Beast Wars Wolfang

Robot Mode: Wolfang was released in the first year of Beast Wars figures and nicely showed several of the characteristics of this highly innovative and successful toy line. Despite clearly being a robot, the figure looks organic. His weapons all look like natural extensions of him and are fully integrated in both modes. He features a high level of articulation (for the time), only somewhat hampered by the fact that he is a rather stocky figure.

In terms of detailing and articulation Wolfang fully satisfies the high Beast Wars standard and has nothing to complain about. He might look a bit plain compared to some of the flashier Beast Wars figures, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Like all 1996 Deluxe and Mega figures he has a mutant head gimmick, in his case a black visor that slides down over his face. Which of his two heads you like better is subjective, of course, but the Mutant Head look is the one that was selected for his eventual comic appearance (see below).

Wolfang’s weapons are a missile launcher, made from his beat mode tail, which can fire two missiles that are integrated into his torso. When removed, he actually has two tiny holes in his belly. He also has a shield with a handle, which is made from his beast mode back. Missiles, launcher, and shield can be stored on his back in robot mode as well, so the danger of loose parts getting lost is greatly reduced.

To sum it up: Wolfang in robot mode is as good as you expect a Beast Wars figure to be. Not spectacular and with a stocky build that hampers his articulation a bit, but fully satisfactory otherwise.

Beast Mode: Hardly surprising, the Transformer called Wolfang transforms into a wolf. The transformation is a nice mix between a shell-former and the usual down-on-all-fours transformation shared by so many beast Transformers. The wolf’s front legs are kibble, while the rear legs are only part of his robot mode legs, with everything else tucked into the beast shell. Well, not entirely tucked in, as you can see his robot arms under his belly, but otherwise everything fits together pretty nicely. No gimmicks or anything in this mode, though, it’s a wolf, he can move his hind legs, and that’s pretty much it. Still, a nicely done beast mode overall. No complaints except for the slightly visible arms.

Remarks: When Mainframe Entertainment selected the cast for the Beast Wars TV series from the available toys, they wanted Wolfang on the Maximal team. He was to be the first new Transformer revived from the downed stasis pods. Budget constraints forced Mainframe to reconsider, though, thus Tigatron (who used the same CGI model as Cheetor) was selected instead, relegating Wolfang to the ranks of no-show toys. It was only years later during the IDW Beast Wars comic books that Wolfang actually managed to gain some media presence.

As a figure Wolfang is good. He is certainly not the best Beast Wars figure from that first year, but he adheres to the series’ high standard. All weapons are fully integrated, articulation is only hampered by his stocky physique, and overall he’s just a nice toy. In direct comparison with his later repaint K-9 I consider Wolfang better, but on purely subjective terms. Far from a must-have, but Beast Wars fans such as myself will not go wrong here.

Rating: B-