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Pictures and Words by Daniel Suh
So, we now have a Decepticon named Frostbite in addition to one named Snow Cat. To even things out, I propose that Hasbro give us a couple of Autobots named Ice Viper and Wolf. [Editor's Note: They did give us a Maximal named Night Viper. --Ant]
Beast
Mode: Just what is Frostbite supposed to be anyhow? His beast
form isn’t specified on the card or in the instructions. The original
version of this toy, TM2
Jawbreaker, was supposed to be a hyena; however, it bore very little
resemblance to any of the four existing types. With Frostbite, the resemblance
is even less due to his Arctic-themed name and color scheme. Hyenas don’t
live in cold climates. Ergo, I’m going to say that he’s an
Arctic wolf, albeit a frightfully mutated one. He’s got axe blades
jutting from his shoulders, front paws that resemble the vicious clawed
feet on a Deinonychus, rear paws that resemble the huge feet on a T. rex,
scimitar-like heel spurs, a long, serrated tail, and, of course, a buzzsaw
mounted in his shoulder hump. Pressing repeatedly on a tab on his back
causes the saw to spin rapidly back and forth. Frostbite is basically
a walking, stalking Swiss Army knife.
From snout to tail tip, Frostbite measures an impressive 22 cm (8.7”) long. At first glance, the main color for his body appears to be white. Careful inspection, however, reveals a combination of very pale silver, blue, and lavender parts. Very dark blue-green is used for his shoulders, flanks, buzzsaw, and the punk-like tuft on his head. His front paws, forearms, shins, and tail are dull blue. The blades extending from his shoulders as well as the teeth of the buzzsaw are painted purple. He also has airbrushed purple running down his snout and along his back. His right eye is pink; his left one blue with a black pupil. Finally, he has assorted metallic silver and gold technobits scattered over his body.
This is one of the most gorgeous color schemes ever. Much like that of Cryotek’s from the RID line, it evokes a strong sense of ice-cold menace. The Universe line has certainly come a long, long way from the likes of Optimus Primal, Tankor, and other questionably colored toys.
Frostbite is articulated at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and tail. About the only drawbacks to him in this mode are that his back can come unhinged fairly easily and his robot chest and head can be seen hanging down from his belly.
Transformation: Remove Frosty’s tail, extend his hind legs, fold up his front legs, split apart his torso, fold his robot head and chest into place, then adjust his arms accordingly.
Robot
Mode: Frosty doesn’t just transform from a wolf into
a robot; he transforms from a very large wolf into a very puny robot.
He stands a mere 11.5 cm (4.5”) tall at the head. He’s rather
ungainly, with a massive right arm and tons of beast kibble hanging off
his upper arms. To top it off, his color scheme appears much plainer now.
His chest, waist, and left forearm are pale lavender, his upper arms,
loins, and right foot are pale blue, his right forearm, thighs, knees,
and left foot are pale silver, and his shins are dull blue, but again,
the pale colors are so similar that it looks like he’s nearly all
white. At least he has some nice purple-blue detailing on his chest. His
head is pale lavender with a dull blue crest, dark blue-green brows and
muzzle, and gold eyes. His spark crystal is mounted in his right forearm.
Unlike other Universe spark crystals which had the BM Dinobot symbol visible
underneath the tampographed Autobot or Decepticon symbol, however, Frosty’s
has been entirely painted over with purple.
Frosty
is articulated at the head, shoulders, elbows, right wrist, hips, knees,
and ankles. His buzzsaw gimmick works just as well in this mode and his
tail pegs into either his left fist or the wolf jaws to act as a rather
frightful sword.
Overall, Suspsy Sez: While the robot mode is somewhat lacking in stature and grace, the beast mode rocks and the new color scheme is cooler than being cool. 8.5/10
Suspsy
