Energon Snow Cat

Series: Energon
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Combat
Year: 2004

There is no terrain, or opponent, that I cannot conquer.
Snow Cat is a powerful Decepticon who can overcome any environment. He transforms into an all-terrain vehicle and has given his Decepticon allies a strategic advantage in battle on many occasions. Though unruly at times, Snow Cat has proven to be one of Megatron's most valued warriors. His insane fighting tactics are feared by his enemies, and sometimes, his allies.

Robot Mode: Snow Cat looks a bit tubby in robot mode, what with the cockpit of the snow mobile becoming his midsection. Apart from that, though, he looks pretty cool (what a play on words for a snow vehicle, eh?) and his colour sheme, as well as the design of the head give him an arctic warrior kind of look. He is also quite posable. His sole weaponry are the twin missile launchers he can deploy over his shoulders in his so-called Hyper Mode. I would have liked a hand gun of some kind, but it's not a knock-out criteria. As a fun gimmick you can put Snow Cat on skis, which looks a lot more fun in person than on the photos, believe me.

Alternate Mode: Snow Cat's vehicle mode is, like so many things in the Energon toy line, a homage. Not to a G1 robot this time, though, but rather to a vehicle from the old G.I.Joe toyline. Snow Cat's snow mobile mode is a dead ringer for the vehicle of the same name used by the G.I.Joe Team. Smaller, of course, and the wind shield isn't yellow, but apart from that it's identical. I'm not sure whether the Joe vehicle could deploy skis the same way Snow Cat can in this mode, though. Anyway, it's a nice little touch of nostalgia and a good vehicle mode to boot.

Remarks: The former Armada Cyclonus has been reformatted into a yodling ski driver, but he's the same old trigger-happy madman we came to like in Armada. Compared to some other Energon toys he came up a bit short on the gimmicks and hidden surprises, but the skis are fun and the homage to a G.I.Joe vehicle is a surprising nostalgia bonus. I bought Snow Cat from the bargain bin of a Berlin toy store to bolster the ranks of my Energon Decepticons and for what little I paid he's well worth the price. A good toy, not a classic, but good.

Rating: B