December 4 - TransArt BWM-07 Metal Mouse
Posted 12/12/22.
9,783 likes
The following statement may seem subjective to some people but what I say is the honest truth. This figure is an absolute grand slam and probably the best figure to date from TransArt. I say subjective as people may think that because it has that "new car smell" that would be the reason but it's honestly not. For whatever reason it really has a presence, has been very well engineered, looks awesome and a solid build. It's still not perfect but, I think, this is the best put together figure they have done to date (at least for the 5 that I own from them) and they just seem to be getting better with each release.
Now when I say not perfect, I don't think there is anything actually wrong with it but there are things they could have done but honestly didn't have to. Example being they could have made the fingers individually articulated but it isn't necessary so hopefully that makes sense to everyone. He comes with a ton of accessories which is nice, they look great as well.
For the figure itself in robot mode as I said earlier, he looks great and this is probably my favourite version of Rattrap. I like his actual character in Beast Wars, in Beast Machines not so much. In BW he may have been a bit of a coward, was always the eternal pessimist but in BM they turned him into a total wimp, especially throughout the first 4 or 5 episodes but discussion about that another time. He does have enough articulation to get him through a lot of decent poses with 1 exception. Because of the large backpack he can't swing his legs back at all but I don't believe that is such a hinderance for him. Now having mentioned the backpack, he is very back heavy but you can work around it in one of three ways from what I have been able to figure out. His jaw also articulates so I guess you don't need extra faces as he can get a few expressions depending on how far you open his jaw.
1) There is a weighted stand that clips into the back that basically keeps him standing upright
2) If you simply stand him straight up and just bend slightly at the ankles it isn?t a lot to throw off the look
3) The heel spurs do bend down so if you go that route, it doesn't look like he's leaning forward but they don't lock so it would have the potential to fall.
For his tail/spear you have two options, either the bendy wire one (which is needed for beast/vehicle mode) or a solid metal one. Based on how the gripping handle is done you can use the die cast one in the right hand and the bendy wire in the left as each has its own adapter that are shared by the handle. Now for some reason I have seen 2 reviews and they insist on leaving both adapters on which make no sense simply because it isn't screen accurate and 1 honestly had no clue how it worked (his admission, not mine). I did shoot both of them but when it comes to display him, I will be using the diecast version. His gun has a foldable handle and I?ll be honest I'm not sure why so if anyone does, please let me know. It would have been nice if we could attach it to his hip but as far as I know that can't be done.
His wheels do detach so he can use them as a shield and although the handles come loose in a bag they can be stored under the wheels when not in use and man does the chrome look good on this guy by the way. In his forearms he does carry detonating bombs and they are very well integrated into the robot mode.
For beast mode the transformation is a bit more involved than any of their previous figures. Warning, there are some thin pieces of plastic somewhere around the arms so watch how you transform those. I didn't have any issues but have heard of it happening at least once so bear that in mind. The front legs are on a swivel or slider so make sure you bring them down as I didn't see that at first. For the back legs they are on sliders under the wheels and do have a tendency to pop out when being moved. After the first two or three times they slid with no issue but I guess they were a bit stiff at first but all good now.
The joints are all friction joints in bot and beast mode and they seem a bit weak in beast mode. Not terrible but noticeable. The ears on the rat head can move but I didn't know that at the time. His tongue can also move up and down but it is thin and when I tried to move it, it didn't want to so I wasn't going to force it and risk it breaking. I was really impressed with all the panels underneath in the stomach area which really hides all the robot parts extremely well.
Vehicle mode (if you can call it that) is also well done, no issues with rolling on the wheels but depending on what you are doing (and I will explain) the sliders on the top of the rear wheels don?t lock in place and the pegs at the bottom peg in but not secure enough. Now if it is vehicle mode only you shouldn't run into the aforementioned issues, however, he comes with a clear clip that goes into his back that allows for Dinobot to actually ride him as done on the show. I have 2 problems with this and again could be just my copy. First because Dinobot is such a porker as Rattrap says, his weight causes my back wheels to come undone so I had to constantly readjust and the second being that because I have the KO Dinobot the tab doesn't fit into the butt securely but I would have no clue if there is a difference on the hole size between the official and the KO. It was time consuming to actually get him up there in a position close to the show but ultimately worth the price of admission. Also, in this mode bendy wire tail needed and everyone kept mentioning that you need to straighten the tail for this which is not accurate. You would only need it perfectly straight if you want to trip up TM Megs. They were many instances where he was driving on the show and the tail was curved, moving etc. so your toy display as you wish as you know who says. He also comes with flame effects that can be inserted into the exhaust which is a nice added touch bit would rather that they plugged in from the inside rather than the outside.
The transformation back to bot mode can be a bit of a pain when you have to tab the back of the body into the bottom of the rat head. Took me quite a few tries with a spudger to get it properly lined up and tabbed into place but did get it eventually. Beast Wars isn't for everyone and I get that but if you are into it, collect MP's or MP scale bots then I would say this is an absolute must for you and can't wait to see what TransArt does next and would really hope for Tarantulas.
