Of all the different iterations of the Transformers universe we’ve seen over the decades, Beast Machines is probably the one that’s the hardest to fully grasp. It was a transitional series that served as a bridge between the beast era and the modern era, which has a more traditional emphasis on cars, planes, etc. And Beast Machines can be downright surreal at times. Watching it, it’s hard for me to believe this was a show aimed at kids, because it can be just so… out there… sometimes, and people tend to either love it or hate it. The toy line received a similar reception from fans. Many of the figures were not screen-accurate at all, and some were just plain weird.
Tankor’s original figure from the Beast Machines line is one that did not resemble his on-screen counterpart, so it’s awesome that, like Rhinox, we’re finally getting a somewhat screen-accurate Tankor in the Generations line. I say “somewhat” because this figure does not quite hit all the right notes like Rhinox did, but it is cool to finally have a Tankor that actually looks like Tankor, and that’s what is most important here.
Transformation video:
As with all the current Generations figures, we see Tankor packaged against a large backdrop of himself, and his pose on the cover of the comic really captures Tankor’s character — he looks large and imposing. Now, if only the figure were equally as large and imposing…
To describe him as a “mountain” on the packaging of this figure is pretty funny because he is anything but large. On the Beast Machines series, Tankor was pretty huge, but here he’s easily one of the smaller Generations figures released yet.
Tankor, as a character, is huge. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Beast Machines, so I don’t remember him being quite as big as he is in the above pic, but he’s definitely larger on the show than what we’re getting here. Something that’s easy for me to forget, however, is this isn’t necessarily supposed to be “Beast Machines” Tankor. He’s been popping up in the current IDW comics, like the one he’s packed with, and there he isn’t a mountain; his size is fairly consistent with the other characters he interacts with, like Starscream, so in all probability, this figure is likely to be based on that version of the character.
His sculpt and design are simple, but they’re completely accurate to the character. Well, mostly. His cannon isn’t 100 percent accurate to the show, but just about everything else is, but instead of being a giant, imposing force to be reckoned with, he’s this squat little guy.
His head sculpt is simple, but, again, accurate. It looks like Tankor. It captures his cold, mean, and kind of dumb personality nicely.
It’s also really cool to see the Vehicon sigil on Tankor’s chest. The Generations line has done a lot to introduce different factions into the toy line, so it’s always nice to get characters who aren’t the usual Autobot or Decepticon.
In terms of articulation and posability, Tankor is surprisingly nicely articulated. There’s a great range of motion in his arms and legs because there’s little to no kibble to get in the way. Dynamic posing does a lot to add personality to the figure, since he isn’t very expressive otherwise. Both of his claws can open, and he has saw blades on each arm that can spin to mimic a “sawing” action.
His cannon has some articulation to it too. It can be raised and lowered by way of a joint at its base and the point where it attaches to his shoulder. It’s big and kind of gets in the way, so I prefer to have it posed on his back behind his shoulder. It still looks cool but isn’t as obtrusive.
He is definitely on the small side, and nowhere is this more evident than when he’s posed with the new Generations Rhinox. In a convoluted sort of way, Rhinox and Tankor are the same character, and both should be be larger figures, really, so it’s a shame one got the voyager treatment while the other didn’t. But I suppose Rhinox could benefit from name recognition a bit more than Tankor, so there we are.
One thing I noticed when I added him to my shelves is he’s just about the same size as Beast Machines Megatron. Now, Megatron was a puny character when he was released and was subject to a fair amount of ire from many fans, but I think the two of them look pretty great together. They’re going to be my “Beast Machines buddies” on my shelf.
His Cybertronian tank mode looks great and, just like his ‘bot mode, is very faithful to what we saw on the series. It’s a very simple transformation (please see video), but that doesn’t mean he’s a weak figure at all. If the figure can accurately capture both modes in a satisfying way, then the transformation doesn’t need to be any more complicated than it needs to be, and in this case, simple works just fine.
It looks good from every angle, and his ‘bot head is still plainly visible in both modes. That’s not lazy design; it actually serves a purpose for the character on the show, so it’s cool to see it here too.
I know this figure isn’t for everyone, especially those unfamiliar with the Beast Machines series, but the good news is Shout! Factory is rereleasing the series on DVD this fall, so hopefully some fans will check it out for the first time and realize they need a Tankor on their shelves. Hopefully more characters from Beast Machines also get updates from Hasbro (Jetstorm! Thrust!) so Tankor here doesn’t feel so all alone.
Tankor and his wave-mate Rattrap are just now starting to make their way to the pegs of all the usual retail spots. Mine came from Big Bad Toy Store along with Rattrap, so online shops are an option as well.
