This post speaks to me so much. Going back and getting the figures I saw on cross-sells (or even very blurry early internet photos when I was older) was pretty special. Especially Lazorbeak for some reason really captivated me. Scorponok was one of those ones where I was intimately familiar with the show character but the toy was practically an enigma to me until I was an adult.

I also feel that way about new figures kinda, but what I've noticed happening is that I've bought figures a year or two ago with this mentality of "I'm not gonna like this that much" only to find that lately I'm quite happy I got them. Or, I wait and buy them a year or so later, and realise I was missing out. I think it just comes down to the fact that I rarely buy on impulse. I usually research what I want a lot or go off good reviews, rather than buying randomly.

 

It’s a shame that so many of the BW offerings after the show ended have only been via TFCC/ Botcon exclusives which are super expensive...

 

Took me a few hours as I am still learning Japanese and some of these words aren't really used in everyday conversation  
Anyway, without further ado, here is the translation.

MISSING ACTIONS… The mystery of the vanished play value

Within the Beast Wars toy line there are a fair number of toys that have had gimmicks or features cut during development for budgetary reasons. Some toys, while keeping certain features, have had them omitted from the instructions, leaving you to wonder just what certain parts are for.

Today we’d like to take a look at some of these undocumented features and try to figure out how they were supposed to be used.
As an example, let’s take a closer look at TM Ratrap. In his transformation process there is the ability to swivel his rear wheels down 90 degrees. However, this mobility isn’t used in any of his modes, which makes us wonder what purpose it serves.

The only time you would be able to get the back wheels to actually touch the ground in this configuration would be while having him in robot mode, with his legs stretched out in front of him and his butt on the ground. If you take a good look at his calves you will notice small molded wheels (pictured on the left). In order to kind of have them touch the ground as well you would need to twist his legs around and position them just right (in what you could say is a bit of an unnatural pose).

After going through and combining these clues, behold, you have completed the transformation for his undocumented 4th mode: Go-cart Mode!

Perhaps adding functional wheels to his calves would have made the parts count too high or make the legs fragile or unstable. As a result they were replaced with molded details and the 4th mode was dropped from the final version of the toy (Disclaimer: this is purely speculation).

There are many other examples of undocumented and dropped features such as Ramhorn’s hidden claw in his beetle horn and the fact that Magnaboss was originally supposed to come with 6 chest missiles. Or how about the original Rhinox toy, whose chain guns were originally supposed to be interchangeable equipment with a special connector attached to his mace.

Then there are still the unsolved mysteries of all the extra unused joints in Depthcharge’s wings, TM Terrorsaur’s additional shoulder joints and the wheels on Tigerhawk’s back (which are remnants of a dropped vehicle mode). There’s sure to be other clues that we haven’t yet found out about so why don’t we all go out and investigate our toys.

 

Gold.

Thanks for taking the time to sit down and have a look at it. You say you're still learning Japanese? I'd say you've got it covered!

 

So, now the Question is, was this inspiration for Beast Machines or just a coincidence?

 

I'm inclined to think there is some kind of inspiration in there for Rattrap's BM look.

 

Thanks mate!
Been here for 5 years and have continuously studied but it's such a vast language that you're never really done  

 

is tm2 scourge good, like, at all? i really dig the freaky bot mode and fucked up alt mode but never really hear anything about the toy, so...

 

Keep up the great work!

He's not the best figure. Adding insult to injury, his chrome will flake away in your hands at the slightest touch.

 

I can attest to this. Scourge's chrome will practically molt off him. He's also a bit of a shelf hog because of the locust legs and the plunger for the wing missile gimmick stick out behind him a fair bit. If you really have to have him, fine, but he's not a Pred I'd make a high priority to hunt down.

Now Ramulus. There's a really cool TM2 Deluxe. (though be sure he's complete, as he needs his weapon to complete his ibex mode)

 

Well done.
It looks like they revisited that strange mobility mode for beast machines Rattrap. This may be obvious but no one has mentioned it yet. This supports the guess above as it seems to indicate that it was not abandoned for reasons of “sensitivity” but more likely budget and parts count.

 

Verno is right on about the problems with the chrome. This figure is probably the very worst of the entire Transmetal/TM2 limes for chrome degradation! But I think it is actually a pretty good figure. In my opinion this guy captures the very best of the TM2 aesthetic, being ugly and asymmetrical but still well proportioned and interesting. If I had to guess, this is probably the tallest of any deluxe figure from the beast era. The effect is similar to Generations Lockdown...

Like everyone else, my copy was starting to flake badly. I gave it a generous coat of Future floor polish which seems to have stopped the chipping. If it was possible to find a survivor with no chrome flaking (yet), There is a chance that this approach could preserve that beautiful chrome orange finish. Sadly, MISB copies of this figure are flaking in their sealed packages.

EDIT: just looked this guy up on EBay And there seems to be sealed copies that look OK...this is tempting me to buy another one!

 

Who would win in wheelchair mode, Rattrap or Thrust?

 

Hmm, maybe I'm just incredibly lucky. But my Scourge hasn't started flaking yet. **knocks on wood**

 

No, the original concept of him being decrepit and weak with "vital organs" exposed was abandoned for sensitivity reasons. They did touch on the subject a bit with Transmutate, given her misshapen form, inability to transform, and her general portrayal in the episode. (and a really well done episode for showing the Maximals as more "morally grey", what with them considering killing Transmutate)

Yet the moment the brush touches the chrome it's probably going to start flaking... and you have to open up the bug abdomen to get at the inside and that will probably spark some chipping there.

Oh, and I'm sure Beast Machines Blackarachnia has him beat in height. I actually don't think Scourge is all that tall as the locust hind legs don't really do much at all and he doesn't do much unfolding outward. Maybe someone who still has there's and several Beast era Deluxe figures can weigh in on this?

 

Chip. There's a reason his surname is Chase.  

Mine's sat on a shelf next to Manterror and Wolfang - Scourge stands at the exact same head height as those two. The bug antenna on his arm reach about as high as Tripredacus' eyes too, so he's not particularly tall for a Deluxe.

I wonder who actually is the tallest BW figure at that size?

 

I live a couple of hours away from my collection so I can't whip him out to play with but can Depth Charge's wings fold down and around his arms to act as some kind of cannons? I'm looking at pics and trying to figure out if the wings can fold like that.

 

Whoa, did someone say Thrust?

Actually it was dropped because it would make him wildly inaccurate from his toy.

 

We talkin' Thrust?