Toy Review - Combiner Wars Devastator

[GoktimusPrime]

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.

[UltimateGalvatron]

ummmmm.... Devastator.... uhhhhhhhhh

[5FDP]

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

[christalcase]

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...

[philby]

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).

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

[Nevac]

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.

[christalcase]

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

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

[dsphatlite]

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

Try the hair dryer?

[Dimi194]

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.

[Zommael]

Try the hair dryer?

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.