Transformers RavageAfter appearing in Revenge of the Fallen, Ravage seemed nailed on as a figure in the Legends assortment. However, for various reasons - possibly that the first wave of RotF Legends spent so long sitting on shelves they actually began to decay into a fine dust. No, honest. Instead, the Legends Ravage figure was held over to the 2010 line's Hunt for the Decepticons sub-theme. If this came out in the UK I missed it, though it does seem to be one of the harder to find Legends - presumably it was released in smaller numbers after the price-bracket's poor performance for RotF.

Thankfully, a boxed set was issued by Hasbro named 'The Ravage Infiltration'. In the UK it was only available in Sainsbury's supermarkets, and seems to have been released at a reduced price of around £7 (for reference, UK RRPs of individual Legends figures in the UK are £5-6). The set came with two Autobots, Flak and Rollbar (recolours of the RotF Scouts Scattorshot and Dune Runner... it probably goes without saying that these are hugely uninspired figures in lurid schemes), a trio of unposeable soldier figures (recoloured from the 2007 movie Screen Battles sets), a neat cardboard diorama box inlay and a recoloured version of the Legends Ravage figure.


Transformers RavageThe first Legends Ravage was released in a sort of metallic grey/silver colour all over, which didn't look too far from the promotional CGI render but not much like the character's on screen appearance - though it's difficult to work out exactly what colour that is, considering he either appears in murk or super-bright sunlight. This one mixes black and grey plastic on the limbs with painted pale metallic blue on the body and - in a very neat touch - the tops of the legs. It's a complex scheme for such a small figure that really comes off, and apparently it's very screen-accurate, though again it's difficult to compare with the film. He looks like he could be screen-accurate at any rate, and crucially has that evil red eye in there. The paint applications are extensive for such a small figure, including faint silver Decepticon logos on the shoulders that blend nicely with the blue, only catching the light from certain angles - the effect is nice and subtle.

Transformers RavageWhile being scaled down to about a third of the Deluxe's size (maybe more, I don't have the latter anymore for an exact comparison), Ravage still has a fair amount of articulation. The jaw movement is gone, and the only joints on the front legs are at the shoulder and ankle, while the guns just move as a single unit rather than retaining their pumping action. However, all four legs and the tail can move through a decent range, certainly enough for some great poses, and the small size really adds to the figure's play value. Ravage looks superb scrabbling over most of the Deluxe/Voyager/Leader Autobot figures, or more amiably perched on a Leader class Megatron figure.


Transformers RavageRereading my old Deluxe Ravage review for orientation, I was baffled by the decision to review the 'robot' mode first contrary to pretty much all my other reviews. I switched the text around and tried to do this one the normal way, and remembered why - Ravage's vehicle modes are basically his feline form with a few bits folded away, and it's pretty counterintuitive to discuss it ahead of the robot mode.

Transformers RavageHowever, fair's fair, the Legends one has a bit more effort gone into it, notably the large pointed part from the underside of the cat that forms a little bit more of a spaceship-style nose for the thing (this does look a bit like Ravage with a big mask on, though). The 'wings' still look inescapably like robotic animal legs folded up, however, and the mode still doesn't really look like anything. Ambitiously, the instructions even attempt a third 're-entry' mode, with the legs folded up alongside the body (in a similar fashion to the Deluxe's alternate mode). This is even less convincing.


Once again, the cat mode is terrific fun, with very good articulation and detailing for a Legends figure. Generally Hasbro seem to have designed it very much with this in mind, then fiddled with the thing to get a transformation with as little compromise to the 'robot' mode as possible. Bluntly, the only reason Ravage transforms is so that kids don't get baffled by a non-transforming Transformers figure. For older fans, he's a great addition to any movie figure display, and a neat desktop fiddle toy. If you can find the boxed set cheap, he justifies the price alone, even if the rest of the set is terrible.

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