Review: #87
Name: Scorponok
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Movie (2007)
Year of Release: 2007
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 2)
Variations: repainted as Stalker Scorponok in the ROTF line
SCORPION MODE:
Very obviously, from the name, this guy transforms into a thing that looks like a scorpion. It is unfair to call it a thing, since it's a *great* robotic scorpion, and one that packs a lot of play value into it. Scorponok has a lot of sculpted detail, but while the colouring is a bit off from the movie, it's still an okay colour scheme. I would have preferred more metallic paint, and the bronze is a bit off. The six scorpion legs are on really really restricted ball joints, and the tail is split into three sections. The arms are really really well jointed.
The gimmicks are where this shines, and what makes Scorponok so much fun to play with. He features two gimmicks, the first gimmick is that while you roll him along on a table or whatever, gears in his body spin and the pincers spin, it looks very impressive (even if it dominates the entire toy).
The second one is a bit bland, his tail is a missile, and you can launch it, however, there's a catch at the back so it doesn't detach, which I find pretty cool coz you won't ever loose the missile. What's even cooler is that you can attach him to the underside of Blackout, and pushing Blackout's tail rotor, it activates not only Blackout's spinning blade gimmick, but also Scorponok's pincer gimmick, really nice cross-compatibility!!! An excellent beast mode but sadly the good news kinda end there.
TRANSFORMATION:
Ummmm, Scorponok falls down flat in this department. The transformation is so simple, that many Minicons put it to shame, yeah, it's that bad. What you do is basically lift him up, pull the sides open, and reposition the head and arms and that's it. Very disappointing to say the least and does not truly deserve to be called a Transformer.
ROBOT MODE:
Scorponok's robot mode... doesn't really look a robot at all. It just looks like a scorpion who has found the ability to stand up... and that's actually the case here. A robot dedicated head would go a long way... It's really sad to see that because he didn't have a robot mode in the movie, and the fact that he was so burden with gimmicks in scorpion mode, that the robot was heavily compromised, so whatever fun the scorpion had, it gets ruined here.
On a side note, at least he stands really well and is extremely stable, due to the tail acting as a third leg (it's actually in a really awkward position). Both gimmicks are still available but the missile gimmick is a bit pointless, and you need to rub the gears on the torso to spin the pincers and gears (so it's a bit harder now).
The head is still exactly the scorpion's head, which is extremely disappointing and it's pretty much fixed in place. It can go up and down but it doesn't help much and is pointless.
The joints in his arms are amazing, while his legs, not so much, he doesn't even get distinct feet. Not much you can do in terms of poses, and it's a stupid robot mode to say the least.
OVERALL:
It's hard for this one, I found I really liked the beast mode, there's just something about the mechanical scorpion and the rolling pincers that I love. The robot mode is very stupid and feels half baked. However, I did find I had a lot more fun from Scorponok than with Blackout (I got them in a two pack), so that's saying something. Not something you should track down unless you're a completist.
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