Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Devastator (86 Movie)

Review:  #896

Name:  Devastator

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  N/A

Mold Status:  new

CONSTRUCTICONS:

While the wait wasn't the worst we've had for a Combiner that was released in multiple waves, due to the sheer popularity of the character, it can be nerve wracking in terms of whether you can get all the figures or not.

Particularly so given that all of Devastator's limbs are unique and you can't really for him without a specific figure either as he doesn't use the skeletal frame system.

Nevertheless, once you get all six figures, they look really good.  Although Long Haul towing part of the combiner kibble feels like cheating.

Despite the figures being roughly a similar size, they were split into 2x Deluxes, 2x Voyagers and 1x Commander (that had two figures).

As a result, the figures are relatively uncompromised and they each are decent figures in their own right.

TRANSFORMATION:

Transformation is similar to the Combiner Wars version but much more refined and works a lot better.  Long Haul folds up to combine with Hook and the extra kibble to form the torso.  Scavenger and Bonecrusher does the least amount of work as they're basically their vehicle modes in their arm configuration.  While Scrapper and Mixmaster form the legs and also doesn't require too much work to get them into that mode.

As expected for a figure comprise of six individual pieces, and the sheer weight of everything, the legs are designed to securely withstand it.  The Scrapper and Mixmaster attach via the knees using a very solid interlocking system of pegs in multiple places.  Some of the spare parts used that are not part of the individual figures as the chest plate, the forearms and hands, and his big gun.  The rest of the Constructicons' small guns have no use here.

COMBINED MODE:

And now, of course, the whole reason you would get all six members, for Devastator, and really, this is the best Devastator we have had.

He is not perfect though, as there is a lot of kibble on the back, particularly most of Long Haul.  Otherwise, he's pretty clean.

The head sculpt is good, and it is interesting given during transformation, his face is squished in for storage, but there is no evidence of that here.

Devastator is large, he is made up of six Deluxe to Voyager class height figures after all.  But he isn't massive, like a Titan.

He's only just a bit taller than Legacy Menasor, but Devastator feels a lot more hefty and solidly put together though.

From the side, you can see how much of Long Haul sticks out.  They're his legs, and considering that there was all those extra combiner pieces, it's disappointing that we still have this much kibble with nowhere to go.  Those legs could have been better designed to tuck away somewhere or lie flatting on his back.

The designers have done a wonderful job of making him super stable, so that he is able to utilize the full range of his articulation:  head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and even ankles.

In terms of weaponry, Devastator has a bigger longer gun to hold.

The rest of the individual Constructicons' weapons are too much to be of any use here, and they don't even combine into a larger gun.  There are plenty of 5mm ports around the figure for you to store those weapons though.

And yeah, once again, this is the best Devastator's we had, and once you've combined him, he is very impressive.

Perhaps most impressive is just how well this figure holds together, both physically, and visually in a cohesive way.

You can easily pick him up and don't have to be careful when posing him.  Every piece and member clicks or pegs into place, so you don't have to worry about dislodging everything.

The weight distribution is spot on too, he isn't out of balance and won't easily keel over.

The ankle tilts help a lot in this matter, keeping him standing flat on the table.

A fantastic combined mode, and one that's the standard for all updated Combiners.

OVERALL:

The Combiner Wars version was flawed, and it's been nearly a decade, so an update was required.  While his release schedule makes him quite pricey overall (and somewhat stressful to get over the course of months), the end result is very nice and quite worth it.  It's a near perfect rendition of the character, with the only major flaws being the extra combiner kibble and Long Haul's legs sticking out the back.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Mixmaster (86 Movie) (Voyager)

Review:  #895

Name:  Mixmaster

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Voyager (Wave 29)

Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Mixmaster, based upon the G1 character, transforms into a cement mixer truck.

Unlike the Combiner Wars figure, this version transforms back into a rear-discharge cement mixer, so the drum is angled the "right" way.

He's an okay size for a Voyager in vehicle mode.  He feels really solid and hefty in hand though.

The robot gun can peg on top of the roof.

The drum is static, as expected.  All six of the wheels roll though.

There are some nice details, and the purple windows and drum, plus the silver grill, really helps break apart the green that overly dominates some of the other Constructicons.

It's a nice vehicle mode, the block aesthetics really help sell it.

TRANSFORMATION:

Like the rest of the Constructicons, Mixmaster is pretty easy to transform.  The drum does nothing and ends up as a backpack.  The front cab splits into two, and you just need to flip the feet out.  While the sides of the back are the arms.

ROBOT MODE:

Mixmaster's robot mode isn't too bad either, and despite the simple transformation, he isn't overly chunky to the point of awkwardness.

He has a lot of kibble though, the drum for starters (although it's hollow so it isn't that heavy), and the cab halves for his lower feet.

The head sculpt is really nice, although with the piece hanging above his head, it's usually constantly in shadow.

This is where the Voyager price point falls down somewhat, given that Mixmaster is shorter than your usual Voyager.  He's basically a heftier Deluxe, with most of the additional budget going into a ratchet for Devastator.

Articulation is fine, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a small gun that he can hold in either hand.

Or, he has 5mm ports in his forearms where the gun can peg onto, and it looks great there too.

The extra purple that comes out (being the torso, and the green regulated to the limbs), creates a much more varied color scheme, and the contrasts look good.

His elbows are hinged a bit more awkwardly, and he has long arms, but that's the main negative about his proportions.

A strong robot mode.

OVERALL:

Mixmaster is essential to forming Devastator, but as a standalone toy, he's pretty solid too.  Granted, the Voyager price point is a tad bit high, but he is higher quality than you typical Deluxe, he feels really nice and solid in hand thanks to the usage of hinge joints (rather than floppier ball joints) and avoidance of hollow sections.

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Invincible - Season 3 (2025)

The third season of Invincible is only eight episodes long. Each episode is roughly 40 minutes each. Taking place a while after the last season, Mark is working for Cecil as a superhero. Although with Cecil being Cecil, he has his plans and backups in case Mark breaks out and does his own thing. Given that Mark’s dad did just that and caused a lot of damage, it’s understandable but can feel unfair and brutal from Mark’s perspective. It explores Cecil’s history, and the early part of the season explores Mark’s response to all this.

Mark and Cecil’s relationship pretty much go as well as expected. You really can’t have a relationship that’s built on distrust and deception. This part of the plot was quickly resolved though but it doesn’t feel rushed. The season them moves onto Mark’s alien half-brother, Oliver. Oliver is growing quickly and rapidly gaining his abilities. He’s just like Mark when he discovers his powers, being eager to use them to help others.

Mark sets about training Oliver but obviously it’s not as easy as they’d assume. It doesn’t help that Oliver is still a kid at heart, despite growing up so fast. His ideals do not perfectly align with Mark’s and it can be horrifying when Oliver explains his reasonings after doing something, and Mark realizes that it just reminds him of their father. It is a distressing moment and hammers home the realisms of such a scenario, even if it might not make for the best story. This is also the point where it gets much more violent and gory. It’s a heavily stylized kind of violent but can still feel over the top and unnecessary.

Another continuing subplot is Mark’s personal life. It isn’t focusing on how he handles being both a superhero and a teenager, but more so being just a typical teenage drama. Rather than deconstructing the genre, we just see Mark as he matures but still gets a bit awkward when he needs to when asking the girl he likes out. It is sweet when it needs to be but the season tends to focus on these moments a bit too long.

There are similar issues with previous seasons, such as the constantly shifting scenes that focus on one subplot in one episode and then another one in the next. It affects the pacing by jumping around all over the place. By doing this, it also has the byproduct of making it easier to forget what happened in that subplot up until now and you need some refresher. A lot of things happen during the season such that it feels it’s both moving too fast, as well as moving too slowly. It’s moving too fast because we are rapidly cycling through the threats. As soon as Mark has managed to subdue one villain, another one pops out and each time, it gets bigger.

On the other hand, it feels too slow because the slow scenes drag the episodes length out without adding much value. They break the pacing and clog up the story. Each subplot can feel disjointed, so that the season doesn’t feel coherent. In eight episodes, it can go through eight different subplots, if not more. If it was all interlinked, or if there was a common thread through all of them, then it would have made much more sense.

While Mark is shown to be powerful and he even has the superhero name of Invincible, given that he is the protagonist, the show goes out of its way to show that this may not be the case. Mark gets hurt all the time and if he wasn’t superpowered, he would have died a long time ago. The other heroes struggle a lot more and Mark encounters threats where you don’t think he might be able to overcome.

Mark being overwhelmed by his enemies, comes to the forefront in the final episode, where yet another ultimate threat comes. The show got gorier as the season went out. There are some genuinely shocking developments, both in terms of the gore as well as what happens. No character is safe, and they do things to characters that you don’t expect.

Overall, the third season of Invincible has its highs and lows. It is interesting to watch and there are some good story developments. Although it can feel muddied and confused at where it wants to go at times. As a result, it can be disjointed in how it tells its story, making it hard to tell how this arc in this episode relates to the next one in another. Characters come and go, and so it can be hard to remember just who is who.

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