Random Toy Pic :: Knock Knock

March of the Pugnacious Penguin

This Battle Beast is from the final wave: Series 3: Beast #75. Pugnacious Penguin. He's pretty awesome, and if it weren't for arms instead of flippers, would make a good stand-in for a Batman Returns penguin.

This guy has a 'Fire' designated rub sign that is a little worn but still functions. I found him alone at the flea market a few months ago and probably paid a quarter for him.

I never had Pugnacious Penguin in my childhood collection of Battle Beasts, but would have probably gotten him if I had seen him in stores. Although this one came out in 1987 and I know I had stopped collecting Battle Beasts by then.

Regardless, this is one cool (pun intended) Battle Beast. I think I'll hold on to him for a while.

Now THIS is how you bring the Battle Beasts in 2012

I am wholly unimpressed by the current Minimate Battle Beasts; probably because I don't care about Minimates, but also because Battle Beasts were never buildable figures like Lego minifigures. They were little action figures with a silly 'game' gimmick and weapons. The minimate Battle Beasts just don't look like Battle Beasts to me.

If I want new Battle Beasts to fill a nostalgic hole in my heart, little limited-articulation action figures of cute animals with badass armor and tech is what I want, and Takara, the creators of the original Battle Beasts appear to be doing just that:

Now these...THESE are Battle Beasts, and if I can find somewhere that sells them near me I will totally buy them (especially that Bat and DAT HAMSTER!) These are Battle Beasts done right!

images via RobotKingdom and spotted at Topless Robot

Signs of the Beasts

Battle Beasts!

Battle Beasts were a late eighties toyline that, believe it or not, were originally created as an offshoot of Transformers.

Little anthropomorphic animal/robotic hybrid figurines, Battle Beasts were sold in the US in packs of two, each with a mystery rub sign that would reveal water, wood or fire. Kind of like a tiny figurine version of rock paper scissors. Fire obviously burns wood, and water has always been a well known fire-puter-outer. And wood, well, wood floats on water. See? Yeah, me neither. Whatever.

I had a bunch of these guys as a kid. Only one of these seven is a survivor of those times. Most of the rest have been found at garage sales or the swap meet and a couple I acquired through various trades. Battle Beasts are kind of hard to come by. They don't pop up all the time, and generally hold a decent value when someone knows what they have. Obviously condition of the figure, the rub sign still functioning, and whether or not they have their weapons determines value. None of mine have weapons and only a couple of them have functioning rub signs. But hey, I didn't spend much on any of them so I'm okay with that, and whenever I see one and I can get it for cheap I grab it!

Ironically, of all the Battle Beasts I've found in my travels, I have yet to come across any I had as a kid, which is a testament to how many different characters there were!

First up is Series 1 #14: Swiny Boar. My Swiny has a functioning rub sign and he represents water. I got this guy at a flea market a couple years back.

Next up is Series 2 #45: Slasher Seahorse. I found Slasher about 9 years ago at a garage sale. He was the first Battle Beast I had ever found since letting go of almost all of them in my youth. His rub sign no longer functions. He is the Darkness!

Next up is Series 2 #51: Bludgeoning Bulldog. Brutal name, which is pretty funny considering his tuxedo looking armor! Bludgeoning Bulldog is the lone survivor of the original Beast Battles (aka my childhood) and is therefore my favorite of all the Battle Beasts I now own. He survived not because i saved him, but because he was in the garage for all those years, eventually just ending up on one of my dad's workbench shelves. His rub sign is missing. He's a survivor, he don't need no stinkin' rub sign!

This guy is Series 1 #26: Bighorn Sheep. I think I got this guy in a trade of some sort a couple years ago. His rub sign does not work. More Darkness!

Series 2 #42: Miner Mole. I think I found this guy at a flea market too. His rub sign is wood.

Series 2 #49: Squire Squirrel. I found this guy this past weekend at the swap meet. Cost me a quarter. No rub sign, but he's otherwise in the best condition of any of my Battle Beasts thus far. Plus, he's a flying squirrel which is pretty badass.

Finally we have Series 2 #37: Wolfgang Walrus. I got this guy in a trade. His rub sign reveals water.

So there you have my meager and slowly growing Battle Beast collection. There are a couple from my childhood that I'd love to some day re-aquire, namely Crusty Crab, Webslinger Spider and Octillian Octopus. Those guys were my favorites! But I've yet to go out of my way for these guys, preferring them to just sort of find their way to me. Sometimes toy collecting is more fun that way.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down...

Back in the early 2000s another of the many versions of Transformers appeared on the scene. Known as Robots in Disguise, this series got Transformers back to their vehicular roots (as opposed to the Beast Wars concept which I just could not get behind in any fashion.)

There was also a cartoon, which I didn't watch. I believe it was a Japanese series that was altered for US audiences. I wish they just gave us straight translations, but they tend to re-write entire episodes/characters etc. in situations like these and the end result is usually junk.

I did pick up a couple of the toys however. Mostly out of nostalgia, few of them really blew my socks off.

Except this one:






Known as Scourge on the Robots in Disguise cartoon and Black Convoy in Japan, this is Optimus Prime's evil doppleganger. The figure is actually a re-paint of the gawd awfully colored G2 Laser Optimus Prime from 1995. Man, that thing was butt ugly, which is sad because this is an amazing transformer!



Thankfully they brought the toy back...but this time he's black with turquoise trim and Decepticon allegiance!



He's an awesome figure - a simple transformation with excellent truck and robot likenesses. His sword stashes under his rear axles so you can't lose it (that's a bonus for anyone who grew up with G1 parts all over the place) and he has all kinds of articulation: knees, hips, waist, elbows, head etc. for tons of poses! His trailer transforms into a battle station, with tons of firepower, but all the missiles are boxed up, so I didn't bother transforming it for the photo shoot.




From what I understand this one was hard to come by...it may have been a Toys R Us exclusive or something. Whatever, I have him so I am happy.