Black Dranzer
Black Recolour of Dranzer F, matching the plot device used in the anime.
Black Dranzer was released once by Takara, in the A-38 Bey Ultimate Stadium where it was uniquely named, and three times by Hasbro (all with a green tip), in the V-Force BBA Championship Series (which did not include the Black Dranzer Bit Sticker), the G-Revolution BBA Championship Series and the Beyblade G-Revolution Battle Set (both of which included the sticker).
It is no different to or more powerful than a regular Dranzer F, despite what that annoying kid in the schoolyard might have told you.
Picture provided by @Beyfinity
Weight: 3.8g
Relatively edge-focused weight distribution
Relatively compact (slightly wider than Wide Survivor) with rounded edges.
Wing tips are extremely fragile in Right Spin and somewhat fragile in Left Spin - second hand Dranzer F's have broken ARs more often than not. This AR should not be used in Right Spin, and even in Left Spin, using Flame Wing without Wide Survivor/Wide Defense (the size of which help protect the AR from hard hits) is strongly discouraged.
Right Spin:
Decent Upper Attack in this direction, however the lack of an overhang or any other means by which to reach lower under opponents means Upper Dragoon and other competitive Upper Attack ARs are more effective.
Wing tips create a moderate amount of Smash Attack as well as moderate recoil, limiting Flame Wing's usefulness for Spin Stealing and combined with the availability of numerous better (not to mention less fragile) alternatives, this relegates it to Tier 2 for Zombie Customisations and a poor choice defensively.
These properties, combined with its relatively compact size means that were it not so fragile, Flame Wing would be a solid choice for Compact Customisations, given the compact weight distribution works well with its Upper Attack to produce strong destabilisation. However, it has more recoil than alternatives such as Tiger Defenser, so even were it not so fragile it would still be an acceptable but not exceptional choice.
The round, compact shape, good weight distribution and Upper Attack ability allow Flame Wing to be used for Spin Stealing Attack, though unlike Upper Dragoon and other choices, it produces heavy Destabilisation more so than actual Upper Attack. In exchange, Flame Wing offers moderate Smash Attack and more importantly, better Spin-Stealing and, as it stays out of the way, better LAD. However, it has poorer offensive ability than alternatives, meaning it struggles more in match-ups versus survival combinations, relegating it to a second-tier choice, especially as Right Spin SSA is of very limited relevance, and the part still has to worry about fragility issues even with Wide Defense.
Left Spin:
Relatively low recoil, with the leading edges being rounded off, the bumps on the tips do create some recoil however, and the leading edge of the wings has somewhat bad recoil in the event the AR is tilted enough for it to make contact.
Overall however, it is a viable choice for Left Spin Zombies and Defensive Zombies, though at the lower end of top tier.
Viable choice for compacts in this spin direction, though it lacks the aggressive properties that make it such an effective choice in Right Spin, instead being very defensive, which also makes it very suitable for Weight Based Defense.
However, fragility is still a big concern.
Weight (Regular Mold): 15.3g
Weight (Indent Mold): 15.5g
Generally outclassed by Ten Heavy for all purposes, being suited to the exact same combinations but being lighter. Heavy Attack is also superior on combinations which protect it from contact.
Eight Heavy can successfully be used in Compact Customizations, being slightly heavier on average than Heavy, with slightly lower WD recoil, however Ten Heavy is still a superior choice.
Takara and Sono Kong Eight Heavy Weight Disks have a shallow indentation on one side around the centre of the Weight Disk, as well as sharper edges. There is only a minor weight difference between the Takara and Hasbro molds and as such they perform practically identically, though SonoKong WD's are lighter due to smaller size (which also means they don't fit well on standard SGs). Takara may have used the Hasbro mold in later production, particularly once production moved to China.
Fairly competitive in Compacts and Traditional Upper Attack and a backup choice for Weight Defense, Semi Flat Base Stamina Combos and Force Smash. Usable for Driger V2 Combos but aside from the Driger V2 (Hasbro Magnacore Version) the stock Weight Disk is outright superior.
Spin Gear: Right Spin Gear (Triple Change Version)
Weight: 1.1g each (Shells) + 1.12g (Metal Weight Gear) (Optional)
Standard SG System Shells.
Incompatible with Neo Cores, and thus certain MagneSystem Blade Bases, though Wyborg's SG (Auto Change Version) SG Core Part can be used to allow use with some.`
Generally Neo Shells are preferred for their greater compatibility, mostly their ability to use Neo Cores. For Right Spin, this is particularly relevant with the Heavy Metal Core.
Generally uses a Metal Weight Gear with all compatible SG Cores. This gear helps reduce wobbling/rattling and adds a small amount of weight. It does not, however, work as a gear in any capacity.
Nonetheless, per BBA Survivor, BBA Attacker, BBA Defenser and BBA Balancer having Regular SGs but no Metal Weight Gear, it is not required for legality.
This allows Right Spin Gear Shells to produce the lightest SG setup in the game when using SG (Auto Change Version) and no metal Weight Gear.
Weight: 1.7g
Only compatible with Flame Change Base.
Has three tips: Sharp, Semi-Flat, and Flat. This tip is rotated to select the tip and held in place by friction from two protrusions from the core part. These can wear to the point the tip can shift in battle, resulting in the Beyblade resting on the edges of two tips at once which causes massive stamina loss and erratic movement, almost certainly resulting in a loss. A second mold was released where these protrusions are larger to help prevent this, as in some cases it could happen very quickly.
Due to the way the tip piece is molded, each tip has a protruding line through its centre, which results in slight hopping at the start of the battle when using the Semi-Flat or Flat tips, reducing controllability and stamina. This should be reduced as the tips wear flat, but at the same time more use means it becomes more likely the stopper mechanism wears down.
Semi-Flat tip produces moderately aggressive movement patterns with decent survival, however as this SG precludes a Heavy Metal Core, the part required for all combinations this tip shape is useful for (aside from Semi-Flat Base Stamina, where the eponymous Semi-Flat Base is directly superior due to better stamina), means this has little use.
Flat Tip is relatively aggressive and somewhat awkward to control, with normal stamina for a plastic flat tip. The fact it lacks the grip and manipulability of rubber, isn't as aggressive as wider tips and lacks the survival ability offered by metal flat tips mean it isn't particularly useful.
Sharp tip has poor balance and defense and little movement, and is the least useful of the three tips.
Main point of interest is that it offers three tips in one, allowing bladers to become accustomed to different types of tips and situations in which different tips work more effectively than others.
Weight: 4.1g
Only compatible with SG (Triple Change Version), and mainly serves as a shell to mount said SG in.
Middling LAD and a relatively compact weight distribution (without any ability to use a Heavy Metal Core).
Had some use in balance type customisations when released thanks to the versatility offered by SG (Triple Change Version), but is no longer useful as each tip is outclassed
Could be used with the AR's and WD's useful for Semi Flat Base Stamina Customs for a more aggressive Balance interpretation of the type, mainly relying on the Flat and Semi-Flat tips. This is generally less effective than using Semi-Flat Base, but may work better in some specific situations (such as against defensively poorer opponents). This would likely only be at all effective on tips worn enough to not hop at the start of battle, due to the negative effects that hopping has on performance.
Overall
On a parts basis, Black Dranzer itself is not a must have, but an effective if fragile AR, passable WD, and a SG/BB with a pretty neat gimmick (which made it popular competitively at times due to its versatility) mean it is not necessarily a bad buy, just by no means a must-have. However, Black Dranzer is best left to collectors due to its high price, being simply a much more expensive recolour of Dranzer F.
Related Beyblades
Dranzer F (Original Version)