Toy Review - Combiner Wars Devastator

Series - Combiner Wars
Size/class - Voyagers
Wave - ?
New/remould/redeco – New
Released here - June 2015
Approximate Retail Price - $198
Approximate Size - 45cm (gestalt)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Sub-Group - Constructicon
Alt-mode - construction vehicles
Main Features/Gimmicks – enigmatic combination
Main Colours – green & purple

Way too tired to type a review, so here are some pics to look at.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psunf9vond.jpg

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

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pso55bfreb.jpg

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

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

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps3tcvocvq.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psys2kimln.jpg

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

ummmmm.... Devastator.... uhhhhhhhhh

:p

So... was it Scavenger you were saying that had two left fists?

Does anyone else have this issue? I haven't got around to opening mine yet and probably won't until the weekend :o

Some quick comments:
- I was initially skeptical of Devastator being big for the sake of being big but having him in hand, it makes sense since transforming him is easier with these bigger pieces.
- Engineering is more impressive than I expected, they are about Scout to Deluxe levels of engineering but feels satisfying.
- In combined mode, they peg together very securely.
- More paint applications than I expected, while still a lot of green, there are a decent amount of details painted, especially in individual robot modes. Annoying that they painted three out of four windows purple in vehicle modes and left the last one unpainted.
- Individual robot modes are more poseable than expected, apart from Scrapper lacking elbows and Long Haul's elbows being very restricted (can fold outwards but not inwards?!), no major complaints.
- Devastator is a good size and quite hefty. For once, I am glad they went with hollow parts wherever possible as he is heavy enough already and have slight balancing issues when posing him.
- Bonecrusher is the only one I'm not too fond, he needs way more color since he is just very bland, coupled with odd proportions and the crotch piece somewhat unstable (likes to unpeg when moving his legs).
- Each individual figure is bulky and great fun on their own. Scavenger is my favorite with a wicked head sculpt.

And now, some pictures...

http://i.imgur.com/6G3CnnU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hzetysj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/e2Q3Rmr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MEBX043.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YuBA67Z.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vJRXjb8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3GCtzuX.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OfCMAvn.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HOAnY6f.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Qj4ajcH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/u26jZvp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AKh9Fow.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/D4uySWM.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by christalcase

Some quick comments:

- The combiner kibble not being able to be stored in vehicle modes suck (that, or the instructions are even poorer than at first glance since they don't even show the weapons at all).

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i'm 99% sure the video review posted in the global news thread shows all the stuff attached somewhere on the various vehicle modes

If only MP Tracks was out then we could recreate the deleted scene from the movie but maybe use Wheeljack as a stand in? On the whole I find him a pretty impressive package his combined mode is definitely his strongest point. I am disappointed that the vehicle modes are not very functional. I mean would it have been that hard to make Hook's crane extend and rotate? Long Haul not being able to dump loads is understandable as it's how he transforms, and no rotating barrel for Mixmaster.

As for the robots Scavenger and Bonecrusher are designed the best, I really like how Bonecrushers front end form his chest. My Devastator is now my centerpiece in my Decepticon camp really want a MP Megatron now, Apollyon is looking very tempting now. I don't normally buy non MP toys but since I don't own any version of Devastator or want to shell out for 3rd parties I just couldn't pass this up.

http://i.imgur.com/HlFFEYl.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by philby

i'm 99% sure the video review posted in the global news thread shows all the stuff attached somewhere on the various vehicle modes

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Thanks, I take that comment back :). Boy, the weapon storage in vehicle modes look very stupid.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zechariah

Bent gun tip on mine with no way this could have happen other than from production

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Try the hair dryer?

So far, all I can say about this guy is... wow

Vehicles:
No problems, all look good enough. Not much paint, but I think it emanates the G1 look, and something minimalist is fine for me, as the bright green makes it clear they're not trying to be realistic :P Weapon storage on Long Haul was a good idea, but it does make him look a little odd. Nice option either way.

Robots:
Wow. Sure, again the paint isn't that crazy, but as a group they look amazing. The lack of joints on LH and Scrapper do not worry me at all, as they have short enough arms with enough movement in the shoulders to kinda 'fake' an elbow.
Only real issue is the way Bonecrusher's leg's join seems prone to coming apart when posing, so one must be careful. Enough weapons to go around which is cool!

DEVASTATOR:
Wow. WOW WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW.
Amazing!!! IT'S SO BIG! I can no believe how bit it ends up being. Also very heavy. Ratchets are strong and stiff, and enough of them so he is very stable. Things hold together really well, just gotta figure out all the tabs etc first :P
Simply awesome; the arms I thought might have been a tad short but I have not noticed them :)

Overall, 10/10. Sure, some things could be improved (See Tarkara, which I might get so I can have it in robots modes), but for what you get all up, they did an amazing job.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dsphatlite

Try the hair dryer?

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Best way to fix them, I have found, is boiling water. I have heard of others experiencing shrinkage when doing it that way though. The advantage is you can straighten it in the boiling water then use cold water to harden it right away. I'm a little leary of the hairdryer method myself.

My Superion has a similar issue, so that suggests to me it could be a plastics problem. It might be that the toys are exposed to temperatures high enough to cause warping during shipping to Australia, the guns being particularly prone because of the length of the barrels.

After trying to find the $10 deluxes, I can't be bothered giving a proper review, but instead I will say this.
It is better than ROTF Devastator (the big one, the smaller one is a case of YMMV).

The packaging should have said 5 Voyagers and 1 Leader, as Long Haul is heavier than Ultra Magnus by about 25%.

I have to go play with mine now, but all the photos and comments are making this look like a winning toy from Hasbro.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by griffin

The packaging should have said 5 Voyagers and 1 Leader, as Long Haul is heavier than Ultra Magnus by about 25%.

I have to go play with mine now, but all the photos and comments are making this look like a winning toy from Hasbro.

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I would say he's somewhere between an Ultra Class figure and a Leader class figure

https://41.media.tumblr.com/41276c76...irsjo1_540.jpg

As seen here, he is bigger than Jetstorm, but he doesn't actually feel like a Leader class figure.

here he is with my MP/3MP collection (and green giant)
http://i.imgur.com/0XuKZWV.jpg?1

I've so far transformed them into robot mode, and I am liking these. Simple enough to be fun to play with, but not too simple like gimmick toys.

The transformations are intuitive enough to figure out with a bit of a play, but for Longhaul I had to look at the box to see that the legs were backwards.
And Longhaul is probably the one that looks worst in robot mode, and is over-sized in vehicle mode (the vehicles aren't meant to be to scale, so the size issue is obviously due to its combining requirement).

I'm a bit annoyed that the packaging and instructions don't show where the weapons go in vehicle and robot modes.

Still, very nice so far... and are the right size and sculpting to sit among the Masterpiece toys and not look out of place.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/c828.jpg

Longhaul. Hehehehehe.

OK so I'm a little bit more awake and here are my thoughts on Devastator:

The combined mode is nice, he is very articulated and has a better grasping of his gun than Ultra Magnus. His gun is a bit bent, which is really odd and I have no idea why (this isn't a one off thing as there are multiple reports, unlike what Gokitimus has dealt with). While he doesn't have articulated fingers, you can always do a little bit of customization to give Devastator some fingers.

With the robot modes, the one I'm not really a fan of is Long Haul. Is it just me or when you try to turn his legs around, it just makes this cracking noise that makes you fear you're gonna break something? Other than that some of the flaws seen are Hasbro's problems and will be fixed with the TakaraTomy version (which I am uncertain if I would get, knowing that it's gonna cost more than $198, including shipping)

I didn't mention much, but I would like to say it is a nice toy. It gives a good modern update on the toy I bet most of you had as a kid. However the construction army does feel like its lacking some stuff, which I mentioned will be filled in the TakaraTomy release.
So overall, if you want a giant green robot thing, I don't care which version you get as the Hasbro version is alright. If you want the constructions, wait for the TakaraTomy version, because apparently they have better weapons :p

More pics. :o

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psm4uid6xk.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psrrrfzf7f.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psb0af6nmj.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pst6fizrvt.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps2cf6kbhs.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pspnt6eapl.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pskq8azft1.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pszkqxjvc0.jpg

Looks like a fun set! Although I have zero interest, I'm glad they released this as I really enjoyed the reviews. :)

http://i.imgur.com/5dVZFB3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NeHi2e0.jpg
Playing with my new toy

that's pretty cool haha :)

When they announced this guy, I thought... I never picked up Metroplex, so I'll splurge on a Devastator -- cool to have someone that big around. But then I sort of thought, well, he's a bit too big, but I'll buy him if the individual robot modes are nice. Then: Elbowgate. I was out. It's 2015!

But suddenly he was here, so I figured why not? The individual Constructicons are pretty nice. Basic for their size, but some clever stuff going on in their transformations. I wasn't sure I'd ever bother combining them (I'd assumed he'd be combined in the box).

But I did and holy gosh. Devastator is magnificent. Much more than the sum of his parts.

Just don't misplace his chestplate, because there's nothing but empty air behind it.

Definitely happy with this guy. Vehicle modes are nice, even if they do lack a little functionality. Individually the robot modes are... Adequate. A bit hollow, and lacking some crucial joints. Concessions have been made, that's for sure.

Totally worth it.

All merged up he's just about perfect. Very solid, stiff joints, not a gap to be seen. If I had to pick one flaw (and thanks to a condition medical science cannot explain, I do) it's that his upper arms are a bit spindly. Honestly though that's no complaint at all.

I... Love him.

It's nice seeing people loving this toy when they get it home... so much so, that people are posing it and posting photos.

There may only be rare gems like this one every few years, but when they do, it really renews the love of the whole Brand for many fans from it.

:D

Is one of the bots that get non transformers fans interested as well.

Just got him out of the box this morning and I so pleased I got this figure. I don't mind the "elbow" issue with some of the individual bots as I will be displaying him combined.

As mentioned somewhere else, Hasbro at BotCon mentioned that they chose not to have elbows on some of the bots because Devastator was not stable enough with them (like with Scrapper, who needs solid arms to be the ankle of Devastator).

Even if it wasn't an issue with Devastator, missing elbows is such an insignificant element, considering the reduced amount of articulation with quite a few Transformers toys these days anyway.

Does anyone else have issues separating Scavengers waist (this step here)? I've been trying for about 20 mins and it won't budge. What's the trick? I'm really worried I'll break it if I apply too much force.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

Does anyone else have issues separating Scavengers waist (this step here)? I've been trying for about 20 mins and it won't budge. What's the trick? I'm really worried I'll break it if I apply too much force.

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I was worried too, but eventually forced it apart. It doesn't help that there are moving parts there to make it difficult to get a good grip.

Yeah that part is incredibly stiff on mine but it does come apart just like in the video

Fits in well on the Masterpiece shelf... I'm surprised that TakaraTomy didn't label their Devastator as a Masterpiece release, like they did with two Movie toys a few years ago.

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/c829.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by griffin

I was worried too, but eventually forced it apart. It doesn't help that there are moving parts there to make it difficult to get a good grip.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nevac

Yeah that part is incredibly stiff on mine but it does come apart just like in the video

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Thanks guys. I finally managed to budge it. It was a very stressful moment.

One other problem I had with mine and wanted to know if this is common - Bonecrushers foot came right off :eek: Where it splits in two, there's a shiny pin holding it in place and the pin basically popped out. I pushed it back in but there was no 'click' or some other such noise to indicate it went back in properly. So, what's holding this pin in place? I suspect that kup may be able to answer this best.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

Thanks guys. I finally managed to budge it. It was a very stressful moment.

One other problem I had with mine and wanted to know if this is common - Bonecrushers foot came right off :eek: Where it splits in two, there's a shiny pin holding it in place and the pin basically popped out. I pushed it back in but there was no 'click' or some other such noise to indicate it went back in properly. So, what's holding this pin in place? I suspect that kup may be able to answer this best.

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Friction holds those pins in. Sounds like a tolerance issue with yours.

Mine is a little bent but not as noticeable as that pic.

Is everyone else having issues with Bonecrusher's crotch? (lol). If I try and move his legs, the crotch pieces come apart.

I have no issue with the gun barrel or Bonecrusher's crotch. Bonecrusher's crotch gets a bit fiddly during mid transformation. I initially had trouble making it connect because I kept on squeezing the two halves of his pelvic girdle together, but I actually find it better to just squeeze from his hips; i.e. the upper part of his legs rather than the crotch pieces themselves. Works on mine anyway. :o

Anyway, here are some more comparison pics between Devastator and other large Transformers.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psvh1kgcs7.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psjgpfoq2m.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pswwcvy6fo.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psm7bmo5kz.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psl8zxjwsz.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psf0xinsyj.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trent

Friction holds those pins in. Sounds like a tolerance issue with yours.

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Cheers mate.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zechariah

Question?
How many of you that have this in hand have a BENT GUN TIP?

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Mine is ever so slightly bent that you'd have to examine it very closely to even notice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by davieanix

Is everyone else having issues with Bonecrusher's crotch? (lol). If I try and move his legs, the crotch pieces come apart.

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Yeah, both sides are really hard to click into place and do tend to come apart easily if not properly secured. The pegs that hold them together are quite small with a tiny hook on the end. You'll know it's together correctly if you hear a slight 'click'.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zechariah

I accepted this was never going to click tab from first attempt and having just tried once again have come to the conclusion the world is against me, with me getting a bent gun LOL
This sux but Devastator is great over all. It is frustrating to stand Bonecrusher due to this so if I display him in robot mode I will have to bluetak his groin/waist/hip.

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You're not the only one I also had problems with his crotch too I had him posed on my desk to take a pic and he just did the splits. The joint was pretty fiddly to get it to stay together.

Have you guys tried squeezing from the hips rather than the groin? When I first tried to transform him to robot mode, I squeezed at the groin, but then I tried again by squeezing the hips and was able to get that sucker to lock in. Once it does lock in, it's pretty tight.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psbind9dro.jpg
→← = groin; avoid squeezing here
→← = hips; squeeze here

Mine holds together well enough for Bonecrusher to balance precariously on top of a rock melon without splitting apart.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps5wwjmxwt.jpg

You're most welcome, Zechariah. :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by griffin

As mentioned somewhere else, Hasbro at BotCon mentioned that they chose not to have elbows on some of the bots because Devastator was not stable enough with them (like with Scrapper, who needs solid arms to be the ankle of Devastator).

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i wonder how they test that kind of stuff. do they leave it standing with different types or joints for a while or something, or put something on top? did they make the elbow joints and then change them to what they have now? just curious because if hasbro says that they couldn't do it but then takara goes and does it, does that mean takara found a better way than hasbro did, or they aren't worried about it or what? hmm.

obviously combined mode is the big drawcard but i would definitely at least once in a while have them separately or something.