FWIW, I have the Unite Warriors one and I think it's great. I put it on my Decepticon MP shelf.

My only beef is Mixmaster with his doofy insect thorax hanging from the back. I wish Dr Wu released his 3rd party Mixmaster.

 

Recommend UW version. We have SDCC version only because the boy likes shiny stuff. Does not have the UW version upgrades.

Got the Perfect Effect kits. The limbs & weapons kit is easy to find. The other kit (combiner parts, longer crane, bigger bucket, Mixmaster cab cover)...not so much. Even from the limb kit, the only one worth using is for Scrapper. The others are bleh. The longer crane is the only upgrade piece I may consider removing. It's too long to sit flush for individual bot mode. The PE Mixmaster cab cover is eons better than the DNA Design set. Covered up the original cab windows with faux custom vent stickers.

Edit: Perfect Effect Mixmaster cover, faux custom vent stickers over original cab windows

 

I just got that little KO. All the things I hated about the individual CW constructicons don't seem to bother me at all at the smaller scale. Just super fun little bots!

More on topic, standing straight up and stoic I still think CW Devy is the best looking cartoon accurate depiction of the character in toy form. He looks good with CHUG or MP imo. I replaced mine with the oversized Gravity builder KO, but CW Devy is still a great figure.

 

I got the UW one and I hate it, tied with Predaking for worst titan, not worth the price. To big, very hollow, individual bots are utter trash.

 

i got the reissue from hasbropulse a few months ago. ive been more than pleased. definitely worth the money. hes currently in stock for retail price on Amazon.

 

I got it cheap and split the fifference to get the Perfect Effect upgrade sets -- big improvement. If it's a fun toy you're actually going to take apart and play with and recombine and all, yeah It's worth it (with the upgrades).

But if it's shelf presence you're looking for, I personally would go with GT's Gravity Builder. I went with the slightly OS Jinbao KO and it's a friggin' masterpiece st a very reasonable price.

 

If you don't mind third party I'd get the Daban Gravity Builder KO. It's roughly the same size and the individual robots are much better, and I don't think it typically sells for much, if any, more.

 

I considered getting the Gravity Builder KO for a while, but the problem is that I just really don't like the way it looks. The headsculpt and proportions make it look bad in my opinion. It's ok if you guys like it, but it's just not for me.

 

In short:

The individual bots range from "meh" to "passable".

The individual vehicles are all pretty great.

The combined mode is flawed, but definitely a sight to behold.

I could definitely throw some nitpicks at him. The green they used is a bit too light for my taste, a shade or two darker would have worked wonders. There's a pretty big hole in his chest, that the purple crest doesn't entirely cover. He could really use some more paint to bring out the details of the individual figures, some of them feel like a wall of unbroken green in both modes. You also 100% need a solid base to put him on, because he's very prone to falling. Not because his joints can't hold him, but because he's so big, and he's pretty top-heavy.

On the other hand, he scales well with just about any range of figures you want. He works with the MPs, and he towers imposingly over the mainline Generations in a very satisfying way. Ironically, the only thing he doesn't super scale well with is other combiners, considering he's so much bigger than all of them.

He's also alot more affordable than just about any third party option you could name, at least in that size class. And I've never had any QC issues with my copy.

Do I recommend him? If you want Devastator, and you actually somewhat care about your wallet, he's absolutely your best option. He does everything you really NEED a Devastator to do (he's big, he combines, and he poses). If money is no object, it might be worth looking into the third party sphere and see if something there interests you. Some of the third party Devastators are quite impressive. But, again, this is really only if you ALOT of disposable income to throw around.

From the sound of your first post, and what you seem to want, I'm going to say "Go for it". You're unlikely to regret it.

 

What's this?...new Menasor?? Wow! I'd like to upgrade my Unite Warriors Menasor with a more G1 vibe.

 

Considering CW Devastator was reissued relatively recently rather than making a new mold like it was discussed, I really doubt we'd get a new Devastator anytime soon. Plus we still have to wait to see what the Menasor will be like (partsforming shell/piece or not) and if it even does well.

 

I have the UW version and it's still my favorite Titan-class toy we've ever gotten. I wouldn't want to pay above retail regardless of what version you get though. If the lack of elbows on Scrapper and Long Haul aren't an issue for you then I'm confident you'll enjoy the Hasbro one. The way the legs combine is still so damn nice.

 

according to leakers, next year were getting a menasor consisting of 4 deluxes and 1 commander

 

I'm personally not "into" combiners, though I often buy the figures within the team for their individual merits. I never bother with the combined mode even when I collect the whole set, because conceptually I just never found the idea appealing. Judging CW Devastator on the individual figures that comprise it, I can't find much of any merit. Depending on the figure, you're forced to overlook severely hollow limbs, dumpy proportions, or a complete lack of elbows (seriously?!). I'm not into the face-on-a-slab head sculpts of some of them, either (damned cartoon accuracy).

I guess for those who like to keep these figures displayed as the gestalt, it looks ok.

 

The UW version is better with the added weapons and improved articulation for the individual Constructicons (and the visor/eyes option for Devastator’s head).

Is it worth the laughable aftermarket prices? Yeah...no. Get the reissue. Devastator himself makes up for the flaws of his components.

 

Devastator rules over all my combiners!

 

He's a great combiner. Maybe slightly overly complicated and too big but still very good. With regards to size, I guess I just have to think of them as scaled with Grapple and Inferno.

 

I am the same way with most combiner teams, I prefer them in individual modes. Devastator is one of my exceptions, but I definitely wouldn't recommend the set for anything besides the gestalt.

Out of curiosity do you mix and match your teams from different companies/lines? Because I find I'm about 50/50 on it.

 

Other than my original G1 toys from my childhood, I only have one complete congruous combiner set (OSKO Jinbao Gravity Builder). I don’t often find a single set from which I like all of the bots, so it’s unusual for me to find a second set from which I completely fill the gaps. I do have a 2-1 mix of Protectobots and 3-2 Combaticon team. My Stunticons are 3 from one set and 2 from another (with two Dead Ends and two Breakdowns). I’m likely only going to end up with 3 of the 6 Cang Toys Predacon set, and I’m unlikely to fill that with MMC Feral Rex figures.

As a practice, though, I have no issue with mixed sets, but I’m just as likely to not complete the team at all. I generally collect one scale, but I don’t necessarily try to match aesthetics, complete teams, or complete “eras” (such as G1S1, IDW, ‘86 Movie, etc.). I 100% collect based on my interest in the individual figure.