
I may have mentioned this, but I’m a huge repaint fan.
There’s just something about seeing an already familiar toy design rehashed in a bold new colour scheme that really gets the motor running. There’s often no better way to fully appreciate a particular mould than to admire it with a different look.
Having recently showcased examples from the Unicron Trilogy, CHUG, Beast Machines, RID 2001, Animated, Binaltech, Masterpiece and even Generation 1, we’re back at it again for a fifth round of Beast Wars! Simply put, here are five gorgeous repaints for your consideration!
#5: Robots in Disguise Sky-Byte (2001)

I’ve little doubt that Sky-Byte here needs no introduction. As the undisputed breakout character of the 2001 Robots in Disguise series (even more than with Japan’s prior year pre-dub Car Robots original), the haiku-spouting flying shark is one of the more memorable aspects of any iteration of Transformers, which explains why he’s made a return showing in more recent platforms such as Cyberverse. Yet this classic toy has never been bettered, not least because of its *stu-hun-ning* finish and paint job, which is the kind of top-tier fare you simply do not expect to see on mainline retail toys of any generation. Loaded with precision detailing that brings out the finest elements of the sculpt work, this is one of those occasions where not only is the repaint more well-known than the (also very attractive) original iteration of the mould, but justifiably so.
#4: Beast Wars Neo Elphaorpha (1999)

Here, we have one of those unfortunately rare but still favourable examples where we’re gifted a gorgeous alternate take on an already worthwhile design, yet the primary cause for celebration is thus: it doesn’t have GPS. Yes, sadly, Beast Wars Torca is a notorious gold-plastic causality, requiring extreme care during handling and especially transformation. That leaves the Japanese-exclusive Neo release as the go-to choice should you want half a chance of enjoying the design, although fortunately, it also happens to be a delightful alternate option in its own right. Torca may be best appreciated from a distance, but Elphaorpha is only too happy to play!
#3: Beast Wars Neo Sharp Edge (1999)

As the second of today’s Cybershark repaints, it would be easy to overlook the appropriately named Sharp Edge in favour of the flashy Robots in Disguise offering above. Yet anyone who has acquired the recent original iteration reissue of this formerly hammerhead-themed mould will know that it’s a surprising delight, with ridiculous appendage weapons and a central chest cannon all pushing it so far into absurdity that you cannot help but love it. This Neo release arguably dials it up a step further, decking the folded-out innards of the beast mode shell with a rather disturbing blood-red vibe and adding a fierce new sawshark snout, all of which makes this one an unmissable alternative to what was already an inherent banger of a toy.
#2: Timelines Ultra Mammoth (2012)

I could almost envisage including this particular release for the phenomenally punny name alone, but fortunately, the toy itself is also a veritable snack. True, we’ve seen many a makeover for the classic 1999 Big Convoy mould (including, yes, another blue version). Yet it’s so inherently enjoyable and ripe for repainting, and besides, who’s complaining when the results look as good as this, eh? ‘Ultra Mammoth’ (lol) also taps into one of those niche but neat traditions in Beast Wars by taking a beloved original generation franchise all-star and decking them out in animalistic fashion (see also Botcon Arcee, for starters), again to awesome effect. Oh, and did I mention the punny name?
#1: Botcon Tigatron (2001)

It’s an inadvertent tradition of these lists to throw in a Botcon toy somewhere along the line, but as we seem to be on an also unintentional blue theme, here’s 2001’s Tigatron for your consideration! I still marvel at this thing even existing (although more so that it now resides within my collection, admittedly). After all, the 1999 Metals Jaguar design on which it is based, itself a heavy retool of the prior year’s Transmetal Cheetor, is such a weird but wonderful thing in so many regards. Cartoon accurate to a degree but also really not, with spring-loaded pop-out guns in his hands as a primary gimmick, there’s a lot to love about it all, and this Big Cat re-use is the perfect white and chrome blue yin to the original’s black and grey yang. It’s hard to come by for a decent price these days, but oh so worth it.
So that’s our list! What are some of your favourite Beast Wars repaints?
TTFN
