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Thread: Toy Review - Siege Decepticon Impactor

  1. #1
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    Default Toy Review - Siege Decepticon Impactor

    Series - Generations
    Sub-line - Siege
    Sub-sub-line - War For Cybertron
    Size/class - Deluxe
    New/remould/redeco - Slight remould of Autobot Impactor
    Wave - part of the Fan Vote Battle 3-Pack
    Released here - Amazon exclusive, October 2019
    Approximate Retail Price - N/A
    Approximate Size - 14.5cm
    Allegiance - Decepticon
    Alt-mode - Cybertronian tank
    Main Features/Gimmicks - IDW head sculpt
    Main Colours - yellow, purple, grey
    Main Accessories - blaster, harpoon

    Although they share the same base mould, this review is for the Decepticon version of Siege Impactor.
    For those wanting to see a review and pics of the Autobot version, check out BigTransformerTrev's review here:
    http://www.bigangrytrev.com/toy-review-siege-impactor/

    Now on with the review.
    As someone who doesn't read comics, I myself am surprised at how much this figure grabbed my attention. I decided my preference of the two Impactors is the Decepticon version because of the head sculpt and extra paint apps. Thankfully I was able to get it by splitting the Fan Vote Battle 3-Pack with Goktimus, who will grab the Autobot Impactor at some point.


    The robot mode is covered in a glorious yellow and purple deco that works amazingly well. Aside from the usual Siege articulation, he also has an ab crunch thanks to the transformation. A very solid bot all over.


    You can fold either of his hands away to attach the harpoon or other appropriate 5mm peg accessories.


    The head sculpt is the icing on the cake that is a fantastic mould.


    Transforming it to tank mode is quite intuitive and everything just goes into place the way it should. The tank looks mean, ready for combat, and quite Cybertronian.


    The battle damage is quite well done on this figure, only being around the lower edges of the tank. Worth mentioning that the tank turret can rotate a full 360 degrees as well as up and down.


    Overall, I highly recommend getting this figure and will be putting him on my top 5 of 2019 list. The fact I like it so much without having any prior attachment to the character says it all really, much like with Studio Series Scrapmetal.
    Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.

  2. #2
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    Any comparison pics with the autobot version?

  3. #3
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    I got the Autobot version as I really wanted him as the leader of the Wreckers. Never got around to putting the review up on here (Thank you for putting a link to it in your initial post ) so I'm glad somebody did an Impactor review thread - very well written.

    I kinda wish I had gotten this version as I'll be getting the other two Powerdasher figures and I'll always be aware I don't have the third. Plus there is a precedent for Impactor being a Decepticon, like in the Earth Wars game. But what can I say, for me personally I needed someone to lead my Wreckers into battle

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigTransformerTrev View Post
    I got the Autobot version as I really wanted him as the leader of the Wreckers. Never got around to putting the review up on here (Thank you for putting a link to it in your initial post ) so I'm glad somebody did an Impactor review thread - very well written.
    Thanks Trev! I was so impressed by this figure that I had to give my 2c as well, and since mine is the Decepticon version I thought there was room for a review of each variant.
    Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.

  5. #5
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    Got my three-pack version from the awesome DELTAprime today and wow. He is just amazing. The colours are stunning and the IDW-flavoured head sculpt is just absolutely superb. Rrrrrreally glad I didn't settle for the Autobot release as I'd originally planned on doing.

  6. #6
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    Let's just make this an Autobot Impactor thread as well shall we?

    I picked up mine on the weekend, completely forgetting that he was out that day. So lucky for me, as some of the Siege toys have been easy to miss in Japan unless you order online. I've not yet seen Refractor in the wild for example.

    I really like him. The colours are just in your face. The sculpt of the robot is nicely chunky and looks how I hazily remember him from the few comics that I've read he was in. I even don't mnd that he is pretty much yellow, purple and another type of yellow. I like the harpoon option, the flat shoulder thing gun majigger and his articulation is great.

    He also has a good size to him, I like that he manages to have a presence among other deluxe Transformers figures.

    About my only complaint is the way the fet connect, the tank bits don't seem to lock in the the legs solidly and the feet are a bit iffy. Vehicle mode is... all right I guess. The turret seems huge compared to the treads, making him look very top heavy, but to be honest, I don't think he'll spend much time in vehicle mode anyway. His cartoon look is a cool and I think he'll go well standing next to the kind of plain and cartoony looking Autoclones!

    I recommend him, even with his Autobot head.

  7. #7
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    I love the Autobot version because of the Autobot head, because it's G1 accurate, baby! I do think the IDW based Decepticon head looks great too, but as a G1 fan boy I've been looking at the Autobot head design since 1988, so... yeah!

  8. #8
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    Took some comparison pics between Autobot and Decepticon Impactors.






    Overall the Decepticon version is better. The Spartanesque helmet looks nicer, the blue eyes offset the yellow helmet better, and there are just more paint ops on the toy (e.g. danger stripes, silver accents etc.). The Autobot version looks positively dull by comparison, and I get it, it's G1-accurately dull. At the end of the day, Impactor was conceived as a disposable character for Simon Furman to introduce and later get rid of without needing to seek permission from Hasbro (as they'll usually only allow writers to remove toys from stories when said toys are no longer on sale). And yeah, G1 colouring isn't the same as IDW's (although the UK comics still look really gorgeous especially considering that it was all done by hand), plus the lack of Impactor's origin as a miner would've made the danger stripes not make sense on the G1 based Autobot version. But still... the Decepticon one does look nicer. One thing that one might need to be careful of on the Decepticon version is the tip of the crest fin on the helmet, as being larger and pointier, the tip may be more prone to paint chipping. Decepticon Impactor also has far less battle damage deco on the legs, which looks soooo much better!

    The logos are the main thing that confounds me with both Impactors. I don't get why Decepticon Impactor is a Decepticon. Even at his lowest points of morality, Impactor was never a Decepticon. A morally dubious Autobot perhaps, but not a Decepticon. I mean, Prowl is morally dubious like all buggery but he doesn't sport a Decepticon insignia, and Thundercracker is very morally ambiguous but he doesn't have an Autobot logo either. Just because a character has questionable or shifting moral standards doesn't necessarily make them a defector or traitor. I think that Decepticon Impactor has enough cool things that make him stand apart from the Autobot version that I don't think that a different logo would've made things much different. OR... just keep the Autobot logo purple like it is on Autobot Impactor, which brings me to my next point... Why does Autobot Impactor have a purple Autobot insignia? This isn't a Shattered Glass version of the character. AFAIK it's the standard reality version where the Autobots are the good guys. Why is it purple? Would it really have been that hard to make it a red and silver tampograph? Or just entirely silver?

    I would've made one version have a red Autobot logo and other one with purple, and market the purple logo version as "Zombie Impactor." Heck, if you're going to give it a Decepticon logo, call it "Terrorcon Impactor." (still canonically makes no sense since Zombie Impactor was created by an evil Autobot scientist).

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