[Paladin]

I've been wavering on adding new Mecha to my collection for a bit; after the disappointing Go-Buster Oh I wasn't feeling too optimistic about any future releases in this series. But, after a bit of consideration (and some bargain hunting) I have picked up the two newest Buster Machines!



The magical Beet Buster & his egotistical sidekick Stag Buster have brought out two experimental Zords to fight back against the monsters from Hyperspace:

First (despite J's protests) is BC-04, the Big Bad BeetleZord!




A machine used to harvest the precious Enetron fuel from various targets. 04's default form is a crane but it can also convert to Horned Beetle form as an alternative combat strategy. The transformation between modes is almost seamless; incorporating both vehicle and animal components without a ton of kibble and leftover parts.

BC-04 has one extra trasformation- Megazord Mode!



This is Go-Buster Beet, a much-needed addition to the Gobusters arsenal. The Robot Mode is another impressive fusion of elements, topped off with the crane length serving as both arms of the Megazord. This also gives Beet a big more arm movement than a normal Megazord- another boost to the play value.


Next is Buster Machine SJ-05, the Stag Beetle!




05 changes from Jet Mode to Stag Mode in order to harvest Enetron. The fusion of elements isn't quite as well executed in this Machine; it really just swaps wings for bug-legs. Its not really a BAD Zord; just not quite as good.

04 & 05 can combine to form one Super combo- Buster Hercules!



I suppose that in-universe the extra weapons would be helpful but in toy form they only serve to cut down Beet's already-limited articulation. Definitely not a good direction for the DX Mecha.

Last and most certainly least is the combination of all five Buster Machines, "Great Go-Buster Oh"



The name is an incredible misnomer; there is nothing "Great" about this ugly hybrid of unlikely elements.

It baffles me that the individual Go_Buster Machines can feature such interesting mode changes while the resulting combos turned out so hideous. Seems like the design team just ran out of interest after the first stage & tried to throw parts together until they had none left over.

I'll mildly recommend the Beet & Stag Buster Machines for the individual forms and suggest that any attempts at combining the two should be forgotten. I've put it together once for this photoshoot and probably never again.