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By Daniel Lipkowitz, Assistant Editor
From Mattel's new Masters of the Universe line comes the Bashin' Beetle, (a "He-Man Grab 'N Bash Battle Vehicle," according to the packaging).
The Bashin' Beetle comes in quite a few pieces, with nice, clear picture instructions showing the order of steps for putting the vehicle together. Most parts are easily disassembled again, always handy for storing a toy this size. Assembled, the Beetle stretches an impressive 18" in length, making it a formidable addition to the new line.
Early images of the Bashin' Beetle showed a completely different design, featuring an industrial look of exposed machinery and wires. The production version of the toy is more armored and animalistic, with detailed jaws, antennae, carapace and even hinged wing covers. The result, while still mechanical, is a much more insect-like vehicle.
The look of the Bashin' Beetle is in keeping with the techno-medieval style of the MOTU line. Despite the wires, gears and pistons, it has the appearance of having been built on top of a simple wooden platform and reinforced with crude iron spikes and chains. Clearly a heavy-duty siege engine designed to deal and sustain as much damage as possible, there isn't much that's delicate or ornamental about the vehicle. Black paint washes bring out the detailing and make the Beetle appear worn and well-used, with plenty of sculpted dents and cracks to show the battering taken in battle after battle. The wing covers can be raised to expose additional mechanical details (no wings, though). There isn't much to do with the extra space under these shields, and it might have been nice to have a platform with foot pegs to allow additional figures to ride in the back of the vehicle.
The Beetle has several gimmicks, all of which function well. When the vehicle is rolled forward on its five drum-like wheels, the spiked claws at the front swing together and apart again, meeting at just the right spot to grab an action figure as it stands in front of the plow-like jaws. A lever at the rear of the vehicle can also be used to manually close the claws, which spring open again when the lever is released. Pinned between the claws, an enemy action figure is in just the right place for the primary feature of the Bashin' Beetle to come into play: pull up on the large lever on the right side of the vehicle, and a mechanical arm swings a spiked boulder up and forward to bean the figure on the noggin. No worries about damage to your toys or fingers -- pointy as it looks, the boulder is soft, hollow and squishable.
A clever feature is that the bashing mechanism is geared not only to the main lever, but also to a second small one that can be held by a driver in the shielded cockpit area. With one foot hooked in place and the other set on a peg for stability, the driver appears to be pulling back on the lever himself to activate the bashing action. This works best with the He-Man toy, whose spring-loaded waist twists easily when the lever pulls back on his arm. For stiffer-waisted figures like Man-At-Arms, the entire body tends to be tugged along by the lever, resulting in a slightly less graceful-looking movement.
Overall, the Bashin' Beetle is a fun toy with good, solid gimmicks. It's great to see an action figure line in this day and age that's still geared toward durability and play features, and Mattel has done an admirable job so far of creating a hybrid toyline that boasts as much play value for kids as detail and nostalgic appeal for collectors.
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