AIRAZOR FOX KIDS

Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Categories: Deluxe Transmetal
Year: 2000

Prelude: It’s kind of hard to believe nowadays, but during the first 14 years of Transformers toys, there was not a single figure that was designed to be female. Sure, some toys had been repurposed to portray female characters, but it wasn’t until 1998’s Transmetal Airazor that a toy was actually designed to portray a female robot. Since then we’ve had lots of female Transformers, but Airazor will always be the first. This groundbreaking toy was reissued in the year 2000 as part of the Fox Kids subline. And seeing as it’s been nearly 14 years since I reviewed the original Transmetal Airazor, I think I can take another crack at it.

Robot Mode: Compared to the first TM Airazor, the color swap here is more subtle than in other Fox Kids’ exclusives. What was yellow is now orange, the off-white has been replaced with a light grey-blue, and the bird claws and feet are now golden instead of blue. The chromed parts remain the same on one side, but are now cobalt-blue on the other. So on first glance Airazor doesn’t look that different than before, just a bit darker.

Otherwise Airazor naturally remains the same robot as before. The body is shaped somewhat female-ish without overdoing it, the large backpack consisting of wings and big jet engines is the same as well. Airazor has the clawed feet of her bird mode on her arms as close quarter weapons and can unfold the pontoons from her wings to serve as over-the-shoulder guns. Articulation is very good, though the heavy backpack somewhat limits the poses the figure can do without using the tips of the wings as additional stabilizers.

Finally, Airazor can “armor up” in robot mode, wrapping herself in the chromed plates. It restricts her articulation to zero, pretty much, but it’s possible. So bottom line: a very nice robot mode with some limitations.

Alternate Mode: Airazor transforms into a techno-organic eagle with huge jet engines on its back. The color swap is the same as in robot mode, but additionally the red markings from the original TM Airazor are now golden here. Overall the eagle looks pretty good with fully articulated feet (the robot mode arms) and wings that can be spread outwards, too.

For her third mode (like all Transmetals have) Airazor can unfold pontoons from her wings, basically turning her eagle form into a floatplane. Not sure why she’d need that, but it looks pretty good. So bottom line: a good beast mode with a nice, if superfluous third mode.

Remarks: The character of Airazor was introduced in the Beast Wars episode “The Spark”, but she was not among the Maximals who were transmetalized by the quantum surge. Her Transmetal form was only ever seen in the 3H Productions comic book “Primeval Dawn” and that series was cancelled before we could learn her final fate. The mold was reused for Armada, though, where Airazor appeared in the Dreamwave Armada comics, becoming one of Unicron’s Four Horsemen.

The Fox Kids repaints of various Beast Wars toys are among the harder-to-find toys from that era, especially if you’re living in Europe. Airazor is among the subtler repaints (see Transmetal Rhinox for a very unsubtle one) and while she is certainly far from a must, especially if you already own the original TM Airazor, she is still a nice figure. Also, as mentioned above, the first ever designed-to-be-female Transformer.

Rating: B-
 

Tags: - Airazor (BW) - Animal: Bird - Beast Wars - Fembots - Hasbro - Maximal - Transmetal

Included Figures:	User Rating:	Accessories:	Other Versions of the Mold:
		--	Beast Wars Airazor (1998) Beast Wars Metals Airazor (1998) Armada Airazor (2003)

Published 17.12.2018
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