Review: #306
Name: Bruticus
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: N/A
Mold Status: remold of Generations Combiner Wars Defensor
COMBATICONS:
First up are the Combaticons, who are comprised of their leader, Onslaught, with Blast Off, Brawl, Swindle and Vortex forming the rest.
Of course, Shockwave is supposedly part of the team now, and it's nice that he can fit on top of Onslaught.
The other cool thing about this team is the military theme, which works well as a Decepticon combiner.
The distinctly different vehicle modes gives the team variety while still staying in theme.
In robot mode, they all still look great, the common theme of duller colors work well together.
A fantastic set and probably the Combiner team in the line.
LIMBS:
Onslaught forms the torso and while Onslaught is a remold of Hot Spot, the difference in transformation is not only the chestplate, but also how Onslaught's arms are situated. They are situated up higher on either side of the head now, giving Bruticus a bulkier look. Unfortunately, it makes the dual cannons behind the head less prominent.
Blast Off usually forms the right arm. While he is now a jet, it still manages to mimic enough of the G1 version to look good. As a foot, he has a kneecap which is always good, unfortunately, the robot arms stick out the sides like an ugly growth.
Brawl forms the left leg and he provides a knee cap too thanks to the turret and cannon. As an arm, he is a lot more bulky which can work well if you pair it up with another bulky arm.
Swindle forms the right leg. It is a nice blocky leg but unfortunately makes the feet look very small. His arm mode has a bulky forearm.
Vortex forms the left arm. As a leg, Vortex looks fantastic, especially with the combiner foot piece feeling like a natural extension rather than something stuck on.
BRUTICUS:
Onto the main show, once combined, the Combaticons form the mighty Bruticus, one of the most well known combiners (behind Devastator) from Transformers. Being the first real G1 update to the character, this Combiner Wars iteration does not disappoint.
There is not much kibble in this mode. While Onslaught's arms on either side of Bruticus' head gives him a different silhouette compared to Defensor, it doesn't look as great and makes the torso slightly more hollow. On the plus side the chest plate pegs in much more securely than Defensor.
The head sculpt is fantastic. It nails the character perfectly. It is on a swivel joint and can turn from side to side.
In terms of size, Bruticus is comprised of a Voyager and four Deluxes, so naturally, he towers over Voyager classed figures. He is taller than most Leader classed figures too.
A quick comparison with Defensor, whom the torso is a remold of. It's surprising at how different the two figures look.
A quick comparison to the previous Bruticus toy, which was from the Fall of Cybertron toyline. The Combiner Wars version is hands down, no arguments, a vast improvement.
Granted, Bruticus is not all positives, since like the rest of the Combiner Wars line, his has longer arms than what would be deemed natural.
Furthermore, he has giant hands and small feet. Nevertheless, if these are the only complaints of the figure, then the designers have done a brilliant job.
Once you have Shockwave, you can have Bruticus hold him as a gun. Works much better than Powerglide and Superion since Shockwave actually looks like a gun.
Thankfully, Bruticus's arms have tight enough joints to keep his arm up even while holding Shockwave, but probably as the joints loosen with age, his arms will sag and Bruticus will be perpetually pointing him to the ground.
If you don't want Shockwave to be held as a gun, but still want to make him feel as if he is part of the team, Shockwave can store on Bruticus' back.
Bruticus is a very heavy figure but he stays relatively stable. He leans forward a bit though which is annoying because if you click the hip ratchets back one notch, leans backwards too much.
Swapping the limbs around, you get a much stockier version of Bruticus.
Having Brawl and Swindle as arms makes Bruticus looks a lot more powerful and beefier.
Theoretically, Bruticus has all the standards joints such as shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. However, due to his heaviness and small feet, it's hard to pose him dynamically as he'll probably slide and fall over.
One thing that Bruticus trumps over Defensor is the fact the chest plate also has a waist plate which covers the actual hips. Therefore, Bruticus doesn't have those tiny hips that Defensor has.
The color scheme is drab looking since the grey chest plate is the main feature. It would be nicer if the chest plate was in a shinier and more eye-catching color, preferably metallic.
The figure holds together very well, the combiner joints are well designed so that they stay in place even when fiddling around with the figure.
A fantastic combined mode, Bruticus is amazing looking.
OVERALL:
Bruticus is a fantastic figure. It's hard to decide which is the best combiner in the line because they're all so strong (well, Menasor is clearly the weakest one though), but Bruticus is a strong contender. He is a representation of how a remold should work, and is a unique figure in his own right. Bruticus is highly recommended and the fact that his limbs provide quite a wide variety is an added bonus.
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