All I'm gonna say is this figure is 1 fantastic perfectly sculpted figure that could easily be on scale of near Master piece quality.

 

Read about the pin defect too late, got a single scratch on my Scourge.

Is there absolutely no way to fix that exposed pin defect? I would like to note that the left wing pin also scrapes into the other side of the plastic, albeit on a significantly reduced scale.

As of now all I can think of is to stick a little piece of sticky tape on top to act as a barrier, but I don't see it lasting for long (particularly on the right side).

This joint would have been perfect for a snap-on plastic bump hinge, I fail to see why it had to be made as a pin joint.

Small update: I made it one piece of cellophane for the left side, two for the right. A few test transformations shows it seems to halt the scratching problem entirely, for now. Not a perfect measure, either the pin eventually scratches its way out or the adhesive wears off. But at least it works for now.

 

Scourge has had two decent updates before, one from Generations that turned into an Earth flying wing bomber and one from Titans Return that saw him get the Headmaster treatment. However, the two of them had something in common - they were both Deluxes. Now, like Cyclonus from the Kingdom line, the world is finally ready to outgrow those toys. Studio Series has given us an all-new cartoon-accurate Scourge, now sized up into Voyager class.

Scourge stands slightly shorter than Kingdom Cyclonus, which is pretty accurate to their scale in the cartoon. The shellformy vehicle casing forms the batlike wings he is best known for, which can actually be adjusted to spread wide or fold closer to him, or even flap like some ridiculous wannabe devil-bird. (Personally I display him with the wings drawn in around him, since my shelf is starting to get overcrowded and it helps me save space.) Articulation has all the standard War for Cybertron Trilogy bells and whistles including waist and ankles, which lends credence to my theory that SS86 is a cleverly disguised outlet for WfC toys that the toyline was too short to fit in. The asymmetry of his hands is a curious detail, and though I have no complaints I wonder what exactly was the reason behind it. Scourge includes one blast effect in Decepticon purple, a rarity among Hasbro blast effects, which fits on the barrel of the included blaster or the tip of his distinctive forehead-thing. (Mine was packaged with the head-thing rotated 180 degrees into vehicle mode position, something I didn't notice until I opened the instructions.)

(Of note, my Scourge does not have the pin problem that is apparently plaguing many other Scourges. The pin in question does not protrude from its hole, in fact it is slightly recessed into the hole as most pins in Transformers toys do.)



Scourge's vehicle mode, a Cybertronian space hovercraft affectionately described by TFWiki as 'soap', is perfectly replicated thanks to the toy's shellformy transformation sequence. Despite this, the engineering doesn't feel lazy thanks to the involved steps in his torso and legs that form the inside of the vehicle. There is weapon storage on the sides, and the blast effect can be used on any of the three points on the vehicle's 'fins'. The instructions also feature a segment on how to transform him so his head protrudes from the vehicle, which is honestly hilarious. It's actually a pretty involved process.



This toy feels like the definitive update of Scourge, just like how Kingdom Cyclonus was the definite version of that character. Now all we need to complete the Season 3 Decepticon inner circle is a Generations Galvatron... not the terrible Titans Return one, but hopefully one that features the innovative articulation and transformation that Scourge and Cyclonus received while also being G1-accurate in both modes.

 

Saw this for the first time at Universal Studios of all places. Looked decent but no way I was gonna spend the $60 they wanted for it. Maybe at retail... just maybe.

 

So I am not sure what to think of this figure. I do like him. I think the transformation is okay. Definitely not to Hot Rod standards, simply okay. I think the reason why I am luke warm on him is because of QC.

This feels like a figure where they either used the wrong paint, or the molding of the plastic didn't take into account the paint thickness. I am actually thinking it is the first. All the tightness is simply too thick paint. That same thick paint chips really easily. I had to return my first one because the paint out of the box was chipped in multiple places. While my second has a couple of places with chips, nothing like the first.

Maybe when I get over that, I will like the figure a bit more, but this does not feel premium to me.

(Edit) I played with this guy some more, and I the QC kills the whole figure. the thigh swivels don't work. The wrist as mentioned is super tight, so you definitely need to fix that. The posing is posible, but feels like I will either break something or chip some paint.

Besides the looks of him, and he does look glorious. I cannot recommend him at all.

 

I just found one of my old Takara Masterpiece stands (I had several of those clear ones).
I'm so glad that it's compatible with some figs in the SS line. Now I can display Scourge in flying hovercraft mode.  

But somehow that display stand isn't compatible with Kingdom Cyclonus.

 

Scourge, finally sized in voyager-class, leaps straight off the screen for the Studio Series line. That said, I have the last 2 Scourge figures so I was a little reticent getting this one until I found it on sale at Target for $20 after my local store reduced prices to $27 and I was able to use my 25% off coupon and my 5% off Target redcard discount.

Space Soap mode pluses:

• + generous value-size lets you wash more for less
• + lathers easily, gets you nice and clean
• + shape has enough purchase to avoid dropping in the shower
• + mild scent that will open your eyes without awakening the chaos-bringer in the morning

Wait wait, that's not right.

Vehicle mode pluses:

• + sleek space boat thing that's fairly accurate from the front upper angles
• + nice sculpted detailed elements that don't detract from the sleekness
• + decent voyager-class sized vehicle
• + 5mm peg holes on the side and at the back
• + pretty solid once all the shell parts are massaged into place
• + big ol' Decepticon sigil printed on the front
• + 3mm blast effect plugs on the front of each thruster
• + heads-up mode is a clever execution that has its own real transformation
• + very whooshable

Vehicle mode minuses:

• - robot legs sticking out the back are not well integrated even though the toes and heels are folded up
• - undercarriage view is obviously just a robot standing there with 2 small shield pieces poorly covering the upper body
• - side shell pieces have a bit of a gap at the top
• - light gray/lavender paint doesn't match with the side shell colored plastic pieces that are supposed to be continuous
• - lacks the darker blue color on the upper fuselage
• - one of the shell pieces and one of the lower shield pieces pop out of position slightly, don't want to stay in their locked positions
• - rear view is a lot of space uncovered
• - heads-up mode leaves a piece of kibble unfolded ahead of the center tower, and a big gap from the rear

Vehicle mode minuses weigh more heavily than the pluses, but it's not as much a disaster as I expected. It's got plenty of issues, no doubt, but its screen-accurate charm definitely helps soothe some of that since it was always a bit of a goofy anyway.

Transformation thoughts:

• going to vehicle mode is pretty straightforward, lots of parts to massage of course but once you get the idea of where things are going, it's just moving the parts where they'll move
• getting the folded-down head cover out is tough, on my sample it is a lot easier to just fold the bot mode parts down into it to grab their connecting pegs and pull it back with them
• vehicle mode's heads-up mode requires unfolding all the shell parts out of the way, then raising up the head and back plate, tabbing the back plate into the rear upper thrusters, and putting the shell back together, which has a bit of work to it
• going to robot mode is a real pain as the main shell hinge doesn't want to hinge out, it's hard to remember where to grab and where to push
• vehicle-to-robot transformation also has a double hinge at the head that isn't easy to remember which way it goes to align things
• there's tabs that hold the wings to the backpack, they're not the strongest but it's nice they considered this

Robot mode pluses:

• + big, imposing, accurate-looking Scourge
• + head is dang near perfect in paint and sculpt
• + has the popped collar that the previous Scourge figure left out (TR)
• + some good paint and sculpt detail
• + well-articulated to WFC levels, and wings can hinge back
• + sports 5mm ports on the shoulders, forearms, lower legs, back, and rear wing kibble
• + claws and 5mm ports on shoulders and lower legs have hot pink paint

Robot mode minuses:

• - hollow-designed hands are painted so they don't want to move, and the left thumb seems like it's going to break when holding any weapon
• - hollow-designed thighs are painted so they look unfinished from the back and pop off the hip mushroom pegs when using the articulation
• - shell parts making up the wings are way too much kibble and poorly integrated
• - chest design seems a little 2-dimensional compared to the cartoon design
• - backpack and small heel spurs make it back-heavy and hard to find the balance point
• - elbows don't really have an integrated sculpt, just a wheel in the middle of the arm
  
• - big cut-aways to receive mushroom pegs too obvious on biceps and thighs
• - upper legs on both thigh and knee area are painted entirely gray despite being purple with a central gray accent in the movie, they could have just painted the middle part gray and left the rest the accurate purple color, I don't want to have to remove that much paint myself
• - knee pad halves aren't painted on inner edges so they show that purple in the seam looking like they're not properly assembled
• - gun accessory is fairly hollow on both sides, was super difficult to remove from the tray
• - blast effect warped in the tray, will need to be heated to reset to straight
• - 5mm peg in the back is very loose to accommodate the transformation
• - wings don't want to stay tabbed into the backpack

Robot mode pluses are all solid stuff, but those minuses are quite a mix of problems and nitpicks. The wing kibble isn't fun to look at, but the hollow hands and thighs can lead to disassembly or breakage and that's a big deal. I also don't have much love for his rifle, it's not a negative but it's not bringing enough to the party.

Overall, I like Scourge for his size and his sense of a fun toy that's fairly film-accurate, but there's a few too many things that seem underbaked, from the easily-broken thumb and immobile wrists, to the thighs that pop off when using their articulation, to the kibble that doesn't integrate smoothly into the wings, to the overpainted thighs and upper legs instead of masking off a smaller section, to the undetailed elbow articulation, to the uncovered robot arms and legs in vehicle mode, to the rear of the vehicle mode being poorly-disguised robot feet. I'm not sorry I got him, but I'm sure I wouldn't have been happy if I had paid full price, and that's a bad sign for a new figure. I won't be buying more for Sweeps, I'll just use the previous Generations and Titans Returns figures for that.

 

I can't help but to compare him to Cyclonus, since I just got them both, and Scourge is pretty lacking. Scourge's bot mode is really good, but the hovercraft mode is not very convincing except from the top when it's sitting on a table. One of the bottom flaps doesn't close all the way and springs open a little bit.

 

I just bought a Scourge over the weekend from fellow member, @elkevo86 (Thanks buddy for the hook up btw.)

Honestly, to me he's the best Scourge to date. I don't mind his tiny wings. but I dig him a lot.

Can't wait to get a couple more.

although his thigh poseability(or lack thereof) bugs me.  

I store his purple dong in either wing compartment(turbine)

Also, I knew I recognized Scourge's face! It's totally the same face as one of General Zod's Lieutenants from Superman II!

  no. not even remotely close to MP quality.

Edit: I found 2 more tonight in the wild for the first time ever!

 

Could anyone, if they have it, show Scourge with Siege Fracas please?

 

I found one today, he's missing both sides of the bottom of the ship... WTF Hasbro?

 

The wings?

 

This middle part. Just not in the package. Other side too....

 

I have had bad luck with this mold. I got one from Pulse that was missing an engine. Then I ordered one from Wal-Mart.com. Opened it today and noticed this time he has not one but BOTH engines missing.



I reached out to Wal-Mart customer service about it and they didn't have a replacement available so they will refund my money and let me keep this copy so at least I have a Sweep anyway. I have other Scourge orders at Amazon and BBTS so hopefully third times the charm.

 

Oh, OK, so I’m not the only one.. I thought I was losing my mind.

 

What the hell is going on with Hasbro QC lately. The last couple of years seem to have had fantastic QC but this year they are really dropping the ball. Did Hasbro change factories or something?

 

I get to go back to Target and try to explain how this was disassembled from an overseas factory! Or just lie and say I bought the wrong one...

 

Why can't you just say it's defective so someone else doesn't get your repack