Universe Frostbite

Robot Mode: Frostbite is a pretty uncommonly proportioned robot. The actual robot is pretty small for a Deluxe, hardly any bigger than a basic-sized figure. Frostbite, though, is positively dwarfed by his weapons and kibble. He's got a sword taller than he is, a freakin' huge forearm with a beast head instead of a right hand, and giant shoulder pads with beast claws on them. So despite being rather small, Frostbite more than makes up for that in the armament department. Whether you like his rather asymmetrical design (typical for Transmetal 2 figures and their repaints) is, of course, strictly a matter of taste. Personally I'm not a hundred percent convinced, but overall he looks good, so no complaints.

His posability is quite good despite his rather unusual body and thanks to his big clawed feet he has no problem holding dynamic poses even with his giant sword held before him. In terms of arms Frostbite is no slouch, I especially like the buzzsaw set into his right forearm, which can be spun with the lever on his elbow. The only thing Frostbite lacks, as far as I can see, is some kind of long-range weapon. He is probably lethal once he gets to close range (sword, blades, claws, teeth), but if an opponent can keep his distance, Frostbite is in pretty deep trouble.

All in all Frostbite's robot mode is certainly not for everyone, but for me the pros outweigh the cons.

Alternate Mode: Frostbite transforms into what is supposed to be a meched-out hyena, but actually looks more like a wolf to me (probably because of the grey color, too). Whichever animal you prefer, though, it's very much apparent that he's not exactly a natural beast. He is covered in cybernetic parts and blades. Lots and lots of blades. Wolverine might get blade-envy here. His long tail, especially, is covered in blades, just like his legs. Once again, not someone you'd want to fight at close range.

Frostbite's beast mode does have a problem, though. The upper body is a cobbled-together mess. If you look at his belly, you see a big gap and several robot bits. Not the smoothest design ever. If you like, you can blame it on the asymmetrical Transmetal 2 design, but for me it's this figure one big flaw. Many Beast-formers, including those where the head of the beast become the head/arm of the robot, pulled this off much better. Apart from that, though. No complaints. Great detailing, a ferocious look, a deadly-looking beast.

Remarks: Frostbite is a repaint of Beast Wars Jawbreaker, a Transmetal 2 figure, and, just like his predecessor, one of the final toys of his respective series. The original Universe series was winding down in 2005 when Frostbite came out and the poor guy didn't get any in-media appearance and not even a profile text. So we know very little about him except that he's a Decepticon and probably fought for Unicron in the Universe conflict. He probably died, too, since he wasn't seen in that single panel in "Balancing Act", where they showed the survivors of the final battle.

I know the complete lack of in-media appearances will probably be a turn-off for some people, while others might be averse to his rather unusual body design. Me, I don't much care about the former and while I'm not a hundred percent satisfied with the latter, Frostbite is still a pretty good-looking toy and though his beast mode has a big flaw, it's still pretty neat. Recommended to Beast- and Transmetal-Fans.

Rating: C+