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HOME...REVIEWS...TOYS...MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
Masters of the Universe
Bashin' Beetle
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.
Check out pictures in our Gallery!
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