Waspinator

Waspinator could never catch a break when he was on Beast Wars. Whether he was getting fired upon or being pummeled by some force of nature, bad luck always followed him. His luck doesn't change much for the Animated series. Once a promising Autobot Elite Guard cadet, he was framed as a double agent and imprisoned. Insane by being locked up, he was experimented upon by Blackarachnia. Now, he's out for revenge against Bumblebee.

Bio

"Waspinator Rules!"

Driven crazy by years locked in an Autobot prison, Waspinator is determined to take revenge on the robot who put him there - Bumblebee. Now, after bizarre experiments conducted by Blackarachnia, he finally has the power to make his vengeance a reality. He has come to Earth hunting the Autobot speedster, and he will not stop until Bumblebee is a pole of smoking scrap.

Galactic Powers & Abilities

Energy stinger paralyzes other robots
Can survive even after being blown to pieces
Was an Autobot before his time in Prison

Beast Mode

Waspinator was originally a twin to Bumblebee before his mutation. Now, he resembles a wasp. He is a combination of lime green and dark green with black. His abdomen is painted lime green with black stripes. Translucent purple is visible on the wings and eyes, as well as on various spots on his limbs. He has a Decepticon insignia on his forehead.

All 6 legs are hinged for good poseability. For added playability,there is a lever on his back which "flaps" his wings. The lever is spring loaded, so the wings will return to the original position. The abdomen is also on a hinge, so you can position him for a stinger attack. If there's any minus, it's that the wasp head is fixed and cannot be moved around. Overall, a good effort.

Transformation

It doesn't take much to transform this figure. Start by pushing the abdomen up against his back. Straighten out the rear legs so they are linear to the body. The pair of front legs merge together to form the arms and attach via a system of pegs and interlocking tabs. Pull the arms out and back. You'll see a false set of arms inside the chest area. Carefully fold them down until they extend outward (they come off the ball joint easily).

Twist the arms just below the shoulder 90 degrees outward. Pull down the wasp head, separating the forehead section, so it forms his chest. Once in place, you can fold in the two false arms just underneath the chest. Flip both wings around so they rest above his head. Move his head forward to finish up.

Robot Mode

Wasp is just as menacing looking in robot mode as in beast mode. No new coloration comes out, but the dark green takes command in the front view. The face mold is pretty plain looking, but does feature purple light piping for the eyes. They antennae are rubber, so they can be moved around.

Although I'm normally not a fan of beastformers, I have to say this one has some appeal to me. He's simplistic, yet has pretty good form. Even though his stinger hangs out back quite a bit, he has a large enough footprint to hold steady.

Articulation

Feet: Pin hinge, 135 degree bend
Knees:Pin hinge, 75 degree bend
Hips:Ball joints, 270 degree rotation with 90 degree spread
Waist: 90 degree bend, no rotation
Shoulders: Rodded ball joint, 360 degree rotation w/90 degree spread, pinned below shoulder for unlimited arm rotation
Elbows: Pinned, 120 degree bend
Head: Ball jointed for unlimited rotation and 90 degree upward tilt, additional pin hinge at neck for 45 degree downward bend.

Excellent joint setup, coupled with a large footprint, make posing one of the best in this series.

Score

Beast Mode - :Good articulation, menacing beast mode, plus working wings.
Robot Mode - :Lots of articulation, simple yet very functional
Overall - : Definitely worth picking up. It might be simple, but it packs plenty of enjoyment.
Size Class:Deluxe
MSRP: $11

Reviewer	Blitzwing
Date	February 21st 2009
Score	(10 out of 10)
Reads	11763

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