SS-69 DEVASTATOR
Combined form of the Constructicons
(Hightower, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Overload, Skipjack, Scavenger, Scrapmetal, Scrapper)
Series: Studio Series
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Combiner
Year: 2020
Who can forget the mighty Devastator? How he combined out of eight (or seven? Possibly six? Maybe even nine?) individual Constructicons and... yeah, failed to kill Skids and Mudflap? Awkwardly climbed a pyramid? Fell victim to a human-built rail gun? Well... where was I? Oh yes, Devastator, the combined form of the Constructicons. Many thanks to fellow TF collector Reyjin, who loaned me this mighty beast for this review. So, as we stand here together directly below the enemy’s scrotum, let’s say go!
Individual Figures: The first time Revenge of the Fallen Devastator was released in toy form, he was the
combined form of six vehicles with no individual robot modes. Then a
Legends version was released, adding seventh member Overload. And now we have the Studio Series version, which adds yet another member, Scrapmetal, for a total of eight (based on Devi’s original concept art). So before we look at the combined monster itself, let’s quickly go through the eight individual members in alphabetical order.
Constructicon
Hightower might be the weirdest design of the entire group (which is saying something, considering Scavenger and Mixmaster). He is Deluxe-class and transforms from a yellow truss crane into a... well, a truss crane with a head and tiny little arms. The tracks of the crane bend to become his feet and that’s pretty much it for the transformation. The resulting robot certainly looks very interesting. The number of out-there, non-humanoid designs is one of the things I liked about the Revenge of the Fallen line. So Hightower gets a thumbs up for originality, but has little to offer otherwise. The legs are well-articulated, but the arms can’t really do anything and even using the crane as a kind of attack claw (his only weapon) doesn’t help much. So bottom line for Hightower: nice and original, but little beyond that.
Long Haul has the most traditional-looking robot mode amongst the Constructicons and bears a strong resemblance to the
ROTF Voyager version of the character. He is a darker green and somewhat stockier, which hinders his articulation a bit, but otherwise they’re clearly meant to be the same guy. Sadly he lacks the fold-out blades the ROTF version had on his arms, but is very nicely detailed and just looks pretty cool in robot mode. Long Haul transforms into his traditional dump truck mode and looks pretty good here, too, even having mud splatters on his sides. Nicely done. Sadly, the loading area of the dump truck is completely open, showing the robot arms. The ROTF version did that better, though given that it did not have to incorporate a leg mode, it had an easier time of it. So bottom line for Long Haul: my second-favorite of the Studio Series Constructicons.
With
Mixmaster we return to the really weird robot modes, as he’s basically a robot that consist mostly of arms. The look is very close to that of his
ROTF predecessor, though the parts of the mixing drum are not quite as nicely integrated into the arms here in the Studio Series version. Mixmaster has two additional tiny little arms on his chest (which I forgot to fold out during the pics, I must admit) and relatively short legs, giving him a pretty weird silhouette. Articulation is pretty good, he can pull off a nice evil-genius-hand-rub pose, but overall I’m not too sold on this robot mode. Lacking the third mode he had in ROTF (a cannon mode), Mixmaster transforms into a (surprise) mixing truck and might just be the most realistic-looking of all the vehicles. He even has that tiny little hood ornament he sported in the movie. Nicely done. So bottom line: not a great robot mode, but an excellent vehicle mode.
And speaking of really weird robot modes, we now come to
Overload. He would look rather standard in robot mode if not for these extremely wide shoulders with an extra pair of arms. The first thing I noticed about him, though, was the face. Especially that smile. Overload just smiles so endearingly, how can you help but love him? He emits such positivity and joy for life! Anyway, the robot mode looks pretty great, I love the design, but sadly the articulation of the outer pair of arms is pretty limited. Otherwise, though, a very nice robot mode. Great detailing and that smile… I love that smile. Overload transforms into an articulated dump truck, though much like with Long Haul the loading area is utterly fake and cannot dump, either. Neither can the truck bend in the middle, as the original vehicle can. Overload transports the spinning vortex thing from Devastator’s combined mode on his back, but you an just as well leave it off. So bottom line for Overload: I love the robot mode despite its limitations, but the vehicle mode is just serviceable, nothing more.
Scavenger basically looks like
Demolishor from Revenge of the Fallen (who also sometimes wore white). Scavenger has one of the most unique designs ever, basically being a face and a pair of arms between two giant wheels. Unlike the previous design, this one’s top wheel is not made from the tracks of the vehicle, but rather hidden underneath the vehicle mode. Apart from that, though, there isn’t too much difference to be found. Scavenger, while a very unique design, has the limitation that he cannot stand without using one of his hands as additional support and apart from swinging his shovels about, he cannot really do much. The vehicle mode looks good, though both the shovel and the back of the vehicle look a little puzzled together. So bottom line: a truly unique design, but apart from that? Nothing much.
Scrapmetal is the least known of the Movieverse Constructicons and I guess he’s a homage to
Cybertron Scrapmetal. Scrapmetal has a mostly humanoid robot mode, only the knee configuration is a bit weird, but works just fine. He has great articulation and two clamps for hands, which kind of fits him well. He also comes with an entirely superfluous detachable plate, which he carries on his arm in robot mode and on the back of his vehicle mode. His vehicle mode, an excavator, looks pretty good and might just be the cleanest-looking of all the vehicles. No visible robot bits, no outrageous kibble. So bottom line: a good figure, no real complaints.
Scrapper is actually my favorite figure among the eight individual Constructicons. His robot mode is nearly humanoid, but with permanently bent knees and a deep-set, tiny head. I am not sure why, but I really like the look of this robot mode. Articulation is very good, the only thing I would have wanted to see improved is that claw on his left hand, which cannot open up. Otherwise, though, very nice. Scrapper transforms into a front loader and does a very good job of it. No visible robot bits, the loading shovel can actually move, and there is really nothing to complain about here. So bottom line: yes, Scrapper is my favorite.
Finally, there is
Skipjack, who is called
Rampage when he is red (and
sometimes when he’s yellow, too). To tell you the truth, I did not like his design back in Revenge of the Fallen and I still don’t like it today. While the idea is kind of neat, basically making him a humanoid jackhammer in robot mode, the execution is lackluster at best. Additionally he does not even have the whips that his earlier incarnation formed from his tracks. The only thing Skipjack can really do is stand there (with the help of a stand) and fling his claws about. His vehicle mode, a bulldozer, looks pretty decent, but that cannot really salvage the figure. So bottom line: a figure I can only recommend because you kind of need him to complete Devastator. Red or yellow? Your choice.
Combined Mode: Now let’s get to the big monster himself, Devastator. While he is not the tallest combiner ever produced in toy form, he might well be the most massive (at least among the official Transformers toys). The eight Constructicons combine in the following way: Long Haul and Skipjack become the feet and lower legs, Overload the lower torso, Scavenger the upper torso, Scrapper becomes the right arm, Hightower and Scrapmetal the left arm, and Mixmaster becomes the head. Side note: the instructions for transforming Mixmaster into head mode are crap! Had to look up various imagines online to figure out how to properly affix the vortex drum.
Now the first thing I found noteworthy about his combiner is that, despite looking like a mess of parts, he is entirely stable and in no danger of falling apart. As a matter of fact, the most unstable thing about him is the foot formed by Long Haul, where the panels tend to pop apart now and then, but even if that happens the figure does not lose stability and still retains a solid stance. A pretty amazing piece of engineering, so kudos for that.
Devastator strongly resembles the figure’s original concept art, which I personally like a lot. He also strongly resembles the actual Devastator seen in the movie, except for a few things. One, Studio Series Devastator cannot walk on all fours. Or, well, he can, but he will look down on the ground the entire time. There is an upgrade set (or several, possibly) to fix that, but out of the box like this, he remains bipedal. Not really a problem for me, but I’ve heard some people complain about it.
Articulation-wise Devastator is a mixed bag. Below the waist he can’t really move all that much. He has no knees, so he can only swing his legs back and forth. His arms are pretty well articulated, on the other hand. His head is immobile, but he can open his mouth. So, yeah, a mixed bag. His right arm is pretty stable, composed only of Scrapper, but the left arm is a bite more hodgepodge, with Hightower forming the forearm and thumb, while Scrapmetal is the hand and fingers. Not ideal for grabbing things, but it goes well with the overall look of the figure.
At the end of the day Devastator is clearly a collector’s item, unlike the original ROTF Devastator, who was primarily a toy for playing with. You can play with him, too, of course, but he is big, somewhat unwieldy, and more suited as a display piece than something you regularly take out to transform, combine, and play with. So bottom line: a great feat of engineering, looks great, but some limitations in terms of actual play value.
Remarks: I’m of two minds about this set, truth be told. On the plus side, it’s the closest we’ve come to actually seeing the combiner monster from Revenge of the Fallen in toy form. The engineering is quite amazing, the combination is surprisingly stable, and the combiner itself looks fabulous. On the negative side, the individual figures are a mixed bag, the finished combiner is not all that good at posing (especially below the waist), and given his weird proportions, he takes up an awful lot of shelf space, too.
So bottom line, Devastator is a fun set and I am glad that I had the chance to mess around with it. I will not buy it for myself, though. One, because I am simply not that big a fan of the Movie designs, and two, despite his many good points, Devastator is simply not tickling my fancy. Fans of the Movie designs in general and Devastator in particular, though, will probably be quite happy with this guy (even more so if they improve him with an upgrade set). So, if you count yourself among that group, feel free to take a closer look at Devastator, either by buying all eight bots individually or getting the full giftset.
Rating: B Tags: - Decepticon - Hasbro & Takara - Studio Series
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Studio Series Devastator (2020)
