R.E.D. Cheetor

Prelude: In the year 1990 Hasbro brought us Transformers that do not transform and called them Action Masters. Thirty years later Hasbro once again brought us Transformers that do not transform, though this time they were calling them Robot Enhanced Designs or R.E.D. for short. Now obviously the Beast Wars characters weren’t around the last time this idea was tried. Can the Maximals make a difference this time around? Here we have R.E.D. Cheetor. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Now let us start with the obvious thing here: R.E.D. Cheetor is an action figure, not a transforming robot. He is an action figure clearly made to resemble the Beast Wars character as much as possible, but every discerning Transformers fan will immediately notice the lack of robotic bits and kibble, so this guy here is clearly more at home among Marvel Legends figures than original Beast Wars toys. That said, he does have a strong resemblance to Cheetor as he appeared in Beast Wars, though there are some notable oddities.

Number one, the contrast of the dark bronze colors to the bright yellow “fur” parts. Now what exact shade of yellow Cheetor sported differed from toy to toy, but usually it was one ONE shade of yellow, not a bright yellow and a pretty dark bronze. Not really sure why they made the two shades so starkly different. Also, if you look at the face inside Cheetor’s familiar helmet… I don’t know, does that near-evil grin really say “Cheetor” to you? It almost looks more like Dinobot to me. 

In terms of articulation, however, there is nothing to complain about, as Cheetor can be put into all sorts of poses without any problems. Like many modern action figures he comes with multiple sets of interchangeable hands (closed fists, gun grip, and open hands) and what few kibble parts he has, the cheetah head on his chest and the cheetah legs on his back, are removable as well. Cheetor carries his trademark “Gut Gun” for a weapon and comes with two different purple blast effects for it. Finally, he has an Energon crystal with him, too.

So bottom line for this figure: it’s a very nicely articulated action figure that does kind of look like Cheetor, but with a few odd choices (the colors and the face). Really, though, it looks more like a human in a Cheetor costume than a transforming robot from outer space.

Alternate Mode: There is no alternate mode. The R.E.D. figures are Transformers that do not transform!

Remarks: When the Action Masters first appeared in 1990, their lack of transformations ruined Transformers forever, or so many fans believed. Truth was the line was on its last leg even before the Action Masters drove the final nail into the coffin. Still, all ideas get recycled at some point, and with quite a few licensed non-transforming Transformers action figures out there, Hasbro figured they’d try their hands at it themselves, releasing the R.E.D. line, probably hoping it might be as successful as the similarly-scaled Marvel Legends. The line did not last much longer than the Action Masters, however, quietly fading out in 2022. 

Personally I do not care for Transformers that do not transform, but I do like Beast Wars characters and I figured I’d give the R.E.D. line a chance to convince me of its merits. Plus, I got him as a birthday gift. Even with all that, though, I was left disappointed. It’s not that Hasbro doesn’t know how to make cool action figures. The Marvel Legends line brings out banger after banger. But R.E.D. Cheetor, again, looks more like a human guy wearing a (knock-off) Cheetor costume than a transforming robot. Now that might be some people’s cup of tea, but not mine.

So bottom line: recommended only to those fans (if they exist) who want superhero action figures cosplaying as Transformers rather than Transformers themselves.

Rating: D