259 replies to this topic

[Jabroniville]

 

#64: MUSKY OX

Japanese Name: Muskhorn 

Animal Basis: 

 

 

-Well this one isn't exactly hard to figure out. Not only is it in his name, but the horns are pretty distinctive.

 

-Muskox are a cool-looking bovine species, but are usually much smaller than their family members, being a mere 990 lbs. at maximum. Their babies look like four-legged Cousin Itts. They're actually more closely-related to Goats & Sheep than actual Oxen. A notable battle tactic is for the entire herd to form a circle- asses in, horns out; with the calves in the middle. This disallows any predators (generally Wolves) from getting at the vulnerable babies, and allows the adults to maximize their frontage. Many other bovine species do this, but Muskox are the most-famous for it.

 

Toy Description: A pretty basic, but still very cool-looking, Beast, Musky Ox (one of the few to basically use his own species name in its entirety) has a very distinctive color scheme that manages to really make him stand out. Also, the impressive set of horns that aren't nearly as flimsy as most of the ungulates's in the series comes off well. I mean, his appearance is very typical of most Beasts- boxy armor, simple color scheme, basic animal, etc.- but the total package is very good, like a lot of "Grey Weapon" Beasts.

 

His face is well-detailed, with a "muzzle" being revealed by indents, as well as some "wrinkles" around his eyes. His horns meet in the middle, and swoop down just like a real Musk Ox's. The bright yellow armor plays off really well against his dark brown skin, and he's got a very cool weapon- as much of a "classic sword" as you're going to get in this line. His left boot has a "64 C" and a peghole on the underside of the left foot.

 

Colors: Four- basically a generic set-up, except his horns are a different color than the rest of him. His body is a very dark brown, and his armor a bright, eye-popping canary yellow. His eyes and Secondary Colors are bright red, and his horns are a milky beige color.

Armor: A simple, boxy two-piece. Two red rectangles border his Chest Symbol, and there's another, longer one on his crotch. Everything is very well-detailed with straight lines, shoulder guards next to the neck, and more. Oddly, he does not have shoulder pads at all, and on his back there's something that almost looks like a jetpack.

Weapon: One of the better weapons in the series- a big light-grey sword. it has a slight "bulge" at the tip of the blade, and a very well-detailed crossguard, made up of two "X" symbols- one on each side.

Hands & Feet: Mitten-like hands, and cloven hooves for feet. The toes are actually separated by a bit of distance, which is unusual.

Easily-Broken Bits: The pointy edges of his horns seem like they'd be prone to weathering, but generally, you're just going to see paint weathering all over, since it's white over a dark color.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yes- he's missing his right arm, and is suffering from an extraordinary amount of weathering- a lot of yellow is chipped off, and his horns are now more brown than white.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Rating: 8/10 (most of the bovines in this line are good, actually)

[Jabroniville]

 

#6: TRIPLE THREAT SNAKE

Japanese Name: Snake Bomb 

Animal Basis:

-Triple-Thread Snake is very much a "generic" snake, though is probably some sort of viper, judging by his simple head and fangs.

 

-Snakes... One of the most feared animals the world over, simply be an odd subset of the "Uncanny Valley"- while things that are SORT of familiar but "off" by a ways are horrifically creepy (giant puppets, lifelike dolls, etc.), things that are the absolute OPPOSITE of familiar in every single way are just as bad. It's for this reason that things like Spiders, Snakes and Bugs are so scary to most people. Think about a snake, and you picture a creature with NO LIMBS, yet can move. It has no eyelids or external ears, moves by a creepy 'slithering' motion, has a mouth with giant teeth, which are needle-like and extremely sharp. It can dislocated it's entire jaw, and actually swallow things whole that are LARGER THAN THE SNAKE. Oh, and some have POISON. And others STRANGLE things to death. It's not hard to see why nearly every culture has "Evil Snake" myths.

 

-Snakes come in two types- the Constrictors and the Venomous. Both are extremely fast, driving forward with lightning speed during an attack, while being docile the rest of the time, and making slow approaches. Constrictors bite their prey and strangle them slowly, crushing bone and choking prey to death by tightening with each breath. The venomous snakes (themselves coming in many types) lash out with a bite, and then wait for the prey to die (or just hang on), seeping deadly poisons into the prey's body. Poison is often quite different, with varying effects: Some are strength-sapping nerve damage, others are suffocating, others attack the blood, etc.

 

-The Families are as follows:

Henophids: Boas, Pythons, Anacondas & other constrictors. The majority of constricting snakes are here. This is a "primitive" order, with vestigial limbs existing as hind-claws. Chief difference between the types is that Boas give birth to live young, while Pythons lay eggs, of which they are among the few snakes to show parental care- guarding the clutch.

Colubrids: "Generic" snakes like Tree & Garter Snakes. Very thin, often rather small (though the Corn Snake is over 7 feet long). Also contains some constrictors.

Elapids: Extremely venomous and dangerous, including the Cobras, Death Adders (holy crap is that a threatening name), Mambas & Sea Snakes. The Black Mamba is considered the most-dangerous, being highly-aggressive.

Vipers: Highly-evolved pit-sensing creatures that poison the fat in a living body via Hemotoxic Venoms. Rattlesnakes, Vipers & Adders are included. The Puff Adder is the most-frequent killer of humans in Africa, but the Russel's Viper kills frequently in Asia, injecting huge doses of venom every time it bites.

Scolecophids: Very small and mostly-unknown, they're underground predators with few teeth.

 

Toy Description: Possibly the single most-iconic and recognizable Battle Beast is this fellow- the very unique Snake. Despite being one of the first ones produced (and thus one of the most easily-found), he is notable for basically taking the entire "Standard Beast Scheme" and completely turning it on its head. Instead of just having a "Weird Hand", the Snake has SNAKE HEADS for hands- both arms are long, curving snake necks & heads, with no wrist-guards or anything like it. Prominently-displayed on a lot of merchandise, he's absolutely iconic to the Battle Beasts.

 

He's well-designed, as well. A lot of "unique" Beasts still kind of suck, but this guy has a ton of detail, thanks to an entire "checkerboard" pattern for his diamond-shaped scales. Also, the undersides of his limbs, neck and legs all feature the "ribbed" reptilian belly, giving him further detail. Combine that with his sinister, grinning face, fangs (uncolored), and long, curving neck, and you've got one of the best in the line, especially for an early figure. I think the only part that diminishes him in my eyes is the fact that he is SUPER, SUPER easy to find. He's available in so many "Lots" on eBay that it's impossible to shop around for various figures without picking up a Snake or two- I only ever had one as a kid, but as an adult I've picked up FIVE MORE, six in total. And only one of those five was a deliberate buy just for him- the others are all "extras" (in one case, I bought his weapon from a seller, and he accidentally threw the wielder into the box as well- kindly, he let me keep it).

 

He has a tiny "6" on his right boot, and some have a "C" in the recess of the boot. Like the early generation, the copywrite info is printed directly on his back.

 

Colors: Three- his body is a very light, almost neon green. His armor is dark blue, and his eyes and Secondary Colors are red.

Armor: Fairly simple and plain (the body is the main focus of this guy), with a plunging neckline to show off his belly-stripes- this means his Symbol is on his stomach, not his chest. The armor is a one-piece, with two large, red shoulder-guns. There are also two rent vents beside his Symbol. His boots are rather plain, but well-shaped, making them noticeably cool- almost like a Japanese "Mecha" design. He has very light shoulder-pads that circle around his upper arm, and is the only Beast lacking any kind of wrist-guard.

Weapon: A very long, silver halberd. The pommel has a slight "hook" on it, and the tip ends in a spearhead that springs off with an axe-head (with three indentations on it).

Hands & Feet: As noted, his hands are truly uniqe- snake-heads, seen in profile, complete with eyes and teeth. Unlike his own head, the mouths are open, allowing him to grip weapons. Odd too are his feet- as snakes are limbless, they had to make some up. They chose to give him prominent, two-toed reptilian feet.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, really- any part that sticks out is the same color as his body. Though many have weathering on the chest-guns.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yes- I couldn't remember what he looked like, but turns out I had an armless one.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 8/10 (hard to be subjective when I have nine million of the things, but he's a real stand-out of the early guys- the only Beast with faces for hands.

 

 

[Exactobeast]

8/10! Harsh critic!

[Jabroniville]

heh-heh- it's a high score! I swear! I just love so many guys MORE!

Honestly, I almost never go below "6" for the Beasts. Only the most plain & forgettable guys get that score.

[Jabroniville]

 

#59: KING COBRA

Japanese Name: Cobrander 

Animal Basis:

 

 

Well this one's rather obvious.

 

-King Cobras are easily the longest and largest of all venomous snakes, and are so scary they're actual SNAKE HUNTERS. Immune to the venom of other Snakes, they sneak up and bite their own Family, swallowing them whole. They're so long that when they "rear" up into the air, they can actually stare some humans straight in the face (can you imagine actually seeing that?), making them utterly terrifying, but don't worry- they usually don't bite people. Instead, they shy away from contact, slithering about elsewhere, and quietly go about their business.

 

Toy Description: One I never knew existed as a kid, the King Cobra is one of the cooler-looking and more-distinctive Beasts, like much of the "Grey Weapon" guys. His color scheme is a stand-out, and his profile is impressive- like the Snake, he has a long neck, but adding the HOOD makes him one of the more-recognizable animals in the line. His skin is covered in round scales on the legs, and hexagonal ones on the arms and head. His hood is prominent, and his face sticks way out forward- his teeth are unpainted, but his tongue is red. His throat and the inside of his hood are ribbed like the Snake's is, but his arms and legs go un-ribbed. "59 B" sits on his right foot, and there's a peg-hole in the other.

 

Colors: Three- his body is a light brown. His armor is a very light purple, and his eyes, tongue and Secondary Colors are dark red.

Armor: A very well-detailed two-piece- seriously, there are a LOT of little bits and pieces attached to this. It has projected boxes and round bits all over the place, complicated shapes, projected shoulder pieces, and more. His wrist-guards stick out a great deal forwards, projecting past the hands themselves with a solid purple piece. There is a single headlight and a red vent next to each side of his Chest Symbol. The back is also very-detailed, with a large hole in the underside of one projection. Probably the most-detailed armor in the entire line.

Weapon: A strange-looking light grey abstract axe-like weapon, resembling some of the "Dark Grey Weapons" of the earlier series. The pommel sticks backwards at an angle, and the head itself sort of looks like a giant, hollow triangle, with an extra "hook" coming off of the back, and a short point sticking forwards from the front.

Hands & Feet: Both his hands are quite odd- there are no fingers, but rather than "Mittens", it looks more like a single finger that projects out at a right-angle from the wrist. His right arm is technically a "Weird Hand", but is an exact duplicate of the left, minus the thumb. So his "Weird Hand" is more just a deformity. His feet are single-toed projections.

Easily-Broken Bits: His fingers are a bit skinnier and thus flimsier than everyone else's. I would imagine that somebody may have lost his head at some point, since it's much wider at the top than the bottom.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- I saw this guy for the first time at a random Edmonton Comic Expo.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 8.5/10 (Another cool one!)

Edited by Jabroniville, 27 September 2017 - 10:12 PM.

[Exactobeast]

One of my favorites

[Jabroniville]

 

#25: BLOODTHIRSTY BISON

Japanese Name: Violet Horn 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-This guys's pretty clearly a Bison (sometimes called the Buffalo). Bison are a very large form of cow, famous as a symbol of North America (where they are the largest fauna period, having outlasted all the other megafauna like Woolly Rhinos and Mammoths and stuff), though small herds exist in Europe (where it's sometimes called the "Wisent"). They were a sacred prey species of the Natives, and both of course suffered greatly upon European expansion. Problem was, the VAST herds of bison all over the continent were very vulnerable to a little thing called a "Gun", and White & Native alike pretty much exterminated the lot of them (in some cases, deliberately, to cause the starvation of people- some Europeans were less nice than others). Today, they exist in some VERY rare, but sustainable herds, but most are now domesticated animals, producing a similar-tasting meat to regular cows. A far cry from the old days, however.

 

-Fun Fact: Environmentalists blame cattle farming for a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, as they produce a hell of a lot of methane from their eating habits and sheer size... the problem? There were MORE Bison during Pre-European North America than there are cattle today- and they were eating GRASS, not hay- producing more methane than cattle farming would today. In this sense, the mass extermination of Bison was a BENEFIT to the environment. Not that the methan produced by cattle is anywhere CLOSE to the majority produced by mankind, though.

 

Toy Description: One of my top favorites as a kid, due to both the color scheme (brown/purple) and his HUGE size. Bloodthisty Bison is not only taller than most Beasts, but WIDER- it gives him a physical presence beyond almost any other. He also has a great set of armor (boxy but detailed), a Weird Hand, and plenty of color differentiation on his form. His face is also quite detailed, with lines etched around his forehead and muzzle. He's easily-recognizable as a bison, despite lacking the shoulder hump. Like most of the earlier numbers, you can see his # on the back of his neck, and the Copywrite info written on a rectangle on his back.

 

Colors: Three- his body is a dark reddish-brown, and his armor is a nice purple color. His eyes and Secondary Color is yellow.

Armor: A very big, blocky, highly-detailed set. Everything about this one-piece set just screams "SIZE"- his boots are enormous compared to most other characters, and his chest area is extremely-wide, with little vents on the shoulders, and a Chest Symbol on his left breast. There are small half-spheres detailed over a lot of his armor, and many other raised bits. His shoulder pads are a bit on the small side, which only draws attention to his body's thickness. His Secondary Color is a giant yellow block taking up his entire crotch, all the way up to the chestplate. His horns are the color of his armor, and there's a device on his forehead- a purple rectangle with two yellow headlights in it.

Weapon: Like a lot of the "Dark Grey Series", it's an abstract shape. Here, it's basically a right triangle with a pair of triangular holes in it, and the outer edge curved outwards- both tips end in hooks that point towards each other.

Hands & Feet: His right hand is a Mitten-like one without fingers, while his left is a U-shaped claw, with the tips pointing towards each other like a nearly-completed circle. His feet are a pair of cloven hooves.

Easily-Broken Bits: His horns are very tiny, and can easily break off, as they're pointy.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- one of my very favorites, though unlike the others, he suffered missing arms, and a broken horn. He even looked large like THAT.

Variants: A minor variation- like a small handful of Beasts, he has a "dull" and a "glossy" version- my childhood Bison was quite dull purple, while my newer one is darker and very shiny.

 

Overall Score: 10/10 (totally love this guy. Just massive, impressive-looking and with cool colors).

 

 

[Exactobeast]

Sweet methane gas knowledge drop. 

[Jabroniville]

Sweet methane gas knowledge drop. 

Heh- thanks. I see the "cows cause greenhouse gases" thing tossed out there a lot, so I found the counter-argument interesting.

[Kangaroo]

@Jabroniville:
Please keep going Mr; this has been a great read.
Your thread here has helped me in my beginning search for re-collecting my childhood memory making toys.
The added real animal info has been a nice touch to the overall perspective on the Beasts.

[Jabroniville]

@Jabroniville:
Please keep going Mr; this has been a great read.
Your thread here has helped me in my beginning search for re-collecting my childhood memory making toys.
The added real animal info has been a nice touch to the overall perspective on the Beasts.

Thanks! Glad to help out . And I find stuff like this fascinating- plus my own weird attention to detail needs to be put into use SOMEWHERE .

[Jabroniville]

 

#35: KICKBACK KANGAROO

Japanese Name: Jungaroo 

Animal Basis:

 

 

 

 

-Well, obviously he's a Kangaroo, but which of the two types is impossible to tell given that they physically look about the same, except for color and size, neither of which is relevant. But this guy IS grey, so I guess we'll go with Grey Kangaroo.

 

-Kangaroos are the famous symbol of Australia, being a very-common gigantic Marsupial (easily the largest one alive today) with a powerful kick and a knack for boxing (a bygone era featured 'Roos fighting humans in boxing contests- a dangerous prospect with a kick this strong). They're fast, strong and hardy, but can be kind of a nuisance, and they're generally common enough that their frequent deaths by fence (they tend to try to hop over rather than simply climb- thus getting tangled), car and dingo get overlooked- there's always more to replace them. I think the most interesting thing about them is the way they breed- a miniscule pink semi-embryonic infant crawls out of the mother and makes a HUGE trek all the way to the pouch, where it begins feeding on milk until it grows to full baby Joey size. Marsupials tend to do things like that, and it's part of what makes them weird.

 

Toy Description: Chalk up another one as part of the "looked unimpressive as a kid, but much cooler now" crowd. The Kangaroo has a unique stance, body-type and hand, as well as being uniquely-colored with his armor, and being the only Beast with a large tail that doesn't simply lean against his body (compare him to the Mouse). His legs are splayed out to the sides, he has a pointy muzzle, large ears, and a gigantic tail that reaches all the way to the floor. He's the only Beast with a "Tripod" stance. I like the color scheme, too- a dark sea-green with yellow and red as Secondary Colors. There's a "3" on his butt, and a peg-hole in his left foot.

 

Colors: Four- his body is dark grey, and his armor a dark sea-green. His armor has two colors of lights on it- a dark yellow and red.

Armor: A large "Swimsuit"-style piece, with no codpiece portion. In fact, the "crotch" part doesn't even go all the way around- it's broken up by the tail! His armor is very "curved"- the shoulder-pads are round (with raised half-spheres as a design element), his boots are extremely-organic (bunching out at the sides and getting thin in the middle) and even the boxy shape of the torso is offset by curved edges. He has two large sets of headlights by his Chest Symbol, and a sphere on his crotch- all yellow. Two rocket launchers sit on his shoulders- three red rockets each. Even his back is interesting- a large set of tubes.

Weapon: A large golden Boomerang, but attached to a small stick (so that he can grip it). Appropriate for a kangaroo.

Hands & Feet: A three-fingered right hand with nails drawn in, and his left hand is a large, cybernetic-looking hand balled into a fist- it resembles a big grey boxing glove. His feet are large, flat, and foreward-projecting, with three toes each, all with nails.

Easily-Broken Bits: A very large, pointy tail is durable, but has a sharp edge that can be dulled. His ears are also big and pointy, and prone to damage.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- one that lost both his arms, and I never gave a second thought to. Adulthood has made me appreciate him a lot more.

Variants: A minor variation- like a small handful of Beasts, he has a "dull" and a "glossy" version- my childhood Bison was quite dull purple, while my newer one is darker and very shiny.

 

Overall Score: 8/10 (not bad, really. Kind of underrated)

Edited by Jabroniville, 30 October 2017 - 02:39 AM.

[Jabroniville]

 

#54: LEAPIN' LIZARD

Japanese Name: Shield Dragon 

Animal Basis:

 

 

The frill makes this guy unmistakable- the Frill-Necked Lizard, iconic for his wide frill, meant for intimidating rivals and attracting females. They are arboreal carnivores, typically eating bugs or smaller lizards.

 

Toy Description: Another of my favorites, he's an exotic-looking Frilled Lizard, giving him a much different silhouette than any other Beast. He's highly-detailed all over, with complex armor, cross-hatched skin, and a gigantic head-frill that extends even past his shoulders! His frill has spines, and a large, jagged outline, with the back of his head still "scaled", with two little spikes. He has a projected muzzle as well. Yet another great "Light Grey Weapon" series guy.

 

Colors: Four- his body is a very rich, light brown, and his eyes are yellow. His armor is dark, glossy blue, and his Secondary Color is red. This makes him one of the few with eyes a different color than any that appear on his armor.

Armor: A detailed, two-piece set. The Chest Symbol is placed on his right breast, with a large red circle on the other side, and a smaller circle (both raised to be half-spheres) beside THAT. His shoulder pads have low, sloping curves at the edge, and his boots are extremely-detailed, with organic-looking mechanics. His codpiece is plain, except for a complex, raised portion on the front, complete with two circles. 

Weapon: A light grey abstract shape, fitting more the "Dark Grey Weapon" series- it's a large "C" with a hole cut into the top curve, and the lower curve ending in a double-pronged spike. The top curve is larger, and has two spikes projecting backwards. There's a small handle with a tiny cylindar shape going through it.

Hands & Feet: Mitten-like hands, and two-toed feet, almost like a cloven-hoofed ungulate.

Easily-Broken Bits: I would imagine that his frill could suffer some damage, but it's a fairly-thick piece.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- as a result, this complex character has a great exotic quality to me.

Variants: None.

 

Overall Score: 9/10 (one of the coolest-looking ones)

Edited by Jabroniville, 17 November 2017 - 12:08 AM.

[Exactobeast]

Keep updating! Great kangaroo photo!

[Jabroniville]

​Thanks! This has been a fun little thread. I actually have most of the little "bios" done already- I just haven't added the animal-based knowledge. Plus, I didn't want to "spam" them out, as when you do that, nobody reads anything .

 

huh, wow- I've been doing this thread for just over a year! Not bad, considering I keep forgetting about it periodically, owing to a lack of general "new" information about the Battle Beasts line making me forget to log in all the time  .
 

huh, wow- I've been doing this thread for just over a year! Not bad, considering I keep forgetting about it periodically, owing to a lack of general "new" information about the Battle Beasts line making me forget to log in all the time  .

[Jabroniville]

 

 

#2: DEER STALKER

Japanese Name: Battle Serow 

Animal Basis:

 

Serow and Elk

 

-Deer Stalker is named after a Serow, a common goat-antelope native to Asia. Though he looks NOTHING like one, and instead resembles some variety of deer, with cartoonish horns that don't really match a modern species so much as match a simplified version of a deer's antlers. I'm getting the impression that "serow" is just the word the Japanese use to describe ALL ungulates aside from cattle, because Fleet-Footed Antelope is also called a "Serow". Doing some research, apparently the Serow is widely though of as a kind of deer in Japan, though they are not closely related- their term for the animal is kamoshika, which contains the term for "deer" (shika), which probably explains why this guy has an incongruous name. Given that the guys at Takara are probably not Biologists, Zoologists or general science-guys, that's probably the best explanation for the name.

 

-Serow are actually quite small and have very little horns by ungulate standards. More similar to goats & sheep than cattle, they're also fairly common as a cheap "Filler Animal" in zoos, because sure as shootin' you'll see a boring old Serow in one of those trademark "Gigantic Uncovered Enclosures" that fills up space in a zoo, next to their big expensive Tiger Cage or something in the "Asia" section.

 

-Deer Stalker is really more likely just a kind of Deer- there are hundreds of species, and his horns could be almost any one of them. It's obviously not a moose or caribou/reindeer, but the multi-horned antlers could easily be those of an Elk or a Red Deer.

 

-Deer are a famous, but relatively common animal, and thus are viewed as a lot less cool these days than they were back in olden times, when it was likely the wildest animal that the common peasant (or even noble) would see in their lifetime, as "menageries" (zoos before zoos were a thing) were pretty rare. They're similar to the Antelopes, but notably have solid antlers that are shed & regrown each year, and exist largely in the Northern Hemisphere, living all over Europe, Asia and North America. Most of them are quite large- though things like the Pudu and Chevrotain are tiny animals smaller than most dogs (20-40 lbs. in weight). The regular Deer are fairly big, but often no bigger than really large humans, but once you get to the Caribou, Elk and Moose, forget about it.

 

-The famous antlers regrow each year, as I said, and are meant for combat between males, which is why only males have them (except for the Caribou/Reindeer, where the females do as well). Males generally beat the crap out of each other, with the strongest gaining the attentions of a female. The animal kingdom is relatively unforgiving in this manner- being a good-natured nerd is NOT the kind of thing that is well-rewarded in nature, and your woman would leave you the second a bigger, stronger male showed up and knocked you on your keister. If the human world were like that, UFC Champions would be the only guys around getting any action.

 

Fun Fact: Deer are actually the most dangerous animals in North America! Don't laugh- they're responsible for more human fatalities than any other animal. Granted, it's not quite the same as a bear charging in and getting his eat-on on a human being, but Deer cause an inordinate number of traffic accidents, on account of being numerous, fairly large, and constantly in the freaking way when you're trying to drive on Highway roads. One of these things coming through the windshield or making you swerve to avoid it... it's rather dangerous. Deer collisions actually kill about two hundred people a year, which is far in excess of dog attacks AND bee stings. Bambi is a f***ing murderous psycho-killer, y'all.

 

Toy Description: One of the very-earliest Beasts, and oddly one of the ones to break the rules the HARDEST- observe his giant goggles, lack of boots, shorts instead of a codpiece, and odd body shape. Nothing on him looks like the other Beasts- I think the only thing keeping him from looking super-exotic is that he was so early that he was absolutely mass-produced- as a kid I had THREE of him, and I ended up with even more due to various "Lots" going on sale. He also has a pair of very thin, very fragile antlers (god I keep calling them "horns" even though I KNOW better... but they really do look like horns, since they're straight) coming out the top of his head. Most-distinctive about him is probably the giant drill for a hand. There's a large "2" on his butt, and Copywrite info on his back. 

 

Colors: Three- his body is a dark, chestnut brown. His armor is a leafy, light green, and his Secondary Color is dark orange.

Armor: A very organic-looking one-piece set- the entire chest region is plainly-detailed, but curved, packing orange vents beside the Chest Symbol, and a very large orange "laser" mounted on his left shoulder. His shoulder pads are short, but project way upwards with curved edges. His left wrist-guard is a bulging shape that extends with a spike, and his right is a rounded guard with circles all over it. His codpiece is well-detailed, and features a pair of rounded rockets coming out of each side. Instead of boots, he has a set of armor SHORTS, ending at the knees. He has a large pair of green goggles covering his eyes, with an orange visor.

Weapon: A dark silver "Batt'leth"-like creation. Very small for a Battle Beast weapon, it's a handle with a large, flat "V" shape, with jagged points on both sides projecting towards the centre, outlying point of the "V".

Hands & Feet: A three-fingered right hand, while his left is a gigantic orange drill, complete with an edge wrapping around the whole thing. His legs end in very thin ankles that end in cloven hooves.

Easily-Broken Bits: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- oh jesus. Just look at those tiny, bendable, elongated antlers on his head. I'm amazed that ANY kid has an intact Deer because of those things (yet I managed it with two of them).

 

Had it as a Kid: Yes- three in total, in various stages of disrepair. Oddly, ALL THREE have their arms intact- only one is missing the tips of his horns.

Variants: A mild case- some are a bit glossier than others.

 

Overall Score: 8/10 (it's hard not to call him one of the best ones- I think the only thing holding him back is the fact that EVERY kid had one, making him seem "less special" than the other, later ones)

Edited by Jabroniville, 20 November 2017 - 03:56 AM.

[Exactobeast]

Everyone had him, but he was still my #2 in command beast

[Jabroniville]

Neat! I had the Rhino leading the good guys, with the Fox as his #2 (Bison & Horse being the generals), while the Lion led the bad guys, with the Cuttlefish as his #2.

[Jabroniville]

 

#69: ZEALOT ZEBRA

Japanese Name: Zebra Ball 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Obviously a Zebra, though the exact variety is unknown. Zebras are generally smaller than horses, but are of course wild animals. Their iconic stripes is thought to be camouflage (many predators are colour-blind, so seeing these things in tall grass might be tough), and there are various subspecies spread throughout Africa.  Zebras are known to be a pain in zoos, as zebras like to do two things- fight, and make more zebras. Neither makes them very good "display animals" when children are around, which is why the zoo herds are always rather small.

 

Toy Description: Easily one of the top-five most-distinctive Battle Beasts, owing to the fact that he breaks almost every single rule of the line. First off, his armor not only breaks the "one/two-piece" design rule, but includes semi-equal parts of two different colors! And his armor actually covers an entire arm and a leg! His entire form is asymmetrical aside from his head, and he's the only Beast I can think of with differently-colored EARS. He's skinny and graceful instead of beefy, and both of his hands look weird. Of course, he doesn't have real black stripes- he's instead sporting the "sculpted stripes" look of the Tiger, or the spots that characters like the Bovine & Jaguar get. The Zebra is a short, white figure, sporting black side bits, and grey/purple bicolored armor, with a left-placed Chest Symbol- like a lot of the "Purple Weapon Guys", he's got a ton of detail on him- the armor's more uniquely-shaped than anything, but the stripes go all the way around.

 

He's noticeably-tiny, too- the Horse is MASSIVE compared to him. This is the only real flaw in the figure- he'd look so much more impressive if he was "beefier". Instead, he's one of the shortest, skinniest Beasts, looking puny next to almost anyone else. His long, skinny head doesn't help matters.

 

His species is readily-apparently, even without black stripes- his horse-like head and black mohawk sees to that. Even from far away I noticed him at an Expo. His left boot has a peg-hole in it, and there's a "69C" right next to it. I had forgotten about this guy from my old days of checking out random Beast-related webpages, but saw him for the first time at a Comic Expo. I made a decision later that day to go back and get him... only to discover that someone had beaten me to it! Thankfully, I managed to find another one a year later, and eBay actually produced a couple more. As one of the last in the line, he's quite rare and pricey, but not as much as the Penguin or Orangutan.

 

Colors: Four- his body is plain white. His hair, eyes, ears and a single bit on his armor are black. His armor is half-purple, half-grey- both colors are a bit pastel-like.

Armor: The most unique set of armor in the entire line. It's actually one of the least-substantial as well. Almost his entire torso is bare- he has a purple square around his Chest Symbol (on the left side of his chest) that goes around and covers about half of his back. The other shoulder has a small purple "vent" draped across the shoulder. Beside the Chest Symbol is a tiny black mechanical-thing with three lines across it. His codpiece is straight purple, and separated from the upper pieces. His right arm bears no shoulder pad, but has a purple wrist-guard, leading to a white Weird Hand thing. His other arm, however, is COMPLETELY covered save the hand- a very boxy type of grey armor covers the rest, and includes a large shoulder pad that branches off. His left leg mimics the arm, being completely covered except for the foot. The right leg is standard Battle Beast-style, however, with a single boot. It mimics the design of the grey one, but has a bare upper leg, and is purple. Both show bare hooves.

Weapon: A large purple scimitar-like weapon. It looks a bit odd, though- there's a piece projecting off of the hilt, that points in the same direction as the blade. It makes the sword look "wrong", no matter which way it's pointed.

Hands & Feet: His right hand ends in a crab-like "claw" that can grip his weapon. His left hand is a large, mechanical-looking "spear"- it widens from the base, ending in a pyramid with a tiny ball at the end- it looks vaguely like a sci-fi laser tip. His feet are plain "hooves".

Easily-Broken Bits: His Weird Hand is probably prone to breaking off, but really, the worst fear here is the classic "yellowing" of white plastic over the years. One of my Zebras looks TERRIBLE because of it.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- never even heard of it. Now that I have three, and had one in pretty brutal condition (something had spilled on it, and he looked "burned"), I repainted him to look more like a classic Zebra.

Variants: None.

Overall Score: 9/10 (Great-looking toy, though a bit on the small side)

Edited by Jabroniville, 25 November 2017 - 01:13 AM.

[Exactobeast]

I alsways imagined he had some kind of battle wounds and lost an arm and leg and had them replaced with some robot attachments. I thought it was such an awesome idea I’ve been duplicating it ever since.

[Jabroniville]

 

#60: MANIC MANDRILL

Japanese Name: Baboon 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Obviously, this is a Mandrill, though the Japanese just called him "Baboon". Mandrills are nutty. Basically being monkeys, they almost seem to fit more into the Ape side of things. They're notoriously angry, violent and dangerous, especially since they travel in large groups, and though they usually just forage all day for fruit, leaves and seeds, they've been known to take down prey as large as young fawns of Antelopes for food! Plus, those faces and asses... designed to attract mates and be intimidating, they stand out pretty well compared to the rest of the Primates. 

 

Toy Description: The Mandrill is one of the most odd-looking Beasts, yet turns out to be one of the weakest of the "Later Series" ones (the Light Gray & Purple Weapon Guys). I think it's the weak color scheme- light grey skin and dark pastel orange armor is really unimpressive. Even one of the most-detailed faces of the entire line, and a unique bit of the armor (a huge yellow piece), fails to really perfect him. His armor is a bit  rounded compared to most, and his face detailing is excellent, however- he has a pronounced mouth, downward-pointing fangs, detailing on his "beard", and a "mask" of sorts. Around his eyes and nose there's a pink/orange muzzle, and blue lined pouches on his cheeks. This makes him one of the most-detailed figures in the entire line, using five colors. Problematically, most of them are a bit plain, causing him to totally "fade" in group pictures. The best part about him is his weapon- a large spear.

 

Like most of the later series, his left foot has a peg-hole, and there's a "60A" next to it.

 

Colors: Five- tied for the most in the line. His skin is a light grey, and his armor a dark orange (vaguely pastel-like). His eyes and part of his armor are yellow. His "mask" is a lighter form of orange (looking a bit pink), and his cheek pouches are blue.

Armor: A very rounded set- a two-piece of orange armor. His shoulder pads almost look like Nautilus shells, while his kneepads are very round, mechanical-looking things. His wrist-guards are completely rounded cylinders, and there is organic design work throughout everything- especially the boots. The most-unique bit is a whole yellow structure on the chest, surrounding not only his Chest Symbol but containing a set of headlights, and more- his chest is actually more yellow than orange. The top of his head has a long orange strip of metal along it, ending in a vent at the front.

Weapon: A very long, light-gray spear. The spearhead is very rounded at the sides, looking like a giant spade, with two smaller hooks coming out the sides. There's a "relief" drawn in- an oval cut in half by a line. Small lines encircle the bottom and top of the shaft.

Hands & Feet: Three-fingered hands, with only very light detailing to reveal them. His four-toed feet, however, have a great deal of detail, with distinctive toenails.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, though the tiny face details are probably prone to smudging.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- never heard of it, either.

Variants: None.

Overall Score: 6/10 (meh. He has some good coloring on his face, but I don't find him altogether interesting. The weapon's pretty good, though)

[Jabroniville]

 

#58: TORRENTIAL TAPIR

Japanese Name: Dreameater 

Animal Basis: 

 

FRIGGIN HELL, NATURE!!!

 

-Obviously a Tapir, but it's unclear what kind- they all look pretty much alike except for size and color, and this is just a standard-sized Beast with white skin. Asians have a thing with Tapirs and eating dreams (the mythical "Baku" is a chimeric animal with a trunk and other elements, leading to Tapir comparisons once that animal was discovered), hence the "Dreameater" name matching up with the existence of Hypno & Drowzee in Pokemon ALSO being dream-eaters.

 

-The Tapirs are goofy-looking to the extreme, but are a shining example of the proof of continental divide- how else would an animal simultaneously exist in East Asia AND South & Central America? Curiously, the seem to exist in some rare divide between "Cute, Cuddly Monster" and "Nightmare Fuel Beast" -- they'll look silly and pig-like in one picture, and then in the next they're revealing a horrific set of gums beneath this large craning nose. The mini-trunk is the hallmark of the Family, used to grab at stuff. All four recognized families are highly-endangered thanks to habitat loss, and they're preyed upon mainly by the Big Cats and large reptiles (The Anaconda & Crocodile).

 

-The closest animals to them are the Rhinos- this seems obvious given their body and head-shape. The Order Perrissodactyla is made up of "Odd-Toed Ungulates", consisting of Rhinos, Tapirs, and Horses (who are more distantly-related). Tapirs are considered a "living fossil", as they have changed little over 35 million years- animals with long upper lips used to be a lot more common in olden times. There are four species of Tapir- the Malayan (the largest- 1,190 lbs. maximum!), the South American (the least-endangered- 550 lbs. maximum), the Mountain (330 lbs.- lives in the moutnains of Chile), and Baird's Tapir (880 lbs.).

 

Toy Description: I mistook Torrential Tapir for the Aardvark the first time I saw him at the Old Strathcona Antique Mall. Okay, so one has orange armor and the other green- but the pronounced muzzle and all-white skin, and my lack of strong familiarity with the line at that point had confused me. I actually looked at the master list, double-checked at the store, and realized that this was a Beast I didn't have! That said, I actually really like this guy- like a lot of "plain" Beasts, he has a strong design. The lime green looks great, and some nice little lights on his suit. Even his head and Weird Hand are unique- few Beasts have a head THIS elongated. There's a "58B" on the bottom of his left foot, next to a peg-hole.

 

Colors: Four- his skin is plain white. His armor is a glossy, lime green, and there are three sets of red lights on it. His eyes are yellow.

Armor: A lime green two-piece, with rounded edges all over. There's lots of little details as well- sets of lines, triangles on the kneepads, and organic swooping shoulder-pads with smaller pads underneath them. There's a pair of "Yin/Yang" shaped red bits beside the Chest Symbol- each with a circle at one end, and a separation via a line through the middle. The crotch also has a large red circle with an outline.

Weapon: A large, light-grey scimitar, ending in two points. There are three lines etched in on each side.

Hands & Feet: One mitten hand, and his left is one of the best Weird Hands in the line- a cybernetic-looking white pair of mechanical fingers, complete with a rounded "gear" at the wrist, and the joint. His feet are four-toed.

Easily-Broken Bits: Probably the hand, but like most white Beasts, you're going to see a lot of weathering in the plastic.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- he's an unknown to me.

Variants: None.

Overall Score: 7/10 (actually not bad. Generic, but not bad. I dig the colors)

Edited by Jabroniville, 11 December 2017 - 02:53 AM.

[Exactobeast]

Why the tapir is awesome:

1. That claw!
2. Japanese name: Dreameater!

[Jabroniville]

 

#30: ARMORED ARMADILLO

Japanese Name: Browngyro 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-This guy is clearly some form of Armadillo, though the precise species is unknown- you can't count the number of bands on his back properly. The Giant Armadillo is by far the largest of his group, and an avid digger. They're also a notable road hazard, as their tendency to jump three or four feet in the air when startled makes them a poor match for the speeding vehicles that would normally pass right over them. Usually barely over 60 pounds in the wild, captive specimens have grown to a staggering 180 lbs.! And that's for a 3-foot creature! Armadillos aren't very strong compared to humans, but their claws could do some damage.

 

Toy Description: One of two similar-looking Battle Beasts (alongside Tanglin' Pangolin), the Armadillo is very neat overall, and a good "classic" Beast design. It helps that he's one of the most-detailed characters in the line- his distinctive "scales" cover his arms, legs, back, and the top of his head, leaving only his sides, face and neck "bare". His entire BACK is revealed in this same detail, with rectangular bands going down the full length of his bare back, culminating in one of the line's only visible tails (a blunt, beaver-like one). He's got longer, very pointed ears projecting off of his head. His color scheme is eye-popping (the bright PINK armor really sets off the rich brown skin), and he's got one of those great golden weapons. One of the most-unique ones, too. He's got a peg-hole on the bottom of his left foot. I was never overly-impressed with my easily-broken one as a kid, but I recognize him as one of the great ones, now.

 

Colors: Three- a rich, light brown skin, while his armor is an almost neon-looking dark pink. His eyes and Secondary Color are bright yellow.

Armor: A somewhat-unusual looking one-piece, with the Symbol in the belly, a plunging, square neckline, and a lot of shapes swooping downards- mimicking that same neckline. His chestpiece, codpiece and neckline all have that same, swooping downwards look to them. The entire back is cut out- revealing his banded backing and tail. The armor itself doesn't have a lot of lines and details, however- it's mostly just got those yellow lights all over it. He has two pairs around his pectorals, and one giant one on the crotch (further leading the eye down). And most-unusually, there are two lights beside his Symbol- not on his armor, but on his SKIN. Odder still, you can see little lines etched into his skin besides the lights, as if it's supposed to be flesh-colored mechanical gear instead. His boots and wrist-guards are more typical, and well-detailed with line-work, while his shoulder-pads are actually very tiny little mechanical bits- sticking outwards at the sides.

Weapon: A small, golden, double-bladed polearm of sorts. Each "blade" is actually a crescent-shaped thing, a bit like a giant thorn, or one half of a Yin/Yang symbol. The blades point in opposite directions.

Hands & Feet: Two-fingered hands, with etched-in fingernails. His feet are quite unique- three-toed, but with the middle toe placed on top of the other two- the boot's shape is altered to allow for this, with metal overlapping the toes.

Easily-Broken Bits: Oh God those ears. Teeny, tiny and pointed. It's a wonder any still exist intact at all.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- badly-damaged and earless.

Variants: None.

Overall Rating: 8/10 (I like his colors)

[Jabroniville]

 

#65: TANGLIN' PANGOLIN

Japanese Name: Pangol 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-This guy's some variety of Pangolin- it's impossible to tell which kind, really. These nutty little creatures are one of nature's weirdest-looking mammals. When I showed one to my then-roommate, he gave out an incredulous "Is that a SUPER-VILLAIN?" Their armored body resembles a long pinecone with a tail. They are similar to Anteaters & Armadillos in appearance, and are long-tongued, big-clawed bug-eaters- however, they are separate from them, linked more-closely to Carnivora. Only seven species are known, and then go from Africa to East Asia. Most are very Endangered, as their skin and meat are high in demand, and the small animals have little defense against humans, aside from some pungents musk coming from their anal glands.

 

-An iconic Pangolin, the Ground variety weighs up to 40 lbs., and is quite tough for such a small animal. Of the Pangolins, it's about Medium-sized- the Giant Pangolin can weigh over 70 lbs., and there are numerous arobreal varieties that spend all of their time in trees, with prehensile tails.

 

Toy Description: The "twin" to the Armadillo, the Pangolin looks at first like a recolor, until you look closely. His ears are barely visible off his head, has a more-typical one-piece set of armor (his back is not bare), and he's got a Weird Hand. It's just the head shape and scales being near-identical that makes them look similar. He's got a nice overall look- being well-detailed and having great armor. A unique color scheme, too- dark brown and very light hot pink. He has square scales running on the top of his head, his sides, and his limbs, shorter than the long Armadillo scales. His left foot has "65A" and a peg-hole on it. All in all, one of the nicer Beasts, and a good example of the later-series guys being among the very best.

 

Colors: Four- his skin is dark brown, while his armor is a very odd, bright pastel hot pink color (basically, peach). His eyes and Weird Hand claws are bright yellow, while his armor has a single square of red on it.

Armor: A standard one-piece, very boxy and sizeable. The Chest Symbol is on the right breast, while the left has a red square with some mechanical bits. His shoulder pads are very rounded, and his boots are among the largest in the line- very splayed-out, projecting from the legs with large vents on the sides. There are tons of little mechanical bits spaced throughout- his crotch has some (including a big sphere)- even his wrist-guards are very well-detailed.

Weapon: A long purple spear- the hilt has a bracer much like a lance would, while the top is essentially three spearheads placed on top of each other. 

Hands & Feet: One mitten like hand, and three-toed feet. His left hand is a heavy-duty set of three big, yellow claws, designed for a combination of digging and fighting.

Easily-Broken Bits: I would imagine the Weird Hand is easily-damaged, though you're really as likely to lose the entire arm, as with all Beasts.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- a poor armless one.

Variants: Various versions of his peach armor have been seen- probably because of factories having issues matching his precise color. As such, these aren't so much "variants", as there's no "typical" one.

Overall Rating: 8/10 (good details)