Scavenger is the closest thing the Vehicons currently have to a construction vehicle. But rather than being a creator of grand structures or machines, Scavenger is an agent of destruction! Originally, Scavenger was to be known as Destructicon, a play on the name of the original group of Decepticon construction vehicles: the Constructicons. It is interesting to note that Scavenger was the name of one of the original Constructicons as well.
Vehicle Mode:
In vehicle mode, Scavenger is a Destruction vehicle. His design is more like an alien demolition vehicle than an Earth based one. In many ways, he resembles the construction vehicles seen in the first few pages of the Transformers: Generation 2 (issue #1) comic book. A combination of weaponry (rockets and gatling gun) and brute force (claws in the back and a large crane/mouth) represent Scavenger's destructive personality perfectly. The detailing on this toy is nicely done. Small touches such as his faux "piston" on his crane head, a piece of translucent plastic in the "cockpit" as if light were eminating from it and "teeth" on his vehicular "head" all add up to a nice looking toy.
As a destruction vehicle, Scavenger is dark green, bright orange, silver and black. Pulling on the lever on the back of the crane "head" opens and closes the crane "mouth". In this mode, Scavenger has six points of articulation, including the crane and his claws located at the rear of the vehicle. Opening up the orange panel on the side of the cockpit reveals his Vehicon Spark Crystal.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
Collapse the crane head and neck. Flip up both rear wheels. Rotate the robot arms forward, and turn the lower arms around and open up the claws. Flip up his robot head. Swing down the tread section, and rotate the treads so the flat part of the treads points down. Flip out his feet, and separate his legs which are connected athe ankle. Scavenger is now ready to wreak havoc in robot mode!
Robot Mode:
In robot mode, Scavenger appears even more dangerous than in vehicle mode! The combination of his claws, weapons and evil eye glare on the robot face show that this Vehicon means business. The detailing in this mode pretty much is the same, save for the robot head which uses light orange translucent plastic for the "light eyes" effect when you place the figure under direct light.
Scavenger's color scheme from the vehicle mode carries over into the robot mode. As a robot, he has fifteen points of articulation. His lever mechanism still works in robot mode, allowing him to look upwards. It would have been nicer if his colors were less solid. More spray ops, giving him a dirty and worn appearance may have been more suitable for a destruction vehicle. Also, although the three rockets and gatling gun are both cool, it would have been nice to see more detailing on those pieces.
Scavenger is a fun toy, and a good buy for a basic. I personally give the toy an A. However, if you are not into the unconventional "hunched over" appearance of this robot, you may think it is more of a B.
Updated Thoughts (January 18, 2022):
When you get this figure in hand decades after its original release, it is striking just how relatively "solid" it feels. Because so much of the parts wind up condensing in robot mode, he is bulky looking in a threatening way. I absolutely love the head design which is very alien and quite different than most of the Transformers figures currently on the market. His almost beast-like mouth in vehicle mode adds another unique design element to this figure and really shows how even with vehicle modes, characters from this series were given very alien looking designs!
