BTR-Ticles: Venom Striker
by Twitziller
The Built to Rule Venom Striker, available as part of the second series of BTR sets in limited release in 2004, shares the name and a number of design cues with the Venom Striker from the Valor vs. Venom main toy line released in the same year.
In its primary mode, the Venom Striker is a quad ATV with a side-mounted missile launcher. This design bears a strong resemblance in design, if not in color, to the popular 1985 Cobra Ferret
The Venom Striker’s secondary mode is given no name, as was the practice after series 1. It resembles a lower, stripped-down version of the primary mode and, given the trends at the time it was released, was probably intended to be some sort of oversized, armored street luge.
The included figure is Firefly in one of his two appearances in the BTR line. This darker version of the figure bears some resemblance to the 2002 G.I. Joe vs. Cobra Firefly figure, and is built in the O-ring style typical of most of the BTR figures.
The Venom Striker’s weapons include a quartet of the ubiquitous BTR bomb/torpedo/rocket pieces in red, and a massive spring-loaded missile launcher unique to this set. The launcher’s shape and features suggest a secondary use as the body of a small air or water vehicle.
Notable parts from the Venom Striker include the black hood piece, the handlebars, the cargo rack, the rear fenders, and the missile launcher.
This actually looks kinda cool in Ferret mode. But, honestly, this is the worst looking Firefly figure I’ve ever seen.
I wish that late-run BTR stuff had shown up in my area. I’ve seen photos of those sets on Joe review sites and just been floored by how cool they were. Sans the arm pegs, I think this would probably be the best Firefly that was released during the relaunch era. It looked like him and it was painted in more proper Firefly colors. Man, Hasbro really loved quads and land luges during that time period.
Very little of the BTR stuff was released down here. We got a lot of the Transformers Armada stuff but it was severly discounted [and even then it didnt sell]. Some of the early Joe stuff slipped through the cracks but it too didnt sell. Which is a pity as if you ask me, the G.i.Joe BTR stuff was by far the best of the three.
It’s a nice homage to the ’85 Ferret that Lego enthusiasts might also appreciate.
Nice cannon version!
Your alt constructions are more creative than Hasbro’s! The figure is an interesting take on a desert Firefly.