Toy Review - Combiner Wars Devastator

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Originally Posted by Maruten

Man, I do love these guys, but with the compromises they made for Devastator's structural integrity, they do not in any way match real Voyagers!

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I respectfully disagree. I find that these Constructicons are far superior to some recent Voyagers such as:
* AoE Galvatron
* AoE Grimlock
* AoE Slog
* TFP Dreadwing
* TFP Skyquake
* TFP Thundertron
* TFP Shockwave
* DotM Shockwave
* TFPBH Optimus Prime

And they can combine, which always affects engineering/design. And as prjkt has rightly pointed out, they're better value for money too. I feel that I'm getting way more bang for my buck paying just $3 above full RRP for a Deluxe for 6 Voyagers, one of which (Long Haul) is really the size of an Ultra ($70 @ full RRP).

So even if you think that they're lacklustre Voyagers (and one Ultra), you've only paid $33 for each, as opposed to say paying $50 for a regular lacklustre Voyager. :o

I agree they're phenomenal value -- when a Defensor at local retail will take you to $170 (or $190 if you add Legends Groove), Devastator is amazing bang for your buck.

And I should have been more specific, you're right, some of those Voyagers you list are pretty sad. It's hard to compare the fiddly, messy TFP and AoE toys (many of which I love) with the new clean, mellow CW designs.

But if I put the CW Constructicons next to Hot Spot or Cyclonus, the real Voyagers win by a pretty big margin in my opinion.

The Constructicons are trapped in a weird position -- they're basically Voyager size, but I think engineering-wise, they feel more like... upscaled Deluxes? And yet then you get to the elbows and some of them are outperformed by Legions.

I absolutely understand the choices they made at the expense of the individual bots in order to ensure that Devastator was solid. I went from "buying this for sure" at first announcement, to "individual robot modes are not good enough for me to bite" to "thank god I bought this".

Seriously tempted to get a second when he's more widely available, because I don't want to have to choose between modes for display.

What an absolutely shockingly great time to be a TF fan. Here's to Sky Lynx!

With PC listing for $209 isn't it a taco girl situation? Why not have both takara and hasbro

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Originally Posted by Maruten

The Constructicons are trapped in a weird position -- they're basically Voyager size, but I think engineering-wise, they feel more like... upscaled Deluxes? And yet then you get to the elbows and some of them are outperformed by Legions.

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I personally think that they're a lot better than just being 'upsized Deluxes,' but even if that's how you feel about it, you're only paying about the price of a Deluxe for each of them anyway. So even at worst, they're still reasonably good value. :)

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Originally Posted by drifand

With PC listing for $209 isn't it a taco girl situation? Why not have both takara and hasbro

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Because I can use that $209 to buy many more other toys that I don't have rather than a variation of something I already own. :p I take your point, if you are going to get a second Devastator, then by all means get one a TakaraTOMY one for close to the same price as a local Hasbro one. :D

Another thing to point out is just because a toy is upsized from a smaller size class doesn't necessarily make it a bad toy. Cybertron Starscream lacked the effort put in to make it both better and larger, but compare for instance TFP Ultra Magnus and Cyberverse Ultra Magnus. Or the upscaled Beast Hunters Voyagers; both end up being very big, very well put-together toys, with substantial improvements over their smaller original designs. So upscaling doesn't necessarily mean bad at all.

This toy is great but it also shattered any hope for a mp combiner. Therefore I take it as Takara is not looking at mp combiner in a long run.

This is as close as it gets.

I am thinking if they ever did a Titan omega supreme as well it would be within the same boat.

How many are now thinking they should have bought the takara one as is only $10 more?

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Originally Posted by drifand

How many are now thinking they should have bought the takara one as is only $10 more?

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Does that include postage and currency conversion? If so I should have waited. :o

Excluding postage, but that's the Aus preorder price from PC from the looks of it.

I'm happy with the Hasbro version. Sure, some more articulation in Bot mode would be nice, but I'm never going to display them as such, and I won't have to wait until Dec :) - saying that I totally understand the want to have what Takara is offering.

As for comparing them to the other voyagers, I only have three of those listed by Goki - AoE Grimlock, Slog and TFP Thundertron. I like all of them to a point, but even saying that, I think the Constructicons pull of their transformations so much better - each of those three I listed are only decent in one more (and decent is pushing it for Slog) but the Constructicons are excellent in vehicle and combined mode, and for the most part pretty damn good in bot mode too.

I'll say it again, but I feel I got a bargain at the price we paid.

I've ordered a Takara one. I cannot understand the appeal of the SDCC one (besides the different head sculpt). The vac-metal applications have always looked tacky to me.

Fingers crossed for a local one too, in which case Takara will be individual robots.

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Originally Posted by millhouse

I've ordered a Takara one. I cannot understand the appeal of the SDCC one (besides the different head sculpt). The vac-metal applications have always looked tacky to me.

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You can slap the ugliest^weirdest colours on a toy, make it a limited exclusive, and people will scramble to get one like a flock of pigeons fighting over bread crumbs. :p Case in point... ;) Not that SDCC Devastator is that "unique," but yeah... :p