COUNTDOWN: Even more Beast Wars toys that deserve Generations updates!

Despite being – gasp! – almost thirty years old, Beast Wars endures as a fan-favourite Transformers series, which has continued to be referenced with more modern media and toys even today.

Yet, although we may never again see the glut of new figures found during 2021’s Kingdom line, plenty of classic Beast-era names still exist that could – and should! – be brought back for an updated spin as part of the ongoing Generations brand, be it Age of the Primes or whatever comes after. Oh, and before everyone gangs together in unison to shout, “Transmetals!” with the force of ten suns, we’ve opted to keep this list focused on the purely organic offerings from the ’90s line-up. After our initial lists, here are 8 more vintage Beast bots that deserve new toys.

#8: Depth Charge

Let’s dive right in at the deep end and acknowledge one of the most heinously absent characters from any modern Generations roster. Depth Charge made quite the splash on his debut in the third season of the Beast Wars cartoon, tearing up the idea of your typical good-guy Maximal with his one-track-mind pursuit of revenge on archrival Protoform X (more on that later!). Yet despite his memorable animated turn and an absolute banger of a debut toy design in 1998, further realisations of the big fish boy have been few and far between in the decades since, and certainly none of them come close to so faithfully realising his screen persona in quite such accurate form as the original. It’s not hard to imagine how an updated attempt might make some improvements in terms of articulation and posing, even if it meant sacrificing stuff like the idiosyncratic disc-launcher gimmick in the manta ray mouth. Perhaps the only real consideration would be doing the beast mode justice, given what an all-timer the vintage toy truly is in that regard, but here’s hoping it wouldn’t flounder!

#7: Powerhug / Retrax

Powerhug and his original 1997 Kenner equivalent Retrax boast just about the oddest design one can fathom in Transformers terms, given a huge portion of the robot mode centres around the titular ‘hugging’ feature in defiance of all the many compromises it brings elsewhere. Yet despite having the kind of objective credibility that by rights should have left the toy relegated to a weird ’90s throwback forevermore, it’s recently found resurgence as a Walmart-exclusive reissue (which I’m sure says more about the moulds that were available for the process as opposed to any real desire to see Retrax make a comeback!), and against all odds, one cannot deny it maintains a sort of offbeat, quirky charm of the era. Now imagine such a strange robot form but done with modern engineering and free from the ever-present threat of the inherent gimmick giving way and clamping shut on your fingers and then you might understand why it’s made this list.

#6: Ramulus

1998’s Transmetal 2 Ramulus may be one of the coolest Z-listers in the history of Transformers. Man turns into a (battering) ram, after all, to say nothing of his robot mode sporting an apparent open-gilet-with-puffed-up-bare-chest-beneath motif, which makes him look like the kind of fella who’s half a drink away from his next bar brawl. Despite this perpetual vibe of spoiling for a rumble, there’s little chance his illustrious chrome finish would ever survive the process, given you can practically flay it off just by looking at him wrong, which is a crying shame considering how gorgeous this toy is right out of the packaging (assuming the wear process hasn’t already begun!). A Generations update could solve all of this, and even if some similarly shiny chrome is highly unlikely in the era of modern toy budgeting, we can’t help but wonder if it might be something special all the same.

#5: Injector

Let’s get one thing straight here: Injector is one of the ugliest Transformers toys ever. However, the crucial context to this statement is that such hideousness is entirely by design. Yes, the figure is intentionally ghastly in every regard. In fact, it succeeds admirably at being altogether unsightly and really quite gruesome. What else would you expect from mashing together the beast forms of a lionfish and a hornet? Yet here’s the real kicker – it’s also a true treat to admire up close, with the kind of painted finish, moulded flourishes and overall attention to detail that most retail toys can’t quite claim. It sets a high bar for any potential follow-up to try and clear, but regardless, this classic 1998 design is just too ghastly not to bring back at some point down the line.

#4: Scarem

With one of the most perfectly punny names of the Beast era, Scarem is also rocking a truly curious design to boot. Transforming from a chrome-infused Transmetal 2 scarab beetle to an optionally four-legged robot sporting blades for hands is peculiar by any standards. Still, this Basic beastie pulls it off with aplomb and remains memorable despite his lack of A-list status. Any kind of Generations makeover could surely top this initial outing in the articulation stakes, providing an altogether more sensible solution for the legs for one thing, meaning that whilst again it might lack the blinging blue finish found on the 1999 toy, one can’t help but think that such a figure could bring the goods in terms of how best to interpret this unorthodox design.

#3: Tonbot / Jetstorm

Whether you know the mould by its original Kenner outing under the 1997 pre-Beast Machines moniker of Jetstorm or its subsequent Takara makeover as Tonbot is largely immaterial as either way, it’s about as efficient a ‘bug-to-bot’ transformation scheme as ever there was. Sure, it somewhat stretches the aesthetic of a ‘robot mode’ with a distinctly insectoid face design and previous little mechanical detailing to be seen anywhere. Yet it’s still plenty of fun and largely successful, packing in a surprising water-squirt gimmick for a bit of a laugh in the process. Odds are that particular trick would fall by the wayside for a potential Generations overhaul, but still, this one could be enjoyable in updated form, especially with the added articulation that would surely bring.

#2: Transmetals!

OK, I humbly submit this next entry as a bit of a catch-all here, but come on. I’m thinking it. You’re thinking it. Just about half the Transformers-loving internet is thinking it. Yes, what we all really want is Transmetal Generations toys! Sure, I’ve mentioned individual characters already on these lists, but really, just queue up any of the likes of Cheetor, Optimus, Megatron, Rattrap, Tarantulas or even the non-show outings for characters like Rhinox or Waspinator. The fact is, Transmetals were COOL AF back in the ’90s and have remained a source of heavy fan adoration ever since for just this reason. Yet despite those positive vibes, they’ve all but been left on the sidelines ever since, with no reissues in sight (unsurprising given the apparent shelf-warming antics of the existing releases and the excessive expense and expertise required to produce chrome of this kind) and virtually no acknowledgement in the way of updated designs either. Sure, we wouldn’t expect the all-out bling of the ’90s toys, but still, some of the inherent character models are just too good to be kept as a one-and-done. It’s the Transmetals’ time to shine once again!

#1: Rampage

Given we’ve already cited Transmetals in general and this specific example’s archnemesis Depth Charge, it should be zero surprise to see the crustacean-themed titan rounding out today’s list. After all, not only is 1998’s Rampage an immense toy all in its own right, with all kinds of terrific design cues such as working rubber treads and a self-firing missile gimmick, but it’s a massive crab which also turns into a tank. What could be cooler than that? Equally, this represents the best-executed ideal of the Transmetal concept in toy form, given it boasts a mechanical exterior beast guise housing a largely organic humanoid mode hidden inside. Transforming Rampage is akin to peeling the shell off a crab in many ways, each new twist or turn revealing that horrifying fleshy interior. So sure, the vintage original is about as close to perfection as Beast Wars ever came in the ’90s, and yes, it’s hard to imagine what an updated take on the character might do to top it (we can’t conceive of such a figure replicating those aforementioned rubber treads, for one thing), but darn it, we’d love to see them try.

So that’s our list! What other classic Beast Wars toys deserve an update?

TTFN