This has been an exciting year for Transformers fans and collectors. We’ve seen a lot of cool stuff like new Masterpiece figures, heaps of Combiner Wars figures (including a good G1 Devastator!), an IDW Ultra Magnus that sent comic fans in a tizzy, a G1-inspired Megatron, and updates of many core G1 characters like Prowl and Thundercracker. But, above all, what has had me the most excited has been the updates of a handful of Beast Wars characters that we’ve seen. Now, 2016 will be the 20th anniversary of Beast Wars, and I know Takara and Hasbro have some cool stuff in store for us, but before we get there, another Takara Legends figure that is a much-needed update of a classic Beast Wars character has just been released: Blackarachnia!
Let’s take a look at Takara’s welcome update of this sinister lady!
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Blackarachnia (or “Blackwidow,” as she’s known overseas) comes packed in the standard window box that we saw with Rattrap and other Legends releases. It showcases the figure’s beast mode nicely, and the pics on the back give us a hint of what her robot mode will be like. They went for an action shot that doesn’t show off the ‘bot mode all that well, but trust me when I say this is the Blackarachnia figure we’ve been waiting for.
Simply put, she looks fantastic. She’s built upon the Transformers Animated Blackarachnia figure from 2007, which, up to that point, was the best representation of Blackarachnia to be released in plastic form. Her head sculpt is new, as is her “bra,” and it’s these two features that really tie her nicely to her original on-screen character. Her arms and the “spider legs” on her back are the only things that are really “off” to my eye, but I think I can live with what we got here. Her hands shouldn’t be so “humanoid,” and the spider legs should be a bit more wild, but these do work well enough for me because all the good we get here obscures the not-as-good-as-it-could-be well enough.
The original Beast Wars Blackarachnia was a bit of a mess because it was an off-model repaint of Tarantulas, and it just didn’t work (though the later Transmetal version was serviceable for that particular version). I ditched that figure long ago because it was so bad, so I am beyond stoked to have this new version on my shelf because it does the character justice in just about every way. It’s not perfect, mind you, but it’s really close and it satisfies.
Her head sculpt is a pure delight to gaze upon. Takara nailed her likeness with this sculpt. The gold paint is applied perfectly, and it matches the gold plastic her arms and legs are cast in fairly well. Seeing the Predacon sigil on her neck is a joy to see as well.Her paint apps, in general, are almost flawless, though there aren’t much of them. She’s mainly cast in the appropriate color plastic, so her paint apps chiefly serve as accent points.
The beast mode is a totally decent and passable black widow spider. The original Beast Wars figures were constructed with the beast mode being the “important” and primary mode, while the robot modes tended to suffer a bit in terms of physics and design, but here we’re seeing more emphasis placed on her ‘bot mode, and I am okay with that since that is how I will be displaying her.
Her ‘bot hands and face are probably a bit too visible because they don’t integrate into the beast mode very well, and I’m not really sure what her bra pieces are supposed to be doing in this mode (pincers?), but overall the spider mode is satisfying despite those few features that may compromise the beast mode’s effectiveness.
For accessories, she comes with an attachment with a small bit of white cord that can be pulled out and retracted with the press of a button. It works as a web, and then there’s a claw at the end that can be used to suspend the figure or to grab an opponent. It can be attached to her spider-butt or either of her forearms. It looks way, way better as part of her spider-butt, though, because it’s a bit too obtrusive to work with her ‘bot mode.
It is such a joy to see her with the rest of the updated Beast Wars figures. So far they’re all from season 1, so I’m hoping we see even more characters from that season updated for the 20th anniversary next year. I know there are some Masterpieces planned, like Optimus Primal, but I think we can all agree that we are in need of a new Dinobot, a new Scorponok, a new Cheetor, etc. Just give me the entire season 1 cast, Has/Tak! What we have so far is a great start. Let’s finish both Maximal and Predacon crews.
Now, it’s clear to see the base body used is an older figure because Blackarachnia dwarfs newer, smaller figures, like Generations Arcee. This is a little weird since Beast Wars characters should be much smaller than their G1 predecessors/descendants (if you haven’t seen the series . . . it’s complicated), but, then again, they’re all drawn roughly the same size in the comics, so pick whichever source works for you, I guess. I do think it’s strange that Blackarachnia is currently one of the larger deluxe-class figures on my shelf, but she’s so nicely done that I can live with it. Maybe some creative posing will solve this issue.
Blackarachnia seems to be a TakaraTomy exclusive at this point since all we’re seeing from Hasbro at the moment are Combiner Wars figures, so if you’d like to add her to your shelves (and any Beast Wars fan should!), then the only way to get her is to go the import route. Expect to pay somewhere in the $30-$35 range. She’s worth it, though. This was a long time coming.