Blackout and Scorponok are an unusual team from a group of Transformers now affectionately (or distastefully) known as “Bayformers” due to their association with Michael Bay and his recent string of Transformer movies. A characteristic of Bayformers, when compared to other lines of Transformers, is they have an accompanying darker overall tone to their coloration, demeanor, and visages. These three characteristics are certainly true of these two, who open up the movie with an incredible amount of carnage. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0518.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0508.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0503.jpg Blackout is somewhat similar to Dropshot in that it is most likely this Decepticon soldier also plays an instrumental part in providing the Decepticon’s base of fire. Further, in the movie he seems to plant his feet and make minimal movement while laying out a considerable amount of ordinance in the form of missiles, machine guns, and the occasional electromagnetic pulse (EMP) waves. If this is a correct assessment, Blackout is an incredibly dangerous warrior in that he can rapidly deploy onto the battle field at key areas of interest (such as hills) to provide a base of fire for a Decepticon maneuvering element to envelop an objective. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0422.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0528.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0442.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0472.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0538.jpg Blackout is aiding in his endeavors through his partner Scorponok. In the joint “Desert Attack Scene” set that comes with both of these models, the bio suggests that Scorponok’s function is to herd stray victims away from cover and back into Blackout’s killing zone. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0487.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0523.jpg The bio goes on to also say that this frenzied littler robot is not any more a partner to Blackout than a depraved dog would be to a sadistic human. Both this combined bio and Scorponok’s individual bio seem to suggest this robot is little more than an instinct-driven animal than anything else. While not stated, I like to think of this variation of Scorponok as a heavily armored and larger version of the Energon Terrorcons. I could easily see how two or more of these Scorponoks (some clone variation and/or tribute to Energon Scorponok?) could be on one battle force together against the Autobots and their human allies. Scorponok has a robot mode, but much like the Battle Ravages I find that mode when compared to the alt/beast mode kind of redundant http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0502.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0497.jpg Due to Scorponok’s personal armaments featured in his claws and stinger, I like to think of him as a hand-to-hand combat specialist, or “assaultman” if you will, who augments a maneuvering element in overcoming an enemy’s defensive position through close quarters fighting. Together they form quite a team with Blackout shooting enemies to oblivion while Scorponok annihilates them up close and personal. While not pictured, a full-sized Scorponok (along with a smaller rubber representation) can be stuck to the underside of Blackout when he is in his alt/vehicle mode. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0483.jpg Blackout has the following Tech Specs: Strength: 8/Exceptional Intelligence: 6/Good Speed : 8/Exceptional Endurance: 7/Exceptional Rank: 7/Exceptional Courage: 5/Good Fireblast: 9/Superb Skill: 5/Good Some of Blackouts abilities are fairly obvious. He is extremely strong and his ranged weapon systems can pack quite a punch! Overall his ability to destroy enemies is unprecedented, however his middle of the road Skill Stat begs the question of “can he connect his fists and munitions to his targets?” Low to moderate Skill Stats seem to be an Achilles’ heel of the Decepticon forces. He is natural quite tough and can take lots of damage, which of course puts into question whether a single 40mm grenade launcher (even with armor piercing/high explosive shells) could take him out. Maybe as a cumulative effect, but probably not alone as that is a good weapon system to take out a Jeep or Humvee. While he has a high Rank Stat (hints at being Starscream’s second in command), he has the usual Decepticon problem of a low Courage Stat. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0491.jpg Scorponok has the following Tech Specs: Strength: 5/Good Intelligence: 2/Average Speed : 6/Good Endurance: 8/Exceptional Rank: 3/Average Courage: 6/Good Fireblast: 5/Good Skill: 3/Average While these Stats are low as a whole, when the size of the unit and its role are considered this makes sense. Bayformer Scorponok is an animal, so he (it?) does score low in a number of areas. He/it is tough, so Scorponok has a high Endurance Stat which reflects his/its heavy armor and rugged chassis. Scorponok is a middle of the road/mediocre unit that backs up his/its partner (or master) and, as he/it can hitch a ride with Blackout, can be quite helpful. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0557.jpg In a tactical scenario, Scorponok could provide a reinforcement or screening function for Blackout by delaying attacks against the larger robot so the he can deliver a base of fire to the last before having to bailout of a tough situation. Remember, Blackout took on an airbase with military police and not a proper reinforced infantry unit augmented with M1A2 Abrams or Challenger II tanks. That could have led to a much different end game than an all out route. I have both the “regular” Blackout as well as the premium version as well. I liked the later so much, I went back and got another! Premium versions, a retailer demand on Hasbro as I understand it, are worth their weight in gold for both display purposes as well as photography if you have a good camera as the extra details really come out. While “regular” Blackout is a great figure, the premium version makes him look boring. While these two Bayformers have been properly killed off in the movie series, they do make a nice addition to your collection or inclusion (if you can) in some wargame where they can be a team together. My only real critique is the rubber Scorponok included with Blackout. While this is corrected in Evac (and it looks like also in the new Whirl?) as a life boat/ranged weapon system, it’s pretty silly looking for Blackout (especially when Scorponok is so easy to find). If anyone really wants pictures of Scorponok in robot mode and/or attached to Blackout in helicopter mode, I will oblige. Simply let me know here through a post and I’ll get to it as soon as I can. Thanks, enjoy, and check out some more of Bill’s great terrain at his sites! Terrain piece conceptualization, design, and construction by Terrain Engineer William Foreman. Bill has some exciting existing pieces in stock as well as being open to make custom/made to order pieces, from small odds and ends to complete dioramas minus your figures! Only your imagination is the limit! To see other pieces by Bill and/or to contact him, please visit: Miniatures Unlimited - Creator of War Game Scenery and Terrain. or at Photobucket: battletable pictures by scuzime - Photobucket or Youtube: YouTube - terrainaholic's Channel
Nice job, but these seem more like character summaries than toy reviews. Very little is mentioned about either toy, such as action features/gimmicks, articulation, pros/cons of the mold, and so on. Which is fine, if that's what you were going for. We can put it in that section, if you want. Or if you want to add some more about the toys themselves, we could then add it to the review section. Don't forget to put in the rating (scale of 1 to 10)!
Thank you, Trebleshot for your kind words and constructive feedback. I will add another post soon about more traditional toy review concerns as well. I was envisioning straddling both character & toy review categories as I think the later has had (and still does) a lot of wonderful reviewers out there and I am cautious about duplicating others' efforts - one reason why being a TF reviewer on Youtube doesn't appeal to me when we have such great reviewers like Barricade64, Biker Trash Wolf, and Peaugh! With that in mind, I haven't seen many folks talking about Tech Specs and/or speculating on the roles the characters represented by the toys carry out in their respective battle forces so I hoped to step into that void. Why play someone else's game when they're three laps ahead of you in a four lap race? In my non-hobby world life, I'm in mental health and we take the old adage seriously about, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" except we use the whole quote which goes on to say, "...But after trying again, quit and stop being such a damn fool. Do something different!" as this quote takes the old adage of "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Sorry if this is more information than you wanted, but I did wish to share some of the metathinking behind my thinking. I will add stuff about the gimmicks, so would that also mean you would enjoy pics of Scorponok attached underneath Blackout?
Don't get me wrong, I think you have a very unique viewpoint that adds a lot more depth to a typical review than others who might be more "bare bones" about it. Having said that, I wouldn't worry too much about duplicating other reviewers' works, especially since your own opinions and insights may differ greatly from other people. My only suggestion would be to add some info about the toys themselves in conjunction with the character analysis. With that, I think you would have a winning combo which could be presented as a whole. Also, if you have a pic demonstrating Blackout and Scorponok's combined gimmick, we'd be happy to add it to both entries.
2007 Movie Blackout & Scorponok – Addendum In my initial post in this thread, I neglected (as Treble so astutely noted) to talk about traditional toy issues that are common in toy reviews or, in what I hope to accomplish, character-toy reviews. When I was in the Marine Corps infantry as a mortarman, we would talk about “hip shoots” as a way of fighting in modern warfare. While I could say more about that, suffice to say I will be out of town for over a week and unable to do anything unless I did a “hip shoot” to get these shots to you now or risk the review disappearing. So please excuse its hasty appearance! Blackout and Scorponok are also unusual as Transformer toys go when it comes to their unique gimmicks. With Bayformers, “automorph technology” was the gimmick de jure but neither of them have that characteristic. Instead they have other “interesting” side bar powers. To begin with, while my Scorponok shoot is far off I thought a comparison was in order between the Energon/Cybertron Scorponok mold and Bayformer one. You can see the Scorponoks in both robot and alt/beastie mode below: http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0657.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0676.jpg While people like a 1-10 or thumb-ups/thumbs-down, I am not so much a fan of this method. I will, however, clearly state this is the first time morphing Bayformer Scorponok into robot mode and my impression was this, “Why bother?” I stick with my earlier judgment, he’s the latest in a long line of Terrorcon clones that simply stay in beast mode. Bayformer Scorponok has a gimmick where his claws twirl if you roll him on the ground. I try to point out the gears that do this with an hobby knife in this shot: http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0660.jpg He also can shoot his stinger forward about 1.5 inches/4cm, though it never can come out of the mechanism. I try to show the mechanism you push with the stinger in and also with the stinger extended below: http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0661.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0663.jpg Moving into Blackout’s gimmicks, it is best to do this by segueing through how the two connect. The Deluxe Class Scorponok can “hitch a ride” with Voyager Blackout through the use of two pegs underneath Blackout that go into two female sockets on top of Scorponok. I do my best to show all this off with the hobby knife again: http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0665.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0666.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0669.jpg However in order to do this, you have to swivel Scorponok’s tail around like this… http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0671.jpg …so he can attach and look like these below: http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0672.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0673.jpg Well, I’d rather stick with the little rubber Scorponok to be honest as that fits better in the carriage it is meant for… http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0680.jpg Moving into more firmly Blackout gimmickry, this figure can take off his back propeller “backpack” (???) and put it on his shoulder to use in hand-to-hand combat. While the instructions are quite unclear and I initially thought it involved the model/toy bending over at the waist, it is not hard to do but easier shown than stated. 1. First, take off the back pack. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0705.jpg 2. Then spread out the rotors again as they were all sloped down while he’s in robot mode. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0706.jpg 3. Bend the rotor area at a 90 degree angle. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0707.jpg 4. Position the rotor-weapon horizontal http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0708.jpg … and attach to shoulder peg (see my middle finger pointing to it and my thumb to the hole you will use. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0710.jpg Sadly, it will overlap quite a bit over his shoulder as you can’t move it in closer to use the other hole… http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0711.jpg …and then you push this lever directly into the tail-rotor boom assembly to make it spin. This also works when he’s in alt/vehicle mode so it looks like he’s flying. http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0712.jpg I cannot, for the life of me, think of any Autobot or human who would stand by and let this guy “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” them with such an obvious weapon system! “Yes, just stand there please while I use my vertical lawn mower blader on you. No cheating by dodging out of the way!” http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0702.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0700.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0699.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0696.jpg This does work, however, for Movie spin-off Incinerator as his prop-hands are much smaller and maneuverable, but a big stretch with Blackout unless this is more of a combat engineering tool. It also makes the model/toy very lopsided and as I like to use their knees (I’m still giddy about this after growing up with Frankenstein-legs G1 figures) he would almost collapse/topple over under the weight of this thing. I think you can tell I don’t like this gimmick too much either. Lastly, let me quickly show you the difference between a standard & premium figure with Blackout in alt/vehicle mode. I think the choice of which one is better is obvious, even down to the little rubber Scorponok! http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0682.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0689.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0693.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0692.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Blackout_and_Scorponok/IMG_0686.jpg I do have a mini-photo lab coming in the mail for what I call the “sterile field” shots where the figure is surrounded in all white (“sterile field” like for undergoing surgery and the figure is “uncontaminated” by anything) as a fair number of folks seem to like that to augment my scenic/action shots. I do like these figures, but then again I have a different focus then the average collector as I like to make action dioramas and am actively seeking to come up with a game system to re-enact Transformer battles. If I was more of a simple collector, I am not sure what priority I would lay on getting these figures. Some of my figures I have bought “sight unseen” merely based on their bios, Tech Specs, and alt mode vehicle-types so I guess it comes down to what you really want in a figure. With that, now I’ve got to go pack…
Excellent work. The review has been added, along with some pics. Blackout - Movie Main Line - Transformers Resources I'll go back through and transfer some of the scenic stuff to Blackout's image section later.
I will do my best to help you, Sol Fury, and Super Megatron with the resources pages the best I can in the form of those parts I like the most but also with sterile field shots, discussion of the toys themselves, and their gimmicks. All part of having a good site and being a team player...
Sterile Shoot of Blackout Here are the sterile shots of Blackout (Premium Edition) and Blackout (Standard Release), enjoy! Premium Edition http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0833.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0835.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0837.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0874.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0876.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0839.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0843.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0845.jpg Standard Release http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0868.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0870.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0872.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0847.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0849.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0852.jpg Compare & Contrast in Robot Mode http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0878.jpg
Sterile Shoot of Scorponok Here is the sterile shoot of Scorponok, enjoy! Robot Mode http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0864.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0862.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0866.jpg Vehicle/Alt/Beast Mode http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0856.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0860.jpg http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu279/StarscreamKills/Portfolio/IMG_0858.jpg
