259 replies to this topic

[Jabroniville]

 

 

#14: SWINY BOAR

Japanese Name: Wild Thunder 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Swiny Boar is pretty obviously meant to be a kind of Wild Boar, though the exact species isn't easy to suss out, given that he's, well, PINK. Wild Boars are among the largest of all pigs, and hybrids between them and feral pig populations can grow to morbidly obese 800-lb. specimens that defy description and provide fat rednecks with tons of "Kill poses" on Google Image Search. They're big and goofy-looking, but make no mistake- they can be extremely dangerous, and full grown males have been known to gore TIGERS to death in self-defense. It's a big fat monster that can dish out some damage, but is rather easily victimized by serious predators (who make regular meals out of them- many large predators using them as a staple food source).

 

-The Pig Family is full of big, fat, ugly creatures prone to people joking about them, but several of them are nasty fighters, and they're an impressively-adaptable group of critters. They can eat just about anything, but aren't nearly as gluttonous as the media would have you believe. Pigs aren't as varied as many other Families, all containing tusks and big, flat noses, but their sizes vary greatly, and some have very odd features. Pygmy Hogs are only 22 lbs., but feral Boars can weigh in excess of 1,000 lbs. The Babirusa is easily the weirdest- this 220-lb. pig only exists in some Southeast Asian Islands, and has tusks that grow up THROUGH the top of it's muzzle! For some reason, despite their famous ugliness, their piglets are nearly always disgustingly cute, being striped AND spotted in addition to being tiny. SOOOOO CUTE!

 

-Pigs are famously-filthy animals, rolling around in the dirt and mud, though some species are rather clean (and they rarely crap in their own sleeping areas)- Pig Farms, where they are concentrated in their THOUSANDS, are extremely smelly and deemed an infamous public nuisance in surrounding areas. This lack of cleanliness led to both Judaism and Islam banning eating of the animals as "unclean", though Islam practices this a lot more intensely- Pigs are just in the many "non-kosher" animals in Judaism. Despite generally being portrayed as doofuses in the media, pigs are VERY intelligent animals, showing significantly more smarts than dogs. Their high fat content and intelligence are often given as reasons not to eat them, but... BACON!! How can you turn down BACON?!?

 

-Pot-Bellied Pigs were a major Fad Pet of the 1990s, and an iconic example of what can go wrong when there's a "Fad Pet". The pigs, while adorable as babies, can grow to tip the scales at 300 lbs., making them poor housepets. As such, many pigs were abandoned by their owners, creating an Animal Rescue problem. The same thing happens with various Dog Breeds over the years, particularly when a big new movie (101 Dalmatians, Beethoven) comes out, making kids want puppies that soon grow into ill-suited pets.

 

-The pig's fearlessness is admired in some cultures, but they're also generally known for being quite stupid and impetuous, given their violent tempers. I just remember that scene in the first episode of Roots, where Kunta Kinte declares admiration for the brave Pig, willing to fight to the death, over the cowardly, fleeing Leopard... but his mentor carefully reminds him that the Leopard SURVIVES attacks, while the Boar always dies.

 

Danger to Humans: Pretty big, actually, given the size and ferocity of some creatures. They're not as quick, though, and make for big targets, and so are pretty easy to kill if you have a good weapon. There's a scene in The Wizard of Oz when everybody panics because Dorothy clumsily-fell into the hog pen while screwing around- this may look a bit odd to modern eyes, but apparently it used to be QUITE a thing that children would get trampled and/or attacked by the omnivorous swine. Pigs kill about as many people each year as sharks do, though of course their numbers and proximity add to that- recently, a 70-year old man fell into his hog pen and was almost completely-devoured.

 

Toy Description: Swiny Boar is one I've little familiarity with, never having had it as a kid (despite that, he's a relatively-early number). I ended up spending what was in retrospect way too much for it at a Convention show a year ago too, but c'est la vie. He's an unusual scheme- purple/blue, and the orange secondary color just makes him look more odd. Though I can't say I find the pastel purple very compelling. His gas mask look gives him a menacing air, as do the tusks. His "14" is written on the back of his right thigh. He's also one of very few Beasts with distinctive hair- it's colored orange (like his eyes), and goes all the way to the base of his neck.

 

Colors: Three. His body is a sickly, pastel purple. His armor is a dark blue, and his secondary color is a dark orange- you'll find it on his hair, eyes, below his kneepads, and on the filter for his gas mask.

Armor: Pretty plain, and quite rounded. Standard one-piece set-up, oddly with zero extra colors on the torso or codpiece whatsoever. The only colorful bits are on his mask (which covers his entire mouth save the tusks, and is connected to his armor by the back).

Weapon: A dark golden pointy-thing- it resembles a large spear with an extra spiky bit sticking off to the side. Three circles are indented onto each side.

Hands & Feet: Mitten hands, and two-toed, cloven hooves.

Easily-Broken Bits: None.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope. I spent like $25-35 on him at a Calgary Comic Expo one year- way too much, in retrospect.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 6.5/10 (not bad, but not great. The mask is pretty cool, at least)

 

 

[Jabroniville]

 

#7: HORNY TOAD

Japanese Name: Drill Frog 

Animal Basis: 

 

 

-Horny Toad (Drill Frog in Japan) is pretty clearly a kind of toad, judging by all of the warts and his more inset eyes (as opposed to the distinctive bulging eyes of frogs). It's impossible to determine the species, though- there are hundreds of kinds of these amphibians out there. He could easily be a Cane Toad- the front profile fits, and they're a famous invasive species, prone to outbreeding the local fauna.

 

-Go back far enough, and pretty much all land vertebrates owe their lineage to Amphibians. Debuting in the Devonian Period, they soon came to dominate the Earth, until the Reptiles took over. Amphibians, once extremely-diverse and covering many steps in the food chain, now are pretty much just three groups separated into 7,000 small species, 90% of which are Frogs (the other two are Salamanders & Caecilians). A tiny Frog is the world's smallest vertebrate (about half the size of a U.S. dime), and the longest is a hair under six feet in length (the Chinese Giant Salamander)- once, they were up to nine feet long.

 

-Amphibians are, well, amphibious, being at home on land or in the water, where they can travel at great speeds. They give birth to eggs full of tiny tadpoles, which grow less and less aquatic with time, eventually growing legs and scarcely resembling their original forms at all (basically, Frogs are the Saiyans of the vertebrate world). Many, MANY species are now incredibly-Endangered, with the constant frog death being a sign of environmental disaster in many regions of the world- with skin that easily absorbs the water and anything in it, frogs are a good indicator of environmental health.

 

Toy Description: One of the earliest Beasts, as well as one of the most unusual- Horny Toad (heh, probably won't see THAT name on a toy any longer...) is a big stand-out. Almost every part of him is weird- his entire body is covered in warts, for one. His legs are actually full-on digitigrade- a VERY odd feature for this line (only some of the birds are like that). His boots are mere shin guards. He's WAY skinnier than the other Beasts. His head is shorter and broader than others, too. All in all, it's a pretty neat, quirky design. Though I was never overly impressed with him as a kid- I think his scrawniness makes him look less-impressive than the other characters. An actual Horned Toad Beast would be pretty cool, but this he's just lumpy and skinny. His "7" is on his left shin-guard, and all the various Hasbro/Takara stuff is on the back of his armor.

 

Colors: Three. His body is a bright, almost fluorescent green. His armor is a brownish-red, and his secondary color (headlights on his armor, eyes, hand-weapon and shoulder-spikes) is yellow.

Armor: One of the plainest, least-detailed sets of armor in the series. This one-piece set is quite narrow, and features smaller wrist & shin-guards than other Beasts have. Two little "prongs" come off of where his ears would probably be.

Weapon: A silver... diagonal thing. Oddly shaped like a frog's foot- with one spike pointing downwards, with three other spikes pointing up. The rear-most spike is curved, and the middle one is tiny. It also has a few "lumps", much like the Toad's own skin.

Hands & Feet: One three-fingered hand. Splayed-out, amphibian-like webbed feet- four toes in front, and one in back. His left arm ends in a long, floor-length yellow spike, with four smaller spikes at the base.

Easily-Broken Bits: His very thin legs are among the more fragile lower-appendages of any Beast- I have the childhood-owned one-legged Toad to prove it.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- I never cared much for him, though he did end up VERY damaged, losing not only both of his arms, but a FOOT!

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 7/10 (weird-looking and distinctive, but not one of my favorites)

[Jabroniville]

#39: DRAGOON RACCOON
Japanese Name: Dark Raccoon
Animal Basis:

 

-For eons, scientists have debated the taxonomic classifications of the Giant Panda, the Red Panda, and whether or not each is a bear or a Raccoon. The final truth seems to have been decided: Raccoons are simply VERY-closely related to bears, and morseo to the Red Panda. This Family has 20 Species in it, but only two are famous- the Coati & Kinkajous are not household names.
-Famous for their bandit-like "masks", Raccoons are notoriously-adaptable, and readily-acclimate themselves to human habitations. With handlike paws, small size, and great agility, they can get basically anywhere they need to, and can easily become gigantic pests. In some places, they've gotten bold enough to attack and kill family pets (one Anti-Pest show featured a Raccoon that reached into a Parrot's cage and RIPPED ITS HEAD OFF).

Toy Description: This guy's one of those unfortunate cases where a completely-unique Beast with a lot of detail still ends up being kind of dull and forgettable. Maybe it's the weird "bare hand" thing he's got for his Special Limb. And the fact that he's a bit skinny. Or that his coloring's bland. Really, the only part I actually like about this guy is his weapon. It's too bad, because you can tell there was some work put into this one- he's got the rare FIVE COLORS scheme going on; a big, detailed "mask" over his face; and even a pronounced grimace with numerous visible teeth; which is much more coloring detail than is usually put into these guys. The "39" is on the back of his neck, and there's an "A" on his left boot.

Colors: Five- his base color is a somewhat-creamy light brown. His armor's main color is dark green, and there's a secondary color of a vaguely-greenish yellow. He has a dark grey "mask" over his eyes, which are red- much more coloration than is normal in this line.
Armor: Quite plain two-piece set, which really doesn't stand out in any particular way. A yellow "circuit board" looking thing is on the left breast, and a single yellow line is on the codpiece. The Chest Symbol is oddly-placed on the right breast.
Weapon: A large golden thing that looks a bit like a spiky leaf. It's got a short haft, and three curved points on each side, leading to a single point on top. It's got four holes in the center, as if it's a giant tennis racket of doom.
Hands & Feet: Four-fingered right hand, and an elongated, bare "human hand" for the left one. It's a very odd thing, as the line goes "Fantasy/Sci-Fi" so hard, but this looks almost exactly like a man's arm. The lack of wrist guard makes it look downright nude. He also has four-toed feet.
Easily-Broken Bits: None, though the skinny arm may prove vulnerable.

Had it as a Kid: A single armless one. I never thought much of him, to the point where I often forget he exists.
Variants: The Japanese version seems to have lighter armor, with bright yellow instead of yellow/green for his secondary color. Apparently that weapon of his is sometimes seen in a different shade of gold.

Overall Score: 6/10 (well-detailed and he has one of the most eye-catching weapons, but he still comes off as plain. Plus, that hand is just WEIRD)

Edited by Jabroniville, 15 January 2018 - 10:52 PM.

[Jabroniville]

Huh, I didn't realize I'd let this sit for two weeks. My bad- I only wanted to post every few days and not spam them out (also it's a bit of work; I've done the descriptions of the armor before, but I have to link up animal info to them as well), but I sometimes forget about it entirely.

[Exactobeast]

As a child, I had no clue this guy was a racoon. 

[Jabroniville]

As a child, I had no clue this guy was a racoon. 

What did you think he was?

I spent most of my life thinking the Carp was a Piranha . And the Cuttlefish was a Squid (to be fair, that's probably a common one. And I didn't know what a Cuttlefish was).

[Jabroniville]

#63: ROWDY ROOSTER
Japanese Name: Razorkukku
Animal Basis:



Domesticated Rooster (unknown breed)- possibly a Leghorn, Sussex or a Wyandotte breed just by looking at the colors, though the creators probably just decided on "Generic Chicken Appearance" and made him white for the sake of coloring. Domesticated chickens are derived from gamebirds- A mostly-ground-dwelling Order (Galliformes) generally treated as big prey items for early settlers of the Americas. Most are quite small (the Quail, Ptarmigan & Partridge weigh much less than a pound, on average), but the Turkey is famously big and fat, and will readily-charge humans. The spectacular Peacock is from India, but is known throughout the world. And they're REALLY friggin' loud. The most-famous and important to humans is naturally the Chicken, domesticated from the East Asian "Red Jungle-Fowl" about 5,000 years ago.

Toy Description: This is one of the few I glossed over as a kid as unimpressive (I mean, it's an EVIL CHICKEN), but I've come to enjoy a lot more nowadays. It's actually quite detailed- especially in the face, which most Beasts simply leave as a "well-molded face" and that's that. Here, he's actually got a full "mask" of pink- covering a comb, waddle and face-mask. The armor's cool, and his wings look downright flight-capable. For a simple farm animal, they did a heck of a job. As he's pretty late in the game, you get the impression they really knew what they were doing.

Colors: Four. His body is white, and his armor light blue. A secondary color of pink is on both the armor, and his entire face, from comb to waddle. His eyes and beak are yellow.
Armor: A very detailed one-piece, with an unusually-small codpiece area- the thing is largely dominated by the elongated (to suit the hanging waddle) upper portion, leaving the Symbol right in the middle of his frame. Two boards of buttons are at each side of the Symbol. His shoulder pads are exceptionally-small- just a pair of bands with knobs on each side.
Weapon: One of the more classical-looking weapons- it's a grey double-bladed spear. The ends are grooved in the middle of each bladed portion, and it's one of the longer weapons overall. All of the "Grey Series" guys have phenomenal weapons, looking at it.
Hands & Feet: Mitten-hands (with lines sculpted across the backs), and four-taloned feet (three in front, one in back).
Easily-Broken Bits: Very large wings seem an easy bet to be damaged, though they're attached by a much broader base than most Beast wings. Of more importance is the white body, which is very prone to yellowing, like most '80s white toys. The pointy beak is also prone to weathering.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- one armless chicken. I never thought much of him, and came to appreciate him more much later.
Variants: None known.

Overall Score: 7.5/10 (actually really solid)

Edited by Jabroniville, 30 December 2016 - 12:58 AM.

[Jabroniville]

#63: BODACIOUS BOVINE
Japanese Name: White Cow
Animal Basis:




-Bodacious Bovine is a domesticated cattle, and likely a Holstein, given the white coloring and the "spots" (though the creators likely just took a generic cow and decided to make it white).

-Bovidae is a rather large, epic family, containing both the Antelopes and the Cattle, as well as all the Sheep. This diversity leads to vastly-different stats, sizes and ecological niches around the world. As such, I'll build each group separately. Note that some are so similar that they builds can duplicate for different species. The Ibex, a 330-lb. Antelope with GIANT curved horns, is pretty much the same thing as a Bighorn Sheep as far as the game is concerned, occupying the exact same ecological niche on the other side of the world from the North American species. Similarly, the Common or Giant Eland, a 2,210-lb. giant Antelope, is pretty much exactly the same as a standard Cow/Bull- it's just an Antelope instead.

-Cattle are among the most important animals in human history- their ease of domestication (you need a fence and a field, really), sheer size, calmness, etc. has made them the ultimate farm animal. The book Guns, Germs & Steel actually posits that proximity to the diseases these things created were what allowed Europeans to take control of the entire globe, alongside a few other factors (see, cattle produce smallpox, which Europeans developed immunities to... many other peoples were not so lucky). Of course, the males of the species are notoriously ornery and quick to react with violence, to the point where they can be used in matadorial contests. For this reason, most farmers only keep a few un-castrated males around to further the herd, and leave the rest to lesser fates. Being really huge (ie. full of enough meat to feed entire families for weeks) and really easily cowed (where do you think the expression comes from?) into going and doing what you want, they're the perfect farm animal.

-Most cattle species are huge- except for the Eland, no other Bovine species comes close to most of these. The Yak is a relatively little cow, and its well over 1,000 lbs. in weight. Species include the Yak (woolly Asian cow), Banteng (also Asian), African & Water Buffaloes (similar-looking heavy creatures, the former Africa's only cow), the Bison of America & Europe, the Gaur (massive Indian species) and Muskox (really fluffy Arctic species).

Danger to Humans: Immense. Cattle kill farmers ALL THE TIME (sometimes by accident- given their huge size). The size of many of these things is not to be underestimated, despite people probably being used to seeing these guys as the Jobbers of Animal Planet. Wild Bison, Buffalo, Gaur and Oxen are INCREDIBLY-dangerous, prone to charging out of territorial aggression- Yellowstone Park has numerous recorded incidents of foolish people rushing up to the "Fuzzy Herbivores" trying to get pictures, then getting hammered down by a one-ton animal with extremely sharp horns.

Toy Description: Yes, it's really BODACIOUS Bovine, swear to God. This is one of the Beasts I think I've always quite liked, which is unusual, given that its based off of a much-more mundane animal than most of them. A domestic COW isn't exactly what you'd consider a solid basis for an epic warrior, but there you go. I think it really just comes down to the color scheme- like the Antelope, it's a very simple Beast given a very sharp design- stark white and dark purple REALLY play off against each other well.

Despite being quite simple, there are some complexities in the design- I literally never realized this until just now, but this guy is actually SPOTTED. If you look closely, there are small indentations that give off circles- this means the white fellow is likely actually a HOLSTEIN- a dairy cow! So they somehow made a dairy cow one of the best-looking, most eye-catching Beasts in the entire line.

Colors: Only three- a white body, dark purple armor, and dark pink bits on the armor, and for his eyes.
Armor: Fairly-detailed, but not that stand-outish in design. It's a two-piece set, with a lot of straight lines breaking it up, along with two large round objects next to the Chest Symbol. There are vents and organic-looking "buldges" all over the thing. It also features an odd mechanical connector between the horns- looking like the "boss" that some bovine species have.
Weapon: A large purple scimitar- one of the more-natural-looking weapons in the series.
Hands & Feet: Mitten hands and cloven hooves- oddly, both toes are separated by some of the purple boot, making them much more spread-out than normal.
Easily-Broken Bits: None. However, like most white-bodied Beasts, a major issue is "yellowing"- both of the Bovines I have feature some unfortunate marking on the hands, muzzle and ears.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- one I greatly underappreciated at the time. It helped that he was armless. eBay has brought me two- one I got just for the weapon.
Variants: None known.

Overall Score: 9/10 (I dunno- I love these dudes)

Edited by Jabroniville, 06 January 2017 - 10:44 PM.

[Exactobeast]

Wow! Big time bovine love.

I always thought the raccoon was a wolf.

[Rubberhammer]

I always thought the raccoon was a wolf.

When we were kids, my brother and I thought the tortoise was a gila monster, because it is black and orange.

[Jabroniville]

Wow! Big time bovine love.

I always thought the raccoon was a wolf.

I always called the Cuttlefish "the Squid". Oddly, I always knew what the Weasel was, even though he's very vague.

[Jabroniville]

 

#11: GRIZZLY BEAR

Japanese Name: Battle Bear 

Animal Basis:

 

 

 

-Grizzly Bear is a pretty plain-looking brown-colored bear, and could conceivably be a Black Bear given how smooth his body is, but the name is pretty much making it clear.

 

-Oh yes, it is time- time to illuminate you all on the subject of the fiercest and most Godless of all creatures- the BEARS!! Being heathenistic killing machines isn't bad enough, so these largest of all terrestrial Carnivora members have adapted into various forms, each more demonic than the last. From the unassuming cuteness of the Panda to the obvious Satanic power of the Kodiak, Bears are designed for killing first, eating second, and will stop at nothing until they consume your children. Saint Stephen of the House of Colbert has warned us of their encroachment upon our lands for years, and I consider it my duty as part of the Colbert Nation to continue his word, and stat out these demonic monsters so that you may practise killing them in your games.

 

-But in all seriousness, bears are all quite similar in appearance, though their habitats and lifestyles differ greatly. A couple are medium-sized carnivores (the Sun Bear is only 145 lbs. most of the time), while others weigh thousands of pounds. Most have very plain coats (with one notable exception in China), and all are generally quite round and huggable-looking, in spite of their great power. Some climb trees, others live in the Arctic, and nearly every continent has one (Australia & Antarctica are the only exceptions), evolving separately. They possess a tremendous sense of smell (easily equal to that of Dogs), but their eyesight and hearing suffer comparatively. Most Bears are omnivorous, with only the Polar Bear eating an exclusive diet of meat, and some only eat fish for their killing needs. 

 

-Notably, Bears have evolved into a Plantigrade stance like humans, rather than the Digitigrade stance of most mammals (the "dog's hind leg" look). They move very slowly and deliberately, but can reach extremely high speeds if necessary (many can equal the speed of the fastest humans- and your slow ass ain't that). They're also so strong that they can kill many animals with one swipe of their huge paws.

 

Danger to Humans: Extreme, but often overstated. Many bear species encounter humans quite a lot, and have come to depend upon them as a source of food. This can leave them grouchy if humans don't give them the food they expect, and why most nature preserves recommend you do NOT feed the bears. An actual predatory attack by a bear is about the worst thing that can happen to you in North America, in terms of animal attacks- their sheer size, strength and ferocity is unmatched, and a big one can easily kill numerous people. Here, you will not encounter a more dangerous animal on land. Bears are responsible for more fatal attacks on humans than any other wild predatory animal in North America, beating out both Mountain Lions and Wolves, but naturally fall WAY behind Dogs, thanks to their numbers.

 

-Brown Bears include the heaviest of all bears, the Alaskan Kodiak (up to 2,200 lbs.!), and cover a massive range, essentially the whole northern part of the planet. Requiring huge areas, and packing incredible size, they are feared the world over, but generally leave well enough alone unless they feel threatened. Of course, since they can't really hide from aggressors (too big to climb trees once they get old enough and they live in open areas), they can easily become violent, and if you mess with their cubs... well, it's called "Mama Bear" for a reason. They're huge, full of teeth, and can kill with a single paw strike. An adult Grizzly could kill a frickin' MOOSE with one shot- their attacks on humans are spectacularly-gory, with the survivors often being left scalped as their skull slips out of the beast's jaws like a marble. The most-common victims seem to be Alaskan hunters who encounter one in the bush, surprising it.

 

Toy Description: If I were to name the single most generic Battle Beast in the entire line, it'd be Grizzly Bear. He's not a BAD-looking figure, but he's just hopelessly out of step with the rest of them. He's got a pretty dull face; his armor's very simple and blank, his color scheme's boring, and it overally just looks like not a lot of thought was put into him- like someone said "well, we need a bear" and they just plopped him out. Even as a kid, I wasn't a fan of his, and didn't much care when both of mine lost an arm each. I actually dreaded having to spend money on eBay to get another one for completion's sake... until I realized that mine were missing one left arm, and one right arm! And so I happily popped out one Bear's left arm, and attached to to the arm-hole of the other Bear- thus sacrificing one one-limbed Bear to make a whole one. Not sure why that never occurred to me before, but again- the Bear kind of sucks. His weapon's alright, but he's a typically-early Beast, when the ideas weren't as crazy. 

 

There are some extraneous design features on his boots I can't quite make out- a couple of straight lines with tinier lines atop them, and an "A" on the right boot.

 

Colors: Three- the classically-simple design. He has a dark brown body, straight blue armor, and dark yellow secondary colors (his eyes, headgear and a single patch on his armor).

Armor: Among the most plain in the series- his one-piece armor is almost bereft of major details. There are some circular holes on the codpiece, and some blocks on the torso but that's it. His kneepads are very rounded, considering the rest is so perpendicular. He has a pair of yellow mechanical objects on the sides of his head, likely to break up his outline a bit.

Weapon: A bronze, hollow axe of sorts. There's also a tiny axe-head at the top of the shaft, pointing TOWARDS the wielder for some reason.

Hands & Feet: "Mitten" hands and four-toed feet.

Easily-Broken Bits: None.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- two, each missing one arm. I ended up making a "whole" one from the two, leaving another armless.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 4/10 (one of the weakest overall characters in the line- just utterly plain)

Edited by Jabroniville, 15 January 2018 - 10:53 PM.

[Jabroniville]

#71: DIVING DUCKBILL
Japanese Name: Duck Diver
Animal Basis:

 

 

-Obviously the Duckbilled Platypus- there's nothing else he could really BE. Pretty much an ancient mammal set, the Monotremes are egg-laying creatures that excrete milk from their skin instead of actual nipples, meaning they're BARELY mammals, but enough to count. Only two animals come from this group- Echidnas and Platypi. They don't look remotely alike (one has spiny quills, the other a duck's bill and beaver's tail), but apparently they're related. Go figure.
-The Platypus is so screwed up. Think about it: It's a mammal that LAYS EGGS. But also produces some milk. And has a duck's bill. A beaver's tail. POISON SPURS on its flippers. It has electrical sensors. There's a damn good reason why scientists called B.S. on the first people who said they found some, and required actual proof. These super-primitive mammals are easily the weirdest creatures on Earth- you think the friggin' Displacer Beast or Owlbear are weird, crack-induced creatures? This guy is at LEAST as weird as anything in your average Monster Manual.

Toy Description: One of the most unique-looking, stand-outish, just plain ODD Beasts in the entire line, Diving Duckbill is from nature's very own freakshow- the Platypus! Like a lot of the "Purple Weapon Guys", he breaks a TON of the rules about the line- he's got a non-standard armor design (armor that connects only in the back), multiple colors all over the place, a weird thing on his head (is that... a bow-tie?), etc. That said... he's not that great a design. More unique-looking than GOOD, really. I think it's because the colors are a random mish-mash (brown, red & yellow), all over the place, and his body and armor are both shades of brown, making him kind of blend in and fade into the crowd.

Colors: Four, but in a strange array. His body is a very light grey/brown. Most of his armor is dark brown, but the torso bit is red, along with his headgear. His bill and eyes are dark-ish yellow.
Armor: A peculiar one-piece set. The torso bit is more of a "vest" with a Chest Symbol in the middle, and a larger back covering. This is the only part that's connected to the codpiece, which itself is connected to the boots by large, blank panels on the outsides of his legs. His shoulder pads and wrist guards are separate from everything else. He has a red slab on the top of his head shaped like a bow-tie, and a cylindar sticking off of one side of his head, resembling the spout of a SCUBA mask. His bill also has a pair of tubes going off the sides, and into the back of his red armor- these are the same color as his bill.
Weapon: A large purple spear that ends in a jagged-edged "claw". The pommel is a three-tiered blade as well.
Hands & Feet: "Mitten" hands and the rare FIVE-toed feet. The backs of his feet are odd- three square-shaped objects sit on the back of each foot. His left hand is extremely-enlarged, resembling a fat human hand in a "paddling" position.
Easily-Broken Bits: The red cylindar on the top of his head is LUDICROUSLY-easy to break- it's essentially a thin sliver of plastic. As his bill projects straight out, it's prone to weathering.

Had it as a Kid: Nope- leaving this one one of the oddest-looking to me.
Variants: None known.

Overall Score: 6/10 (meh- just a bit above average. Inventive, but a bit silly-looking)

Edited by Jabroniville, 15 January 2018 - 10:53 PM.

[Jabroniville]

 

#73: FRENZIED FLAMINGO

Japanese Name: Mingo Kid 

Animal Basis: 

 

Obviously a Flamingo, but the exact species is hard to determine, given that they mostly look alike, and this guy only has one major color. He's probably a Greater Flamingo (the biggest kind, weighing up to 10 lbs.). Flamingos are large birds, pretty much always living south of the equator, where they migrate frequently. Despite being flight-capable, they're usually seen lounging around in ankle-deep water, where they gobble up shrimp-full water and filter it through their beaks. The famous pink color of the animals comes from this diet- they'd be white if fed anything else.

 

Toy Description: Another unique "Purple Weapon Guy"- I still remember my friend Paul having one as a kid, and me thinking it was a crazy-exotic, interesting Beast. He breaks a lot of the standard rules, with multicolored armor and a non-standard body type (he's very thin). His legs are digitigrade, thighs pointing backwards as the feet stick forward. He's quite tall for a Beast, and his body is "ringed" almost all the way up. His color and head are dead giveaways for a Flamingo, but his beak doesn't point down the way a Flamingo's does; it merely has a little dip. There's also quite a lot of detail around his beak and face. But really, the most stand-outish thing about him is the color- he's the only pink Bird in the line, and he really stands out from the other Beasts because of it. Heck, there's only the tiniest amount of pink Beasts period.

 

Colors: Three. His body is straight pink. His armor is part dark blue, and part straight red. The red part is the torso & back, as well as the leggings. The codpiece, headband, shoulder pads, wrist guards and the Chest Symbol area are blue.

Armor: A complex one-piece, connected at both the front and the back. The red goes around like a "vest", with four red rectangles on the front. His boots are more like "leggings" with a lot of straight mechanical lines. A blue headband goes around the back of his skull, ending in large spires coming off of his ears.

Weapon: A long, thin purple "spear" of bizarre make. The bottom is shaped like a spearhead, while the top makes it look almost like a harpoon-gun. It's one of the skinniest weapons in the series.

Hands & Feet: "Mitten" hands and standard-issue bird talons for feet- three toes in front, one in back.

Easily-Broken Bits: Thin, pink wings connected by narrow bits. Ear prongs that are very tiny and thin. Even his legs are thinner than normal.

 

Had it as a Kid: Nope- my friend Paul had one, though- he looked SUPER-exotic to me as a kid.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 7/10 (very innovative and interesting-looking)

[Jabroniville]

#72: CROOKED CROW
Japanese Name: Crow Max
Animal Basis:



Obviously he's a Crow in both Japanese & English, but the particular species is indeterminate. Most likely, of course, he's an American Crow- the most widespread species. Crows are Passerines- a huge proportion of the world's Bird species are the same- perching birds of small size and complex songs. There are about 80 Families, and between 5,200 and 5,500 Species! Their famous members include the Larks, Swallows, Bluebirds, Shrikes (known for taking small animals and IMPALING them on spikes for easy-feeding and storage), Wrens, Mockingbirds, the Trushes (including Robins, Blackbirds & Nightingales), Warblers, orbs (some are quite beautiful), Chickadees, Sparrows, Finches, Cardinals, Orioles, Birds of Paradise (Souther American birds with INSANE plumage), and more.

-The Crows are Corvids- joining Jays, Magpies & Ravens. The latter of which can actually learn to speak, though the low-pitched voice sounds like it comes from the gates of hell. Crows are known to be the most intelligent of all birds- capable of incredible memory, insight and problem-solving skills. They have been observed both using tools, and observing the use of tools in order to fashion new tools of their own!

Toy Description: One of my favorite overall Beasts, thanks to an eye-popping color combo and good use of the "Basic Design" with few modifications. There are VERY few black Battle Beasts- only four in the line. And that blue/green color scheme on his armor is fantastic, and the very bright yellow Secondary Color makes the whole thing "pop". This is one of those guys I'd never seen as a kid, and so looks INSANELY-exotic to me today. And that big purple scythe is hella-cool, too- I was super-happy to find a couple of these on eBay. His left foot has a peg hole in it.

A few other interesting bits- he's the only Beast with semi-neon colors (the yellow). His legs are heavily digitigrade, like the Flamingo & Bird. His wings are some of the largest of the birds, shaped much like the Rooster's- they point up, then swoop down- each almost as large as his torso. And I should note that unlike what you'll often see in cartoons and comics, corvids (Ravens & Crows) do NOT have yellow beaks- they're black, like their feathers.

Colors: Three. His body is a glossy black, and his armor is a dark blue-green. His beak, eyes, Secondary Armor color and boots are a very bright, almost neon yellow.
Armor: A one-piece suit, connected in the back. Not overly-detailed, but there are lines breaking it up in a few spots, with a few raised bits to keep it from looking plain. His shoulder-pads appear to be one pair set on top of another, with two sets of spikes on each one. There are two "headlights" next to his Chest Symbol.
Weapon: An extremely-long (taller than the figure!) scythe-like purple weapon. The "blade" ends in a giant hook.
Hands & Feet: "Mitten" hands and standard-issue bird talons for feet- three toes in front, one in back.
Easily-Broken Bits: Large wings connected by some very thin bits.

Had it as a Kid: Nope.
Variants: None known.

Overall Score: 10/10 (easily my favorite of the birds, with an eye-catching color scheme)

Edited by Jabroniville, 31 January 2017 - 02:09 AM.

[Exactobeast]

Never a fan of the wings themselves

[Jabroniville]

Never a fan of the wings themselves

His wings specifically? Yeah, I can see that- they're kind of just long, swooping feathers. The Bird, Rooster, Hawk & Flamingo all have much more detail, especially in the front. 

 

I'm easily swayed by colors and silhouettes, it seems . Sometimes great colors can make an average design "pop" (like GreenMountainDavid's Walruses). Sometimes you see a great design with more drab color (Tortoise).

[Jabroniville]

 

#10: ROAMIN' BUFFALO

Japanese Name: Gray Ox 

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Roamin' Buffalo resembles the Water Buffalo of Asia- those curved horns are quite distinctive, and separate him from the similar Cape Buffalo. His Japanese name, "Gray Ox", means he's probably meant to be domesticated, but Oxen come from all sources of bovine animals. Water Buffalo are highly important to their region, as domesticated examples can be used as working farm animals or food. They were domesticated in India 5,000 years ago, and in China 4,000 years ago.

 

Toy Description: A good "classic" Beast who nonetheless still stands out from the crowd, despite the fact that there are NUMEROUS Bovine animals in the line already, AND he's very plainly-colored. That combination of three different "double spike" weapons really brings the whole thing together- his horns, Special Hand and weapon all end in sharp points. His horns are well-detailed, curving out from the sides and ending in tiny curls, with two "bosses" at the base of each horn.

 

He has a large "10" on the back of his head, the Copywrite info is on the back of his armor, and he has a large, prominent "C" on the back of his right boot. 

 

Colors: Three. His body is dark grey, and his armor is a very dark green (easily the darkest in the line). His eyes, Secondary Armor Colors and Special Hand are all dark yellow.

Armor: Somewhat standard-issue one-piece, with a very "rounded" design- there's not a ton of details on them, but they mold around his body quite well. The Symbol is located at the belly connector between top and bottom, with two long yellow rectangles on one pectoral, and a tiny yellow square on the other. Notably, his kneepads actually project singular, large spikes, and his shoulder pads stick right out in rounded pauldrons.

Weapon: A bronze short spear, ending in a giant "spade" shaped like an inverted set of horns.

Hands & Feet: A "mitten" hand, and toe-toed "hoof" feet. His left arm ends in a "claw" comprised of two bovine-like horns.

Easily-Broken Bits: His horns are quite long and thin, and his Special Hand is two small horns.

 

Had it as a Kid: Yep- one heavily-damaged individual, missing both arms, and the curved tips of his horns.

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 7/10 (a very well-made and well-detailed, if unremarkable, Beast)

[Exactobeast]

FYI, the "C" marking on his leg is not universal and (I believe) refers to the multiple variants of the same beast (ie A,B, or C)

Edited by Exactobeast, 03 February 2017 - 05:25 AM.

[Jabroniville]

Yeah, I've noticed when I have multiples that they often have a different letter somewhere on them. I just keep it cataloged which ones I have. Maybe I should change it to... whatever you call that. "Variant Letter"?

Edited by Jabroniville, 03 February 2017 - 11:39 PM.

[Exactobeast]

For instance, there are multiple shades of armor for the colonel bird. Each corresponds to a letter. Same with bison and tiger.

[Jabroniville]

For instance, there are multiple shades of armor for the colonel bird. Each corresponds to a letter. Same with bison and tiger.

That one I did not know. I figured they were different "batches", but I didn't know you could code those letters to the color type. The only Battle Beast site I'd ever seen before this one was the "Toy Archive" one- where do you get the rest of the info?

[Exactobeast]

Beastformers has his his site dedicated to the archeology.

https://beastformers.wordpress.com

[Jabroniville]

Ah, I looked through that site, but didn't find anything about the letter-codes or types. It's a big site! (looks up army-building) So it's THESE guys' fault that I had to shell out like $30 for my completed Penguin. Jerks .

Edited by Jabroniville, 05 February 2017 - 06:22 PM.

[Exactobeast]

Seriously man. I never stumble across random penguins. Of course when I do, I chop their heads off, so maybe it's for the best.