Welcome dear reader to the final part of Room 113 Devastation.
It's time to talk about the big guy.
Combiner Wars only Titan class release hits your wallets with a RRP of $150 and hits your display space with 18 inches of figure to play with.
Devastator had a bit of a funny reveal, at the Nuremberg toy fair we got our first look at him, well most of him, thanks to someone taking photos where they shouldn't be and because of a balding German gentleman we got to see half of him. What followed was a calvacade of people trying to work out how big he was, my twitter feed was a mix of the usual cat pics, funny comments and the flurry of ideas, comments and pictures all pulled from this one blurry pic. One major site even went so far as to offer a cash incentive for a full picture of the toy. I wont mention which one but if you really want to know go search it out.
It was a fun time to be a fan and it didn't feel like it was to long before we got a full reveal (via official channels) and I knew I had to own him. With my earnings at the time (and the fact Hasbro's UK distribution is to put it politely, utter bollocks) I had very little chance of getting him. What came next was a wave of "subtle" hints to the future Mrs Murray about what I'd like for Christmas.
Skip ahead several months and with Christmas coming up I was convinced I hadn't got Devastator. It was expensive, we'd spent a lot of cash on getting me to America and getting the next step sorted. The wedding had just happened as well.
Christmas morning comes and it's time to exchange gifts. Slick is happy with what I've got her and she pulls out two small packages from under the bed.
I should probably mention this before we go any further, I am a terrible person to try and surprise with gifts. If it's something I'm interested in like Transformers or Lego as soon as I see that box I instantly, without even trying, start thinking and working out what it could be.
I'm not always correct but I'm damm close when I'm not.
What came out from under the bed was two small presents. One was instantly recognisable as a Combiner Wars deluxe and the other was even smaller. I instantly thought, "I'm not getting Devastator. It's a shame but I'm cool with that."
I was asked to open the obvious deluxe present first, it was Mirage who was a pleasant surprise as I'd only just decided to add him to the collection.
Then I opened the second package.
When I first saw the package I wondered if it was maybe a paint set or some other wargaming based stuff. Inside, tucked into part of the cardboard insert was Hook.
The rest of his team was stored, quite safely and securely in the spare wheel compartment in the car. A early morning walk later and I had my Devastator.
Slick had pulled of a doozy of a Christmas surprise. Mirage was a "distraction toy" as Slick put it and splitting the box up was a genius idea.
But enough about my Christmas morning surprise you want to hear about the toy right?
Well...
here we...
GO!
So as you may have realised by now Devastator features all six of the Constructicons combined into a giant mass of green and purple plastic with a selection of black and silver plastic dotted about and a selection of paint apps all over.
I've never talked about a Transformer without talking about it's alt mode first.
Devastator doesn't have one.
Alt mode review done.
Combiner Wars only Titan class release hits your wallets with a RRP of $150 and hits your display space with 18 inches of figure to play with.
Devastator had a bit of a funny reveal, at the Nuremberg toy fair we got our first look at him, well most of him, thanks to someone taking photos where they shouldn't be and because of a balding German gentleman we got to see half of him. What followed was a calvacade of people trying to work out how big he was, my twitter feed was a mix of the usual cat pics, funny comments and the flurry of ideas, comments and pictures all pulled from this one blurry pic. One major site even went so far as to offer a cash incentive for a full picture of the toy. I wont mention which one but if you really want to know go search it out.
It was a fun time to be a fan and it didn't feel like it was to long before we got a full reveal (via official channels) and I knew I had to own him. With my earnings at the time (and the fact Hasbro's UK distribution is to put it politely, utter bollocks) I had very little chance of getting him. What came next was a wave of "subtle" hints to the future Mrs Murray about what I'd like for Christmas.
Skip ahead several months and with Christmas coming up I was convinced I hadn't got Devastator. It was expensive, we'd spent a lot of cash on getting me to America and getting the next step sorted. The wedding had just happened as well.
Christmas morning comes and it's time to exchange gifts. Slick is happy with what I've got her and she pulls out two small packages from under the bed.
I should probably mention this before we go any further, I am a terrible person to try and surprise with gifts. If it's something I'm interested in like Transformers or Lego as soon as I see that box I instantly, without even trying, start thinking and working out what it could be.
I'm not always correct but I'm damm close when I'm not.
What came out from under the bed was two small presents. One was instantly recognisable as a Combiner Wars deluxe and the other was even smaller. I instantly thought, "I'm not getting Devastator. It's a shame but I'm cool with that."
I was asked to open the obvious deluxe present first, it was Mirage who was a pleasant surprise as I'd only just decided to add him to the collection.
Then I opened the second package.
When I first saw the package I wondered if it was maybe a paint set or some other wargaming based stuff. Inside, tucked into part of the cardboard insert was Hook.
The rest of his team was stored, quite safely and securely in the spare wheel compartment in the car. A early morning walk later and I had my Devastator.
Slick had pulled of a doozy of a Christmas surprise. Mirage was a "distraction toy" as Slick put it and splitting the box up was a genius idea.
But enough about my Christmas morning surprise you want to hear about the toy right?
Well...
here we...
GO!
So as you may have realised by now Devastator features all six of the Constructicons combined into a giant mass of green and purple plastic with a selection of black and silver plastic dotted about and a selection of paint apps all over.
I've never talked about a Transformer without talking about it's alt mode first.
Devastator doesn't have one.
Alt mode review done.
This guy is HHUUUUGGE. Standing at 18 inches tall he is (as of the time of this review) the biggest combiner in Transformers history. It's a title I expect him to retain for a long time. Being this tall means he towers over all of the other Combiner Wars figures, I like this.
A lot of people don't, Devastator was never portrayed as being much bigger than any of the "Scramble City" type combiners in any fiction he is portrayed in. To me having Devastator as a giant compared to the rest of his combining brothers and sisters works because in most transformers universe's he was the first combiner.
First runs of technology always start big. For those who don't remember or have never seen old school computers those things were huge, they'd fill a room easily, now a days we have a phone that fits in our pocket with more processing power than the computers first used to send a man to the moon.
In IDW's universe he's not the first but if you look into it he was built from notes based on lost technology by an individual more interested in torture than science (Bombshell) it was never going to be an exact copy, it was almost a fresh start.
As it improves technology gets smaller and more powerful and I like to think this is the case with Devastator.
Due to his size and strength though he is more than a challenge for more modern combiners like Superion and Defensor.
First runs of technology always start big. For those who don't remember or have never seen old school computers those things were huge, they'd fill a room easily, now a days we have a phone that fits in our pocket with more processing power than the computers first used to send a man to the moon.
In IDW's universe he's not the first but if you look into it he was built from notes based on lost technology by an individual more interested in torture than science (Bombshell) it was never going to be an exact copy, it was almost a fresh start.
As it improves technology gets smaller and more powerful and I like to think this is the case with Devastator.
Due to his size and strength though he is more than a challenge for more modern combiners like Superion and Defensor.
I want to talk about how Devastator combines first. All of the joints are nice and tight (to tight in at least one case) and once he's together he holds together.
Once I'd combined Devastator once with the instructions I never needed them again. It's a simple, easy system of steps to form the big guy and once you've done it a few times you'll know it off by heart.
There are a couple of issues though.
When I attach Mixmaster to Long Haul I always struggle to clip the clips in. I'm not seeing any damage to the parts yet but I do worry about it.
The clips that attach Long Haul to Hook are really tight, so tight in fact that in one instance one of the clips snapped off and is now permanantly stuck into hooks chest. I have to add this break happened after a fall so it could be possable that the impact wedged the clip in there further than it should but I couldn't say 100% either way.
I've not heard of many people having the same problem so I wouldn't worry about it.
Once I'd combined Devastator once with the instructions I never needed them again. It's a simple, easy system of steps to form the big guy and once you've done it a few times you'll know it off by heart.
There are a couple of issues though.
When I attach Mixmaster to Long Haul I always struggle to clip the clips in. I'm not seeing any damage to the parts yet but I do worry about it.
The clips that attach Long Haul to Hook are really tight, so tight in fact that in one instance one of the clips snapped off and is now permanantly stuck into hooks chest. I have to add this break happened after a fall so it could be possable that the impact wedged the clip in there further than it should but I couldn't say 100% either way.
I've not heard of many people having the same problem so I wouldn't worry about it.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that due to his size he'd be a giant non posable block of a figure, this is far from the truth.
Ankle tilts, ratcheted knee joints, heavily ratcheted hip joints, ratcheted waist, shoulder and elbows joints topped off with wrist swivels, opening hands and a head on a swivel joint give you a lot of options for posing. Unfortunately due to his lack of posable feet you cant get a lot of dynamic poses out of the big guy. You can however get him to do the BIGGEST split kick I've seen.
Ankle tilts, ratcheted knee joints, heavily ratcheted hip joints, ratcheted waist, shoulder and elbows joints topped off with wrist swivels, opening hands and a head on a swivel joint give you a lot of options for posing. Unfortunately due to his lack of posable feet you cant get a lot of dynamic poses out of the big guy. You can however get him to do the BIGGEST split kick I've seen.
I want to mention the bin that I take my photos on is also curved slightly to double as a seat. That stance, on a curved surface with a figure that big? Impressive.
I seriously doubt you'll want many dynamic poses from him though. I usual go for "shooting pose" or "manly stance"
I seriously doubt you'll want many dynamic poses from him though. I usual go for "shooting pose" or "manly stance"
or my personal favourite "squishing that douchebag Prowl underfoot" (OK I cheat a little with this by using the gaps in the Bonecrusher foot but it works).
The ankle tilts and the great center of balance help but if he'd had better feet he could've been the greatest giant robot ever.
The ankle tilts and the great center of balance help but if he'd had better feet he could've been the greatest giant robot ever.
The waist, as mentioned in Long Haul's review, is heavily ratcheted but is slightly limited by the dump trucks "bucket". You can't un-clip it without messing up the combined form but you still get a good range of movement with the clearance it has.
The shoulder and elbow joints could maybe do with being a little tighter than what they are right now.
Don't get me wrong they can hold up the arms and the weapon but with a guy so big I want him to be able to hold a deluxe figure up. I'm being a little picky here but I think it's a reasonable request.
I've covered most of the articualtion there with a few notable abscences.
There are articulation points I don't like. The head is just on a swivel, while I understand balljointing it would've ruined the look of the head by creating a gap between the head and chest part of me still wishes they'd done it.
The shoulder and elbow joints could maybe do with being a little tighter than what they are right now.
Don't get me wrong they can hold up the arms and the weapon but with a guy so big I want him to be able to hold a deluxe figure up. I'm being a little picky here but I think it's a reasonable request.
I've covered most of the articualtion there with a few notable abscences.
There are articulation points I don't like. The head is just on a swivel, while I understand balljointing it would've ruined the look of the head by creating a gap between the head and chest part of me still wishes they'd done it.
The hips are another minor problem I have with the combined form. Maybe it's just mine but if I leave the hips as I would for Long Haul he tends to look like he's bending forward, mostly because of the weight of his upper body, I have to put them back one click most of the time to keep him standing "straight".
Something that doesn't come under articulation but it can effect how you pose him.
Hooks crane hangs right off the chest/shoulder and because of the length it extends a good inch and a half past Devastators back. You can raise it to lift it out of the way but it looks out of place there. I'd like to think that if it'd had the ability to extend it might have also been able to retract.
Something that doesn't come under articulation but it can effect how you pose him.
Hooks crane hangs right off the chest/shoulder and because of the length it extends a good inch and a half past Devastators back. You can raise it to lift it out of the way but it looks out of place there. I'd like to think that if it'd had the ability to extend it might have also been able to retract.
So I think I've covered just about everything I can with Devastator. So would you like to hear my final thoughts? Well you must since you've read this far.
Devastator himself is a great combined figure, it's size and stature is impressive on a whole new level.
Devastator himself is a great combined figure, it's size and stature is impressive on a whole new level.
As a one off for the Combiner Wars line it's a great one.
You have to buy this set in the full knowledge that the individual forms of the Constructicons are weak compared to your standard voyager class figures and they lack basic articualtion. You aren't buying this set for the individual figures you're buying it for Devastator and if you are concerned about the indiviuals maybe you should look into the Unite Warriors version. That way you'll have better articulation for each Constructicon AND their own guns.
Now is he worth the 150 bucks?
For the simple fact that you get 6 individual figures which combine into a giant figure he is.
The fact that he is even compatible (size wise) with Masterpiece figures is an added bonus.
I think he's worth the cost especially if you can find him at a discounted price.
Get one it's that simple. He's awesome.
And with that the Devastation of Room 113 is over.
So what am I reviewing next week? I really don't know.
I'm seriously starting to run out of figures I want/have to review.
You have to buy this set in the full knowledge that the individual forms of the Constructicons are weak compared to your standard voyager class figures and they lack basic articualtion. You aren't buying this set for the individual figures you're buying it for Devastator and if you are concerned about the indiviuals maybe you should look into the Unite Warriors version. That way you'll have better articulation for each Constructicon AND their own guns.
Now is he worth the 150 bucks?
For the simple fact that you get 6 individual figures which combine into a giant figure he is.
The fact that he is even compatible (size wise) with Masterpiece figures is an added bonus.
I think he's worth the cost especially if you can find him at a discounted price.
Get one it's that simple. He's awesome.
And with that the Devastation of Room 113 is over.
So what am I reviewing next week? I really don't know.
I'm seriously starting to run out of figures I want/have to review.
Stu "Darkageis" Murray is a founding member of The Old Oilhouse, a lifelong transformers nut and collector of Sentai and Kamen rider in most of it's forms.
He sometimes takes epic trips and tells tales of these sagas often.
When not watching people in spandex fight each other he paints miniatures, go HERE to take a look
He sometimes takes epic trips and tells tales of these sagas often.
When not watching people in spandex fight each other he paints miniatures, go HERE to take a look
