The Mole Rats, Cobra's scientific cannon fodder, continue to extract deposits of volatile Dark Energon as an energy source to power Cobra's war machine. Extended exposure has sparked certain troopers to become mindless husks bent on destroying anything in their path and Stage 2 of the infection has only accelerated their degeneration.
This figure is mostly the same as the existing Mole Rat, just with new colors: instead of desaturated blue and orange, it's teal and neon green. What does the change in uniform color signify? Do they work deeper in the Earth, and so need to wear brighter colors? Make up your own reason! The eyes on the mask are vibrant magenta, as well, and so stand out from the black more. The circular device on the chest is painted with an orange EKG readout instead of concentric circles in yellow.
Mole Rat Stage 2 has all the same accessories as the first release, including 
the alternate head with Dark Energon crystals growing out of it. They're brighter this time, pink instead of purple - guess the energy levels are increasing. What's new, however, is the third head! This one is even further gone than the first alt, with larger crystals bursting out all over, instead of just growing in onr spot. The small bit of the face we can still see in there is also mostly skeletal: the right eye is just an empty socket, but there's still a lip in front of the lower teeth, not just a bare jaw. Still, the dud this head belongs to is beyond any kind of help or saving. So awesomely creepy!
The accessories are made from a slightly stiffer plastic 
this time. The swappable drill bit and gun barrel that fit into the drill trigger were very bendy on the first figure, but sturdier now. The drill isn't painted dark silver this time, just left black, and instead of matching the pink of the eyes and crystals, the window in the sample container is a darker purple like the old one. The stats on the box are nearly the same as last time: Environmental Specialist 1, Biohazard Detector 1, [CLASSIFED] 1 and Science 1.
Getting this Mole Rat isn't quite as exciting as the original, because that was a brand new character being added to the line, and this is an alternate head and a new coat of paint. But that head is truly great, and does its job in selling the figure. We look forward to seeing if there's a Stage 3 in the future, to see how the story progresses.
