The Transformers Archive Skip to main content / Also skip section headers

[The Transformers Archive - an international fan site]
Please feel free to log in or register.

 
  • transformers forum
  • transformers fandom
  • transformers toys
  • transformers comics
  • transformers cartoon
  • transformers live-action movies

TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Hover here to pick reviews from this section! ↵
Latest Reviews, Toy Checklists,
Resources & Current Lines
Transformers Toy Review Archive (older series, 1984 to date)
Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Detective Barricade's review: Manterror

Name: Manterror
Function: Quick Attack Specialist
Sub-Group: Beast Wars Deluxe class
Motto: “To face Manterror, is to face defeat!”

The maniacal Manterror may seem awkward in appearance. But he’s a skilled fighter with devastating quickness in both robot and insect battle modes. Having the power of flight and equipped with razor-sharp raptor claws, he activates internal stealth silencers to strike from the sky like a sizzling bolt of proton lightning. In robot mode, he prefers to launch his devastating ion discs, which don’t stop spinning until they’ve sliced through a targeted enemy’s external armor. As he always says, “To face Manterror, is to face defeat!”

Manterror is one of the figures in Beast Wars not to have a show counterpart, unlike his repaint Mantis in Beast Wars II. (If you can call it that, considering only one color is different between the two) Since there’s not much else to say about him, let’s get on to the review, shall we?

Alternate mode:

As if Manterror’s name wasn’t enough of a giveaway, this Predacon takes the form of a primarily green and purple organic praying mantis, since he came out a year before the Transmetals and Fuzors. Some of his green and most of his purple are in translucent plastic, which I think works well on him for some reason. There’s also a bit of burnt orange here and there to I guess make him look more interesting... but I think it hurts him a little.

There’s of course a gimmick to this toy. Open his forelegs/claws and push on the back to launch a disc! These can go a decent distance, and the grooves on the inside of the foreleg/claw lets them close completely with the discs still inside. There’s also a rub symbol/energon chip that reveals him to be a Predacon (surprise, surprise) on the top of his robot noggin.

Robot mode:

Transforming Manterror is involved, but simple. The result is a very lean and sinister looking robot - with mantis claws! This naturally grants him very long arms to reach out and touch some unsuspecting Maximal. This also allows him to retain the disc launching gimmick from beast mode, which is nice. With 15 points of articulation, only two of which aren’t ball joints, and his great balance, there shouldn’t be much trouble getting Manterror into a pose you like! About the only real flaw with the robot mode is because he ends up with the mantis’ claws for hands, Manterror won’t be able to hold any other weapons. Oh well...

Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: 3 Honestly, the bug legs will be the only tricky part of his transformation. But that’s not a big problem at all, really.
Durability: 9 Being made of mostly ball joints, what pops off pops back on again usually.
Fun: 7 He could use to be able to hold others’ weapons, but he makes up for it by being able to do a lot of cool poses!
Price: 7 I got him for about $15-$20, which is pretty good for a nearly 13 year old toy, but I wouldn’t pay more than that.
Overall: 7 A decent addition to a Beast Wars collection.
 
With thanks for long-term support to sponsors: