Botcon 2014 Deluxe Ferak Prototype

Read my review of the Botcon 2014 Deluxe Cannonball prototype for my thoughts on the overall concept for the Botcon 2014 storyline.

Click here for pictures of the Botcon 2014 Deluxe Ferak prototype.

Let’s take the toy first, and then we can talk about his name and how he fits in the story.

I LOVE the toy.  The white, dark gray, and red look awesome on this mold.  I really like the Cyclonus mold other than the way his legs don’t lock in place in jet mode.  I am very much looking forward to this toy.  The only thing that bothers me, and this is only a prototype, but putting the pirate symbol on his wings and a regular Decepticon symbol on his forehead annoys me.  Hopefully they will fix that.

The name on the other hand is awful.  Now, I am aware that he is based on the Ferak character that appears in Last Stand of the Wreckers (I believe that’s the book) who was in turn based on a brief appearance in a Marvel G1 issue of a character by the same name.  My problem is that it doesn’t sound like the name of a Transformer.  It sounds like a Middle Eastern first name (though I could be way off, that’s just the way it sounds).  I ran a Google search and it appears to be a last name.  Now, I admit, if you go back through Transformers history there are some other bad names that sound more like a human name than a robot’s, but this one is terrible.

I like new toys based on existing characters when they are done right, but a bit character like this?  Was there really this great need in the fandom for a toy based on him?  Once in a while it wouldn’t kill Fun Pub to create an original character.  They have done many toys that fill a need that Hasbro has never met, like last year’s Seeker three pack, but some originality, even just a little bit, would be nice once in a while.  I’m not going to say that every pre-Fun Pun original character Botcon exclusive was great (Catscan would be a perfect example of…crap) but there were a lot of really great ones like Nightracer, Packrat, Fractyl, and Antagony just to name a few.

My other issue is with him being a pirate, and this has really been my worry about the whole concept.  Other than sticking their pirate logo on his wings, there is nothing “pirate” about this toy.  Are they going to give them all little eye patches?  Now that I think about it after the Soundwave head bands they might actually do that.  I just think it’s impossible to pull off pirates when nothing about the toy makes you think pirate.  But, I guess we’ll see what happens.

Thanks for reading!