Quickstrike (Predacon) - 1998

1998 saw the arrival of the Fuzors into Beast Wars - Transformers who, instead of having one distinct Beast Mode, suffered a "replication error" in their programming, ad so ended up with a mishmash of two beastly forms in their alt-mode. This made for some very interesting combinations, none more so than this violent, haphazard cowboy who wanted to fight everything and everyone, if only to ultimately prove how tough he was. 

Quickstrike has the alt-mode of not only a scuttling scorpion, but also a King Cobra, not only in place of a tail, but also instead of claws, making him a 'bot not to be messed with. Although it has to be said, the cartoon did make him a comic relief character, more often than not. Nevertheless, he could still bring it on occasion, and was no doubt a force to be reckoned with, unlike say, the hapless Waspinator.

The toy itself is of the Basic variety, those toys that would effectively serve as pocket money or "BUY ME" fodder in the toy aisles, but he was very lovely indeed, with all of that translucent yellow and blue plastic being counterpointed by the orange and blues of his legs and tail. In later years though, this would make him a nightmare to transform, that translucent goodness having the potential to crack and snap with age. If you have him, or get him, be careful with him, the old fellow is a little bit fragile these days. I can relate to that.

By the time 1998 rolled around, the boxt art on Beast Wars packages tended to be a lot smoother and less spiky than it hab been previously, but this mirrored the toys perfectly - Quickstrike is indeed full of glorious curves and not that spiky or scary. His demeanour may be ragged and violent, but there's almost an art deco swich to his design, and this shows in the box art. I do love the personality that his snake head has in this - something they also included in the cartoon.

Quickstrike then is a must for a Beast Wars collector - and if you can included his package card and art in there, you should. A mainstay of the latter part of the cartoon, and a cracking example of what the Fuzors gimmick was truly capable of, he'll stand out in your collection as a truly execllent piece.