B'boom is a triple changing Maximal. He is a mega sized toy who was released along with the mega sized Predacon Transquito. B'Boom was also one of the first Beast Wars toys to incorporate "personality" into the toy.
Beast Mode:
In beast mode, B'Boom is a mandrill (despite his rather misleading name which sounds like "baboon"). He is primarily metallic blue in this form. Silver is used for his front hands and his lower legs in the back. Red and white are used to detail the face. Some gold can be seen outlining the sides and ears.
B'Boom's details are awesome, especially considering how early in the Beast Wars line he was released. The most noticable detail is the fur pattern. Covering all the metallic blue parts, the designers did their best to create the illusion of organics. Take a look at his hands and you can see detailed lines on the knuckles and fingernails! On the back of the beast mode are ridges that make the hair look like they're forming tufts. An excellent piece of work in the detail department.
In beast mode, B'Boom has eighteen points of articulation. His action feature is sort of a "two in one". Open his mouth and his brow opens up at the same time, making him look like he's in shock. At the same time, his mouth opening reveals a cannon!
B'Boom's beast mode is fun and well detailed. Definitely cool.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
Begin B'Boom's transformation by swinging down his rear beast mode legs. Swing back the rear beast mode feet and lower down the gold foot pieces. Swivel the legs around and the legs look robotic. Swing down the front beast mode arms. Rotate the robot arms around. Fold down the upper part of the beast mode chest. Swivel the side sections outwards and turn them so the missile packs attach to the chest section via the peg in hole systems. Slide the upper body area down and fold down the mandrill head down to the chest. Remove the gold cannon on the back and place it into B'Boom's hand. The blue missile can be placed into the cannon. B'Boom is now in robot mode!
Robot Mode:
As a robot, B'Boom's detailing and color scheme carries over from the beast mode. However, a lot more silver and gold can be seen in this form. The robotic parts of his leg are silver. Silver is also used for the missile packs which reside on his chest. His robot head is mostly gold with bright orange eyes. His mouth is in a fierce growl with sharp white teeth exposed. Most interesting is the blue crue cut on his head!
B'Boom's detail in this mode is fantastic. Aside from the aforementioned crue cut on his forhead, B'Boom's robot head is full of detail. His ears are sharp "elf-like" ears. Detail on his robot head reveals his techno-organic nature. On his cheeks and under his eyes are details resembling fur. The panels attached to his missile launcher packs have mechanical details such as tubes. The missile packs on his chest are reminscient of the typical missile packs used on Anime mecha. On his lower legs are designed to have a detail resembling pistons. Overall, great detailing.
In robot mode, B'Boom has eighteen points of articulation. This is fairly impressive with each arm or leg having at least three points of articulation each. B'Boom has one cool robot mode.
Transformation to Battle Platform (from robot mode):
Begin B'Boom's transformation by taking his cannon out of his hand and setting it aside. Disconnect and fold down the missile packs on his chest. Now swing them out to the sides and rotate them around so that the missile packs face upwards. Pull out the dual cannons on the top of each of his missile packs. Attach the cannon to its original storage location. Position the arms and legs so they support the battle platform. B'Boom is now ready to fight!
Battle Platform Mode:
If you look carefully at B'Boom's battle platform mode, much of the top is flat. The purpose behind this is to allow a small sized Transformer to sit on him as a passenger! This makes B'Boom one of the first and few "vehicles" in the Beast Wars line that other Transformers can interact with. Not all basics work with this, but among the ones that have worked for me are Optimus Minor, Rattrap and Airazor.
Another interesting aspect of this form is the robot head on the battle platform. This head is oval shaped and has a heavy resemblance to the robot head of Magnaboss component Ironhide. This adds personality to a cool mode.
If the detailing and posability of this figure weren't enough, the third mode gives it added playability. The ability for toys of the same line to interact with each other is always welcome. B'Boom is definitely recommended. A+
Updated Thoughts (January 28, 2022):
I loved B'Boom when he first came out (as you can see above) and that feeling has not dulled over time. Indeed, looking back I think this was a really interesting way to work a kind of "vehicle" play into the Beast Wars line. At that time, the Transmetals were on the horizon but they had not yet taken over the line. This feels very much like a precursor to the Transmetals with their three forms and the reintroduction of "vehicle play" into the Transformers line at the time. I also love the word play involved in his name. It's absolutely ridiculous and I love it. This is one of my favorite Beast Wars toys to this day.
