Received this guy in the mail. Transformation is pretty satisfying to be so simple. It's also kind of like Clobber in that it's a godsend to receive a Cyberverse design with basic articulation. I almost wish the gimmick were gone in a lot of these so we could have some basic but decently affordable takes on these designs. Overall it's just nice to have this member of the wreckers for my shelf (finally). Who would've thought Rack'n'Ruin would have been in a children's cartoon let alone get a decent toy (for the line and gimmick)
I'm glad they got a figure with decent articulation but the thing that really kills it for me is the vehicle mode. That big hinge for the armor gimmick kind breaks the look of the vehicle mode and I think if the gimmick wasn't there that whole section could of been compressed into a more solid looking vehicle. No gimmick would also mean that their heads could turn rather than being fixed in place. I'd also much rather have a way for the canons to face forward on their arms in robot mode rather than the Energon Armor. Surprising amount of articulation on this guy but still ruined because of a gimmick. Kinda surprised by how much I like this guy... or these guys... considering how little they actually do in the show but it's such a unique design being the only character with two heads. If he also had three arms he could be the Transformers equivelent of Zaphod Beeblebrox. Also for anyone confused if Rack n' Ruin should be addressed by singular or plural pronouns I direct you to this video.
The review: "How is it?" "It's a toy of Rack'n'Ruin, possibly the only one we'll see in a long time" "- and?" "... ... It doesn't painfully suck."
I will be filling a lot of the gappage on this guy(s). I too will be painting his energon armor, along with a few other details here and there. My only style gripe is I wish his faces had different expressions.
I Bought Good Ol Rack"n"Ruin A Few Days Ago, And I Gotta Say He's SUPER Good, Easily The Best Of These "Energon Armor" Figures....
I havent gotten too many of these cyberverse figures, but the ones I have have been impressive. Rack N Ruin is def one of the better ones and I'm glad to have this Wrecker. Good figure gimmick and all.
He does what he needs to do, which is "be Rack N Ruin" and "have at least basic hip/shoulder/elbow/knee articulation". I'll likely end up using styrene or something to fill in the gaps in his arms and legs and maybe do something to fill the huge gap in his altmode's "trunk" area. It's neat that he looks like he might be the same general type of vehicle as G1 Roadbuster, just armored differently.
Prelude: For all that few people know of them, Rack’n’Ruin are among the most unique Transformers ever. Two separate Autobots, Rack and Ruin, fused together into a single entity. For over three decades this particular character (or characters, rather) never appeared in toy form, neither official nor third party. With Cyberverse, though, we are finally getting an official Rack’n’Ruin figure. Was it worth the long wait? Let’s say go! Robot Mode: Let’s clarify the most important point first: Ruin is the one with the monocle. Okay, now that we have established that, let’s move on to the robot in front of us. In his original comic appearances, Rack’n’Ruin were two separate robots that were connected at the shoulder. The Cyberverse version, however, is more of a single robot with two chests and two heads. To be fair, that works a lot better than having two figures with each missing an arm and being fused at the shoulder. The figure itself is roughly Voyager-class sized and has decent articulation for a Cyberverse toys. We have knees, elbows, and ball-jointed arms and legs providing a good deal of movement. Not great, but good enough for some nice poses. The two heads are immobile, naturally, but decently sculpted. I just wish they had given them different facial expressions. Rack and Ruin show identical smirks, the monocle is the only difference. Rack’n’Ruin comes with a big blaster he/they can hold in hand or carry on his/their back. Sadly the guns on his forearm are locked in place pointing backwards and cannot swivel forward. They are only for the vehicle mode. Additionally the figure has an Energon armor gimmick. Release a hatch behind the figure’s heads and the chest flips open, a transparent-blue chest plate flips out, and covers the chest(s) and heads. It’s a nice gimmick, if superfluous, but once the chest plate is engaged, the robot’s torso does not snap solidly together anymore. It doesn’t fall apart or anything, but it’s wobbly. So bottom line, Rack’n’Ruin is a fun figure with a very unique look. Could have done without the gimmick, but otherwise the robot mode is pretty good. Alternate Mode: Rack’n’Ruin transform into something that somewhat resembles an armored military car. The guns on the robot’s forearms come into play here, while the hand-held blaster becomes part of the hood and the front bumper. The car is, well, recognizable as a car, let’s put it that way. It’s a serviceable alternate mode, but little more than that. Remarks: Rack’n’Ruin first appeared in the famous Transformers UK comic story “Target: 2006” as one of the Wreckers, the Autobots’ elite commando unit. His rather unique design, two separate robots connected at the shoulder like cojoined twins, made up for the fact that he seldom spoke and never really did anything of consequence. Rack’n’Ruin also appeared in the IDW comics, where we briefly saw the two separate bots they once were in a flashback. In the Cyberverse series Rack’n’Ruin was among the crew of the Ark and crashed on Earth with the rest, only to be awakened by Bumblebee and Windblade in the finale of season 1. While the Cyberverse toy line is, of course, meant for a younger audience instead of adult collectors, it has some very interesting and unique designs. Case in point the very first Rack’n’Ruin figure we ever got. And while it does not quite fit with my other Wreckers stylistically, it is a fun figure and well worth getting for Wreckers fans and fans of unique, interesting Transformers designs. Rating: B- Source: Transformers-Universe.com
I highly recommend the JRC filler kit for this figure. Really makes a difference and you can feel the weight gain as you place the parts in the limbs. Surprisingly hefty and makes it feel solid. Helps that the base figure isn't terrible. Gimmick and all. https://www.jrcdesignstore.com/product-page/rack-n-ruin-filler-set
