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Series: Beast Machines
Allegiance: Vehicon
Categories: Basic
Year: 2001
The ground of Cybertron will thunder in our wake!
Tank Drone units are a specialized Vehicon element of drones under Tankor command. Formidable front line fighters. Often attack in chaotic formations, firing destabilizer missiles in unison, then rapidly retreating in all directions. Anything caught in their path is destroyed. Alloy armor plating protects them from most types of Maximal artillery, but firepower drops significantly after firing missiles. Not effective during lengthy firefights.
Robot Mode: Whereas the first Tankor toy released for the Beast Machines line bore only a passing resemblance to the character we saw on TV, this later version here, which is actually not Tankor but rather meant to be a generic Tank Drone, is pretty much spot on. There are some minor differences in coloration, but apart from that the Tank Drone does a much better job of resembling the TV character than Tankor himself does. Except for one thing, of course: Tankor was by far the most massive of the main characters in the series. The Tank Drone is basic-sized. Meaning... quite small.
His lack of size is pretty much the Tank Drone's only problem, though. His posability, while not exactly astounding, is okay for a figure of that size class. His detailing is pretty well-done, including the chromed parts. I'm not usually a fan of chromed parts, but here they look pretty good and since the Tank Drone came fresh out of the package, there is no problem with cracks or anything (yet?). The Tank Drone has some slight balance issues when you flip back the big gun on his shoulder, but his feet (actually the tank threads) are wide enough to balance him out with little effort. So overall a decent, good-looking robot mode. No complaints except the size thing.
Alternate Mode: The Tank Drone transforms into a futuristic looking tank that, just like the robot mode, is pretty much spot on as far as resemblance to the TV counterpart goes. This is the tank we saw chasing the Maximals across the surface of Cybertron in near endless numbers. The robot mode's head sits in the center, clearly visible, and the big cannon on the right. Sadly it can't swivel, only point upwards, but remember, we're in the basic class here. So all in a decent, if somewhat unspectacular vehicle mode. No complaints.
Remarks: In the second year of Beast Machines, the resemblance of the toys and the TV characters increased dramatically. Case in point, the Tank Drone. Pretty much a spitting image of the tank drones we saw in the series, endless hordes of heavily armed fighting machines led by the Vehicon general Tankor. The Tank Drones took a bit of a back seat in the second season after the death of Tankor, but remained the backbone of the Vehicon armies until the finale. The Tank Drone toy is a good, pretty much flawless depiction of these military machines and the only complaint I have is the size thing. I would have liked to see this toy in the Mega/Voyager class. Apart from that, though: Good. Recommended to all Beast Machines fans.
Rating: B
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