The new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie is less than two months away, and figures are already turning up on shelves in anticipation of the latest instalment of the franchise.
When I attended the Beasts Base Camp experience at Taronga Zoo I was lucky enough to be given a gift bag by Hasbro that contained, amongst other things, a Studio Series Airazor. Then when attending the MTMTE Exhibition at Kings Comics my son was lucky enough to receive the same! So being the first foray for both of us into the new movies toyline, thought it only fitting that we give you our thoughts on the figure.
Robot Mode
Given that Airazor has not, as of the writing of this post, had her robot mode shown in any footage, it is hard to give a proper account of how screen accurate the figure is. It is certainly a nice looking figure, with an avian-like head, consistent colour-scheme, good proportions and decent articulation. The wings give a cape-like appearance and the missiles on the arms lend that combative look of an alien robot about to enter the fray. The face is not particularly feminine, but then very few Airazor figures in the past have had one either so one could say its true to form. The feet should be turned so that the smaller talons face the front, but I personally think she looks that bit cooler and more bestial with the larger facing forward.
Falcon Mode
The figure really shines here. A beautiful wingspan that can be adapted to a number of different configurations and poses. A sufficiently detailed head and claws really give that metallic-bird appearance, with this Airazor not having an organic outer form like previous iterations of the character. Looking from below she doesn’t look great, but then to be honest most real life birds don’t from that angle either (I raise ducks and chickens – trust me on this) so I personally find it forgivable. The only main detractor is that the outer wings unclip very easily. They can be clipped back on with similar ease so it’s a mild irritation at best.
Worth Getting?
Studio Series rarely lets us down in terms of screen-accurate & highly detailed figures, and has not disappointed once again. The figure boasts a lot of detail, though more detail in the Transformation would have been nice, you definitely don’t need the instructions for this gal. The figure shares much of its engineering with Kingdom Airazor so anyone who has that figure will know largely what to expect.
If you are into Beast Wars characters, or are looking to pick up toy representations of characters from the upcoming movie, then Studio Series Airazor fits the bill nicely and I welcome her as the first Maximal to enter my Studio Series collection.
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