Main
Features
 FOTD
 Toy Fair 2023
 SDCC 2023
 Toy Fair 2020
 NYCC 2019
 SDCC 2019
 Toy Fair 2019
 SDCC 2018
 Toy Fair 2018
 HasCon 2017
 SDCC 2017
 Toy Fair 2017
 SDCC 2016
 Toy Fair 2016
 SDCC 2015
 Toy Fair 2015
 SDCC 2014
 C2E2 2014
 Toy Fair 2014
 SDCC 2013
 C2E2 2013
 Toy Fair 2013
 SDCC 2012
 C2E2 2012
 Toy Fair 2012
 NYCC 2011
 SDCC 2011
 Toy Fair 2011
Archives
 Books
 DVD
 Music
 Statues
 Prop Replicas
 Toys
 Video Games
Credits
Contact


This site is part of Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Entertainment Earth affiliate programs. We may earn a commission when you click one of their links.


Related Links:
16bit Tumblr
16bit Twitter
16bit Instagram
ASWN
EE Podcast
Galactic Hunter
Glyos News
OSM News

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Hasbro, 2013
Day #946: June 19, 2014
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action FigureDarksteel
Grimwing Repaint

Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Voyager Target Exclusive
Item No.:
Asst. A5868 No. A4480
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Grapple launcher
Action Feature: Transforms from Ursagryph to robot
Retail: $19.99
Availability: July 2013
Other: n/a

  PREVIOUS RSS NEXT  

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action FigureI picked up Darksteel on clearance, mostly because I didn't want to shell out twenty bones on more "Prime" toys - I just couldn't get in to the show. These creatures were pretty neat, though, and as someone who dug Fuzors back in the day I can get behind weird creature modes. Granted, this one is a little weird - there's no real texture, and it doesn't feel quite as robotic as the G1 animals and dinosaurs. It is what it is - a strange, noseless robot with feet that seem to have like a dozen variations on how to correctly transform them. Were it not for that, this would be an incredibly simple toy.

Packaged in robot mode, seems like it may have been mistransformed but it's tough to say. The figure has a surprising amount of articulation given the simplicity of the transformation. You've got wrists that bend and swivel, articulated thumbs, moving toes on the feet, heels, and all sorts of nonsense. It's an impressive robot if you futz with it and get the full extent to just how many pieces move, even though it's wildly unnecessary. His shoulder pads are articulated, and the grey pieces are actually removable via their 5mm pegs - so he can use them as weapons, if you like. The wings are the only part of the toy that comes up short, given they can't swing out - well, the dark grey tips can, but that's it.

The head is dark blue with a bright orange face, and while I have heard some say he looks a lot like Deszaras/Deathsaurus, I'd say it's a slight resemblance at best. The figure is covered in cyberglyphs, which are painted in a bright orange color. But what do they mean? I can't find a translation or a comparison of the glyphs as letters, so I assume whatever significance they have is either out there and I can't find it or a closely-guarded secret. This deco looks sharp, too. Grimwing (the figure from which Darksteel is redecorated) featured sculpted glyphs but they were not all painted in. In that sense, I'd argue this is the better looking of the two molds. The beaked grapple weapon can fit easily in his hands or in his forearms like a Megatron cannon, so he passes the test for good accessory compatibility.

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure

Transforming the figure is simple with a few exceptions. Basically, his arms become the front legs, his feet become the back legs, and you flip down the robot head while fiddling with the creature's long neck and covering the hole in his chest. The added complexity comes from the torso joint - my sample's is incredibly tight and I feel like I'm going to break it each time I transform him - plus the multi-jointed knees and feet have no real obvious "correct" mode. There are numerous joints and moving parts here, granting the end user multiple options for how you want to configure him as a taller guy, a shorter guy, a guy with super-long feet, and so on. If you have multiples of this mold - and with the so-so Grimwing and the seemingly gorgeous Japan import with a remolded head Budora (Oni!) - be glad that this option is available for you.

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure

Going back to the earlier Fuzors analogy, this creature's alt mode is a doozy. The bear-meets-griffin Ursagryph mode is a bizarre one, and the limbs don't morph enough to really look all that different. I think it's the neck of the creature that needed to look different - as it is, it looks like the robot standing on all fours with a new head. It's convincing, I guess, but a simplistic transformation and few significant changes knock it down a few pegs. Well, or it maybe raises it for kids - other than the sliding torso joint, this seems like it would be a fun, simple toy for kids. Heck, even the accessory's projectile is held in by a rope - it's harder to lose parts here.

As a less-than-giant fan of this series, I like this toy a bunch. I would've preferred a different robot head, but the articulation and accessories are quite good and I appreciate the bizarre paint job. Since I skipped most of Prime I can say this figure doesn't make me feel like I missed out on too much, but now I'm beginning to think I should've snagged more of the Predacons for their bizarre forms. Let's face it, since 2001 we've been on a steady diet of cars for the most part, and bizarre creatures like this are far and few between. I'm assuming now that we're in full-on Dinobots mania, unless we get a Maximals and Predacons revival in the main line, it'll be a while before we see another being like this.

--Adam Pawlus

Additional Images

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure

Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure
Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure Hasbro Transformers Beast Hunters Predacons Rising Darksteel Action Figure

Click here to see more Hasbro figures in Figure of the Day.

Click here to see more Transformers figures in Figure of the Day.

Want to buy this figure? Check Transformers availability at our sponsors:
Entertainment Earth

HTML Comment Box is loading comments...

Featured Toy Video

Click Here for 2013
Figure of the
Day 2014
January 2014
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
February 2014
1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
232425262728
March 2014
1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031
April 2014
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930
May 2014
123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
June 2014
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930
July 2014
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031
August 2014
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31
September 2014
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930
October 2014
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
November 2014
1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30
December 2014
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031
Click Here for 2015

16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal.
We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.