Cliffbee.com Airhammer Toy Review

Individual Review




Name: Airhammer
Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Function: Aerial Reconnaissance
Alt Mode: Hammerhead Shark/Hawk Fusion



ANIMAL MODE
Height: 7cm Length: 13cm Width: 13cm

   I doubt you'll ever encounter a weirder looking bird. This guy's basically a hawk with a dorsal fin, hammerhead and shark tail. Having said that, it's actually a pretty good fusion. Considering how different these two animals are they've done a pretty good job. Mainly beige with metallic blue tail & head (yellow eyes). He has brown feather patterns (as well as moulded feathers).
   The claws are a bit far apart, and probably a bit big - they straddle most of the robot mode torso - so he's not much to look at from below, but otherwise it's a nice flying shark. I bet that dorsal fin comes in handy in flight (c8
   Not much poseability - his claws move but only because they're the robot legs. They don't actually do anything meaningful in this mode. His jaw opens when you push on it, there's a spring that shuts it again, and you can position the tail. There's no reason why the wings couldn't have moved, but they're one big piece of plastic.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE

   Lift the head and fold it back. Push the tail down. Turn it belly up. Separate the legs from the sides of the blue bit (the torso), lift the torso out and swing it 90 degree (anticlockwise) so the arms are at the sides, pish the hips up till they lock together. Swing the chestplate down and swivel the robot head out, push the chestplate back in (you may have to tighten the hips again). Position the arms & legs.

ROBOT MODE
Height: 10cm Width: 13cm

   A somewhat odd looking robot, but he doesn't exactly look bad. The beige persists on his right hand (actually it's a claw), lower legs, head and wings, blue on his left hand (fin), chest and parts of the head. The torso, thighs and shoulders are a greyish-beige. He has yellow eyes and red shinpads.
   I said it looks somewhat odd and there are three reasons for this. The first is that those red shinpads have no real reason for being red, they just are. The right arm ends in a claw - it's the mouth of the shark so it has teeth (it's also upside down), while the left arm ends in the shark's tailfins. The third reason is that the robot itself is quite small overall, but the feet, being the claws of the bird, are like big combat boots compared to the rest of him.
   Poseability is reasonable. The head turns, the shoulders, elbows, hips & knees are all ball joints. The right claw opens and springs shut and the ankles are swivels. The best part is that the huge feet anchor this guy to the ground so he can pose and remain upright (keep in mind he has the wings & shark head as a backpack - so the feet do a good job).
   I actually like this robot mode, despite the somewhat disparate elements. The head looks birdlike, the jumble works for me - it is a _Fuzor_ after all. And I just think he's cute (c8
VARIATIONS

   None, AFAIK.

OVERALL

   Not everyone's cup of tea. Fuzor critics tend not to think much of this guy - and while I like the Fuzor concept I think it has to be done right (not a hornet that forgot to brake and embedded itself in a fish...). Having said that I personally think this is one Fuzor done right, even if it does look a little odd. The transform is a little odd for a Beast Wars toy - the torso bit a little too mechanical for BW, but it's actually fairly clever IMO, which works in his favour compared to early BW Basics who transform in one step. If you can look past it's flaws, which are minor IMO, it's a nice toy for a basic - 7/10

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