Battle Chariots
What great action figure line would be complete without the inclusion of wheels and pull-back locomotion? Like most toy companies in the 80s, Takara and Hasbro knew they could bolster the popularity of their action figures by incorporating vehicles into their product catalogue. Battle Chariots added a new dimension of play for Battle Beasts/Beastformers collectors and allowed Takara and Hasbro to reach higher price points with these more substantial offerings.
Battle Chariots are vehicles designed in the likeliness of fierce animals, each powered by a wind-up mechanical motor. There are six Battle Chariots in total: three chariots belonging to the Battle Beasts, and three to the Laser Beasts. Each Battle Chariot was packaged with a specific Battle Beasts or Laser Beast; yet oddly enough, these figures shared no resemblance to the animals depicted by their respective chariots. In fact, it seems Takara and Hasbro went out of their way to avoid paring chariots with beasts of the same ilk! Despite the missed opportunity of having a Sheep Hunter piloted by a Bighorn Sheep, these Battle Chariots are among the coolest offerings in the toy line!
Tiger Hunter
タイガーハンター
The Tiger Hunter: Transport Tiger Head Battle Chariot was released in 1988 in both Japan and North America. This tiger-themed battle chariot features a wind-up motor that engages the tiger's jaws, causing them to open as it moves! This Battle Chariot was packaged exclusively with Platinum Tiger (プラチナタイガー) in the Japanese boxed version. The North American card back version, however, included a random Battle Beast. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Sheep Hunter
シープハンター
The Sheep Hunter: Transport Sheep Head Battle Chariot was released in 1988 in both Japan and North America. This sheep-themed Battle Chariot features a wind-up motor that engages the sheep's jaws, causing them to open as it moves! This Battle Chariot was packaged exclusively with Rabbit Kid (ラビットキッド) in the Japanese boxed version. The North American card back version, however, included a random Battle Beast. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Stag Hunter
スタッグハンター
The Stag Hunter: Transport Stag Head Battle Chariot was released in 1988 in both Japan and North America. This stag-themed Battle Chariot features a wind-up motor that engages the stag's jaws, causing them to open as it moves! This Battle Chariot was packaged exclusively with Bomb Sheep (ボムシープ) in the Japanese boxed version. The North American card back version, however, included a random Battle Beast. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Battle Savanna
バトルサバンナ
The Battle Savanna: Transport Rhino Type Battle Chariot was released exclusively in Japan, in 1988, and was one of three Battle Chariots belonging to the Laser Beasts. In a similar fashion to the aforementioned Battle Beasts chariots, This Rhinoceros-themed vehicle has a pull back motor that propels the chariot and figure into action! This particular Battle Chariot featured Slag King (スラッグキング) as its pack-in figure, as well as Slag King's laser gun and figure card. Despite some anecdotal evidence of Slag King being offered as a punch box figure, this Battle Chariot was the primary way collector's could obtain this figure. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Battle Eagle
バトルイーグル
The Battle Eagle: Transport Bird Type Battle Chariot was released exclusively in Japan, in 1988, and was one of three Battle Chariots belonging to the Laser Beasts. In a similar fashion to the aforementioned Battle Beasts chariots, This Eagle-themed vehicle has a pull back motor that propels the chariot and figure into action! This particular Battle Chariot featured Skybat (スカイバット) as its pack-in figure, as well as Skybat's laser gun and figure card. The Sky Bat figure was exclusive to this Battle Chariot, and could not be obtained in any other way. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Battle Buzzsaw
バトルバズソー
The Battle Buzzsaw: Transport Shark Type Battle Chariot was released exclusively in Japan, in 1988, and was one of three Battle Chariots belonging to the Laser Beasts. In a similar fashion to the aforementioned Battle Beasts chariots, This Shark-themed vehicle has a pull back motor that propels the chariot and figure into action! This particular Battle Chariot featured Dino Gator (ダイノゲーター) as its pack-in figure, as well as Dino Gator's laser gun and figure card. The Dino Gator figure was exclusive to this Battle Chariot, and could not be obtained in any other way. All included cards and inserts can be viewed by clicking here.
Battle Drills
In addition to the six animal-themed Battle Chariots, Takara released four Battle Drills, which are by today's standards, some of the rarest and thus most valuable pieces in the entire Beastformers line-up! These ultra-rare chariots were available through various means, which ranged from premium set pack-ins, to mail-in promotional prizes! In the case of the Blue Combat Drill, we still don't have a definitive explanation for its origin! In fact, some of these Battle Drills are so scarce that the total represented specimens can be counted on one hand! Pursuing a complete set of these Battle Drills is a herculean task, and should only be considered by the most battle-tested collectors!
Gold Battle Drill
バトルドリル
The Gold Battle Drill was a pack-in item included in the Beast Planet's Greatest Confrontation Set (ビースト星最大の対決セット), which was released exclusively in Japan in 1988. This gilded chrome drill is truly a sight to behold, and thus makes it a very popular and sought-after item among diehard collectors! Although it is most commonly seen piloted by Skull Grotess (スカルグロテス), it actually belongs to the Emperor and leader of the Laser Beasts, Tiger Burn! Regardless of whose name is on the pink-slip, this beautiful golden Battle Drill will always be synonymous with the yellow dragon!
Yellow Battle Drill
バトルドリル
Fig. 1
Although the specific details remain unclear, this ultra-rare Battle Cruiser was offered as a mail-in promotional lottery prize for collectors who obtained two "tickets" and participated in a brief product questionnaire that was included inside individually boxed figures. (fig. 1). We can't know for sure, but we may assume that these "tickets" were the Beastformers proofs of purchase that were printed on the boxes of various Beastformers products. Only a handful of Yellow Combat Drills have surfaced over the years, suggesting the chances of winning this lottery were rather low!
What we do know, however, is that this yellow variant was paired exclusively with the Skull Grotess Laser Beast. Even though there were rumors that this Battle Drill came with the "green toe" variant of Skull Grotess, there has been no documented evidence that this was ever the case.
Maroon Battle Drill
Like the highly coveted Black Marble Crystal Killer Fish and Blue Battle Drill, the Maroon Battle Drill was available only as a Japanese-exclusive punch box premium prize (fig. 1). This maroon variant was typically packed with one of two figures: Slag King or King Buster. Although Salmomanther was long believed to be exclusive to the Beast Planet’s Greatest Confrontation Set, several examples have surfaced over the years showing Salmomanther packed with the Maroon Drill. When it comes to ultra-rare premium items like this, there’s almost always a bit of mystery involved!
Blue Battle Drill
Rivaled only by the elusive Yellow Battle Drill, the Blue Battle Drill ranks among the rarest known Beastformers premiums. This ultra-rare punch box prize was available exclusively in Japan and was packed with King Buster. Precise details about its distribution remain uncertain, and only a handful of examples have surfaced over the years. Among collectors, the Blue Battle Drill is regarded as the crown jewel of the series; an exceptionally scarce piece that few will ever have the chance to own!