Review #47: "Classics" Bruticus
(Asian Exclusive Combaticons combined
with Fansproject Explorer and Munitioner)
So you've got your Asian Exclusive Bruticus. And you have your Fansproject Explorer and Munitioner. The obvious place this is all leading to is combining everything all together to make yourself an ultimate "Classics" style Bruticus, yes?
Yes, indeed! So get all of the individual members ready for combination... and get the weapons ready, too! These Combaticons were a heavily armed group, and their weapons take on new forms for the gestalt mode. The four larger guns for the limb-making robots combine to make two shotguns. One of Onslaught's weapons unfolds to make a rather large sniper rifle. And finally, Blast Off's axe unfolds to make a dagger for melee combat. (Other weaponry featured with the individual robots is incorporated into the gestalt mode in other ways, such as becoming hands or feet, the shoulders, or the large double cannons on his back.) |
So, I bet you're all dying to see how it all looks when put together, yes? Well, good for you. But you'll have to wait for just a little bit longer, mwa ha ha ha ha! Before we get to that, I have two other things to share. The second thing is actually relevant to the review. The first... less so. But I have a neat photo I wanted to share for purely selfish reasons! If some of my readers are fans of Japanese animation, hopefully they might recognize the person in the photograph to the right, here seen with yours truly...
I have basked in the power of the afro, and it was magnificent! But I digress... now on with the review. |
The recent re-release of the Fansproject figures came with a bonus new figure called Quake. This figure was inspired by one of those memorable scenes from the G1 cartoon, as seen to the left, where Bruticus wielded Shockwave -- the other promanant G1 Decpticon with a gun-based alternate mode. (In this case, a sci-fi ray gun rather then the realistic gun Megatron became.)
In gun mode, this Shockwave is (for his scale) a passable gun... a decent but not perfect example of Shockwave. The main problem, to me, is that it would look better if is barrel was wide and short (as seen in the screen capture) rather then thin and tall. But I won't complain too much about it... It was a free bonus, after all. |
His robot mode is a lot better. It is an awesome little Shockwave, and extremely poseable for his size. His head is on a ball joint, as are his shoulders and elbows. His wrist can rotate. Hips are also ball joints, there's a swivel in the upper leg, and finally he can bend at the knees. I've seen much larger figures with less then this. Outstanding articulation for what is essentially a Legends class figure.
Only minor complaint, if I wanted to be picky, is that his arm cannon should be on the left arm... But in an otherwise awesome robot mode, I am happy to overlook that issue.
Only minor complaint, if I wanted to be picky, is that his arm cannon should be on the left arm... But in an otherwise awesome robot mode, I am happy to overlook that issue.
We'll get to how this Shockwave interacts with Bruticus a bit later in the review. After all, first we need to see Bruticus! It's showtime!
Here he is in all his glory, and it is... well, er... glorious! Just to give you an even better appreciation of what a difference the Fansproject upgrades make to Bruticus's look, to the right is the split-screen teaser photo from the end of the Asian Exclusive Combaitcons review, but this time without the upgraded Bruticus blacked out.
This Bruticus really nails all of the iconic features of the Generation One version, upgraded to a modern toy design asthetic. We now have the prominent double barreled cannon on his back. He has a much more "G1" head sculpt. His limbs, particularly the arms, are much better looking. Having the panels with Onslaught's wheels folded out, combined with the new crotch piece, reminds one of the massive chest plate that on G1 Bruticus did extend down to cover the waist and crotch area as well. All in all, this set does an excellent job of nailing Bruticus's look. |
One nice thing you may have noticed in the above photos is how, even without holding anything in his hands, Bruticus has a way to store all four of his weapons. (Shockwave is excluded from this. For one, "Quake" was a new bonus accessory, not accounted for in this set's original design. For another... well, I suppose we could just assume that Shockwave would rather just be a robot when not being used as a weapon, so no need for storage!) The knife folds back up and connects onto a tab on his left forearm. The shotguns peg onto either side of Bruticus's backpack, although I will note that them being there can impede his arm articulation a bit. Finally, his sniper rifle. Officially, there was no storage suggested in Fansproject's instructions. But there is a clip on his backpack, intended for connecting the double barreled cannon to Onslaught's vehicle mode, that the rifle can rest in quite nicely.
Articulation: The head now has a ball joint rather then a swivel joint, and thus has a much better range of motion. The shoulders, despite having new connecting pieces in them, have the same excellent articulation that the original figure had in this area. Added articulation in the arms are a swivel in the upper arm, double jointed elbows, and swiveling wrists. Each finger is individually articulated, with ball joints at the base, and pivoting joints at the mid-finger knuckle.
The waist and hips are the same joints as on the original figure, which like the shoulders was already good, although it should be pointed out that the new crotch piece does get in the way a little bit. Likewise, the original knees were good joints and those haven't been messed with here. Some articulation has been added to the ankles, to help Bruticus maintain a flat stance in more spread-legged poses. (The feet are never 100% flat, because of the wheels on the outer edges. But this does not impede his stability.)
Overall, Fansproject did an excellent job of augmenting Bruticus's articulation where needed while leaving it alone where fixes weren't necessary. However, I will note that his new joints can be difficult to pose without care, and also feel slightly less durable then those on the unaugmented figure. Also, the double barreled backpack likes to unpeg and fall off if nudged wrong. A simple matter to peg it back on, but annoying to have to deal with. I'd highly recommend just being careful and taking your time when posing him.
I should note that while overall, this is a much better looking and much more "G1" Bruticus, there is one "G1" element that the unaugmented Bruticus had that the version with the Fansproject upgrades alas lacks: the "Scramble City"-like ability to swap around any of the limbs. Theoretically, you could swap around the arms. But you no longer can make an arm into a leg or vice versa. Nor can you swap around the two legs. Either foot will fit on Brawl, but only the right foot will fit on Swindle. An unfortunate loss of function, but one that is far outweighed by all of the benefits that the Fansproject additions provide.
Well, time to look at more photos, showing off his articulation and his interactivity with his weaponry! I'll note that all of his weapons have slots on their handles, and each of his palms has a tab that that slot will fit over. So... photo time!
Articulation: The head now has a ball joint rather then a swivel joint, and thus has a much better range of motion. The shoulders, despite having new connecting pieces in them, have the same excellent articulation that the original figure had in this area. Added articulation in the arms are a swivel in the upper arm, double jointed elbows, and swiveling wrists. Each finger is individually articulated, with ball joints at the base, and pivoting joints at the mid-finger knuckle.
The waist and hips are the same joints as on the original figure, which like the shoulders was already good, although it should be pointed out that the new crotch piece does get in the way a little bit. Likewise, the original knees were good joints and those haven't been messed with here. Some articulation has been added to the ankles, to help Bruticus maintain a flat stance in more spread-legged poses. (The feet are never 100% flat, because of the wheels on the outer edges. But this does not impede his stability.)
Overall, Fansproject did an excellent job of augmenting Bruticus's articulation where needed while leaving it alone where fixes weren't necessary. However, I will note that his new joints can be difficult to pose without care, and also feel slightly less durable then those on the unaugmented figure. Also, the double barreled backpack likes to unpeg and fall off if nudged wrong. A simple matter to peg it back on, but annoying to have to deal with. I'd highly recommend just being careful and taking your time when posing him.
I should note that while overall, this is a much better looking and much more "G1" Bruticus, there is one "G1" element that the unaugmented Bruticus had that the version with the Fansproject upgrades alas lacks: the "Scramble City"-like ability to swap around any of the limbs. Theoretically, you could swap around the arms. But you no longer can make an arm into a leg or vice versa. Nor can you swap around the two legs. Either foot will fit on Brawl, but only the right foot will fit on Swindle. An unfortunate loss of function, but one that is far outweighed by all of the benefits that the Fansproject additions provide.
Well, time to look at more photos, showing off his articulation and his interactivity with his weaponry! I'll note that all of his weapons have slots on their handles, and each of his palms has a tab that that slot will fit over. So... photo time!
Size comparisons! To the right, the usual comparison to a standard DVD case. To the left, you can see that he scales well with Maketoys Devastator. (Pure personal preference here, but I think that Shockwave looks nicer with Devastator then with Bruticus. And even though Devastator's palms don't have the same tab as Bruticus's, he can still hold Shockwave nice and snuggly.) Overall, they make for an imposing pair of giant gestalt robots, guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of any Autobots who dare oppose them.
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So, final thoughts: The unaugmented Bruticus is an excellent toy for children, but with the Fansproject additions he becomes an excellent "Classics" style representation of the character for adult collectors. It is a figure that you will have to take some care with, but will look excellent on your shelf. Highly recommended!
Review added 27 May 2013 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
An addendum has become available for this review, showing off the Reprolabels available for these toys, applied to these figures. Click here to read it!
Review added 27 May 2013 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
An addendum has become available for this review, showing off the Reprolabels available for these toys, applied to these figures. Click here to read it!