Laserbeak - Armada - Figure


G1 Laserbeak, along with Frenzy, was the very first TF I ever owned. I remember him as being one of the original Megatron's most loyal servants, albeit something of a coward. Now it seems that at some point, Laserbeak decided he'd had enough of committing evil acts and working alongside a bunch of losers, and thus packed up his stuff and defected to the Autobots.

Okay, there's absolutely no evidence whatsoever to indicate that that's what happens in Armada, but it'd sure be a riot if it did.

Camcorder Mode
A kiddie-sized camcorder that measures 13.5 cm(5.3") long, Laserbeak is mostly hot orange with blue, black, and gray highlights and a large red Autobot symbol sculpted onto the keister. Neat features include clear plastic lenses in the front barrels and a viewfinder on the left side that flips out and swivels just like a real one. The sticker on the viewfinder is of a grainy Optimus Prime giving you his best blank stare. Two grey buttons on top of the camcorder activate the sound gimmicks. The first one alternates between a camera shutter click and a weird thrumming sound. The second alternates between a laser blast and a generic raptor screech. The wrist strap on Laserbeak has been changed from the prototype: it's much shorter and has a clasp that comes apart easily. No doubt this was done to prevent choking hazards.

Stun Gun Mode
Turn the large gear on the bottom of the camera counter-clockwise to lower the handle (or just pull it down manually) and extend the bird's head and neck to form a long barrel. A button on the handle activates a second laser blast sound that has the potential to be as annoying on long car trips as a round of "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall." The handle is ridiculously small for anyone over the age of six, however.

Many fans have lamented Laserbeak's colour scheme, which was changed from a realistic grey and red to orange and blue. Well, it's in compliance with current federal safety regulations which state that any toy gun has to be hot orange or blue or some other bold colour. It's true that Laserbeak's gun mode doesn't resemble any existing firearm. OTOH, if you were to spray paint him black or grey and then march up to a police officer and whip him out suddenly, there exists a good chance you'd end up either incarcerated, or seriously wounded, or deceased. So please, stop with the complaining already. The orange is for everyone's safety.

Transformation
Press the blue button on top of the camcorder to deploy the bird head, turn the gear clockwise to flip out the wings, and lower the feet manually.

Bird Mode
In bird mode, Laserbeak can rear to a height of 15 cm(6") and has a wingspan of 22 cm(8.5"), more than big enough to beat up G1 Laserbeak and probably the rest of the cassettes. He's still primarily orange, except with more blue and grey showing. His head can look up and down and his hips and ankles rotate. His spring-loaded wings flap, but can only be positioned either outstretched or folded against his body. Sure doesn't resemble a condor too much. Looks more like some species of wading bird.

Also, by lowering his handle, you end up with possibly the most impressively endowed TF of all time. Kids are going to LOVE this birdie.

Overall
Susp Sez: The orange notwithstanding, Laserbeak is a neat little toy. The camcorder mode is a great idea for a spy and the bird mode is cute. The sound effects are annoying enough for hours of tormenting your parents or roommates. However, the price on this toy (around $20 in the States) and the fact that he can't interact with Mini-Cons may turn off some fans.

Susp

"I will protect you." -Laserbeak

ReviewerSuspsy  
DateAugust 10th 2002  
Score 7 stars (7 out of 10)  
Reads6475


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