Unconcerned about safety of innocents... will level an entire town to hunt down an enemy. A tough-talking, straight-to-the-point Insecticon, always looking forward to the next battle. In insect Mode, leaps 200 feet at insect size, 1.5 miles normal size. Rear legs can shatter foot-thick steel; their vibrations from rubbing can crumble a brick wall. Antennae shoot 80kV electricity. Carries concussion blaster gun in robot Mode.
Figure Details
AKA 'Plunder'
Manufacturer - FansProject
Toyline - Causality
Additions/Mods:
- Added a Decepticon symbol to the chest
Review
Ransack was probably the least memorable of the
Deluxe Insecticons from my perspective, purely because his colour palette was muted in comparison to his compatriots. He was also very similar to
Kickback, which was fortuitous for
FansProject when they presumably took a look at their Kickback homage, and realised how easily they could adapt it to Ransack. Like
Barrage, Ransack did not feature in any contemporary fiction, so the tech spec bio was the only hint at his character for the best part of 20 years. It is difficult therefore to get too excited about this figure, and in truth I'm not sure I would have got him were it not for the fact that (a) he came as part of the boxed set and (b) if I wasn't such an obsessive completist.
Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
The main difference between Ransack and Kickback is the new headsculpt, which I must say is great. Kickback really suffered from a silly-looking head, whereas Ransack looks much meaner. It also references the source material very well. His proportions are rather skinny, necessarily so because he transforms into a fairly lithe insect. This puts him at odds with his fellow
Insecticons - while they convey a lot of bulk, he seems the odd one out. The insect kibble is dealt with nicely on this figure, and overall the silhouette is impressive (especially when you pose the wings pointing up) Another note I would like to add about the wings is that they are transformed on this figure by the use of really nice transparent orange plastic. The wings on Kickback were dull grey in comparison. The colour scheme in general is slightly nicer than that of Kickback, and makes the figure really 'pop'.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
This grasshopper mode is carried off rather nicely but can look rather awkward outside of one particular pose. As mentioned, the wings look fantastic cast in transparent plastic, and really emphasise the insectiod nature of this mode. However, I would rather that they had some additional movement, because as it is, a lot of potential poses are obstructed by the point of articulation and the large back legs. Also, his robot head can still be seen behind the insect one as was the case with Kickback, but it is a marked improvement here as the 2 heads seem to integrate a lot better with each other.
Transformation 8/10
This is another transformation which will baffle on initial attempts but you will soon forget how tricky it seemed after a few turns. Firstly, the insect head is moved from the back and slotted alongside the robot head, which has to be turned around to hide the face. Then, it is time to move the limbs around! The arms are pushed down and moved to where the legs are, the legs themselves are split at the crotch (ouch) and then panels are swapped from the lower leg to the upper leg. This locks the angle of the leg necessary for insect mode. The feet slot into the shins and then small insect leg-tips are unfolded. The arms are a bit of a pain to transform at first; they require the fists and all joints to be in the correct position, and they then form the abdomen. Finally the insect legs are bought forward and the wings repositioned. It is easier in practice than in theory!
Poseability 9/10
The Kickback mould really excels in this regard, being blessed with a great sense of balance, and the ability to form some really nice poses. The neck is ball-jointed, although there is no waist swivel (but this is not really missed). There is lateral and side-to-side movement in the shoulder, as well as ball-jointed hips. The shoulders can also be posed in other ways, due to their use in transformation. There is effectively bicep and forearm swivel due to the ball-joints, and there is also wrist swivel. Moving onto the legs and there is thigh swivel, knee joints and ball-jointed ankles, which give this little guy impeccable balance. One-legged poses are very easy with this figure.
Quality 7/10
A rule that generally has to be heeded with FansProject is to make sure that you transform everything in order, ad with care and attention. This is again true with this figure, with my concerns exacerbated by the amount of components on small pivot points, such as the arms/shoulders and wings. However, nothing should collide provided you are patient, and also be aware that pulling on the groin a bit (!) in order to split the legs out for insect mode will put a lot less pressure on the figure.
Overall - 40/50
Ransack is by far the better implementation of the Kickback mould. I mainly attribute this to a much-improved headsculpt which also integrates with the insect head better, plus a colour scheme which is more dynamic and complements the nice sculpted detail of the wings more successfully. This is therefore another great product from the FansProject guys, who have really impressed me with the Deluxe Insecticons generally. It's just a shame we are missing a Venom, although I am convinced that this mould would suit the character, with slightly more retooling than we have seen so far. I hope they consider it as, on the strength of this figure I would definitely pick it up.
