View Poll Results: Worth buying?

Voters
8. You may not vote on this poll
  • Yes

    5 62.50%
  • Only if cheap

    2 25.00%
  • Only if something else (please specify)

    0 0%
  • No

    0 0%
  • Not even interested

    1 12.50%
Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Toy Review - Studio Series Scrapper

  1. #1
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
    Location
    Sydney NSW
    Posts
    37,637

    Default Toy Review - Studio Series Scrapper

    CONSTRUCTICON SCRAPPER
    Series - Generations
    Sub-line - Studio Series (Revenge of the Fallen)
    Size/class - Voyager
    New/remould/redeco - New
    Wave - 9
    Released here - ??? (Overseas = May 2020)
    Approximate Retail Price - $50
    Approximate Size - 17cm
    Allegiance - Decepticon
    Sub-Group - Constructicon
    Alt-mode - shovel tractor
    Main Features/Gimmicks - Combines with fellow Constructicons to form Devastator
    Main Colours - yellow
    Main Accessories - N/A

    Thoughts
    As my outright favourite of the Legends Class ROTF Constructicons I had high hopes for SS Scrapper, as I was really looking forward to seeing what HasTak could do with this toy at a Voyager price point if they were able to do such a fantastic job at the Legends price point. The result is... mixed. On the plus side it has a great looking robot mode, and the toy is pretty solid in both robot and vehicle modes. The transformation is pretty neat - everything clips in quite nicely, there's no "panel popping whack-a-mole" to play - and I do appreciate the way that the scoop is formed from three different components (allowing the robot mode to be much cleaner). All wheels roll quite freely - just gave the toy a push now and really rolled it off my desk! The detail in the sculpting is gorgeous, with a lot of really nice realistic detailing - have recently sat on a similar vehicle during my NZ trip (one of the vehicles used to construct the Waitaki hydro electric power station), the detailing really reminds me of a lot of the features I saw in the real life model. Unfortunately there are a few features which do detract from the overall realistic look of the alt mode, and whether or not these might be deal breakers or not is up to the individual. They are...
    * the shoulders aren't that well concealed
    * the smoke stacks cannot be raised up. So they are vehicle kibble in robot mode that don't really form part of the vehicle. Faux kibble isn't a new thing, but unfortunately the faux smoke stacks are not concealed, so you can see them as well as the actual smoke stacks sculpted on the rear of the driver's compartment roof. Seriously, the Legends class figure does a better job with the shoulder stacks.
    * the centre part of the scoop does have gaps. I personally don't mind this as it's because it needs to transform into the pinching claw in robot mode, so there's a reason for the trade off
    The legs are sculpted in a way where they are permanently bent in a "horse riding" stance. The fingers on the claw hand can open and close, although the mace on the left hand cannot extend. There's also no Decepticon logo anywhere on the toy, which I understand is screen-like, but I want logos on my Transformers! (reprolabels save me! )
    Overall it is still a pretty nice toy; I think that the pros outweigh the toys, but it's by no means a perfect toy and if I'm being perfectly honest - dollar for dollar the little Legends Class toy still outclasses this figure (and is arguably one of the best Movieverse Constructicon toys ever made).

    Photos






    Recommended?
    Obviously if you're looking to complete Studio Series Devastator, then sure. Why are you even reading this review? You've already made up your mind.
    If not, then sure, it's still a nice toy in its own right. But you might want to wait for a local release rather than going to the expense of importing one.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    20th May 2014
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    45

    Default

    Nice review and great figure. Personally, I think the cons you mentioned are pretty minor to me. The shoulders and smokestacks look fine to me and the bucket is a little weird but very clever in what they've been able to do there. I can see how, if you know the type of real-world vehicles well (I'm very jealous), these inaccuracies would be more of an issue though.

    Can we just take a minute to appreciate that the bucket actually goes up and down? The bucket is made from all 4 limbs which come together nicely. Not only that, but for the bucket to move they needed to position all 4 pivots so that they were lined up along the same axis or else it wouldn't have worked. That must have been a fun challenge to design around, but they pulled it off.

    I reckon this one would be worth the price of admission even if it was just a regular Transformer without the combining mode.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    20th May 2014
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    45

    Default

    Also, I never realised how much I appreciate a nice smooth roll until I got Jeep Bumblebee and this guy. They just keep going. It makes it so much more fun to push around the desk.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    19th May 2010
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    890

    Default

    Scrapper is an interesting figure. The real vehicle is a Caterpillar 992G wheel loader, but save for the wheels and the centrally mounted cabin, Scrapper doesn't have much of a resemblance to it. On the other hand, the robot mode is very screen-accurate. Scrapper has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in Egypt as one of the Decepticons chasing Sam and Mikaela through an abandoned village in the Sinai. Also, this is a 3D image of the CGI model:



    The leg transformation is surprisingly fiddly, but it'll likely become easier with more transformations. Otherwise, the transformation is fairly easy - I found the only real alignment issue is lining up the three portions of the shovel.



    The team is almost complete.



    For anyone who is interested, the diorama backdrop is the same Egyptian quarry that came with the other Constructicons.

    Quote Originally Posted by Butcher31 View Post
    Also, I never realised how much I appreciate a nice smooth roll until I got Jeep Bumblebee and this guy. They just keep going. It makes it so much more fun to push around the desk.
    This also struck me when I pushed it along. Some figures don't roll well for whatever reason, but this one rolls along just fine. You're right - there is something satisfying about having a Transformer roll smoothly.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    28th Feb 2009
    Location
    Katoomba
    Posts
    2,510

    Default

    I'm just happy SS Long Haul has a chonky friend to hang out with.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    5th Feb 2010
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    3,270

    Default

    This is a fun figure. Involved, fun transformation, looks great in both modes.

    All of the yellow SS Constructions looks great together!
    I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    11th Mar 2009
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    897

    Default

    This is subjectively my favorite of the whole set, and to me one of the best in the whole SS line. (Objectively gotta give my top spot to Scavenger for the individual and combined mode engineering).

    HasTak didn't get/go for licensing of the alt mode Scrapper has in the movie, so they went the other extreme and designed the alt mode almost completely based on what's required for 'bot mode accuracy and to some extent the combined mode (the shovel arm has the correct mechanical details on the inside which is only revealed in arm mode), resulting in a front loader that strongly reminds me of the Build Team from Car Robot (RID 2000). It's not necessarily a bad thing though, and it blends in with the other more realistic vehicle modes really well. I also have to echo what was mentioned by above that it's amazing Shogo Hasui was able to have the 4 axis in the arms and legs line up, thus enabling an articulated bucket.











    Love the engineering, especially the leg transformation and how the outside portion of the bucket forms the feet. Really great use of geometry.



    The resulting 'bot mode is fantastic. It is amazingly accurate to the CG model, down to the asymmetric design on the arms. It just has that Bonecrusher kind of "I'll f$&k you up" attitude and personality to it. He even has the similar pumpkin head too. Lovely head sculpt as always (too bad the factory painted the wrong spots red for his eyes). Add his crouching physique to the mix Scrapper just gives off a unique shelf presence even among all the movie designs. His articulation is also surprisingly good, including a dedicated side to side swivel in the head, and extra butterfly style hip articulation which helps with balancing the permanently bent legs due to the nature of his design.


















    I wasn't a big fan of the Decepticon designs when the movies came out. The Studio Series toys have helped me to appreciate those much more. These are all just very interesting and unique if you look at them as Sci-fi movie "creature designs" rather than "Transformers designs that have to pay tribute to our nostalgia". Overall, a fantastic Studio Series figure. Worth getting even if you're not looking to complete Devastator.
    Last edited by doublespy; 20th September 2020 at 09:56 PM.

Posting Permissions

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