claws could have attached to his arms in robot mode but sadly they do not.
Robot Mode:
The Cyberverse Cheetor toy released in 2019 did not really look like the animation model. This time out, the designers decided to use the cartoon as their primary reference. Cheetor's design is basically a stylized version of the original Beast Wars cartoon model featuring a similar layout of design elements (including the beast mode head on the chest, beast mode legs on panels behind the arms etc.). However this model is much more "bulked up" than the original Cheetor. This includes the armor on his arms and legs which feature cool looking angled designs. Smaller details carried over from the animation model include his very cat-like robot face, the small blades on his lower legs and having his feet formed from the rear beast mode feet.
This figure is mostly made up of yellow plastic with smaller parts in brown. Paint colors include black for cheetah spots, light blue and green on the head, dark blue on the lower legs and a copper color on the forearms and thighs. Despite being inspired by a Maximal, this version of Cheetor is an Autobot so he bears a red Autobot symbol on his left shoulder instead of a Maximal symbol. The colors are a nice callback to Beast Wars Cheetor and they look great.
There are twenty points of articulation in this mode. This includes four in each arm and five in each leg. The articulation includes ankle joints, which have become more of a standard recently in the Generations line, so it is nice to see them used here. He can hold his swords in his hands. The claws attach to his shoulders and the helmet can be used as a shield.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Pull the top half of the body up to extend it in the middle.
- Swing the beast mode chest up over the robot head.
- Swing each fist into the forearms.
- Swing the robot arms inward.
- Rotate the front beast mode arms down.
- Rotate the forearms so the panels with the cheetah spots on them face out to the sides.
- Bend the robot legs at the knees and angle the lower legs so the beast mode can rest on all four legs.
- The helmet attaches to the beast mode head, the claws fit over the front paws and the swords can attach to the inside of the shoulders.
Beast Mode:
Unlike his Beast Wars counterpart, Cyberverse Cheetor's beast mode is a robotic cheetah. Instead of organic curves, he has a lot of hard angles on parts like the head and rear legs. There are some curves, but even they wind up coming together at hard lines such as the armor on his shoulder. The sculpt looks good, but there are a couple design elements that are less than ideal. First, the mid-section of the cheetah body has weird gaps formed by panels and the forearms. It looks less like a cohesive torso and more like a bunch of parts just set next to one another. The other unfortunate design element are big hollow sections on the rear legs. Normally I don't really care about these types of gaps when the parts face inward and are not easily seen in either mode. These however face straight up in this mode so they are very obvious.
Cheetor's beast mode is mostly yellow plastic. While there are some black spots and lines carried over from the robot mode, there is a distinct lack of such designs on his back, which is unfortunate. Adding on his armor and sword accessories does add a splash of color to the figure and he looks a lot better with those bits attached.
There are eighteen points of articulation in this mode. This includes all the leg articulation and the jaw opening and closing. All the accessories attach in this mode, and I cannot help but think the way the swords attach to the front shoulders is a bit of a callback to Beast Machines Cheetor.
Final Thoughts: Deluxe Class Cyberverse Cheetor is a fun figure and a fantastic representation of the character from the cartoon. Recommended!
Pros:
- A good, show accurate sculpt.
- Lots of accessories.
- Good articulation.
- Good deco.
Cons:
- I would have loved the claw weapons to be used in robot mode as weapons.
- The beast mode has odd gaps here and there that make it look a bit less convincing than the robot mode.
- He could have used a few more spots in beast mode.
