Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 4.

No. 5 appears here.

Number 4: Razorclaw
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Predacon
Function: Predacon Commander
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

Razorclaw is the second Predacon to be featured on this list (the other one being Rampage). As the Predacon Commander in charge of a team of wild beasts, it is natural that he would assume the alt mode of the king of the jungle. Razorclaw made regular appearances in season 3 of G1 animated, though he is hardly ever seen without his Predacon teammates. In the pages of both Marvel and IDW, Razorclaw’s qualities as a capable field commander is given more treatment. There are also hints that he may be one of Grimlock’s rivals, which makes sense considering the Predacons toyline were advertised to be the Dinobots’ opposite number. Razorclaw is named for his abilities to shred through thick slabs of steel with his claws. These claws also enable him to run up vertical surfaces with extreme ease. As leader, he forms the torso of Predaking (I think the only exception to this trend is the Constructicons). The Predacons toys were re-issued earlier this decade, around 04 or 05 if I remember correctly. The asking price at the time were between $150 to $200. Today, the asking price for the re-issue set is much higher on both Amazon and Ebay, though some of these dealers are fooling themselves if they think anyone will pay what they’re asking. Still, I’m kicking myself hard for not buying the set when I had the chance. Hopefully there will be an Encore re-issue for the full set sometime later.

No. 3 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 5.

No. 6 appears here.

Number 5: Steeljaw
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Mini-cassettes
Function: Tracker
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

For the first two seasons of the G1 animated series, Soundwave was the only TF to have transforming cassette minions. My friends and I always wondered why Blaster didn’t have any, and this really gave Soundwave an unfair advantage if the two met in a duel. Then came the G1 Movie, which I watched in the theaters. The scene where Rumble and the other cassettes invaded Blaster’s communication chamber, I thought him and Perceptor were goners. And then, totally unexpected, Blaster launches his own cassettes! I think at the time, I almost jumped out of my seat cheering. Steeljaw was one of these cassettes, and needless to say this was his first appearance in G1. Steeljaw is among the Autobot’s best trackers. When he’s on a tracking mission, he is so focused that fellow Autobots consider him cold, even rude. But he is just as concerned about this allies as any other Autobot. Steeljaw later made regular appearances in season 3, including joining the “primitive” team to battle Tornedron and accompanying a revived Optimus Prime to recover metal that is immune to the Hate Plague. I listed lion as his alt mode just to be consistent to my other posts, but in fact this mode is the robot mode (the alt mode being the cassette). Supposedly, he had a robot mode on Cybertron, but chose to reformat this mode to resemble Earth’s lion to better suit his function. It appears that Steeljaw will be re-issued with Blaster and his other cassettes later this year. I must have this.

No. 4 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 6.

No. 7 appears here.

Number 6: Rampage
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Predacon
Function: Gunner
Cat Alt Mode: Tiger

The Predacons are unique among the G1 Combiner groups. Other Combiners teams, such as Aerialbots, Stunticons, and Combaticons, are all cut from the same cloth, in that the limbs are all the same size, they each use the same size square hole and peg, and they can be swapped around (even between teams). Predacons are not part of this paradigm. Individually, they are by far the biggest figures, each about the size of a Dinobot figure. Apparently, there are 2 different versions of the toy back in 1986: an all plastic version, and another version with die-cast pasts. They made regular appearances in season 3 of the G1 animated series. Initially they were advertised to be the nemesis of the Dinobots, but the cartoons never really showed this (though I think in the comics they might have clashed). Rampage is the tiger that forms the right arm of Predaking. His profile lists him as the standard type of Decepticon who’s only into violence and destruction. However, he can be easily distracted by Earth’s mindless television entertainment, and he’s been known to be agreeable for hours while watching some of the most vapid and inane TV has to offer, such as reality shows (seriously, I’m not making this up). Decepticons probably have a good time watching American Idol on their giant 500″ screen.

No. 5 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 7.

No. 8 appears here.

Number 7: Pounce
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Clone
Function: Infiltrator
Cat Alt Mode: Puma

Pounce is unique in the TF Universe for being one of the very few clones produced in the TF toyline. The concept of a clone is two TFs having identical robots modes, but different alt modes. Pounce transforms into a Puma, while his cloned twin Wingspan transforms into a hawk. Clone toys are not to be confused with repaints. Repaints are exact duplicates of the mold in every respect (sometimes with minor alterations), while clones are two distinct molds, with only the robot mode appearing similar with different alt modes and different transformations. The cloning process is explained in detail in the More Than Meets The Eye profile books by Dreamweave. There are occasions when a spark will naturally separate and produce bothers, the most famous example being Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. The cloning process is an artificial methodology developed to simulate this phenomenon, and I’m guessing this is another one of Shockwave’s crazy experiments. It should be noted that natural spark separation is still the far superior process, and artificially produced clones can be unstable. Pounce’s only G1 appearance was in the fourth season “Rebirth”. He and his clone brother were tasked to steal the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber when they were discovered by Punch. The two of them then proceeded to kick his ass. His profile lists him as savage, deadly, and merciless. Kinda sounds like every other Decepticon.

No. 6 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 8.

No. 9 appears here.

Number 8: Leobreaker
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: Warrior
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

Leobreaker comes from Transformers Cybertron, part of the Unicron Trilogy. This is one of those TF series that I’m not all too familiar with so I’m just gonna comment on the toy. This is a Voyager class figure and I think he looks pretty good. The pic above is the lion mode and his robot mode ain’t too shabby either. My understanding is that his original identity was Overhaul. After arriving on the Jungle planet, some stuff happens and he gets reformatted into Leobreaker. Some fans speculate that originally his name was supposed to be Trailbreaker (after the G1 character) and not Overhaul. This would make sense, since Overhaul’s alt mode was a SUV and the transition to the name Leobreaker would be much smoother. Regardless, I like this character because in robot mode he’s got claws like Wolverine.

No. 7 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 9.

No. 10 appears here.

Number 9: Sky Lynx
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: Lieutenant Commander
Cat Alt Mode: Lynx

Sky Lynx is unusual to say the least. His toy was originally manufactured by a third party and then later incorporated into the Transformers line, much like the toys for Jetfire and Omega Supreme. This probably explains why he always seemed like such an odd fit in the TF Universe. I’ve never seen the toy for Sky Lynx, but I know the bottom component is battery operated and it rolls in transport mode and walks in lynx mode (the pic above is this lower component in lynx mode). His two components combine to form a large, griffin-like creature, and it is this mode for which he is most famous in G1 because this mode acts as his dominant robot mode. I guess his name is a play on words, being that he’s a lynx and his two components “link” up. His profile describes him as snobby and arrogant, punctuated by a British accent. He was a regular recurring character in season 3 of G1, and his most famous appearance was probably when Optimus Prime was revived. For a TF with so many appearances, you might think he would rank higher on this list. But I’m not a big fan of Sky Lynx and so this is as high as he goes. Hey at least he’s in the top 10.

No. 8 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 10.

No. 11 appears here.

Number 10: Quickswitch
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Six Changer
Function: Assault Warrior
Cat Alt Mode: Puma

This is the second time Quickswitch made one of my lists (the other time being the top 10 TF boats). As a Six Changer, he’s got lots of opportunities for recognition. I have read repeatedly online that he is the son of Sixshot (the only other Six Changer in the TF Universe). I have no idea what that means, but I always assumed that this information must’ve come from either comics or the Japanese TF continuity, because G1 cartoons were canceled well ahead of Quickswitch’s toy release. As it turns out, it is directly stated that he is the son of Sixshot in his toy commercial! See the commercial for yourself here. Also of note in the commercial is that we see Getaway in the opening moments (the one that says “The Decepticons are attacking”). Getaway is a Powermaster that I’m partial to, and I’m glad he has an animated appearance somewhere. But yeah, other than this commercial, I am not aware of any other appearances by Quickswitch. As a toy, Quickswitch has a horrendous looking robot mode and I’m not feeling his color scheme. But his puma mode doesn’t look half bad.

No. 9 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 11.

No. 12 appears here.

Number 11: Bantor
Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Sub-Group: Fuzor
Function: Jungle Warrior, Demolitions
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

I thoroughly enjoyed Beast Wars. Its definitely one of the better Transformers series, probably my 2nd favorite, next to G1. BW does have a certain amount of silliness that can turn off the uninitiated, such as how the Predacons like to say “Terrorize” when they transform, or how various characters transform into the beast of their namesake (eg. Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, etc). But behind all this cheese is a solid plot, and once the series get going, it can be hard to stop watching (I watched all 3 seasons on DVD). And as a G1 purist I most definitely like that fact that BW ties into G1. Bantor did not appear in the BW TV series, and I am certainly no authority on Beast Wars so I cannot say if he had any comic book appearances. He is a Fuzor, a sub-group that has in their alt modes a combination of two individual beasts. Bantor is a strange combination of lion and mandrill. Those crazy Hasbro toy designers… I want to know what they were smoking when they created this mix.

No. 10 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 12.

No. 13 appears here.

Number 12: Catilla
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Pretender
Function: Surveillance
Cat Alt Mode: Sabre-Toothed Tiger

I’m not a big fan of Pretenders. I had a few of them back in G1, including Cloudburst, Finback, Skullgrin, and Roadgrabber. Even Pretender version of Jazz. The shell gimmick serves absolutely no purpose. Catilla was a Pretender Beast, a variation of the standard Pretender theme in which a TF in its beast alt mode hides inside a beast shell. The pic above is Catilla in its sabre-toothed tiger alt mode, and not the shell itself. I think the character had a few appearances in the G1 US Marvel Comics continuity, but my memory of those stories are shaky at best. (BTW, I do have a pretty good collection of G1 Marvel Transformers comics. Next time I go home I should take pics of them). Catilla’s character profile lists him as a silent stalker that likes to observe from the shadows before he strikes. Sounds like he could be a private investigator if things with the Autobots don’t work out.

No. 11 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 13.

No. 14 appears here.

Number 13: Lionizer
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Actionmaster
Function: Aerospace Engineer
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

Two Actionmasters two days in a row! That should be a crime, but I need to list these guys before I get to the cool TFs with real cat class and style. Lionizer is the Targetmaster partner of Rad (one of the dumbest names in the TF Universe, IMO). He transforms from a lion to an atom-smasher rifle. A quick search for this duo on Wiki reveals that they did appear in an Actionmaster commercial in which Rad even had a speaking role. Sometimes I think about hunting down at least one Actionmaster toy just to see if they have some hidden potential that I may have overlooked, though I have a feeling I’m not missing anything. But anyway, this is the last Actionmaster on this list. Rest assured there are no more.

No. 12 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!