I’ve said it a few times before, but it bears repeating: The first round of 1996 Beast Wars Basics really were Transformers of Time. They had a universal spring-loaded autotransform gimmick that didn’t compromise the figure, they were all small-but-not-too-small ball-jointed bots that changed into creatures, it was just a nice assortment of Funny Little Guys. Of course, I’m heavily biased, and that’s probably because the first Beast Wars figure that I ever got was one of these little Basics, Armordillo. And, shockingly, I still have him, and he’s survived all these years in pretty good shape, too!
Okay, but who is he as a person?
So, like a lot of these guys, Armordillo wasn’t on the show (they only had the budget to do CGI models for 10 characters, so they just picked a sampling of the line’s first year), and has barely appeared in any media ever, just background cameos in comics, mostly, so he’s basically a blank template of a character.
Do you always say that?
Of course, like I said when I reviewed Transmetal 2 Prowl, sometimes these non-show randos could be fun if you were a kid, since you got to impress your own traits on them. Me, I made him the Maximal leader, for some reason, in absence of an Optimus (Inferno was the Predacon leader), so maybe he’s got outsized importance because of that. Either way, let’s take a look at where this part of my collection began.
Beast Mode
Round Man.
Surprise surprise, he’s an Armadillo, a little smaller than a modern Deluxe. Initially, I thought he was a poor approximation of one, because his shell doesn’t have that accordion-like thing in the middle of it, but the Transformers Wiki pegs him as a Brazillain Giant Armadillo, and looking at pictures of those, yeah, they have an unbroken shell.
It’s like an awkward class photo.
And it’s a nicely-sculpted shell, too, with loads of armored scales meticulously carved in. That being said, he’s still a loose approximation of the animal in other ways. His front legs are way too long, and his back legs are too stubby, for one thing.
“Who you calling stubby?”
And up front, his headsculpt is kind of inaccurate to the real thing, it’d need more of a snout, bigger ears, and a different shape. But, ignoring all that, because I certainly wasn’t clear on what an armadillo looked like when I was 7, it all works, because he’s kind of adorable.
“Come, follow me!”
Nobody can argue with a face like that.
Like, they tried to give him a toothy snarl on his face, but it mostly looks cute, and his overly-long arms and stubby rear legs give him kind of an endearing awkwardness, as does his permanently-curled tail at the back. By Beast Wars Year One standards, he’s doing an okay job of convincing us he’s not a robot, but you can still see his folded up robot legs from most angles, the lever his tail’s attached to, and the gap between his head and body. But it’s fine, it’s fine, he’s trying his best.
How dare I photograph his bad side.
Another thing they tried their best with was his colors. I’m unclear if armadillos are supposed to be orange, but that’s what he is, and it’s nicer than the dull browns or grays they usually seem to be. Of course, he’s also got a bit of gray on him, on his arms, tail, and claws (and the only trace of wear and tear on him is the paint on these claws), as well as a nice black inkwash down his back.
The better to deflect enemy fire with.
It’s the ricochet that’ll get you.
His face has fully painted teeth, and solid black eyes, which sounds menacing on paper, but actually winds up adding to the odd adorableness of the package.
Showdown of the Childhood Faction Leaders.
“BY GOD, THAT ANT HAS A COLONY!!”
Unlike a lot of his Beast Wars Basic contemporaries, Armordillo actually has a bit of articulation in this mode. His forelegs and elbows are on ball joints, his back feet can rock forwards and backwards, and his tail can raise and lower. It’s just enough to make him sit up, crawl, peek over ledges, and a few other things.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I called you here.”
It’s only a little bit, but it adds a lot.
Transformation
And here’s the big gimmick all of these guys have: Pull the tail, and watch the springs do the work, flipping his beast head down, and his robot body outwards.
Like so.
After that, just adjust his limbs, and you’re done, unless you want to pull his back legs/hidden weapons out to make room. Either way, It’s quick, fun to do, and unlike modern one-steps, doesn’t define the entire figure, just adds to it.
Robot Mode
The man, the myth, the legend.
In some ways, not a lot has changed on this guy, he mostly feels like a re-arranged animal. I think it’s just due to his arms still being his armadillo arms, the shell being on his back, and the beast head being on his chest.
He carries the weight of the world on his back.
But he’s got new legs, with sort of lightly-sculpted tech detailing on them, on top of what looks like thigh-high boots with clawed toes. Uptop, his robot head’s got a kind of Ironhide-esque mohawked helmet, over a humanoid face that’s supposed to be snarling, as was the style in the 90’s, but at this scale, comes off as kind of a non-threatening grimace.
He’s just really focused.
Maybe this is why I made him the leader, he keeps his cool, but takes no pleasure in war.
According to 1996 me he’s really smart and everyone listens to him.
His colors are mostly the same, those thigh-highs are orange overtop of a gray torso, and his helmet is orange over a gray face (with an orange nose,) with the one new bit of color on him being bright red eyes.
He’s a fan of meditation.
His ball-joints are in full play in this mode, and in addition to his elbows and shoulders, he’s got knees, hips, and a head on the same joints.
“Alright, everyone just relax.”
Impressively, after all these years, they’re still tight enough to function, and despite his lack of ankles, and his big backpack, he manages to be stable enough to hold quite a few poses.
He can’t do a one-legged kick, though. He can breakdance, at least.
For his accessories, you pop his back legs out, rotate the feet back, and you’ve got two weapons, in solid gray: A little laser pistol, sculpted with one of those flared sci-fi barrels, and a little mace and flail, sculpted as a solid piece.
For when he, regrettably, must make war.
He can’t hold them in his giant claws, so, instead, they’ve got pegs on their bottoms that plug into the tops of his forearms.
He can totally fight a lot of guys, and win.
The connections are a little loose, definitely a result of his age, I oughta floor-polish or crazy-glue-layer them, but they work well enough for now.
Good enough to take on his Predacon opposite!
And they’re a solid-looking pair of weapons, covering both melee and ranged attacks, though I question how effective his stubby little flail would actually be.
He’s really hoping the people on his left don’t notice that isn’t a gun.
But whatever, he’s trying his best.
Overall
The best size class.
You really can’t lose with a Beast Wars Basic, and this guy’s no exception. Sure, he wasn’t on the show, and maybe some of his wavemates had more stylish beast modes, or more out-there designs, but this guy’s doing his own thing, and what he’s doing is being a fun, straightforward, well-built little figure, with a good gimmick, just enough articulation, and a neat pair of accessories.
Seriously, these guys are all great.
Everyone should check out at least one figure from this specific range, and he’s as good of one as any, I just like this one in particular because of his significance to me. And hey, when they’re not on the show, and are obscure, that makes them cheaper on the aftermarket, right?
How much would it cost to have one Good Boy delivered to your doorstep?
(Checks eBay)
Really? Really?
Man, the aftermarket stinks. Maybe wait and see if you can find him at a convention, or something.
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