Toy Review - Generations FOC Combaticons wave

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

Posting these five toys into the one topic, as most will get the set.

Fall of Cybertron Combaticons (Onslaught, Brawl, Swindle, Vortex, Blast Off)
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Fall of Cybertron
Size/class - Deluxe
Wave - 2
New/remould/redeco - new to retail (advance release at SDCC in July)
Released here - October 2012 (globally September)
Approximate Retail Price - AU$25-30 each
Approximate Size - 14cm (each), 30cm (combined)
Allegiance - Decepticons
Alt-mode - Cybertronian military vehicles (each), giant robot (combined)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Combiner.
Main Colours - Blue/yellow (Blast Off), Green/black (Brawl), Dark blue/black (Onslaught), Yellow/purple/black (Swindle), red/purple (Vortex).
Main Accessories -

Blast Off
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen24.jpg

Brawl
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen25.jpg

Onslaught
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen26.jpg

Swindle
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen27.jpg

Vortex
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen28.jpg

Bruticus
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen26a.jpg
(Official images above - actual toy images will be inserted later)

I've had Swindle for a few weeks now, and am waiting for the others to get here.

Swindle is bright. VERY VERY bright. The yellow is blinding.

At first you think you have a bad one that's missed a paint ap, but no, his face (minus his visor) is meant to be unpainted.

There's some nice sculpted detail, but without paint it fades into the yellow.

He's a bit barrel-chested, and doesn't really strike you as Swindle. Articulation is a bit hampered by the body-shape. The torso and arms don't fit we'll. his shoulders are around his midsection. The closer you are, the worse it looks.

As a toy on his own, he seems compromised.

I'd rate him just a tad below average.

Onslaught - nice sculpt. Really nice sculpt.

He also has a surprising number of paint apps. A lot more than Swindle.

Fatally compromised by the combination requirements.
His forearms are teeny, and feel really flimsy. There's going to be a lot available with broken forearms at the elbow.

The plastic on them all feels a bit different to me. A bit thinner, a bit more brittle.

Vortex: Teeny arms again. Seem VERY easy to break.

Not a good toy on its own. Has the complexity of a scout, when you minus what's needed for the larger gestalt formation.

Colours are... Well, they are.

Paint is a bit sloppier on him than the others. Probably a fluke, but I'd suggest taking your time and comparing, if you have that option.

Cool weapons.

Blast-Off : the silver shoulder pieces look fantastic. They really pop. There's also some nice cross-hatch texturing on the yellow pieces on the chest and groin.

This is a surprisingly appealing sculpt. I was expecting mediocrity, but am pleasantly surprised. The arms aren't undersized or flimsy, but a panel or two on the forearms would have been great.

Again, more paint apps than I was expecting.

This is a pretty solid figure. Very ornate, and it stands out.

This is probably the best of them so far (I'm typing these in order of buying/opening, as I'm opening them for the first time).

This is a great stand-alone figure. It doesn't seem like its sacrificed anything for the combination. Very well done.


*I'm displaying the Hasbro version in Bruticus form. I'll be getting the TakTom versions for display in single robot modes. After opening them, I'm rethinking which ones I want for single display, and I think I'll just get United Brawl and Swindle. Blast-Off is also a strong possibility, due to the strength of the sculpt.

I'll be getting the Wreckers, but they'll be in single form.

Brawl: a favourite of mine from childhood.

I really want to like this toy more than I do. Everything feels a bit 'bunched in' in robot mode, like he's really uptight.

The legs are a bit spindly, and the forearms could do with a folding panel to cover some gaps and joints. Large piece of kibble on the back under the turret. This shows through between the thighs. Would have been nice to be able to fold it away. It messes up your perspective of the proportions.

Not a lot of paint. Needs some highlights to add visual interest (which the TakTom version does wonderfully).

It's an average figure. Nothing great, but nothing bad.

I found all of the Combaticons to be quite disappointing. None of them are exceptionally good - mediocre at best. People who found the previous FoC toys disappointing will be even more disappointed with these figures.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...baticons01.jpg

+ Swindle has the worst robot mode of the lot... looks terrible from behind. Like one of those cheap toys you'd find in a dodgy marketplace packaged entirely in Chinese and bad Engrish. Vehicle mode is okay.

+ Vortex really needed wrist articulation so that he could at least displace the rotors to the side of his arm (instead they're permanently pointing forward). His "skirt" hinders leg articulation. The vehicle mode is alright and the rotors spin really well. He comes with swords... even though his rotor blades are set up as a melee weapon. Could've really done with some guns. :/

+ Brawl's robot mode is alright, but hindered by massive back kibble. The vehicle mode is nice - my favourite of the group's... quite game-accurate. :)

+ Blast-Off has a nice robot mode except for the shoulders/arms which are prone to popping off, and the design hinders decent arm articulation. :( A real shame, because aside from that this figure had potential. Vehicle mode is nice and solid.

+ Onslaught has the most solid robot mode of the group (but still not exceptional compared to most other Deluxe Class Transformers). His vehicle mode is awful... it feels like it's incomplete. When I finished transforming him I thought I was only halfway through, then I checked the instructions and thought, "Oh my God... I'm done! That's it??" Anyone who dislikes G1 Kup's alt mode shouldn't look at this toy in vehicle mode. Avert your eyes!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...baticons02.jpg

I haven't merged this toy into Bruticus yet -- I'll do that later. I'd like to try to enjoy these toys as individual figures for a while first before I try that. I'd only recommend this set if you just want to complete the FoC Combaticons as a fan of the game/characters. As toys themselves, they're rather lacking. On the plus side they're currently available at Kmart for $23. I wouldn't advise paying $30 for them (and I'm mighty glad that I didn't).

I do like them and im sure the Takara ones will look so much better. But I do feel that they...... Just feel light and kinda cheap. And whats with Blastoff as an arm. Its too long and it does not bend. Its like a huge pole arm.

Its good to see hasbro giving combiners a shot. But they could learn alot from 3rd Party combiners.

Bruticus: Pretty nice, and the colours actually work together okay. It seems to dull the neon of Swindle.

It's really only the red of Vortex that stands out. I think I may swap him out for one of the various alternate versions.

I need to fool around with it more, to increase the range of articulation. Blast-Off has a disappointingly poor range of motion, and really needs a standard elbow joint. That's definitely a poor design choice, and a baffling one at that.

And unless you have Vortex-arm bent, it looks very strange, as Blast-Off is much longer. Again, another odd decision that has no benefit, as that arm is pretty useless anyway.

I'm annoyed with Swindle. His arms just don't really stow away. That, plus a few loose joints on mine mean his arms swing into view freely.

The weapon is annoying. You want Onslaught's weapon on his back. It adds to the overall look, and makes him look more menacing.

The way it's shown you can either have that, and a handful of individual weapons, or put them all together as the sonic cannon.

Thankfully you can still attach Onslaught's to his back, and still join the weapons into a solid and menacing combined piece. I actually think it looks better this way, but YMMV.

Overall it's fairly neat, and it's strong enough as a whole to cover for the individual weaknesses. I don't feel it's 5 deluxes worth, but it's a decent attempt.

It's also great to get a new combiner.

After reading and watching numerous reviews, I came to the conclusion that these guys are just not worth the money. Which is a shame because I REALLY liked them in the game. That's what made me want them. I think they had a great team dynamic and the scene where they take the bridge of the energon transport is awesome. I could have overlooked the flaws in the individual toys if the combined mode made up for it, but I hear of too many people saying its just not as good as it should be.

I want to support Hasbro in their decision to venture back into combiners, but can't justify the expense on a bunch of toys that overall will leave me feeling disappointed.