Laserbeak takes pleasure in hunting his prey -- usually the straggling survivors of a battle. Noticeably not brave. Will run for safety if threatened. Flies at speeds up to 250mph. Uses two independently targetable laser cannons with extreme precision to get information from captives. Shortage of ruby crystals that powers the lasers can panic his systems into shutting down.
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 1, September 1984 / Issue 50, March 1989
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 18, May 18th 1985 / Issue 88, November 22nd 1986
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 1 (Season 1 #1), September 17th 1984 / Episode 81 (Season 3 #16), October 20th 1986
Figure Details
AKA 'Laser'
Manufacturer - Perfect Effect
Toyline -
Additions/Mods:
- Added a small Decepticon symbol to the 'back'
Review
Laserbeak was the sneaky spy responsible for the death of
Optimus Prime. There, I said it. Without his spying, there's now way that the
Decepticons would have boarded the
Autobot shuttle, and dispatched
half of my favourite Autobots in the process. Plus, look how stupid his motto is. It doesn't even make sense. Despite him being a sneaky, conniving, sly, underhand
dick of a robot, Laserbeak is a pretty well-known Decepticon and he wouldn't be a very good Decepticon if I
didn't dislike him. So, good for him, I guess. Let's see how Perfect Effect have managed to homage
Soundwave and
Megatron's favoured son. Teacher's pet.
Appearance (Robot Mode) 7/10
Ok so we're not strictly dealing with a 'robot mode' here, but it certainly feels more like a 'main mode' than the others. I like Perfect Effect's interpretation of the 'bird of prey' cassettes, although they seem to have become vultures as opposed to condors, perhaps snacking on too many Energon cubes along the way. What they have successfully captured though, is the menacing aspect of the character. The head sculpt is really very nice, and the wings give them an added menace. Unfortunately, there are no feet or talons to speak of, but the paint apps are decent enough for such a small figure, with nice amounts of moulded detail.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 6/10
Not much to write home about, really. The mode I have pictured is supposed to be a shuttle-type thing. I suppose it's ok. I guess that I am being a bit unfair, because there is another alt mode which resembles a pod which you attach a massive blade onto. It's only really any use if you have Shadow Commander. I suppose Perfect Effect had little to work on if they were not going to go down the cassette route, and at least the alt modes seem an appropriate match for the characters.
Transformation 7/10
This is a cleverly-constructed figure and the transformation is pretty nice, really. It's not massively complex. The head folds in to the 'neck' which becomes the cockpit of the craft. The wings fold away particularly cleverly, as does the extended neck. The small weapon pod thingies are a real pain to remove and stow, though.
Poseability 6/10
I dunno. I mean, it's a bird. The neck arcs and cranes nicely, and the pitch and angle of the wings can be tinkered with, so that is pretty nice. But the thing has no damn feet to speak of, which really limits what you can actually do with the figure. Although, you can supposedly attach him to Megatron's arm, but I haven't figured out how to yet, because I am a moron.
Quality 8/10
All the Perfect Effect efforts feel impressively sturdy for their size (with the exception of the dreadful Kingbat), and this figure is no exception. I never feel like I am going to snap anything, despite the tiny parts. Which is more than I can say for some other 3rd parties. Nicely done.
Overall - 34/50
I appreciate that Perfect Effect had to squeeze 3 different modes into this pretty small figure, and I am only reviewing 2 of them. Despite the fact that Laserbeak has no feet to speak of, this is still a nice little figure. It is miles better than anything Hasbro will bother to produce, so I recommend you add these to your collection forthwith. Even if you just want to awkwardly balance this chap off of Megatron's arm, he's worth purchasing.
