Name: WASPINATOR

Series – Generations
Sub-line – Thrilling 30
Wave: Wave 1 – 2014
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – New
Released here – Not yet
Approximate Retail Price – $28Aus
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Wasp
Main Features/Gimmicks – Design based on IDW design
Main Colours – Green, Yellow, Brown
Main Accessories – IDW exclusive comic, Stinger Gun

Robot Mode
*Quite good looking, faithful to both Beast Wars and the IDW incarnations. He has good articulation and the light piping works really well with his huge optics.

Wasp mode

*To my mind the wasp mode here is better than both the Beast Wars and the Animated versions of the character. Very compact, very well coloured and very well balanced. The flapping wings are a nice touch that add a lot of play value.

Transformation

This transformation would be far easier if the instructions were REMOTELY USEFUL! I was able to figure him out because, well, if I can’t after 30 years of collecting I should hand in my Autobrand right now. But I wouldn’t give this to a little kid or a novice who would try to go soely by the instructions because Waspy would be flung out the window after 10 minutes. Once you’ve done it though, it takes about 15 seconds to transform him back

Worth getting?
*For me, as more of a G1 than BW fan (technically the same universe I know), the only BW characters (besides the odd Robot Hero) I’ve bothered to collect over the years have been Depthcharge’s and Waspinator‘s so I was happy to grab this guy to add to the collection. I’ll be bypassing the new Rhinox & Rattrap figures altogether. But if you are a big Beast Wars fan I’d say this is the figure to get for the new year. Oh, and the free comic is a nice bonus too

Name: Thrustinator
Series – Timelines
Sub-line – TFSS
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – Extensive remold of Dirgegun
Wave – 2
Released here – n/a
Approximate Retail Price – $46.50
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Techno-mutated Wasp thingie
Main Features/Gimmicks – Head can become purple stinger shooter
Main Colours – purple, green, yellow, grey
Main Accessories – One missile launcher, 2 missilesRobot Mode

They had to completely use their imaginations here since it’s never been properly on screen, but in the end I suppose it was heavily influenced by what went where from his alt-mode and Dirgegun where apparently the mold came from. Hideous but kinda interesting. I always have a soft spot for any robot that isn’t perfectly symmetrical. A cool concept is that you can retract his head and put a big missile launching stinger in it’s place, which also gives him a totally purple head which is a shout out to the cartoon.

Wasp…. thingie

Bloody hideous! But whereas in the cartoon he was just a Wasp with BM Thrusts head (which I’ve included an image of here), they’ve taken the meld to the nth degree here so well done them for putting a bit of imagination into it. Having different parts of Waspinators alt-modes body and head mutated and deformed in Thrusts colours is – while garish – a kinda cool concept. That said, it’s still the ugliest thing I’ve seen since the Fuzors.

Transformation
Takes about 13 seconds to turn him from Wasp to Bot. No challenge to be found here

Overall
Well, probably my least favorite in the latest subscription service figures for me as it’s a character I care little about and I very vaguely remember showing up briefly in the final episode of BM. Nevertheless, a very interesting looking figure and creatively designed toy. If you are a massive Beast Machines fan (are there any ) and not a member of the TFSS then wait till it turns up cheap on the secondary market.