TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Osku's review of: Quickstrike (Hasbro) and Quickstrike (Takara)

Name: Quickstrike
Function: Desert Combat Expert
Bio: "There are few robots as downright mean as Quickstrike, even his fellow Predacons steer clear of his terrible disposition whenever possible. His deadly cobra-headed tail squirts a venom that instantly paralyzes its victims, leaving them defenseless against his razor-sharp scorpion pincers and attack claw."
Allegiance: Predacon

Quickstrike was one of the two fuzors that appeared in cartoon. Despite having a stupid and stereotypical Texan accent, character was quite liked. Personally I couldn't stand the stupid "I like to blow things up" character, but that doesn't prevent me liking the excellent toy the character was based on.

For this review I decided to include a short comparison between Hasbro and Takara version, mostly because I think the robot mode battle picture is good. Hasbro version was released earlier and was part of Fuzors sub-line. In Japan Takara released Quickstrike in "Beast Wars Metals" toy line.

Beast mode:
Quickstrike's beast mode is an amalgam of scorpion and cobra with transmetallic qualities. Unlike in many other fuzor toys, Quickstrike's beast mode looks almost natural; scorpion just happens to have cobra head in place of its tail stinger.

Scorpion body is mainly comprised of translucent orange plastic. Details are painted with slightly glowing green paint, which in my opinion gives the toy transmetallic qualities. A little detail I really like. A minor complaint about scorpion head that sort of gets lost between body and claws. Tail is formed brown plastic pieces and there are seven ball joints, which makes tail easily poseable. Snake head is comprised of translucent orange plastic and soft brown plastic underneath. Snake head works also as a water squirter, a function I hadn't noticed until I got instructions with my Takara version.

In short beast mode is very well designed and offers a lot of play value.

Differences between Hasbro (on the left in picture) and Takara releases are subtle. Takara version has slightly darker green paint, which fits my taste more. Hasbro version on the other hand uses on scorpion legs orange plastic which shade is quite close to translucent orange plastic, which makes it look natural. In Takara's version the colour is way too bright and strong and makes scorpion legs look "out of place". If I had to choose between Hasbro and Takara Quickstrikes, based on beast mode, I would choose Hasbro.

Robot mode:
While I like beast mode, robot mode is even better. Transformation is simple but effective; with little twisting scorpion pinchers form the feet, scorpion body becomes the body and cobra head and scorpion legs become hands. It is easy to see what kind of animal(s) the robot transforms, but in Quickstrike's case, it's not a bad thing. In my opinion the sleek robot head sculpt fits the mold.

Proportions are balanced and there's huge amount of articulation. There are more ball joints used on Quickstrike than any basic sized toy I can think of, sadly most of those are placed on the hands. Despite having lots of articulation, posing Quickstrike can be difficult. The biggest reason is the feet. At least in my toys are a little loose at ankles. Normally this wouldn't a big problem but the long and heavy right arm (AKA snake neck and head) makes it really hard to pose.

Translucent plastic works well in this mode and it surprisingly well with the dull brown plastic used on legs and hands. Details are painted with a green colour, which succesfully brings transmetallic vibe to this mode.

Differences between Hasbro and Takara version are, again, subtle. In Takara version (on the right in picture) there are extra detail stripes in the head making it more show accurate and detailed. Sadly Takara also added red paint to robot eyes and at the same ruined the "glow through translucent plastic" effect that Hasbro version has. Still, Takara version looks slightly better. Shade differences in colours don't matter in this mode.

Transformation: 8 - Good. Not too difficult, but requires some thinking.
Durability: 9 - I haven't had any problems with mine.
OR
Durability: 6 - What can get wrong with Quickstrike. I've heard that ball joints in the tail can get loose ->hard to pose. Also scorpion head can pop off and get lost if handled wrong. Plastic in pinchers is quite thin, and could be broken if handled roughly.
Fun: 9 - Fun to transform, simple and working gimmick, poseable. Just what I want from a basic sized toy.
Price: 5-9 - Depends. Can be quite easily found from lots on ebay, but if bought alone can cost a lot. Takara versions can be found sometimes cheaply, especially in vs. package with Airazor.
Overall: 9 - Excellent little toy. Recommended for all.