Ravage operates best alone. A creature of the night. Craftiest of all Decepticons. Adept at devising deadly new strategies. Remains aloof from others, but his deeds command their respect. Can virually escape detection - emits an electromagnetic emmission shield, has soundless walk, disappears in subdued light or shadow. Carries 2 powerful heat-seeking missiles. Light-sensitive. Can be blinded.
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 1, September 1984 / Issue 75, February 1991
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 13, March 9th 1985 / Issue 279, July 21st 1990
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 1 (Season 1 #1), September 17th 1984 / Episode 91 (Season 3 #26), November 18th 1986
Figure Details
Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Universe
Additions/Mods:
- Added the Reprolabels sticker set
Review
Ravage was another of those characters from the original toyline that had very different comic and cartoon personas. In the cartoon, he was litle more than a stealthy attack drone, not really credited with anything you could call intelligence. In the comic, however, Ravage was a cerebral, smooth operator, who could actually speak as opposed to growl. It was he who persuaded Shockwave out of his funk during the (now sadly non-canon) Timewars saga. Ravage was included with
Universe Hound as a freebie. So, has this figure and his obsolete alt mode been 'ravaged' by time or is he still as sprightly as ever?
Appearance (Robot Mode) 7/10
First off, I will say that straight out of the box, (or off the card, as it were) that Ravage is plain as hell. He is nearly all black, save for a bit of red on the eyes, and some sparse silver paint apps. I resolved this by getting the Hound Reprolabels set. There are positives and negatives to using the stickers provided, obviously it is great to have some of his detail picked out somewhat but you are stuck with very authentic tape decals being present across his legs etc. Overall, I think it's worth the loss of stealth for a bit more character. The mould is pretty decent, and resembles the original well. The head/neck sits nicely under the arched shoulders/back, giving him an appropriately feline stance.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 5/10
For those of you younger than some of my shoes, a 'cassette' was a primitive device that allowed songs to be stored on it, and even whole albums! Have a look on google to see images of these quaint forms of storage media before reading on. If you squint in a very dark room , then you could be fooled into thinking that this was a micro-cassette, but only if you had also been on the sauce. I do realise that there is a pretty daunting challenge to secrete a whole robot into such a slim and rectangular shape though. The Reprolabels really make a big difference here, and also help to make the tape look more coherent, which is very gappy in places. This cassette also clips into Hound's vehicle back shelf, to replicate an obscure event that happened one time in a cartoon.
Transformation 7/10
This is quite simple stuff but actually makes a decent fist of getting a fairly convincing jaguar out of a small box. The rear legs swing out and then fold down, with the two halves joining together to form the 'bum' area. This doesn't hold together particularly well unfortunately, and so Ravage is left with a slightly seperated bum. Poor Ravage.
Poseability 5/10
For some reason, you would expect this figure to be more poseable than it is. The real issue is the front legs, which do not have the equivalent of 'hip' swivel. The back legs fare better but are not much use without a matching pair at the front. The neck can pivot up and down and the mouth can open (a bit).
Quality 7/10
There are no immediate flaws that spring to mind here, other than the fact that the rear quarter does not tab together as it should, which may lead to people squishing this together and weakening the plastic, thinking that they are doing something wrong.
Overall - 31/50
I have been tought not to look a gift-horse in the mouth (or a gift-jaguar, for that matter) and I am not about to start here. This figure has its fair share of flaws, but then so did the original. At least on this occasion, you are getting something for nothing. This figure is unmistakably Ravage, and with the judicious application of some Reprolabels, will leave you yearning for the more complicated (yet somehow more simple) days of analogue media.
