Long-time browser, first time poster here. Back from SDCC, and surprised to not have found many shots of FOC Bruticus up yet - surprising because ultimately it is a fantastic figure. Over the next year between all the repaints I expect we'll get some great combinations and photos. I'll post a few pictures here to get started, and will update the text with additional commentary over the next day. For now I'll focus on the combined form, as I expect there will be separate threads for the individual team members. Overall impression: - First impressions can be deceiving. In some ways, Hasbro might have set themselves up for the biggest challenge by staying consistent with the original placement of the Combaticons - because that particular combo is likely one of the toughest to get a good shot of. After spending some time with the figure, I can say without reservations that I have hugely impressed both with the style, cohesiveness, and engineering in this overall figure. - YES - each limb can be combined as an arm or a leg, scramble-city style - YES - all parts for the limb are included as part of the figure, not a weapon attachment - The connector piece engineering is both strong and allows quite a bit of posability, which has been challenged in past combiners - The overall profile of the figure can change quite a bit based on both the angle and the arrangement of the limbs. Moving Swindle and Brawl (who are both somewhat bulkier as limbs) to the arms does a lot to fill out Bruticus' upper torso and makes him a more imposing figure. Pros: - This feels like a team. There's a cohesiveness in both the design and the individual execution which carries through all the team members. Congrats again to the teams at High Moon and Hasbro for some phenomenal execution here. - The plastic, while lightweight, has a slightly metallic fleck to it which hasn't shown up in many photos to date and improves the quality impression up-close. - The weapons are standard peg sizes and can combine in many, many ways - While there's a couple modes that might feel a bit shortchanged (Onslaught's vehicle mode in particular), overall the components do a great job of working great as both individual robots and vehicles, and largely do the job as limbs as well. Cons: - It is absolutely tough for the figure to look proportional with Blast-off as one of the arms - Vortex can be extended for roughly even length but the overall profile can seem off (per the original product shots, which don't get the benefit of selected angles and close-ups) - Blast-off as a figure looks great in robot mode (and even vehicle) but it's tough to get from one form to the other without risk of popping off the thruster/arm components due to a uniquely angled ball joint hinge - Onslaught's arms suffer the same fate, with a smaller-than-usual ball joint - As stated, the individual figures have a lightweight feel which means each individual team member feels less substantial than our previous traditional deluxes (again, some of this due to the well-discussed issue of balancing price point and design). However, being comprised of deluxes, Bruticus as a whole stands larger than any combiner in recent history - and here's hoping that we get to see more. Overall grade: Individual figures: B / Combined form: A-
he looks like a mechanical gorilla. my set will probably just end up being displayed in their seperate forms. nice pictures though.
I think when I get mine I'll just have two sets of Swindle and Brawl for combined mode. Maybe A Vortex instead of Brawl for a leg.
I'm happy to see the figures can be configured to look good, and proportionate, but sad that if combined in the original character configuration they look disproportionate, and well...bad. Anyway, THANK YOU for posting this review, and showing us the different configurations. I bought one a while ago on ebay when they were going for much less $ than now, and am very much looking forward to getting it.
BEAUTIFUL! Shame about Blast Off as an arm, but I now LOVE that the Scramble City style was implemented as it offers other options.
The configuration in the first picture looks the best (Swindle/Vortex for arms and Blast Off/Brawl for legs). But Blast Off as an arm looks horrible. I'm still passing on this. Isn't worth the $100+shipping to Canada.
Just keep your G2 Preorder. Personally, I think that one looks better anyway (be it combined or as the 5 bots), and it's pretty unique in its own right.
Thanks for the review. Definitely the best shots I've seen of him. I'm still curious how the individual bots stand up, size wise, to other deluxes.
Might get it on the secondary market but the colors of the individual robot modes look a little flat.
Thanks for the review. I was thinking from the G2 picture that Blast Off my work best as a leg, and your first picture all but confirms that. I'm getting the G2 repaint and this makes me happy I've got that preorder in.
Okay, first off thank you thank you thank you for posting a review. I've been looking forward to an actual "I've messed with it and figured out how it works" review rather than just a "I took him out of the box and followed the instructions have some pics" photoshoot all week. Second, a few questions of mine that I haven't seen answered yet. Can Onslaught's gun attach to his back in robot mode? And I've noticed that in all Blast Off pics his lower legs are thin and long, and there's a hinge in the middle. Can that hinge be used to fold his legs in half and make them normal sized? Hoping to pic this/these guy/s on HTS when the SDCC stuff hits. Might pick up the energon release, like the G2 set but haven't decided yet, and I'll probably get the wreckers. This one'll be the decider for the first two.
Kind of a random question, but could someone post a picture of Onslaught in robot mode with the Bruticus head? I'm mostly interested in how Impactor will look with the Xaaron head.
I like it! Looking forward to getting these guys at retail. Thanks for posting pics of alternate limb placements