Top 5 Best Beast Wars Neo Toys
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2020 4:47 am
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Top 5 Best Beast Wars Neo Toys
Beast Wars season 1 was a huge hit in Japan. So much so that while waiting to get the next seasons finished and translated, Japan made their own 2D Transformers shows, which would end up being the last classically hand drawn/painted Transformers cartoons ever made. Those being Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo. Beast Wars 2 had some unique molds but most characters on the show were based on toys already existing in the Beast Wars line, but that didn't make it onto the CG show. Beast Wars Neo however is where Takara really stepped in to make molds independently from Hasbro's design team. And it shows since these toys are very different from what we got before. Firstly, the fully organic animal modes remained and we got creatures that we did not get before. There was also a big emphasis on shellforming to preserve a near perfect animal mode. It worked for some and not for others, and I will now share with you which ones I think are the best from the line.
5. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Longrack
The giraffe is one of those classic wild animals kids learn about at an early age. It's just so different from other mammals out there with its long neck and spotted pattern. It's the highlight of any zoo trip for sure. And yet we did not get one in the Beast Wars line, which is understandable since an animal with such odds proportions might not translate well onto a robot. But Takara tried their damnedest and I for one applaud their efforts with Longrack. The giraffe mode is stellar, as are many of the animal modes in Beast Wars Neo, but the robot mode is not too shabby either. They find a way to use that long neck to have an extending gimmick in robot mode and the headsculpt is really nice. I am basically impressed that they pulled off something.
4. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Archadis
As far as animal alt modes go, this might be the most awesome one. We had dinosaurs and we had birds, but to have the first bird in recorded history (at the time), the missing link between dinosaurs and birds, is pretty awesome. And even more awesome is what they do with the design. The wings fold to turn into a poncho, making Archadis the Transformers version of Clint Eastwood's man with no name. He even has a quick draw gimmick to bring the western theme full circle.
3. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Cohrada (Colada, Corahda)
I love everything about this toy. Firstly, having a snake be the alt mode of a Transforming robot sounds like a design nightmare since most of the body is a tail. But they found a way around that by using a Cobra as a base. It also has a shooting poison gimmick (as a small water gun, as we had gotten with other Beast Wars figures like Cheetor and Megatron) which becomes a nice wrist mounted gun in robot mode. The deco for the alt mode is really nice, with stunning layers, highlighting the intricate molded details of the scales. The robot mode looks really nice too with a unique helmet on the head.
2. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy
I spoke about this toy a lot in the past, and for good reason. It's just a really amazing looking figure. Extremely imposing in robot mode with an excellent sculpt in both modes. I especially like how the robot mode is asymmetric in certain areas, which is an extra level of detail I will always appreciate. Plus, this badass looking warrior comes with the first matrix we ever got in the Transformers toyline.
1. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Heinlad (Heinrad)
Now I had mentioned that Archadis had quite the alt mode when looking at the animal kingdom but Heinlad takes it up a notch by making its alt mode veer towards the mytholigical sense. Tanukis are real animals, and the details are mostly realistic, for a Tanuki standing upright (or a clock based on a realistic Tanuki standing upright). But then you get to his nether regions and things take a different turn. As with the "black panther" (which is not its own species of feline), Tanukis have a mytholigical rendition based on a real animal. And in this rendition, Tanukis are known for their giant scrotum. This toy ingeniously gives us that in toy form by having the battery compartment play double duty as this giant scrotum. There is also the traditional meal and beverage accessory that becomes a pretty cool gun for the robot. Speaking of the robot, I think my favourite part is that this Tanuki gives you a really nice classic looking Transformer robot mode. That visor which can be brought down is just gravy.
Top 5 Best Beast Wars Neo Toys
Beast Wars season 1 was a huge hit in Japan. So much so that while waiting to get the next seasons finished and translated, Japan made their own 2D Transformers shows, which would end up being the last classically hand drawn/painted Transformers cartoons ever made. Those being Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo. Beast Wars 2 had some unique molds but most characters on the show were based on toys already existing in the Beast Wars line, but that didn't make it onto the CG show. Beast Wars Neo however is where Takara really stepped in to make molds independently from Hasbro's design team. And it shows since these toys are very different from what we got before. Firstly, the fully organic animal modes remained and we got creatures that we did not get before. There was also a big emphasis on shellforming to preserve a near perfect animal mode. It worked for some and not for others, and I will now share with you which ones I think are the best from the line.
5. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Longrack
The giraffe is one of those classic wild animals kids learn about at an early age. It's just so different from other mammals out there with its long neck and spotted pattern. It's the highlight of any zoo trip for sure. And yet we did not get one in the Beast Wars line, which is understandable since an animal with such odds proportions might not translate well onto a robot. But Takara tried their damnedest and I for one applaud their efforts with Longrack. The giraffe mode is stellar, as are many of the animal modes in Beast Wars Neo, but the robot mode is not too shabby either. They find a way to use that long neck to have an extending gimmick in robot mode and the headsculpt is really nice. I am basically impressed that they pulled off something.
4. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Archadis
As far as animal alt modes go, this might be the most awesome one. We had dinosaurs and we had birds, but to have the first bird in recorded history (at the time), the missing link between dinosaurs and birds, is pretty awesome. And even more awesome is what they do with the design. The wings fold to turn into a poncho, making Archadis the Transformers version of Clint Eastwood's man with no name. He even has a quick draw gimmick to bring the western theme full circle.
3. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Cohrada (Colada, Corahda)
I love everything about this toy. Firstly, having a snake be the alt mode of a Transforming robot sounds like a design nightmare since most of the body is a tail. But they found a way around that by using a Cobra as a base. It also has a shooting poison gimmick (as a small water gun, as we had gotten with other Beast Wars figures like Cheetor and Megatron) which becomes a nice wrist mounted gun in robot mode. The deco for the alt mode is really nice, with stunning layers, highlighting the intricate molded details of the scales. The robot mode looks really nice too with a unique helmet on the head.
2. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy
I spoke about this toy a lot in the past, and for good reason. It's just a really amazing looking figure. Extremely imposing in robot mode with an excellent sculpt in both modes. I especially like how the robot mode is asymmetric in certain areas, which is an extra level of detail I will always appreciate. Plus, this badass looking warrior comes with the first matrix we ever got in the Transformers toyline.
1. Transformers Beast Wars Neo Heinlad (Heinrad)
Now I had mentioned that Archadis had quite the alt mode when looking at the animal kingdom but Heinlad takes it up a notch by making its alt mode veer towards the mytholigical sense. Tanukis are real animals, and the details are mostly realistic, for a Tanuki standing upright (or a clock based on a realistic Tanuki standing upright). But then you get to his nether regions and things take a different turn. As with the "black panther" (which is not its own species of feline), Tanukis have a mytholigical rendition based on a real animal. And in this rendition, Tanukis are known for their giant scrotum. This toy ingeniously gives us that in toy form by having the battery compartment play double duty as this giant scrotum. There is also the traditional meal and beverage accessory that becomes a pretty cool gun for the robot. Speaking of the robot, I think my favourite part is that this Tanuki gives you a really nice classic looking Transformer robot mode. That visor which can be brought down is just gravy.