Review: #246
Name: Devastator
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2015
Size Class: Titan
Variations: SDCC version features more paint and chrome; TakaraTomy version features more paint and remolded parts for the individual robots as well as a head gimmick
PACKAGING:
Devastator comes in a huge box with an extremely nice piece of artwork on the front. It calls out that there are six Voyager classed figure but truth be told, some of the Constructicons are larger than Voyager class.
The back features the combined mode as well as the individual bots. It calls out that the stock photo is actual size, with Devastator being approximately 45cm tall.
Like with most Combiner Wars toys, Devastator comes with a collector's card featuring the same artwork as on the packaging.
Devastator comes packaged in individual modes, using a cardboard tray. A bit empty and bland but hey, it's not as if you are going to display him like this.
You get a bunch of accessories, which are his combiner arms, pieces of his gun and his chestplate pieces.
Devastator is a bit light in terms of extra optional accessories but it gets much better.
CONSTRUCTICONS:
Onto the individual robots... which will be separately reviewed over the coming days. Sorry, otherwise this review would have been even longer than it already is.
True to their G1 selves, all six Constructicons are present in their neon green and purple glory. Yes, no more multi-colored teams!
As you'd expect, they look good together and as a team, bringing a very cohesive feeling.
The designers has gotten the homage spot on, including all the correct names and alternate modes.
Of note is that the accessories are able to be stored in vehicle mode. The two winged chestplate pieces can be attached to Scrapper (although it looks weird).
The remaining pieces can attach to Long Haul on his bed and on top of the cab. Again, this looks stupid but at least it's an option and you won't have loose pieces anywhere.
In robot mode, the Constructicons are equally striking, each one big and bulky, especially Long Haul.
A lot more color is shown here, purple, silver and red being the main additions. The consistent aesthetics gives a strong team atmosphere.
Not many complaints for the individual robot modes apart from some articulation restrictions. Truth be told, if they couldn't combine, they are still fairly good toys by themselves.
TRANSFORMATION:
Where to begin. Combiner Wars Devastator is the perfect balance of difficulty and ease. He is fun to transform and simplistic enough so that you don't have to spend too much time on it and more importantly, you're not afraid to do it again and again. While I was initially skeptical of him being large for largeness' sake, it really helps with the transformation as you have bigger, thicker pieces to manipulate. There are some clever sequences such as how his torso clips together and especially how his legs attached (very unique and innovative). While slightly disappointing that he wasn't a fully self-contained combiner, he is very close since Scavenger and Bonecrusher integrates a portion of his forearms and you only clip on the fists and bigger forearms. One of the biggest surprises was how well the combined-exclusive joints were hidden. Playing with only the individual robots, you wouldn't have found half of the additional joints! A satisfying and ingenious transformation that does not disappoint.
COMBINED MODE:
Where to begin, oh, Devastator, you are so awesome. Seriously though, he looks fantastic in this mode and even better in hand.
What's really decent is the lack of kibble. He really only has Long Haul's bed on his back (which makes an excellent place for gripping the figure by the way) and Hook's arm attachment.
The headsculpt is sublime. He has the visor in the general release of the toy (the SDCC version has two distinct eyes and the TakaraTomy version has a gimmick to switch between the two). The head can only turn from side to side.
Of course, one of his biggest selling points is his huge size. While not on par with Generations Metroplex, he is still massive, towering over Deluxe and Voyager classed figures.
A lot of people are using this Devastator as a stand-in for the Masterpiece line, which works somewhat since he's detailed enough in terms of sculpting.
Lastly, Devastator absolutely towers over any of the other Combiner Wars gesalts.
An annoying element is Hook's crane sticking so far out the back. If only the designer could have made it collapsing or somehow fold out of the way a bit more.
The sculpting on the toy is very impressive. Have a close-up shot of the chestplate, you can see how intricate some of the details are. The chestplate also pegs in multiple places, which helps hold Hook, Scavenger, Bonecrusher and Long Haul together. That's what you'd notice with this toy, there are multiple tabs to hold the whole thing together.
He has a nice waist plate too, with added paint applications. The plates can swivel up to allow the hips more articulation.
Another neat thing is that they managed to mimic the G1 toy by having Hook fold in half to form the upper torso.
Truth be told, I was one that was annoyed at the asymmetry caused by Scavenger's treads being purple and Bonecrusher's being green, even though it is G1 accurate. While rectified in the SDCC and TakaraTomy versions, it is not as bad in hand.
Devastator is mainly green, as you'd expect. Most of the paint applications are int he waist piece, head and chestplate. It's the bare minimum though and some more paint wouldn't have hurt. As it is, his sheer size and the relative blandness of the G1 toy helps distract you from this fact.
His hands are semi-articulated. The thumb is fixed and the rest of his fingers are jointed as one, so he can open and close his hands. He has wrist swivels too.
Articulation is excellent, he has all the standard poseability of a contemporary figure and ironically, has better articulation than some of the individual bots!
I really like how only the upper part of Scavenger's and Bonecrusher's alternate modes act as the upper arm for movement, since it gives Devastator a more athletic appearance.
Perhaps the best aspect of the figure is how stable and sturdy he is. Thanks to all the tabbing (with enough tolerances and clearances to make it work), he is like your typical action figure, albeit much larger. You can hold him from any spot and he won't fall apart.
Devastator's only weapon is his gun, which is formed by combining two pieces together (one of Long Haul's gun and Scrapper's bazooka).
The gun can be held in either hand and can only be held by Devastator due to the rectangular peg. While it doesn't tab into the hand, he holds it well enough.
You can put Devastator in a variety of poses. His articulation includes (but is not limited to): hips, knees including swivels, shoulders, elbows, waist, wrist and neck.
Devastator has strong ratchets in load bearing joints such as his waist and knees. This gives him much needed stability in more dynamic poses.
Devastator is also very hefty. Even though the individual robots have hollow parts wherever they can, this is the one time I'm glad that they did because any more, and Devastator will have trouble standing. Something rare these days is also that Devastator feels very substantial in your hands, with the plastic quality being a little bit better and thicker than normal.
Unfortunately, Devastator doesn't have ankle swivels so that it can be hard for him to grip on a smooth surface (warning: do not attempt dynamic poses on a glass table because he will not be able to hold it).
Did I mention that he towers over nearly all Transformers? It is ridiculous at how big he is, even for an adult. It makes you feel like a kid all over again.
He also scales quite well with Legends sized figures (even if that was not the scale the G1 cartoon was in). Love how he can hold Legends figures in his hands as he is about to smash them to pieces.
For those who were worried that his knees were situated too high, have no fear because they look a lot more natural in hand.
You might have already picked this up but I am a huge fan of Devastator and this robot mode is pure bliss. I cannot find much fault in the engineering of the figure at all.
OVERALL:
Retailing for around US$150, it is a lot of cash for a toy, one that is not as big as Metroplex. What makes Devastator trump Metroplex, however, is that he is thirteen toys in one. Not only is Devastator comprised of six components, those individuals each have two distinct modes. The engineering that have gone into this figure is impressive and clever. Devastator is clearly the strongest mode of the set and no matter what version you get, Combiner Wars Devastator is absolutely recommended. Go out and buy one NOW.
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Reviews for the individual robots will be put up soon and will be available from this page.