Series - Masterpiece
Sub-line - Masterpiece Movie series
Size/class - N/A
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - N/A
Released here - November 2023
Approximate Retail Price - $279 (JB Hi-Fi)
Approximate Size - 29cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Force Protection Buffalo Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle
Main Features/Gimmicks - Screen accuracy, licensed vehicle mode, Masterpiece detail and engineering
Main Colours - tan
Main Accessories - Alternate claw halves, alternate face, flame effect parts

Vehicle mode













A large Buffalo MPCV. Bonecrusher measures 27cm long, 9cm wide, and 11cm high, minus the hydraulic arm.

The figure is packed without the hydraulic arm attached. Once assembled, the arm is articulated with a swivel at its base and three ratcheted hinge joints; one at the base and two further along the arm. From what I've seen online, the real Buffalo doesn't have a hinge at its base, only the rotator. The base hinge is really for transformation and for articulation of the arm in robot mode.



The deployed arm with its colossal fork, which is far larger than the fork on the real Buffalo.

An interesting touch is that the tyres have the word 'Megatron' moulded on them, but are otherwise faithful to the actual tyres on the Buffalo. According to Hasbro designer Sam Smith, this was done to avoid having to get a licence from the tyre manufacturer.





MPM Bonecrusher absolutely dwarfs Studio Series Bonecrusher.

Transformation

Quite long and involved. The manual has a total of 91 numbered steps, including attachment of some parts. Curiously, Bonecrusher isn't packed with his face plate attached, so that is included as a step. Blackout has 88 numbered steps, but I would say that Bonecrusher has a more involved transformation.

The side windows are a four-piece assembly that 'wrap' around the spare tyres on his shoulders, and this can take a little bit of fiddling with the angles of the three hinge joints to get them to sit correctly the first couple of times.

The instructions depict the figure being transformed without the arm attached, which is a good idea since the arm can flop around during transformation. The finishing touch involves changing the end of the arm anyway.

Transforming back to vehicle mode involved shifting some parts in a manner that isn't documented, since there is a plate on Bonecrusher's crotch that needs to be positioned in a specific way so that other parts are positioned around it.

Robot mode









Bonecrusher is very much a hulking brute in robot mode. He might 'only' be 22.5cm to the top of his head, but he is wide and bulky, and the top of the folded arm above and behind his head takes his height to about 29cm.

As I alluded to when writing the transformation section, Bonecrusher has an alternate fork for robot mode. The CGI model had the tines of the fork splayed out, so this was represented with a separate fork. The tines on this fork are mounted on ball joints.

Like previous figures, Bonecrusher has diecast metal parts. Here, there are pieces on his torso and his crotch where many previous figures had metal in the feet, and they are all painted, so exposed metal isn't part of the figure's look. Unfortunately, the crotch plate has tabs on it that are used in vehicle mode, meaning that the paint here is prone to chipping. I've transformed Bonecrusher into vehicle mode three times, and the second and third times have chipped some paint off.



The hydraulic arm rotates at its base to deploy over Bonecrusher's head.



The unused fork halves can be mounted on Bonecrusher's back for storage.



The alternate face plate with an eye popped out of its housing.



Bonecrusher comes with a total of six flame effect parts as a reference to the shot after he barrels through a bus.





MPM Bonecrusher towers over Studio Series Bonecrusher.



With MPM Optimus Prime.



With MPM Megatron.

Verdict



Definitely worth picking up if you like the character/design. Bonecrusher looks great in both modes and is very well articulated save for his hands, where the two large fingers don't move. That's the only real negative I can level against this figure.