STRENGTH             RANK
6.3                   2.2
INTELLIGENCE      COURAGE
1.5                   6.5
SPEED           FIREPOWER
8.8                   5.6
ENDURANCE           SKILL
7.4                   5.3

Color Scheme:

A really cool combination of reds, blues, black and gray, with some super-cool lightning-crackle style accents to the wheel wells. Not unlike Megatron's head, but only because it's a dragon head.

Vehicle Mode:

A rolling Megatron head with little arms underneath! There's also a platform on the back for small figures to "pilot" him on.

Alternate Mode:

With the arms facing forward, he's in "attack mode" but looks the same otherwise.

Transformation:

Fold the arms down and around to the front. If you have a small toy to rid on it, there's a kind of hood that flips up from the top of Mechatron that houses a set of guns and a "claw" that is supposed to hold the rider in place.

Gimmicks:

This toy IS a gimmick! The main gimmick is the rolling action. When you close Mechatron's mouth, it presses a lever inside that winds the motor. When you release the mouth, he takes off at a pretty good pace. Unlike Che, Mechatron doesn't seem to be able to be pulled back to wind the motor, though it's possible mine is defective. With his arms forward, as he is rolling, the forearms and claws spin, adding some "wrecking" power to the play scenario. He also has a dual missile launcher inside his mouth that fires well enough.

Pros/Cons:

The whole concept of non-transforming "chariots" for the characters to ride on leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but it's well executed, and the toys is nice to look at and fun to play with. The claw that holds the rider is way too loose, though, and most riders will fall right out of Mechatron at full acceleration.

Notes: Back story:

"After their apparent victory in the Beast Wars, the heroic Maximals have returned to Cybertron to find their home planet overrun by hoards of Vehicons controlled by the tyrannical Megatron. Developed from Vehicon technology and inspired by the ancient repulsor-lift chariots used to quell Transformer dissidents during the earliest freedom wars for Cybertron, the diabolical Megatron engineers the Beast Riders -- sophisticated, individualized pursuit vehicles spawned out of the need for rapid transportation throughout Cybertron. Each craft activates only when its primary pilot uses his spark energy for ignition. Over time, the Beast Riders have adapted to their pilots' control and developed specialized powers from their masters! The struggle for the salvation of Cybertron continues...