General Information:
Release Date: August 2016
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None
Text in italics and official images below from Amazon.com:
Decepticon Ravage is part of a team of Decepticon spies led by Soundwave. A loyal and dedicated operative, he is ruthlessly effective at getting the data he needs. Hidden in the shadows, he silently tracks his prey and strikes with ferocious force when the Autobots least expect it.
While other size classes in the "Titans Return" line focus on the "Headmaster" style play pattern, the Legends Class rolls forward bringing modern day versions of smaller G1 characters to life. Wave two brings in a classic character: Ravage! This figure is a retool and redeco of Autobot Stripes, so check out that review for a detailed look at the base sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
Ravage is packaged in a bubble sealed on a card. The style continues the style used for the "Combiner Wars" Legends Class figures such as Powerglide. If you are facing the card, the artwork for the character is on the left while the Transformers logo is set vertically on the right. At the top is the "Generations" logo. The back features the figure in all modes along with the requisite legal information in multiple languages. You can tell the packaging was done very early in the development cycle as the figure shown is a render of Stripes in Ravage's colors, not the actual figure itself. Ravage is packaged in vehicle mode.
Titans Return figures come with a collector card, similar to last year's "Combiner Wars" series. However these cards are shaped differently, with corners cut out on two sides. The front features the character's artwork, giving you a better look at the full body. The back features something fans have wanted since last year: tech specs! These are not traditional specs with a full motto and so on, but instead there are four qualities reflected here (via icons). The four icons are: A robot flexing arms (strength), a character running (speed), a brain (intelligence) and a missile (firepower). These are laid out on the X axis of a bar chart with lines going across from a scale of one through ten. Since Ravage is not a Titan Master, there is no additional ten points of power on the scale that you would find on say, the tech specs card for Skullsmasher's tech specs card. Continuing to show just how early this packaging was put together, Ravage's artwork actually features Stripes in Ravage colors, just like the toy render on the back of the backing card.
Vehicle Mode:
Ravage has taken on many forms over the years including a data disc and a rather meta vehicle form of a Jaguar but this is the first time he has been a jet fighter in his vehicle mode. For some the blockiness of this mode undermines the intent of it being a jet fighter. Personally I've seen so many bulky jet fighters come from the Transformers line over the years that it does not bother me. I appreciate the effort to at least try to give the jet rear stabilizer "fins" (thick as they my be) and the wings and cockpit sections look cool.
This mode shows a good mixture of the black and silver plastic that makes up most of this figure. I really like the Decepticon symbol in the middle towards the back. Instead of the traditional purple and silver, it looks more like a glowing outline on a screen. The yellow on the cockpit windows calls back to a color often used for Ravage's eyes in various media. The stickers on the wings are all details from the tablet mode, so I find it best to ignore them in this form, though they do add a nice splash of color.
Functionally the Titan Master pegs on the top of the jet still work well, allowing a Titan Master to stand on the back.
Transformation to Tablet Mode:
- Swing the rear of the vehicle down.
- Push the cockpit down and tuck it into the undreside of the vehicle.
- Rotate the rear leg sections around, then extend the legs out straight.
- Swing the sides up so the wings point up.
- Flip the vehicle upside down and swing the larger beast mode legs out.
- Swing the rear sections in.
- Push the smaller beast mode legs down.
- Swing the larger legs back down.
- Swing the wings together.
Tablet Mode:
The tablet mode is the same as Autobot Stripes from a sculpting perspective. Black winds up being the main color in this form, though some silver paint is used on details that look like speakers. The main detailing in this form comes from the stickers which form the "screen" on the tablet. Unlike Stripes, these displays include bar charts, topographical maps and some icons on the bottom indicating various functions like power and a home screen. I really love the metallic gold, pink and blue colors used on the stickers. They look fantastic.
The only thing that I have to warn you about are the edges of the stickers. As you manipulate the wings, it is easy to roughen up the edges without realizing it so be careful. I really wish these details had been tampographed instead, but I can see how that might have cost more than the stickers. In case you're wondering, this mode does still have the port that you can plug a real pair of headphones into (but of course it is not a functional device). Another reminder: this mode is intended to work with the upcoming Leader Class Soundwave figure, fitting into his chest just like he did in Generation One.
Transformation to Beast Mode (from Tablet Mode):
- Swing the wing panels out.
- Swing the sides of the tablet up.
- Swing the larger beast mode legs down.
- Swing the smaller robot leg sections down and forward.
- Swing the beast mode head out.
- Swing the tail piece out. You may have to swing the cockpit down to push the tail piece out.
Beast mode:
This form is the one that is most iconic when it comes to the character of Ravage. Almost every version of him has always wound up having a feline like head and this version is no different. The neck/head piece has been swapped out from the one included with Stripes to a new one based on G1 Ravage's head design. This includes a wide neck that narrows as the head gets to the nose. I'm really impressed by just how much the designers stayed true to G1 Ravage's head design. The sculpt looks absolutely fantastic. The wings on his back are a bit big but I like to think of them as analagous to the fins on G1 Ravage's weapons. My only regret with this design is that Ravage does not have any weapons in this form.
This mode has a nice mixture of silver and black plastic. Silver paint is found on the front legs and the sides of the neck. His eyes are painted yellow. I like the way the Decepticon symbol winds up on the back.
All the joints on this figure are nice and tight.
Final Thoughts:
Ravage is a fun figure, but he's not perfect. I worry the stickers will become more roughed up in time and I still wish he had some type of weaponry. For those who are not totally sold on him, I would perhaps wait for a sale with maybe a couple bucks off before making the purchase.
