Click here for all the lovely pictures!

BTS Toys Nightfang
BTS Toys Savage
BTS Toys Tremor
BTS Toys Frequenzy


My thoughts on each are below. Generally, BTS are improving a lot with each new release. Tremor & Frequenzy were a jump ahead of Sonicron for their stability and their poseability. Nightfang & Savage are another jump further forward with better details and much more in depth designs. Nightfang is particularly awesome and is easily the best of the bunch, followed by Savage - good thing those two are packed together! They'll be well worth picking up, they are BTS Toy's best release to date.



BTS Toys Nightfang Bat Mode


BTS Toys Nightfang Cassette Mode

Nightfang

We'll kick off with the most anticipated of the four of these cassettes - Nightfang, the unofficial Classics Ratbat. Ratbat of the four is the only one to not have been officially updated. What BTS has delivered here is something particularly cool - a Ratbat which takes the core concept, a purple cassette tape that turns into a mechanical bat, and reinvents it. Nightfang as a result comes out with something that is very much Ratbat in spirit, but with some modern sensibilities like a narrower middle. One of the best features of the bat mode is the absolutely huge wingspan, which is pretty impressive for something that folds up so small.

Nightfang has an additional feature as well - if you own Tremor or Frequenzy, they can be combined with Nightfang to form a humanoid character with a bat head and bat wings - a cool bit of interaction that is possibly inspired by the Senator Ratbat seen in some of IDW's Transformers comics, such as Megatron Origins.


BTS Toys Nightfang Combined with Frequenzy

Nightfang is not flawless by any means - the cassette tape mode is pretty much an arrangement of the bat mode parts, though on balance it is no worse than Hasbro's own Classics Ravage. There are also a couple of loose joints, one of which is on the feet which frustratingly makes Nightfang a little hard to stand until you learn the trick of using his wingtips to balance him. The same balance issues also exist with the combined mode, which is a little back heavy. A lot has been made of the fact the feet are one solid piece, rather than two individual feet, but I honestly do not see this as a flaw, since the part is already pretty tiny, and individual feet would have been rather fragile.

The small flaws that do exist do not take away from what this is - a very nice update to Ratbat. He has some great details sculpted into him, a very impressive wingspan, and overall a very nice and menacing look. The combined mode is a total bonus, but a very nice addition all the same.



BTS Toys Savage Jaguar Mode


BTS Toys Savage Cassette Mode

Savage

The other BTS Minion in the box with Nightfang is Savage, BTS' version of Ravage. Unlike Ratbat, there have been several official updates to Ravage down the years including the one packed in with Universe Hound. What Savage manages to do is be a whole lot more poseable than previous offerings - four ball joints at his upper legs, on hinges out of the body, plus hinges on all four knees and full jointing on the neck. He's very poseable, able to strike some full feline hunting poses and even balance on his hind legs!

In terms of looks, Savage is a bit odd looking at first, especially viewed from front-on where the arms folding the legs out of the body are most evident. There's also the holes in the middle of the body, though I would respond to those raising this as a concern to say that Savage does not feel particularly fragile or flimsy for this. Granted, the gap in the middle of the body can be a bit jarring - it's not something you've seen on other Ravages - but it is a price to pay for the little cassette turning into a comparatively larger animal. Personally after taking a step back, I realised the gap did actually work with the design, as together with the detailing that makes Savage look gaunt and bony, Savage looks like a full-on undead / skeletal creature. A different take to be sure, but all part of the charm.


BTS Toys Savage & Tremor

Savage also interacts with Tremor or Frequenzy - he can equip their piledrivers as hip mounted cannons. This is a pretty cool feature, especially if you then have Tremor riding on his back - it's like a Warg rider from Lord of the Rings or something. Tremor fits on there really nicely, and the interaction of the two is a definite plus point.

Overall, Savage is a great little accompaniment to Nightfang. He's not the definitive Classics Ravage but instead does his own thing and looks good for it. Not flawless - the emaciated look is not going to work for everyone, and his tail looks a bit flat - but still is a worthy little cassettetron.


Nightfang & Savage overall thoughts

A fantastic little set. BTS has really upped their game with these two. The level of sculpted detailing is really nice, and a step up from their previous releases. The design concept is really clever, with how two cassette tapes the size of the original cassettes unfold in a very satisfying way, especially Nightfang with those wings. At under $30 for the set, the price is right and well worth the price of admission. Nightfang is fantastic and Savage just sweetens the deal.


BTS Toys Tremor & Frequenzy


BTS Toys Tremor & Frequenzy Piledriver Mode

Frequenzy & Tremor

The duo of Tremor & Frequenzy are BTS' take on Rumble & Frenzy, so are the same design, just in different colors. They are based on the animation, rather than the original toys, which is why Frequenzy looks so much like animated Rumble rather than the darker Generation 1 Frenzy toy.

The basic design on these two is a slightly new twist on the "tape to robot" design, to allow for more poseability - and wow, are these guys poseable! Neck, shoulders, two elbow joints (one of which is ball jointed), waist rotation, hips and knees - for something so small, the range of articulation is nothing short of impressive. Granted, this comes at the expense of "those hips", but in hand they are not quite so noticeable - and almost any other solution would have resulted in a more fragile / less poseable end product.

Tremor & Frequenzy also come with a pair of "battery" accessories. These batteries transform into their piledrivers, and also have flip down posts to be wielded by Sonicron or anything with a 5mm fist hole. The piledrivers attach in an interesting way - they use a combination of friction and the upper "cap" pushing back down to lock into place, and they do lock in quite securely - that being said, I'd have preferred a peg or something else to physically attach these parts into place. As is, it is not bad - and the look with the piledrivers attached is rather nice. The spring loaded piledrivers is a nice touch.

Detail wise, the Tremor & Frequenzy duo take a lot of inspiration from the 1984 animated incarnations of Frenzy & Rumble so have a very "clean" look with only a few details sculpted on the chest area. The clean look is not terrible by any means, but it does make the robot designs look sparse by comparison to the original versions of these guys.

Overall, Tremor & Frequenzy are a very "marmite" kind of release - you'll either love them for what they are, or you won't. They have a lot of good points, such as their poseability and the inclusion of the piledrivers. But other points, such as the lack of locking for the piledrivers and the sparseness of the details may be a deal-breaker. Overall, I personally think they are cool, at $30 for the set of two they are priced about right. They nicely complement the Sonicron and the larger BTS cassette family. Their interaction with the other BTS cassettes noted above adds more fun to them, as does the way their piledrivers can double as guns for bigger robots.

 

GREAT REVIEW!! I just got tremor and frequenzy two days ago and love them! You're 100% right about the hips, they don't bother you in person. The piledrivers do however lock into place, you just fold their hands inward and slide the "bars" into their grip. Sturdy as all get out. Thanks again can't wait for the other two!!

 

^pretty much this. also, TF: United Frumble FTW.

 

The whole set is a fail.

But then I guess not all 3rd party figures can best Hasbro's.

Just most of them.

 

Do NOT like the Tremors, but the Ratbat/Ravage set looks pretty sweet, especially for the price!  

zmog

 

I can't wait for my nightwing and savage set to arrive. It will be pretty nice to see them all in front of the bts Sonicron, (but I'd prefer the fans toys version that is coming soon hopefully) I really like how they capture a decent amount of detail and articulation in each of the little bots.

 

Sorry, but those are all ugly. I had high hopes for all of this stuff. Guess I'll hang on to music label SW and hope that Hasbro releases the Generations Rumble/Frenzy.

 

Nightfang looks cool, but the others are, well, crap.

If the Nightfang/Savage pack ever gets clearanced down to $15, I'll get it.

 

Nightfang is the only one i would buy.

 

Anyone want to sell me either a loose Tremor or Frequency? I don't need to buy two of the same mold.

 

It's all about Nightfang baby.

 

Meh

I can't even bring myself to get a Sonicron on clearance. When will we get a Classic Soundwave we can salivate over?

 

he's not that bad of a figure and for the $34 I would say he's well worth it.

 

Something about it just looks off to me. I keep think of buying it... but I can't put my finger on what I find offputting about it.

 

is it the colors or is it the initial design of the bots you don't like?

 

Mine just dropped in my POL!!