Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 33

Thread: Fully revealed Studio Series Devastator

  1. #21
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    More images of the combined mode, 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.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    More in-hand photos of the full set of Constructicons & Devastator, with a number of comparison photos 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.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    19th May 2010
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    890

    Default

    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.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    27th Jun 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,360

    Default

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



    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....

  5. #25
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    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.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    13th Nov 2008
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,733

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Krayt View Post
    So after deciding to not open any until complete, I’ve finally opened these guys and had a look.



    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.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    19th May 2010
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    890

    Default

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

  8. #28
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    The "rumoured" Studio Series Devastator boxset has been found in Thailand... but not sure if it was at a store, or just in-hand with a supplier (or leaked from the factory).

  9. #29
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    In-hand photos of the Studio Series Devastator set, showing the handful of minor colouring differences (mostly just paint apps, like on the face and "dirt" around the feet).

  10. #30
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    Now that the Devastator boxset has been officially revealed, Hasbro on their Pulse site have released some details on the creation process for the Movie combiner.

    Some screenshots of the video can be seen here.

    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)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •