Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Scarem
And the final member of my little old TF Beast Wars buying spree (the other two being
Op Minor and bantor) was Scarem. I read good reviews of him, which was what lead me to
grab him (though I would have grabbed him anyway since he's a TF and I don't have him and it's
tough to find him in stores any more (unlike his case-bud, Optimus Minor who still litters the
pegs at many a store). Anyway, the point of that was I'm kinda disappointed in him.
Scarem's beast mode is that of a weird bug with huge mandibles. He's some sort of beetle,
I suppose, though it doesn't look like any beetle I've ever seen. Also cool about bug mode is
it can actually stand on its own legs rather than flopping around on its belly (seems Hasbro
finally got it right with the TM2s, though TM Tarantulas can do it with some trouble as can Quickstrike).
Transformation is pretty simple once you get the hang of it, it's more the part of getting
him back to beast mode that may frustrate you, especally his rear four legs. Speaking of
those, they form his robot legs by pegging together. This is a very refreshing change from
the majority of other bug Predacons (or Maximals if you count BM Buzzsaw) which have their
bug legs as kibble on their arms (Waspinator, Scourge, Tarantulas) or elsewhere (Inferno, Quickstrike,
TM Tarantulas).
However, the way the two pairs of legs snap together prevents him from having any sort of
knee joint. Of course, this is easily fixed by unsnapping the legs (so now he has four legs,
kinda like Op Minor's four arms). However, now a new problem arises. His hip joints aren't
tight enough to support the weight of his upper body (which houses all the bug parts) and the
new knee joints you just made are equally loose ball joints. BAH!
However, robot mode has a few saving graces. First off I must say that it's a good thing I
don't mind when Transformers have no hands (as is evident by my love for the original BW Megatron),
because Scarem doesn't have any. However, instead he has two cool scythes, which look pretty
menacing. They're also in a cool metallic blue color that I like a lot as well.
In all, Scarem isn't bad, per say, I just wish they'd put a little more thought into his
robot legs. If they had been more sturdy and had knee joints I would have gladly dealt with
the kibble. I've done it before. If you can get one for $5 or so, it's worth it.
