Revenge of the Fallen Ravage

Robot Mode: As is tradition for Transformers named Ravage, the robot mode doesn't resemble a standard humanoid figure, but rather a four-legged predator. The resemblance to Ravage's usual jaguar beast mode is a bit less pronounced in this Movie-verse version, but you can still easily recognise him as a cat-like beast. In terms of sculpt and detailing Ravage takes some pointers from H.R.Giger. He's got a single cyclops eye, lots of spikes on his back, and an overall alien look. He's mostly black, as befits a spy who has the ability to melt into the shadows, with some grey and blue highlights.

Ravage has little to complain about in terms of posability. Each leg can move individually and he can open and close his jaw. Some more tail posability would have been nice, as the tail can move up and down, but not sideways. Only the tail's end can move sideways a little bit, thanks to a ball joint. Ravage's two cannons are also posable, allowing them to move up and down, but again not sideways. So overall we have a very nicely sculpted, cool-looking beast mode here. Not your classic Ravage, but a nice 'Movie-fied' version that is still recognisable as the classic character.

Alternate Mode: The original Ravage had one of the more strange alternate modes, a cassette tape, which was basically used just for storage, seeing as he wouldn't have fit in Soundwave's chest otherwise. This new Ravage's alternate mode basically fulfills the same function, as he's once again an extension of Soundwave (he's basically the missile that Soundwave can fire from behind his head), but this form also serves as a re-entry vehicle for briding the distance between Soundwave's orbital perch to the planet below.

As such this alternate mode is really little more than Ravage folded together into a more streamlined form. He pulls in his legs, flips in his tail, and extends little wings from his sides. That's pretty much it. Don't get me wrong, I've seen worse alien-type space craft, but it's still hard to see anything but a folded-up Ravage in this mode. So while this mode isn't a complete loss, I do recommend keeping Ravage in his beast mode.

Remarks: Ravage was one of the more active Decepticons in the second Transformers movie. Soundwave sent him down to Earth to steal the fragment of the AllSpark from N.E.S.T. headquarters, which Ravage did without too many problems (though he had to vomit up Insecticons to do it). Ravage later took part in the big desert battle, where he ended up having his spine ripped out by Bumblebee. But fear not, Ravage-fans, he was later resurrected in the Transformers: Nefarious comic books from IDW. We'll see whether he'll play a role in the third TF movie next year.

As a toy Ravage combines a pretty awesome beast mode with a rather superfluous alternate mode. You have to like the alien look, of course. This is not the mechanized jaguar of old. Still, despite being a G1 purist myself, I do like this Movie version of our favorite Decepticon feline. A proper alternate mode would have propelled him into the A-rating with ease. As things stand, he's a good toy and has the added bonus of being an on-screen character that was actually recognisable and didn't die within five seconds of appearing. Always a plus. So bottom line: Recommended.

Rating: B+

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