TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Additional Image:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

ganon578's review: Devastator

Name: Constructicon Devastator
Function: Super Warrior
Allegiance: Decepticon

"I hate anything shorter than me. And most taller things too."

The incredible power of CONSTRUCTICON DEVASTATOR is rooted in the combination of five DECEPTICON warriors, but he is somewhat limited by their minds all competing for full control over his massive body. BONECRUSHER is a chaotic madman who lives to destroy, while LONG HAUL is a brooding genius with a talent for constructing the vast energy collection engines that supply the DECEPTICONS with power. HIGHTOWER is a chemistry lab on wheels whose passion for poisons and explosives is surpassed only by his dislike of his teammates. His polar opposite is SCAVENGER, who has an instinct for whole loses its stability when the crane is not locked in, and it doesn’t remain straight. The crane, however, can extend and the base can swivel, which adds some fun to this mode.

This is my first review, and it’s huge, so bear with me. I’ve been a fan of Devastator since G1, which it was only one of a few Transformers I had. Devastator’s big, bulky, and can crush a lot of stuff. What’s not to love about that? Now that he’s been released in the Classics line as a Wal-Mart exclusive, I got a chance to pick him up the other week. Bring on the memories…

Alternate Modes:

The five Constructicons that make up Devastator all have good alternate modes. I feel cheated by the fact that there are truly only three Transformers here; the color palette is the only thing that changes among Bonecrusher and Scrapper, and Hightower and Long Haul. Scavenger is the only unique one out of the five, but I’ll deal with it since they’re all pretty good in alternate mode. The one thing that is awkward about the alternate mode is attaching the weapon each Constructicon carries to its alternate form. It looks a little out of place for Transformers trying to be deceptive to the eye.

Bonecrusher and Scrapper have nice alternate modes, looking very much like stout front-end shovels. The large wheels are a nice touch for these modes, making them really close to what a real front-end shovel is like. You can move the shovel up and down, getting some good movement out of it. Nothing feels cheap in this mode; these guys are quite solid.

Long Haul and Hightower also have decent alternate modes, but they seem to lack somewhat in quality. While they both look nice and the coloring is good, but they aren’t very sturdy. Since the legs attach and make up the bottom of the crane but don’t lock into place, the whole structure seems to move a bit. This can be a drag especially if you want to move the crane arm, since the truck as a whole loses its stability when the crane is not locked in, and it doesn’t remain straight. The crane, however, can extend and the base can swivel, which adds some fun to this mode.

Scavenger has a good alternate mode, and the color scheme looks cool here too. Silver on the scoop arm and the little wheels under the tracks are nice touches that add to this mode. Scavenger looks a little boxy in this mode though, and there is a lack of detail in this mode. The purple windows are cool for the cab, but it would have been nicer if they were transparent. The scoop arm has a good bit of movement, and can actually be opened up to dump things. Scavenger swivels on his tracks too, which adds some good movement to this mode. Overall, the alternate modes of these Constructicons are pretty good.

Robot Modes:

The robot modes are what make these Transformers really cool. Even though they’re smaller figures, they have really nice articulation, and you can put them in some cool poses. All the robots (except for Scavenger) come with and Energon star and a weapon, which bumps up the fun value.

Bonecrusher and Scrapper (since they’re the same) have a lot of articulation in the legs, which makes them easily pose able in many ways, and the arms have a decent amount of bend, even though rotating elbows would be nice. The bulky look of the upper torso is good; it makes them look strong like they can easily go crush some Autobots. I also like the back headrest; it makes the figures seem a little bigger than they actually are. For color, I prefer the bright green/black/silver of Bonecrusher to the black/gray of Scrapper; the green is a nice touch and fits closely to the G1 version.

Long Haul and Hightower (formerly Hook in G1) are also nice in robot mode, and are similar to Bonecrusher and Scrapper being that they are green/black/silver and black/purple respectively. They have good articulation in the arms and legs and are quite pose able in many positions, except they get a little top heavy due to their long crane arms. The heads swivel nicely, and the arms have a good amount of twisting/bending for a great amount of poses with the arms. Their weapons are unique but a bit boring since they’re just large pincers. Overall, these two are pretty cool in robot form.

Scavenger is the lone unique Constructicon in the Classics version (personally I like the G1 version of Devastator better since there were six very different Constructicons). He is by far the most difficult of the five to transform since he has to change between his robot, alternate, and gestalt forms (he’s the middle one, so his transformation takes a little more effort). Scavenger’s robot form is quite nice, boasting good articulation, a giant scoop for an arm, and stable feet and legs. He’s really poseable, and looks awesome in this mode. He’s got a bulky torso and legs, which make him look formidable, and his face is the most detailed of the five Constructicons. He’s got a great color scheme, with green, purple, and silver being the main look, with bits of black thrown in for contrast. The cab for the alternate mode sits on the back of his one shoulder, which looks funny, but there’s not much that could have been done with it. Overall, this is one solid figure in robot mode.

Gestalt Mode:

Devastator is really awesome looking in Gestalt mode, and great for a display piece in this mode. There’s not much you can do with him for playing though, aside from smashing things, which is, I guess all you really need Devastator to do. He’s huge, strong, mindless, and breaks things. He towers over the Classics Voyager Optimus Prime, and seems sized really well in comparison. He’s meant to be a giant, and he is. As far as posing, you can’t do much since he’s quite heavy, and in this mode he doesn’t have much articulation. But that’s not the point; he’s made to crush things! And that’s what he does best. The color scheme works well in this mode, the two black Constructicons (Hightower and Scrapper) make up the legs, Scavenger is in the middle boasting a green and purple chest with a Decepticon symbol in the middle (and a new head with some cool red eyes) and Bonecrusher and Long Haul make up the green arms. All the weapons for the individual Constructicons are used for the hands and feet of Devastator, and you don’t have to remove the Energon stars for this mode either, which gives Devastator a little more ‘oomph’ to crush the puny Autobots. This mode is purely awesome, and greatly displays Devastator’s height and girth above all the other Classics.

Transformation: 7. Most are easy, one is pseudo-complicated. Combining all of them for Gestalt mode is simple.
Durability: 9. Nothing seems prone to breaking, unless Devastator falls from a great height. Very well built.
Fun: 10. You get five Transformers that form into one giant one. Not much more fun can be had.
Price: 8. If you can get it at retail at $30 U.S., it’s great. Five Transformers at that price is a steal, especially if you’re a fan of Devastator.
Overall: 8. He’s not my favorite of the Classics, but he’s a good addition to any collection. Would have scored higher if all five Constructicons were different.