In the world of the Transformers, Combiners, also sometimes called Gestalts, are super robots made up of smaller robots. Today’s subject, Devastator, was the first Combiner in the Transformers. And, if dialogue from The Transformers: The Movie is to be believed, he is also the most powerful robot, and he should rule.
Devastator is the combination of the six Constructicons, six evil Decepticons who convert into various construction vehicles. They are Scrapper (Shovel-Dozer/Right leg), Scavenger (Excavator/Right arm), Long Haul (Dump Truck/Lower Torso), Bonecrusher (Bulldozer/Left Arm), Mixmaster (Cement Truck/Left Leg), and Hook (Crane/Upper Torso). They first debuted in the final episode of Season 1 of the original Transformers cartoon, titled “Heavy Metal War.”
I love how close to the original animation models by artist Floro Dery that Super7 makes all of their Transformers ReAction figures. Compare that drawing with the figure!
While most ReAction figures are 3.75 inches tall, Devastator is around six inches tall. He towers over most other ReAction toys, such as Motorhead’s frontman, Lemmy Kilmister, here.
Next to the Marvel Legends Captain Marvel Carol Danvers movie figure.
And for comparison’s sake, here’s ReAction Devastator next to a bootleg toy of the G1 Devastator that I acquired earlier this week. You can better see where some of the abstractions on Floro Dery’s animation design come from when you look at them side-by-side like this, even if details like Scavenger’s shovel and Hook’s hook are missing. I actually like Mixmaster’s tumbler being colored purple. Gives him more character.
Combiners are always a tricky thing to include in any Transformers toy line, but since Super7 obviously decided to make the TFs match their animation models, there’s no way to make a legitimate combining toy out of Devastator. So making a pre-combined version that matches the cartoon art, and then making him super-sized? Yeah, I can get behind that.
Since Hasbro’s own R.E.D. Series of non-converting Transformers also errs towards the animation models, I think the best way to do combiners in that line would be to give those figures Build-A-Figure accessories of themselves in limb/torso mode. Imagine Scrapper coming with Devastator’s right leg, and Hook as the chest & shoulders of Devastator? Plug all the Constructicons together, and you have yourself a super robot that can be scaled with other six-inch figures, but doesn’t break the ethos of the line.
Anyhow. Devastator is cool, and I’m glad to own him.
Transformers, Decepticons, Constructicons, Devastator, Hook, Scrapper, Scavenger, Mixmaster, Long Haul, and Bonecrusher are all owned by Hasbro.