DE 
EN 
Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Categories: Deluxe Transmetal 2
Year: 1998
Ramulus' stasis pod crashed in a mountainous region of prehistoric Earth during the onset of the quantum surge. Isolated, damaged, and forced to develop his own survival tactics, Ramulus trusts neither Maximal nor Predacon alike. He is reluctant to fight, but brash and impulsive once provoked. Characteristically calm and reliable when venturing through unexplored territory on his own. Relishes adventure and argues that the Maximals' success depends on their continual repositioning and relocation. Longs to see Cybertron. Ramulus wields a double slagmaker cannon in robot mode and his fractured spark crystal generates disruptive ion pulses.
Robot Mode: Ramulus is rather uncharacteristic for a Transmetal 2 figure, seeing as he doesn't go for the same patchwork-misshapen look most of othe other TM2s have. No, he has a very lean, powerful looking robot mode. Several elements of his beast mode prevail, such as the cloven feet and the ram's front legs sitting on his shoulders, but they only make the robot mode look that much more interesting.
Posability is excellent, as with most Beast Wars figures, and the detailing on his body is good, without going overboard (as other TM2s did). Weapon-wise Ramulus carries the curved horns of his beast mode as a sort of gripping plier, though his profile describes it as a 'slagmaker' cannon. There is a small notch which can cause the horns to move further apart, again like a plier, but you can't really do much with that gimmick. The cannon looks cool when put in his hand and can be stored on his back if he doesn't need it. All in all Ramulus is an excellent robot. I have no complaints here.
Alternate Mode: A little side note here: When I got Ramulus my wife saw him in beast mode and went to tell her sister that that's what she'd look like as a Transformers (my sister-in-law being a Capricorn). Ramulus looks excellent in beast mode, no doubt about it. No mistaking it for a natural ibex goat, but he does have that kind of great-looking mixture between technological and organic look that I really go for.
There are some downsides once you get past the looks, though. All four legs are fully posable in this mode, but stability is a bit of an issue because the ibex' hindsection is hanging more or less loose. Also, Ramulus is pretty much stuck in his ramming-pose, meaning the ibex' head is lowered as if he's about to run head-first into something. He can't look up. Ramulus' spark crystal is hidden behind his beast mode face, which simply folds up. Maybe not the best place to put it, but it doesn't bother me, either. So all in all, a great-looking beast mode, but with some limitations in regards to stability and posability.
Remarks: The Transmetal 2 wave of toys was pretty much Beast Wars swan swong and, just like the final season of the Beast Wars TV season which saw the introduction of several of these figures, most of them weren't particularly good. Not all of them, though. Ramulus is a very well-made figure with an excellent robot and a decent beast mode. He does have some downsides, but those are pretty few and far between. So despite never appearing in the TV show and scoring only a short cameo in the Beast Wars comic books, Ramulus is definitely one of the better figures from the entire line and certainly the best of the Transmetal 2 figures.
Rating: B+
Picture Gallery:
