Transformers Beast Hunters Ripclaw 2013

It's been a little while now since Transformers: Beast Hunters has been on the air, but it still is a very memorable toy line. While there were a few misses, most of the figures were well sculpted, unique, and featured great paint applications. Current toys are in the process of dialing back on articulation and paint (as well as plastic quality) in the interest of cost-cutting, but Hasbro has done a pretty good job of avoiding that with their Transformers toys so far.

I couldn't tell you a darn thing about Ripclaw. I'd never heard of this character before buying it, and I haven't heard of it since then. The package tells me that Ripclaw is female and fiercely devoted to the Predacon cause. What is a Predacon and how can a robot be female? Uhm.. on with the review!

For a figure I bought solely because it was dirt cheap, I was really very pleased with what I ended up getting. Right out of the package, this is a striking figure with a unique color scheme. I can't think of any blue, orange, red and yellow figures I own, other than this one. There's probably a reason for that, but I have to say that it works well for this figure. The amazing thing is that it works for both forms.

 Ripclaw is a robot and a dragon, and both modes look great. It's not uncommon for a Transformer to have one great mode and one mediocre form,but Ripclaw really does nail it. The robot form is a bizarre blend of samurai and insect, while the dragon mode is nothing but fierce.

There are no shortcuts in articulation for this figure, despite it not being a very large figure. Not only does the robot move in all the right spots, allowing for plenty of personality, but the dragon actually has a lot as well! The jaw moves, the tail moves, the legs and arms have multiple joints, and the three prongs on the end of the tail can move.

It can often be really easy to figure out whether or not I like a figure, just by how many pictures I take. By that standard, yeah, I'm pretty fond of this one. It really did surprise me when I got it in. I think she was about $6.00 from Amazon last holiday, and at that price this figure is absolutely a steal. If you have a chance to get Ripclaw for yourself, jump at it. This is, to me, a perfect example of what a good Transformer can accomplish.