Although I've been reviewing a lot of Christmas stuff and I have a ton more on the way, I decided to take a minor break to review something I picked up while Christmas shopping. It's time for another one of those quirky, nobody else is reviewing this junk kind of reviews. It's the Hunter Dan "Beast" ATV vehicle from the Hunter Dan toyline.


What's Hunter Dan? Well I'll be honest, it's a toy line for rednecks. It's basically "hunting" toys with Mego style figures. Since I'm getting into Mego lately, I figured Hunter Dan's ATV would make a good ride for my crew. Plus I found this on clearance at Dick's Sporting Goods for $8! So how good is this $8 ATV after I took it for a spin?

Packaging:
It's not really fair to review this package because it's been beat to hell. I'm not sure if that's why this was on clearance or not, but I'm inclined to think that's not the case since the Hunter Dan single figures were on clearance as well. Although the really low price tag could be because of the messed up package.


For what it's worth the package is pretty nice despite the torn up nature. I can tell that this package in pristine condition would definitely appeal to the outdoorsman type. That said, my dad is big hunter and I've never had an urge to play with a hunting toy, so I question the market a bit.


The camouflage and orange is played up as well as the BEAST logo. See this is called the Beast because it doesn't just look like a regular ATV, but has a face on the front.


It also has a buckhead tread on the tire for "maximum grip"... I can only assume that's just clever marketing because if having the imprint of a deer head on tires make them better suited for tough terrain I need to see my local BF Goodrich.

Design:
This really isn't a terrible looking vehicle, but it's not overly impressive either. There aren't a ton of vehicles in this scale, but this certainly isn't up to snuff with say a Hasbro vehicle. To be fair Hunter Dan is a very small brand.


The tires are real rubber which is always a plus with these kinds of toys. Especially if you were going to take this thing out into the mud and snow.


One of the big selling points is the "removable gear box" where you can store all your hunting equipment or remove the whole box to just have a regular ATV. I don't know anyone who hunts with an ATV. Personally I think once you're hunting with super scopes, night vision goggles and ATVs you're no longer deer hunting, you're just being an idiot. Deer hunting requires, camouflage, a tree stand and a rifle plus a fair amount of patience. You only need an ATV if you're hunting a bear, but I digress.


The gear box does open and is fairly roomy but does remove a little too easily.


Modern Megos fit on there alright, but they can't really sit and hold the handles. Most people who ride ATVs sort of set up a bit, so if you're going for that look it's accurate.


The whole thing is made out of a hard plastic, but it seems like that hard brittle plastic. I could see this breaking under too much stress. The "beast" face also could look better. There is no paint and no stickers to spruce it up aside from about a dozen company logos plastered all over it. I'm fine with that to help offset the cost of making the toy, but why not throw in a couple of stickers of fuel gages or something too?

Additional Notes:
This seems like only a decent vehicle for Megos, but not perfect. I think it could be a bit better, but I don't have an actual Hunter Dan figure to see if he fits in it better. I can't fairly judge based on that criteria.


The actual Hunter Dan looks a bit like a meth addict. His face sculpt is just... ODD! I read that the original guy who came up with these just wanted to make some cool hunting figures like the Mego style toys he had as a kid. I think that's pretty neat, but I just hope he doesn't actually look like this!



Value:
I picked this thing up for $8 and with some tweaking it's going to be a cool little vehicle for my Megos. As is though, I'm not in love with it, even at the reduced price. For $20, I would only recommend this to people who really need an ATV for the Megos. It's just not got enough wow factor for me.


Score Recap:
Packaging - 7
Design - 6
Accessories - Nothing
Value - 5
Overall - 6 out of 10

I may end up picking up a Hunter Dan eventually, but I'm not sure. As of now his vehicle is a small miss, but not a terrible toy. I don't know who the market is, but I don't feel like I need my $8 back either. It's worth a look if you're into this sort of thing, I suppose.