Fully revealed Studio Series Devastator

[DaptoDog]

First look at the fully combined mode of Devastator, and he looks glorious! Way better than I expected given the earlier prototype shots. Haven't been this excited for a movie release for a long time.

https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-studio-series-devastator-fully-combined-and-first-look-at-overload-and-scrapper/44475/

Also loving the first look at Scrapper and Overload.

[Tha_Phantom]

First look at the fully combined mode of Devastator, and he looks glorious! Way better than I expected given the earlier prototype shots. Haven't been this excited for a movie release for a long time.

https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-studio-series-devastator-fully-combined-and-first-look-at-overload-and-scrapper/44475/

Also loving the first look at Scrapper and Overload.

Just a minor nitpick, but seeing how much red there is makes me want to get the yellow repaint of Rampage to break it up a bit. Also hoping I can hunch him over a bit more. Otherwise looks amazing and can't wait to complete mine.

[AJ_Prime]

Really excited to see the colour images. It's weird to see him upright like that, but hunching him over will re-create that movie accuracy. It's only a matter of time before someone releases an add-on kit for the wrecking balls ;)

[griffin]

From here (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/02/08/wonder-festival-2020-mp-tigatron-g1-arcee-studio-series-devastator-404806)...

The group shot of the individual figures...

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/news/2020/020901.jpg

[Paulbot]

I’m not happy with myself for changing my mind and considering buying this. It’s overall looking really well done. Scrapper looks really interesting.

[griffin]

I wonder why Overload has to have the big grey circular thing on the back (part of Devastator's head). It looks really stupid having it there, just so that they can have the entire Devastator incorporated in all eight toys, without any extra parts to add on when combining it.


Just a minor nitpick, but seeing how much red there is makes me want to get the yellow repaint of Rampage to break it up a bit. Also hoping I can hunch him over a bit more. Otherwise looks amazing and can't wait to complete mine.

Yes, since the two largest toys are red, the most common colour is red on Devastator, but if you swap out the red Rampage for the yellow one, you end up with four yellow Constructicons out of the eight.... which makes the group shot of Constructicons a bit over-balanced. I think the original Devastator needed more green or grey on it, to balance out the colours more in the team.

When the yellow repaint of Rampage was leaked, it put me in two minds of which one to buy for my second set for Devastator, as the on-screen Devastator had a yellow Rampage, but the red one is the one on the official images for Studio Series Devastator. The yellow one might look better on Devastator, but I already have a second red one.

[Tha_Phantom]

Fair point Griffin. From my perspective I'm only seeing it as the combined form as that's all I want it for, but I understand for other people there will be different things to take into consideration. It's good we have options though, at least with the red and yellow Rampage anyway.

[CyberiusPrime]

Dear God, why, why, why!!!

This is not helping my compulsive obsession with combiners!!

I'll just add this to my list of stuff to get. I'm guessing there is no news on release details at this stage?

[Gehirn]

I'm guessing there is no news on release details at this stage?
On the two new ones? Because the other six are out now.

[Tha_Phantom]

My guess for the last two would be a release around April.

[Autocon]

Naw i want it but too difficult to obtain all the pieces.

[DaptoDog]

Naw i want it but too difficult to obtain all the pieces.

Someone claimed yesterday that there will be a box set. You might get your chance.

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/studio-series-devastator-box-set.1188566/

[Sinnertwin]

Someone claimed yesterday that there will be a box set. You might get your chance.

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/studio-series-devastator-box-set.1188566/

I dunno, IF they decide to go ahead with the box set it'll be awfully pricey

What are we looking at? 2 Leaders, 4 Voyagers and 2 Deluxes? By my uber maths skills, that puts the price at about $460. Then there's the whole what will they do different to make me want to buy it angle

[Tha_Phantom]

Then there's the whole what will they do different to make me want to buy it angle

They'll do it in G1 Devy colours of course. :p

Nah, but they could do alternate decos for at least some of the characters. We know that Skipjack (yellow Rampage) is already confirmed. So they'll probably change 2 or 3 of the decos and that will be enough to trigger the OCD of some collectors. Plus there will be people that didn't bother getting them individually or missed some releases that will get it anyway.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I quite like the look of Overload, its always nice to get a vehicle form that hasn't been done to death already.

Personally I'm only getting the new characters that hadn't gotten proper toys before. So still looking forward to getting Overload and Scrapper. If ever I find one really cheap I might grab a Rampage so I have a red version of him. Otherwise I'm happy with my ROTF versions of the other characters.

[Magnus]

I dunno, IF they decide to go ahead with the box set it'll be awfully pricey

What are we looking at? 2 Leaders, 4 Voyagers and 2 Deluxes? By my uber maths skills, that puts the price at about $460.

If we go by the US retail prices, we'd be looking at two deluxes at USD19.99, four voyagers at USD29.99 and two leaders at USD49.99 for a total of USD259.92. Maybe give a discount for the packaging, since eight figures don't need to be individually packaged.

For comparison, Omega Supreme retails at USD159.99, so you would easily be looking at more than titan class money for a Studio Series Devastator.


Then there's the whole what will they do different to make me want to buy it angle.

I could see a G1 coloured set as a convention exclusive, either this year or next.

[Paulbot]

If we go by the US retail prices, we'd be looking at two deluxes at USD19.99, four voyagers at USD29.99 and two leaders at USD49.99 for a total of USD259.92. Maybe give a discount for the packaging, since eight figures don't need to be individually packaged.

For comparison, Omega Supreme retails at USD159.99, so you would easily be looking at more than titan class money for a Studio Series Devastator.


Yes, would definitely be more than equal to a Titan in cost to buy a box set. I don't think packaging in one box would make it any cheaper (looking at the Combiner War, Titans Return, or Siege box sets).

[griffin]

The Constructicon Scrapper is now out in Singapore, and someone has posted up photos of the toy in both modes (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/03/27/transformers-studio-series-ss-60-constructicon-scrapper-in-hand-images-408937).

That just leaves Overload left to complete Devastator.

[Krayt]

The Constructicon Scrapper is now out in Singapore, and someone has posted up photos of the toy in both modes (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/03/27/transformers-studio-series-ss-60-constructicon-scrapper-in-hand-images-408937).

That just leaves Overload left to complete Devastator.

Mine came from SG Yesterday... pitty I'm leaving all boxed until i get the set....

[griffin]

A lot more photos of Overload (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/04/01/transformers-studio-series-ss-66-constructicon-overload-additional-in-hand-images-combiner-mode-with-the-constructicons-409180) and the rest of the Constructicons from a youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--rPMh2Rqo), including a step by step building of Devastator.

[griffin]

More images of the combined mode (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/04/02/transformers-studio-series-devastator-in-hand-images-409255), compared to the large one released in 2009 and the Combiner Wars Devastator, to show its size... which isn't as big as I was hoping it would be, considering there are two Leader class toys and four Voyagers (the CW Devastator was essentially 6 Voyagers, and yet it is significantly bigger than the Studio Series Devastator that has six toys that are Voyagers or bigger).

I think Overload should have been grey to make most of the torso a different colour to the limbs, as there is way too much red and yellow, while the green foot just looks weird on its own.

[griffin]

More in-hand photos of the full set (https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/in-hand-photos-of-transformers-studio-series-overload-and-devastator-fully-combined/44890/) of Constructicons & Devastator, with a number of comparison photos (https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/more-comparisons-of-studio-series-devastator/44891/) to show its size.

I was really hoping that we'd see Overload here for the BigW sale, but I guess we will have to wait until the end of the year for it... if it shows up here at all.


Considering that there are 8 toys in Movie Devastator, and six of them are Voyager or larger, I'm really surprised that it is so much smaller than the Combiner Wars Devastator which only has 5 Voyager sized toys in it.

[Magnus]

Downsizing could have been a factor in Studio Series Devastator being smaller, but there is also the idea that the individual Combiner Wars Constructicons weren't designed to a price point, so perhaps Hasbro/TakaraTOMY could afford to make the individual figures slightly bigger. Also, aren't the Combiner Wars Constructicons blocky and hollow in places? The Studio Series Constructicons don't seem to have so many hollow pieces, so they're more compact.

[Krayt]

So after deciding to not open any until complete, I’ve finally opened these guys and had a look.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcIKNYPUMAAh9-6?format=jpg

Some thoughts...

Big

Confusing (why is rampage so complicated to leg mode compared to long haul?)

Worth it.

And just realised as I write this, he even has an “action feature”... lightly pressing on the rear scavenger wheel raises both arms.

Long haul leg needs more green... Didn’t realise rampage was a different red to overload (remember... didn’t open them before now)

And while the Scavenger to Overload linkage is amazingly solid, it’s like they forgot about Mixmaster... he barely connects to scavenger, and on the chest sides where overload should connect, you just sit overloads feet next to mixmaster with no linking at all. And the bloody “hat” that comes with overload... you just sit it over the mixer barrel and hope it doesn’t move too much....

[griffin]

I too was surprised that Rampage was more orange than red like Overload and Scavenger, when I saw the most recent combined photos... it must have been the lighting or cameras in previous images that made it look like they were the same colour.
I agree that Longhaul could have been a lighter green, but then, maybe the previous toys were not dark enough, as the one on screen appeared to be between the darkness of this one and the TF2 toys.

The issue with parts not fitting too securely is disappointing, as it seems like they put a LOT of effort into this team, and then failed a few minor bits right at the end (some extra tabs). Demonac and I played with one at the Melbourne Toyfair, and it was just really frustrating to try to fix up (it came from America without instructions, and the Hasbro people couldn't figure out how to put it together)... so at least it wasn't just us then.

[Seraphim Prime]

So after deciding to not open any until complete, I’ve finally opened these guys and had a look.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcIKNYPUMAAh9-6?format=t.jpg

Some thoughts...

Big

Confusing (why is rampage so complicated to leg mode compared to long haul?)

Worth it.

And just realised as I write this, he even has an “action feature”... lightly pressing on the rear scavenger wheel raises both arms.

Long haul leg needs more green... Didn’t realise rampage was a different red to overload (remember... didn’t open them before now)

And while the Scavenger to Overload linkage is amazingly solid, it’s like they forgot about Mixmaster... he barely connects to scavenger, and on the chest sides where overload should connect, you just sit overloads feet next to mixmaster with no linking at all. And the bloody “hat” that comes with overload... you just sit it over the mixer barrel and hope it doesn’t move too much....

Interesting. I don't have Overload yet so was surprised to see Mixmaster just sitting on Scavenger by the two clips - it didn't feel very secure. It's interesting to see Overload basically become the chest and legs, while Scavenger becomes shoulders and back.

[Magnus]

It looks like that hoped-for Constructicon box set may yet be a thing: https://tformers.com/38142

[griffin]

The "rumoured" Studio Series Devastator boxset has been found in Thailand (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/09/24/transformers-studio-series-ss-69-devastator-gift-set-packaging-420211)... but not sure if it was at a store, or just in-hand with a supplier (or leaked from the factory).

[griffin]

In-hand photos of the Studio Series Devastator set (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/10/03/transformers-studio-series-ss-69-devastator-in-hand-images-421076), showing the handful of minor colouring differences (mostly just paint apps, like on the face and "dirt" around the feet).

[griffin]

Now that the Devastator boxset has been officially revealed, Hasbro on their Pulse site (https://hasbropulse.com/blogs/unboxed/behindthedesign-transformers-devastator) have released some details on the creation process for the Movie combiner.

Some screenshots of the video can be seen here (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/10/15/official-behind-the-design-transformers-devastator-article-422012).


Q: Please tell our fans your name and a little bit about what you do at Hasbro.
A: Hi everyone! I’m Mike, a project engineer on the Transformers team. I’ve been working on the brand for 4 years on a bunch of different segments such as Studio Series, Cyberverse, and Movie Masterpiece. Transformers were my favorite toys as a kid when I got hooked on them watching Beast Wars. I love the challenge of figuring out how each figure converts, and I enjoy telling people I play with toys for a living.


Q: How did this concept come about? You could have made it loads easier on yourself and done one big Devastator.
A: This concept came about as we were thinking of if there were any new cool features we could introduce into Studio Series. Then we thought, “could we make an in-scale, movie-accurate Devastator figure consisting of all triple changers.” We knew it would be a big feat and all-new challenge for the team.


Q: What a massive endeavor, where did you start?
A: First, we had to determine which figures we needed in order to make Devastator in-scale, as well as movie-accurate, and then we had to decide on a timeline for introducing these figures. We figured out Devastator should be built with 8 figures: Mixmaster, Overload, Hightower, Scrapmetal, Scrapper, Long Haul, Skipjack, and Scavenger. Next we decided on a timeline of two years as we planned each year’s figure scales ahead of time.


Q: Why didn’t you just release them one after another, why two years?
A: There’s a lot of figures we still wanted to create to help build those amazing scenes across all the movies. With 8 figures to build Devastator, we thought it best to plan it across two years to help balance the figures to incorporate all movies.


Q: But wait, 9 Constructicon figures were released, right? But only 8 combine, what’s the deal?
A: So the reason for the 9 figures was mainly due to the scene building. In the movie, Skipjack and Rampage both have the same build or form but are colored differently, Skipjack being yellow and Rampage being orange. Since they were the same build, both figures should have the ability to combine to form the leg of Devastator. We really wanted to allow fans to reenact the scene of Rampage versus Bumblebee in the desert. Then to make Devastator more accurate to the movie we came out with Skipjack to help fans build the ultimate Devastator. This helped to create those two iconic scenes and allows the fans to choose to build Devastator with Rampage or Skipjack.


Q: So this was 8 characters (more or less) with all different figure scales, how did you plan for that?
A: Once we determined the 8 figures, we looked into the framework and mass planning to create Devastator. He has a unique build to him so we re-watched the combining scene a number of times to make sure we understood which figures form which parts of the body. But then we had an even bigger decision to make: What scale should each figure be? We decided that the limbs had to at least be Voyager scale to have the correct proportions.
This led to Scrapper, Long Haul, Skipjack, and Mixmaster being Voyager scales. However, when watching the scene we noticed that the left arm was formed by two figures: Scrapmetal and Hightower. So to keep the arm in-scale we decided these figures would be best developed as Deluxe scale figures. Last was the upper torso and lower torso. We actually thought of two options for this. (1) Scavenger being a Commander scale figure and Overload a Voyager or (2) Scavenger a Leader scale and Overload a Leader scale. We decided to proceed with option 2 of both Leader scales to fit in our existing scales, but more importantly for strength and stability. Having the lower torso as a Leader scale with more mass helped to improve the stability of Devastator.


Q: And then you had to figure out how they were all going to combine, and over the course of two years, what was that like?
A: It was definitely a big challenge. Typically, in the past we’ve developed all combiners in a single year or maybe even in one single item like Titan scale figures. Therefore, to make a combiner across multiple years was an all-new challenge. Jetpower Optimus Prime was a great first test for us to see how to plan two separate items and scales to combine across a big time gap. For Devastator, the first major step was figuring out the connections for each figure.
We developed a block model to help us decide on connections for each figure. We tested a few different connections to determine which joint was strong enough to join the chest to the arm, and the lower torso to the legs. Once we had the connections locked down, we would focus on sculpting and designing each individual figure based on which would come out first. We would take their initial block model and begin to construct details over the top of the models. The connections and framework were key because once we determined them, we really couldn’t stray from it further down the timeline. And a fun secondary challenge to this was engineering strong combiner joints for Devastator that would hide away nicely in each individual Constructicon vehicle mode.
We had just started creating the second year of figures for Devastator in 2020 and were solidifying the connections between the upper torso and lower torso.
We didn’t have everything figured out yet.


Q: Throughout this whole process, what was your biggest challenge as an engineer?
A: My biggest challenge was ensuring the functionality of the Devastator figure when combined across the two-year timeline. It was a tricky matter due to the fact that once a figure was released, we couldn’t go back and modify it to fit better with future releases. Therefore, we really needed to ensure early figures were strong and functioning properly. If we had to make any changes to help Devastator combine, we had to modify the current or later figures so they’d work with any figures that had already released.


Q: Anything else you want to tell us about Devastator?

A: He was an absolutely amazing figure to create and surely one of our biggest challenges to undertake. We think he is a perfect addition to the Studio Series line, standing at approximately 14 inches, and we had a ton of fun working on him. We really hope you all enjoy him!



It is interesting to read that they didn't design and test the entire combiner first before the factory started making them and shipping out to stores... they were still working on the later figures after the first ones were already being produced, so they couldn't go back to adjust or change anything on the first ones. As such, if there is anything obviously flawed with the last few figures to offset something they missed in the earlier ones, this would be why. (I'm guessing the half-drum on the back of Overload was one of these, in that Mixmaster should have had the entire head included, but it was too late to go back to bulk up the head more... and I've heard that there are some connections that aren't as good as they should be)

[Sol_Bad]

I kind of want this combiner but I don't collect any of the movie studio series, only the MPM's.
Does he come complete with testicles?

[griffin]

Posted here is a very nice gallery (https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/10/18/transformers-studio-series-ss-69-devastator-in-hand-gallery-422287) of the Boxset Constructicons with the individually released Constructicons, highlighting all of the differences between them... which isn't a lot of significant differences.

[Magnus]

I kind of want this combiner but I don't collect any of the movie studio series, only the MPM's.
Does he come complete with testicles?

No, but don't let that stop you :D

Devastator is an impressive piece once fully assembled, especially when you consider that the Constructicons were not designed all at once.