Review: #13
Name: Scourge
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations (Wave 6)
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: Deluxe
Variations: None
JET MODE:
Scourge transforms into a stealth jet that is loosely based on the Boeing X-48. It's a short plane, but the wingspan is really impressive (especially in packaging, as it stretches from corner to corner). It is attractive and the blue used is so nice, a deep rich blue, probably one of my favourite shade of blue used on any Transformer yet.
He has three back thrusters, which looks really impressive, and two engine intakes with some red showing. There some additional sculpted windows on the side, but curiously it isn't painted. The wingtips are sloped down, which looks great, I really like this plane.
There's a middle section at the back that pokes up, which is part of his head, it looks a bit odd there, but I guess you can imagine it as an offensive laser. Seams are minimal and not that obvious, the main one would be where his wings connect to the body. Something's that's a bit odd is that the paint doesn't carry over seams, so some of the colours truncate in an 'unnatural' way.
Scourge is a really neat plane transformer, there is practically NO underside kibble, everything is integrated very nicely and pleasing to the eye. I do think he is one of the best plane transformers since ROTF Mindwipe (which is my favourite Decepticon toy). He features landing gear, but in an unorthodox pattern, two sets of three wheels in the front, and one at the back. Using the landing gear, the front of the plane tips a bit forward which is weird. He also features two C-clip joints near the back, but I tend to find that they're pretty useless in both modes.
Speaking of clip joints, there's one at that protruding bit I was talking about earlier (the head bit), you can clip one of Scourge's weapon there, and it actually looks pretty good since it sits close to the body, plus, he is now properly armed.
Amusing, and because I've seen it mentioned so many times, I'll mention it here as well, Scourge's head can be lifted up so you can reenact the times in the original G1 cartoon when Scourge's head was visible in alt mode. All in all, a well executed plane mode that looks great and also fun to play with.
TRANSFORMATION:
Scourge's transformation has potential, and contains a few surprises, but it can be annoying and frustrating at getting some parts together, especially when going back into alt mode. At one point it becomes a bit of a mess as there are a few panels that you need to manipulate. The arm transformation is unique and I don't think have been done before, but confusing on the first try.
Unexpectantly, the weapons storage on Scourge is ingenious, they are stored... in his wings!!! Granted, this causes his wings to be a bit thicker than I like, but it works really well here. One of the guns doesn't clip in as securely, causing it to rattle in it's socket when moving the toy around. I should also note that pulling out his feet was a challenge on my particular toy, as they were clipped in very well and was tight, so it might be something to look out for. Generally, a good transformation but a bit challenging getting between the two modes (and the Generations line usually had easier transformations, so Scourge is one of the harder ones).
As if the storage concept wasn't enough, there's also two options in how to use Scourge's guns. The first one is to have Scourge dual wielding the guns, which is nice, or you can...
...combine the two pieces into one, which is more impressive, and looks a bit like Fracas, Scourge's Targetmaster back in Season 4 of the cartoon. I personally prefer the combined gun, as one of the guns in it's separated configuration had a gap in the middle.
ROBOT MODE:
Scourge's robot mode looks great, if anything, it might be one that his legs look a bit weird and rounded, due to it being made up of the plane cockpit. The wing's configuration is totally up to the user's preference, as you can open the halves up to emulate the bat-like wings of the original, and angle it in any way you like. One minor complaint would be that his wings sit a bit too far out from his body (as a necessity of his transformation, so it's forgivable), making it both unpleasing to the eye, but more importantly, back heavy. You would have thought with the big feet, he'll have no problems standing, that is not the case, you need to be careful when posing him (or even just standing him) as he'll topple backwards very easily.
The thickness of the wings is a liability to Scourge here. Anyway, more of that beautiful blue shows up, and the colour scheme is SO good. He's also really accurate to the G1 character model, something I found really amazing. He does have wide shoulders though, which can look weird in some poses. One nice touch is that they bothered painting his fingertips red, in a metallic red paint too!
Scourge's head sculpt is great, and his facial hair isn't cast in rubbery plastic, which is a great relief (unlike Wreck-Gar...). He has a 3mm clip at the top of his head which you can attach his laser gun to, but it looks odd there. There's blue lightpiping, and it looks great, taking a closer look, most of the top of his head is transparent blue plastic with blue painted over...
Posability is good, provided you didn't get one with loose joints. He features rotating wrists, which is somewhat rare and useful. The feet can be a bit limited with no side to side motion, but it can tilt up and down which is really good for some poses where you require the knees to be bent.
The knees are double jointed, and he has a rotating waist, although it's more for transformation than practical use due to the way it's jointed. Overall, a great robot mode, no major gimmick apart from the combining guns and weapon storage. A great display piece, and is not fragile enough to fear giving to kids (which is their intended audience) to play with. A clear winner!!
OVERALL:
Initially when I first heard the toy to when I first saw the toy on online sources, I wasn't terribly interested and thought "meh". Once it came out and people praised it (as well as scalping it... due to the nature of the cartoon making it a good army builder) I had to have it. This was further reinforced when I had a play with my friend's one. A bit of a hard toy to find, but just like Warpath, worth the hunt, he is a great toy with two solid modes.
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More photos (including the packaging), can be found here.
Credit: pictures and text is all mine, but I've linked a few pages to TFwiki.net and Wikipedia as reference for some terms
Mooooooorrrrrreeeee.... ahem... I meant, more reviews can be found here. Thank you for reading this review! Comments is appreciated.