| 01.24.2020 – Chinese New Year is happening in Binondo Manila this Saturday and it is going to be a busy weekend with fireworks, dragon dance, and, parades that celebrate the occasion. Usually, the event has a huge turnout in terms of foot traffic to various places where the gathering venue is being held it is also the year of the ‘Metal Rat’ as the last time ‘Year of the Rat’ was celebrated in 2008.
To celebrate the occasion the featured character spotlight to associate this year is from Transformers Generations: ‘Thrilling 30’ Rattap, which was part of the ninth wave of action figures released in 2014 for this series. Since it is also the year of the ‘Metal Rat’ that means this Cybertronian is just the right bot for the year. |
Rattrap is a popular character from the Beast Wars series that was introduced as one of the key survivors of the doomed Axalon ship that crashed into an unknown planet later revealed to be prehistoric Earth were the Autobots and Decepticons crashed laid dormant in the Ark that was featured by the second season.
The character was also featured in the comicbooks published by the former Dreamwave publication (20th Anniversary Transformers Summer Special) as well as in IDW publishing’s in Transformers Beast Wars: The Gathering first issue. Rattrap also appeared in the 2005 IDW Continuity appearing Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #9 (Cameo) and Transformers: Robots in Disguise #20 (Full Appearance) with no continuity connection to the Beast Wars series.
Thrilling Rattrap
This is not the first time Hasbro has ever produced a Rattrap action figure as there have been variations of the character since the original Beast Wars toys where introduced in the market. This version is the modern take of the character and during the ‘Thrilling 30’ celebration this figure was part of the wave 9 release.
It is entirely new figure taking inspiration from the previous toys and character model for Rattrap and putting together the best representation of the Maximals resident spy and saboteur that features all the elements of what made this character known from that original series namely an articulated rat complete with rubberized tail with a wire running through it.
The rat mode also features joints that he can be standing upright in rat mode, much like he did in the television show, and extra fur-textured plastic is placed at the back of his neck so that it can close up the gap when his rat head is facing downwards.
The Name is Trap, Rattrap
Rattrap is a new mold that reattempts the original toy but at a larger size and with a more complicated transformation from rat into his familiar robot mode. He has two blasters which can combine to form a larger rifle, and his left forearm opens to reveal a demolition charge. The blaster can be stored securely in a slot between the robot's back and the backpack to simulate Rattrap reaching behind his head to draw it.
There must be care for the figure from transforming and posing as Rattrap features an open hand to gripping his blaster or demolition charge as both hands may suffer stress marks. The figure also suffers from a design flaw in which an overly tight transformation joint in the shins can crack the legs or cause stress marks. This can be fixed with careful trimming of the back of the joint.
Overall this is a well-made figure representing Rattrap and any Beast Wars fan would certainly want to upgrade their Maximal saboteur with this version. Of course care for this toy is a priority as some parts are not as durable as what it used to be. When this was originally released it came with a copy of The Transformers: Robots in Disguise #24 “Finest Hour.”
Just like last year with “Year of the Pig 2019” featuring Molang celebrating the Chinese New Year this time with “Year of the Rat 2020” featuring Rattrap.
No comments:
Post a Comment