Razorclaw

Razorclaw Tech Specs

Bio
Razorclaw has such a passion for destruction that he prefers strafing ground targets with his powerful machine guns rather than bombing them from high altitude. Anarchy is his bread and butter; he lives to crush his enemies, drive them before them, and here the lamentations of the survivors. Nothing gives him as much pleasure as destroying a great city and razing its cultural institutions - libraries, museums, schools - for he knows that ignorance is the seed of chaos, and it is in chaos he feels most comfortable.

Razorclaw Images

Razorclaw Toy Information

Razorclaw Parts List

Razorclaw Review

-Submitted by: Scantron | Overall Score: 7

Razorclaw

Note

This figure is a repaint of the Transformers Armada Air Military Team Minicon Thunderwing, a mold that was repainted multiple times for the Transformers Universe line. As such, this review will only cover the differences between the two figures. See my review of the Armada Air Military Team for more information about this mold.

Vehicle and Weapon Modes

In this form, Razorclaw is a stealth bomber. The vast majority of the vehicle is black, with white line details on the wings, body and tail fins and a metallic green cockpit. Some navy blue is visible on the undercarriage when the jet is viewed from the side, but it blends in well enough with the black background so as not to be a distraction. A silver Decepticon symbol is painted on the port tail fin and the black background makes it a lot more visible than on Sky Lynx or Shockwave, although I still would have preferred a heat-stamped logo. Razorclaw also has a good amount of black space between the tail fins that would have been a more prominent location for the faction symbol. Issues with the faction symbol aside, Razorclaw has an excellent colour scheme. The black is perfect for a stealth bomber and the white lines follow the figure’s molding detail, highlighting the sculpting at the same time as they provide a visual contrast. Those lines catch the eye very well and make Razorclaw a great display piece that stands out well on a shelf. A few of the white paint applications are a bit uneven and the borders aren’t as crisp as I’d like, but it’s hard to see these errors from a distance. The metallic green paint on the cockpit also stands out well and is a different take from the previous releases of the mold, most of which had five separate small windows painted. I’m really impressed with Razorclaw’s aesthetic and this is easily the best colour scheme used for this mold.

Transformation to weapon mode is the same as on the original Thunderwing and the only new colour revealed here is the navy blue robot hands. Although these bits are a bit obvious as kibble, the navy blue works with the black and white and the mechanical details on the hands keep them from looking out of place. As far as the action feature, Razorclaw’s Minicon connector peg hole is set on a rotation joint that is a bit tighter than Armada Thunderwing, but much looser than the Universe releases of the mold. When Razorclaw is attached to a Minicon hardpoint attachment peg on a larger Transformer, the weapon can make a full spin several times after being given a single push. The Universe releases of the Thunderwing mold were disappointing with their tight rotation joints and it’s great to see that the action feature of this gimmick has been fully restored for Razorclaw.

10/10

Robot Mode

Razorclaw’s transformation to, and articulation in, robot mode is the same as the previous releases of the mold, including the tendency of the figure to fall over in most poses. Black is also the predominant colour in this form, with navy blue appearing on the lower arms and legs. Dark grey makes up most of the helmet, while the face is metallic blue with red eyes. Strangely, Razorclaw also has a metallic blue unibrow; it’s probably intended to be a forehead crest, but it’s far too thin and instead looks a bit odd. Even though the navy blue on the lower limbs is dark, it still stands out enough from the black background to make it clear from a distance that the figure has more than one colour. However, much as I like the darker colour scheme, the large stretches of black on the chest and shoulders look a bit dull and could use some white to liven them up and highlight the molding detail. For example, the upper arms have a nice set of sculpted missile pods that have been painted on all of the other releases of the Thunderwing mold. Razorclaw still looks good, but isn’t nearly as cool in this mode as the Universe Spring Value Pack version of Thunderwing.

7/10

Overall – 8.5/10

Steamhammer

Note

This figure is a repaint of the Transformers Armada Land Military Team Minicon Knock Out, who was later repainted for the Armada Night Attack Team as Broadside. As such, this review will only cover the differences between Steamhammer and Knock Out. See my review of the Armada Land Military Team for more information about this mold.

Vehicle Mode

In this form, Steamhammer is an armored personnel carrier equipped with a large roof-mounted missile launcher. The main colour of the body is banana yellow, with orange on the cab doors and missile. Brown is used for the tires and both ends of the missile launchers, while the cab windows are silver. Steamhammer also has a set of black camouflage details, with streaks appearing on both flanks and the hood. Finally, a tiny Autobot symbol is heat-stamped on the driver’s side rear mud guard. Given the amount of empty space on the top of the missile launcher, I would have preferred the faction logo were located there to make the symbol more prominent. Although I’m generally not very fond of yellow Transformers, Steamhammer has a decent aesthetic. The orange, brown and black keep the figure from looking too bright and the extensive camouflage breaks up the larger areas of yellow. One paint detail I really like is how a streak of camouflage on the hood connects to the black robot face visible at the base of the missile launcher, obscuring a potential bit of kibble. However, the missile launcher could use some camouflage, as it comes out a bit bright and draws the eye away from the vehicle body.

Steamhammer’s wheels are functional and actually roll a lot better than on either Knock Out or Broadside, allowing Steamhammer to travel well on smooth surfaces. Unfortunately, the missile launcher, one of the best features of this mold, doesn’t work nearly as well. Steamhammer’s launcher is weaker than the previous releases, only getting a maximum distance of about a foot and a half. The launcher is also unreliable and, while it usually achieves maximum distance, the missile will sometimes travel only a few inches or barely clear the launcher. Both of the previous releases of the Knock Out mold have been able to fire their missiles several feet, so it’s a shame to see this gimmick’s efficacy reduced for Steamhammer.

6/10

Robot Mode

Steamhammer’s transformation to, and articulation in, robot mode is identical to the previous releases of this mold. Yellow is still the predominant colour, appearing on the arms, chest, lower legs and missile launcher, with orange on the thighs, hips and shoulders. Black camouflage provides detailing to the shins and chest and black is also the main colour of the head. Steamhammer’s visor is light grey, although the border of this paint application is a bit uneven. While I didn’t mind the brighter colour scheme in vehicle mode, this form is a bit too bright, with not enough black camouflage to break up the large areas of yellow on the legs and no black at all on the arms. In addition, the yellow wash out most of the background molding detail and makes Steamhammer’s limbs appear dull. The increased amount of orange revealed on the hips makes the colour scheme even brighter and would have been better replaced with black or another dark colour.

5/10

Overall – 5.5/10

Overall Set Rating

Like the Sky Lynx vs Thunderblast two-pack in this wave of Minicon Versus Packs, this set has one outstanding figure and one mediocre. Steamhammer doesn’t have any severe flaws, but the colour scheme isn’t as good as either previous release of the mold and the weaker missile launcher takes a lot away from the figure. The real highlight, though, is Razorclaw. Not only was this the best of the Armada Air Military Team Minicon molds, but Razorclaw has an excellent colour scheme that looks outstanding in two of the three modes and works alright for the robot form. It also has some function restored that has been absent in the Universe repaints of Thunderwing. This set is highly recommended, even for those who already have a version of these molds.

7/10

Additional Razorclaw Resources