Name: Razorclaw
Series: Transformers Universe
Allegiance: Decepticon
Alternate Mode: Flying Tiger
Thanks to Morkus for loaning me Razorclaw, making this review possible.
TIGER MODE
Height: 26cm Length: 19cm Width: 17.5cm
Or 31cm wide and 16 tall if the wings are down
A black and purple cybernetic tiger with some silver sprayed on the helmet over his head, Razorclaw is a de-chromed repaint of Beast Wars' Tigerhawk. There are some burgundy pieces here and there, along with the odd transparent red. The claws and teeth are silver and the eyes green while the eyes on his helmet are yellow. Tigerhawk was meant to be a fusion of Tigatron and Airazor, and as such lacks the asymmetry of other Transmetal IIs. Razorclaw just ends up being an oddly coloured creature, with colours that don't suit the tiger or bird origins. To be honest, while there's not that much purple here, it's bright enough to ensure that this is not a great colour scheme.
In many ways this beast is a Fuzor - while the basic bodyshape is feline, the hind feet are bird's talons, the tail is a bird's tail and the wings which attach above the shoulders are course bird features. The extremities are generally organic in sculpt with the body, inner wings and upper legs robotic. While there is some asymmetry here, it's relatively minor - the design doesn't focus on that aspect at all. Razorclaw is a cyborg fusion. The detail on this toy is excellent, with moulded feather strands on the tail and wing feathers, fur on the limbs and head, well defined claws and a whole bunch of tech detailing. Of course, much of the detail is lost in the dark black plastic or the bright purple plastic.
As you might expect of an ultra, there's a lot of play value here. There's a purple battle helmet which normally sits above and behind the head which can cover the top of the head, making Razorclaw look suspiciously like Battlecat while there's a green button on his back which will release the wings, causing them to swing down from the default 45° angle to horizontal. As the wings swing down missile launchers will swing forward from underneath the wings. There are triggers on the wings themselves which release the wingtips, allowing them to angle forward, revealing a second set of missile launchers on the wingtips themselves. Both sets of missiles are burgundy, with the wingtip launchers actually firing a pair of feathers. The launchers are quite powerful, and both sets look menacing.
The head can lift up and down while the lower jaw opens to reveal a (non chrome) blue tongue - which also moves up and down. All four legs have swinging hips and bendable knees while the talons on his back legs can actually spring shut, grasping stuff (although the toy is too heavy for them to support his weight). The wings hinges hinges midway allowing them to partially stow (or for a downstroke position).
The weight of his wings makes keeping them up a little tricky, but that's the only real flaw here. The main body is slightly disjointed but this actually fits in with the tech sculpt of the toy, so I can't hold that against Razorclaw. The missile launchers are good, the poseability good while the movable tongue and battle helmet are really cool. A great beast mode, although the loss of chrome and the questionable choice of colours really hold this beast back compared to Tigerhawk.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
There's a lot of contortion in the torso so I'll summarise. The forelegs become robot legs, with the claws folding away and feet being revealed. The right arm his hidden underneath while the left is on his back, with the beast head forming a left side shoulderpad. The hindlegs become part of the chest, the tail becomes a groinplate and the wings become... wings. The transformation is clever and involved without really being difficult.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 20cm Width: 31cm
Assuming the missile launchers are deployed and the wings flat.
Razorclaw is again based on black and purple, although the other colours have more purpose here. The head, groinplate and the central stripe of his chest are purple along with the visible parts of his wings. The eyestrip is transparent red while the claws on the chest are silver and there's a green Maximal symbol on his chest. I don't understand this particular aspect - a Decepticon repaint has a painted Maximal logo? Okay, obviously Hasbro didn't want to spend the money on retooling, but why paint this? They took away the chrome but bothered to give him the wrong allegiance symbol. The right shoulder has a transparent red dome with a seat inside which stays level no matter how you tip the toy. A bad colour scheme isn't really improved, even if the silver and red are more focused and we lose most of the burgundy.
While the beast mode is very symmetrical, this robot mode is far less balanced. The crown of the head, shoulderpads and forearms are all distinctly asymmetrical. The right forearm ends in a claw with twin cannons moulded onto the outside of the hand while the left ends in a clenched fist. Only the left hand has a weapon hole, which is a shame since both of the flip-out launchers detach, but he can only hold one at a time. The good news is that the level of detail is excellent, as you'd expect of a Transmetal II (especially a flagship toy like this). There are pistons on his ankles, a detailed sculpt on his forearms, detail on the visible underside of his wings and a complex chest sculpt.
The play value is in many ways the same as the beast mode - the flip out launchers and wingtips can both be deployed, although now they point rather than forward - as I've mentioned one of the flip out launchers can be held in his left hand. The head can turn and lift back, both shoulders swing and lift out to the sides - with the beast head able to move out of the way of the poseability which is good. The hips swing and lift out to the sides while the knees are hinged with rotators above them. The feet can tilt down (with the pistons extending as you tilt them down - a really nice touch), and while the heelspurs are fixed, they allow for stable posing.
A solid robot mode without any physical flaws. The wings form a nice cape and along with the missile launchers make Razorclaw look powerful and regal. Again the colours are rubbish, and much of the detail is drowned out by poor colour choice. The poseability is fantastic considering there are no ball joints here and the incorporated beast mode elements are still prevalent, yet this Decepticon is quite obviously wearing a Maximal symbol.
VARIATIONS
None that I'm aware of. Thankfully.
OVERALL
A great mould with some fantastic detail. Physically, it's a good beast mode and there's good play value in both modes. The concept was very much dependant on the storyline in Beast Wars, and that aspect doesn't carry over here, since the toy is renamed. The colours are awful, the repaint unfocused, and this thing wears the wrong allegiance symbol. Perhaps the most telling aspect about Hasbro's lack of effort here is the fact that he's been stripped of the chrome which made the original look so good. A great mould, but I'd recommend against this awful repaint - 4/10
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