Hey guys, this is Ian with a review of Predaking from voyager wave 1
Predaking is a big dude. He stands as tall as First Edition Optimus and a little taller than the Dreadwing/Skyquake mold. There’s a little hollowness in the thigh area, but for the most part it feels pretty solid. There are 3 points that detract from an otherwise good amount of articulation. When transformed the backpack clips in such a way that it prevents waist rotation which is a shame. The head is also only on a swivel instead of a ball joint so it limits the amount of expressiveness you can pull from it. Thirdly, the arms can only bend to a “4 O’Clock” angle due to transformation. Setting those aside though you can get him into a variety of different poses quickly and easily.
There are so many little details on this thing that are begging to be picked out with paint. The places that do have paint are solidly coloured and the overall black/orange/gold reminiscent of G1 Predacons looks phenomenal.
The wings can be positioned in a variety of different configurations and in one of my favourite things about the toy, the dragon head can be used in substitution of the robot head for a very interesting look.
The Dragon mode is where he really shines. The wings are again able to be positioned in most configurations you would want. The legs and especially the front claws are really good at balance and natural posing. The biggest complaint I have is the lack of articulation in the back half of the figure.
The Missile launchers pull convincing double duty as a second and third dragon head. Not a large amount of articulation but a great amount of detail in these guys. Also, the launchers can join together and fire simultaneously.
Some comparison pictures
At the end of the day, with the possibility of a leader class version of this character coming out can I recommend him? Yes, with qualifications. If you prefer the voyager class size, if you don’t want to gamble on future releases or if you like well done beast modes then this is a great figure. Also, for someone that likes to customize there figures there is a huge range of possibilities here to improve with paint. He’s mostly worth the price and if he’s ever on sale I would not hesitate to pick him up.
