COUNTDOWN: 9 more Beast Wars bots who deserve Masterpiece toys

If you’re a Beast Wars fan and/or a Masterpiece collector, there’s a decent chance you’ve been pretty hyped about that line’s takes on the ’90s characters thus far.

Though we’re a way off from a full complement of faces from the cartoon, those who have been represented have been brought to life with aplomb, often looking like they’re ripped off the screen somehow. Sadly, the well has seemingly dried up a bit in recent times, with our last new mould, Tigatron, dropping the better part of three years ago and no sign of anything new since, bar a black Lio Convoy repaint.

Could this be the end for Beast Wars Masterpiece? Seemingly not!

Masterpiece Rhinox Announced at Tokyo Toy Show 2023 https://t.co/1jiFGVbL3A pic.twitter.com/2cEgkPSBLc

— TFW2005 (@tfw2005) June 10, 2023

Yes, you read that right! A Masterpiece Rhinox figure has just been announced at the recent Tokyo Toy Show, reassuring anyone who may have been worried about this particular corner of collecting and bringing a fan-favourite character to life in one fell swoop. Wonderful!

With Rhinox on the way, we can again turn our attention to the remaining cast we’d love to see given similar treatment. For today’s list, we’ve compiled all the potential names and ranked them in order of who we’d like to see done the most! However, we’ve stuck to the ‘pre-Transmetal’ era for now (at least mostly), as so far, we have yet to see any indication that TakaraTomy plans to step outside of it.

Let it be called… BEAST WARS!

#9: Scorponok

Bringing up the rear in this case is season 1 Predacon henchman, Scorponok. Someone had to come in last place, and you had to know it would be him, right? Sure, the design is swish and would make for a pretty interesting Masterpiece figure, but honestly, the character is not all that likeable! Not even in an “oh, he’s a really cool bad guy” way! Don’t get me wrong, any MP Beast Wars release would be welcome, but given a choice, Scorponok can wait his turn.

#8: Terrorsaur

Ranking just one spot above Scorponok on account of having a bit more to do throughout the first season of the ’90s show, Terrorsaur would also be genuinely fascinating to see brought to life as a Masterpiece figure. I have no idea how TakaraTomy’s designers would get that robot mode unfolding out of that beast form, but I’d certainly be up for finding out! The recent Kingdom figure might give some indication, but given how closely the current MP Beast Wars crop has stuck to the animation, I’d expect a potential Terrorsaur to have some truly spectacular tricks up its wings.

#7: Waspinator

Woah, what? Waspinator in 7th place? Yep, I’m sure some might be surprised, but it’s true – there are six characters I’d rather see done before him. That’s no shade on the character, mind, or notion of how much fun a Masterpiece take on everyone’s favourite blown-up bug could be. It’s more to do with how brilliant the existing TakaraTomy Legends LG-EX repaint of the 2013 Generations design is and how well it already fits alongside the Masterpiece Beast Wars crew. Sure, it’s fairly small, but Waspinator was never the biggest bot in the series either, so it works well enough for now and does enough right to let a few other names take their turn first! That said, I expect big things from an MP version, perhaps even the ability to break into itty-bitty components! Or turn into a cube, who knows?

#6: Silverbolt

Pure, strong and fast, Silverbolt is one of the more memorable Maximals from season 2 onwards, and like the next entry, pushes the boundaries of our ‘pre-Transmetal’ rule for today’s list. Still, if we’re sticking with organic beast forms, who wouldn’t want to check out a Masterpiece bird-dog hybrid? It would also make a very fitting accompaniment for the existing Blackarachnia figure. Supposedly, third-party producer Transart has this guy ticked off already, but time will tell how that turns out. Trumpets at the ready!

#5: Quickstrike

The second Fuzor of two, Quickstrike, narrowly pips this one because he has one of the most singularly quirky designs in all of Transformers history, making him a naturally beguiling prospect for a Masterpiece take. Not many bots have their beast mode legs making a weird oversized claw for their left hand, never mind the (second) animal head for the other! In many ways, this design was essentially perfected by the classic 1998 figure already, especially given how stunningly accurate to the cartoon it was, which is perhaps why we’ve never had another design of the character since! That’s incredible to consider, and it makes a potential Masterpiece upgrade all the more tantalising.

#4: Airazor

Airazor’s star has certainly been on the rise of late, with a star turn in the recent WFC Kingdom cartoon, a pretty neat new Generations toy to boot, and her big-screen debut in the latest live-action Transformers adventure. She may not have had quite as much to do back in her ’90s heyday, but that doesn’t mean a Masterpiece take on her classic guise wouldn’t be any less appreciated, even if it’s likely to be one of the more complicated to realise efforts on this list (assuming you don’t have some significant compromises to the bird mode, that is!). With Tigatron already in the line-up, this one has to happen one day, surely? Go ahead, TakaraTomy, make a move. Please.

#3: Rattrap

Now that we know Rhinox is on the way, that leaves just one member of the original Maximal line-up to be given his place in the Masterpiece roster. Yes, it’s everyone’s favourite sneaky vermin, Rattrap! Like Waspinator, there’s a pretty good Legends figure of this little guy already (which can even interact with MP-32 Optimus Primal in a hidden feature!). Still, given how prominent he was in the cartoon and how much it would mean to see the entire crew all realised, Rattrap more than deserves to be towards the top of the consideration for the next characters to be done. Make it happen, for bootin’ up cold!

#2: Inferno

With all the Maximal contenders ticked off, it’s time to talk about some more bad guys who deserve the Masterpiece treatment. Few people can enthuse about Beast Wars for too long without at some point quoting Inferno, given how inherently bonkers absolutely everything he says and does is whenever he appears on-screen! He also has one of the largest and most imposing robot modes of season 1, and even if the character was nerfed a little as the cartoon went on, that doesn’t make him any less memorable or the prospect of an MP figure any less tantalising. His recent update in the Kingdom line has merely whet the appetite for what this could look like. For the glory of the Royalty!

#1: Tarantulas

Topping our list is the one-and-only scheming scientist himself! Tarantulas has reappeared more recently in cartoons like Earthspark, but for many, his classic ’90s portrayal will be forever iconic. Underhanded, treacherous, ruthlessly intelligent and seemingly always two steps ahead (or was he?), this spider is an essential part of any Beast Wars line-up, which makes his absence from the Masterpiece roster thus far all the more egregious. Though his sometime accomplice, Blackarachnia, has already been done, I wouldn’t anticipate this one to be a repaint or retool of any kind, as he assuredly deserves a whole new mould, just as with his recent Kingdom update. We know there’s a 3P stab at his Transmetal form on the way soon, but of all the characters on this list, it’s season 1 Tarantulas that most deserves to be next in line for an official Masterpiece figure. Commence cackling!

So that’s our list! Do you agree with the rankings?

TTFN