General Information:
Release Year: May 2004
Retailer: General Release (Toys 'R' Us, Kay Bee, Wal-Mart etc.)
Price: $9.99 (Depending on Retailer)
Transformation Difficulty Level: 2
Accessories: Missiles x 4
Demolishor was one of Megatron's main troops in the Armada series, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him appear again in the Energon series. Though his animated appearance in Energon thus far has only shown him as a redeco of his former self, a new version of the character has been added to the Energon toy line. Presumably, Demolishor gets an upgrade at some point similar to Cyclonus becoming Snow Cat.
Vehicle Mode:
Demolishor's new vehicle mode is a dump truck. While there have been several dump trucks in Transformers history, this is probably the most fierce looking one. The goal here seems to have been to make this truck look as powerful as possible. The vehicle has some good height to it thanks in part to the large wheels. This provides enough height that everything else is designed around that large size. The front end has a huge grill in the center. The lights are fairly high above the fender, and the driver's compartment is above all that.
I really like the sculpt on this guy. Aside from everything being big he also has some neat detailing. The front grill has a nice set of inset parts giving a layering effect. Small circles represent bolts under the headlights and on the dumping mechanism itself, there's a pile of line detailing. If you look at the inner layer of the wheels, you'll find some nice line detail there as well.
In terms of deco, Demolishor really moves away from his Armada roots. The dumping mechanism, which makes up a good portion of this form, is green, with black details. On the inner part of it is a huge Decepticon symbol. This is literally, I believe, the biggest Decepticon symbol any Transformer has ever had grace its body. The front is where a lot of smaller decos come into play. The grill is silver, the headlights are orange and some gray is used as well (the same gray used for the wheels). The center of the fender has a Decepticon "Spark Crystal" in it, and of course this is the spot where you would attach an Energon Chip.
As the Energon line progresses, I keep worrying that Hasbro is going to drop Powerlinx points on the toys and eventually just make them incompatible with Mini-Cons. While that time may come down the road, that day is not today! Demolishor has two Mini-Con Powerlinx points available in this mode on the top of the dumping mechanism. What's great is that they're far enough apart that you can easily fit two Mini-Cons on there. Also, you can move the dumping mechanism back like a "real" dump truck - which is really a reflection of the vehicle mode's "Hyper Mode".
The "Hyper Mode" in this form basically involves the rear portion of the vehicle revealing the fact that it's a huge missile launcher! This turns the rear section into a turret, which can turn 180 degrees and point up. A fantastic touch to liven up the vehicle mode!
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Detach the robot feet (attached to the rear wheels) from the central beam.
- Swing the halves of the driver compartment out to the sides. Straighten them out to form the robot arms.
- Lift up the center grill section and fold it down and push it into place.
- Flip the black panel up to reveal the robot head.
- Swing the waist piece forward, locking it into place with the tab.
- Fold the dumping mechanism back, and flip the part with the Mini-Con Powerlinx points back.
- Flip the feet up.
Robot Mode:
If you thought Demolishor looked threatening in Armada, he's upped the ante quite a bit! Demolishor's robot form is big and touch looking. Whereas height and bulk were his primary features in vehicle mode, it's width and bulk that do it here! Not only is his upper body wide, but because his arms come out a bit too, he looks especially huge. I love how his grill flips out of the way to allow for a robot chest that isn't part of the vehicle mode. He has different designs on the middle part of the upper body that are simple, yet work out nicely.
Demolishor has some nice sculpted detail on the legs, which are rounded at the edges, going against the typical right angle, hard edge look for robots. There are also a lot of layered details including small tanks on the sides of his upper legs and vents on his lower legs. What's great is that his heels were elongated to support his missile rack/back pack - but they don't subtract from the visual appeal of the toy.
The funny thing is, some people have said that this toy looks more like a vehicular form of Rhinox than Demolishor. I can see how some people would think that. His head is certainly shaped much more like Rhinox's than Armada Demolishor's, and his chest looks more like Rhinox's than anything Demolishor had. With the right paint scheme, this could be Rhinox, but I see nothing wrong with calling a big, bulky mobile weapon rack Demolishor.
Demolishor's deco pretty much falls in line with the vehicle mode. However, the middle of his chest is gray with purple and light metallic blue parts while his legs are green and brown with metallic purple. A nice Small Decepticon symbol can be found on his chest, and the best part? It's molded in and painted, not just a tampograph or something like that.
Some parts such as his feet and fender are painted with rough silver patterns that look like wear and tear. What I really like is the use of translucent green plastic for his lower arms and shoulders (and of course, his missiles). This adds to the "Hyper Power" theme for the Decepticons and looks really nice.
So what is this "Hyper Mode"? Well, it involves a simple transformation which leads to an interesting "alt" mode. Point the robot head up, lift the chest up and fold it forward. Then swing the missile rack up and Demolishor is now in "Hyper Mode".
Demolishor probably takes another unique turn as one of the few Transformers hunchbacks. But this guy isn't deformed, he's packing heat! The launcher on his back has two rows of four missiles each. The top row isn't functional. It's just translucent green plastic ends. But the bottom row is functional! Each missile can be launched individually by pressing the small buttons in the dumping mechanism. I'm really impressed by how nicely these trigger buttons were hidden, and yes, the missiles do launch nicely. While it does look like Demolishor is carrying heavy parcels on his back, it's really an interesting alternate look at the robot mode. Some have found it to be cool, others have found it humorous. I'm sort of in between on that one.
In this mode, Demolishor can add on to his firepower via two Mini-Con pegs and two holes for Energon weapons on the top of the missile rack! It's nice to see both types of connectors available.
While bulky, Demolishor does not suffer from a lack posability. He has fifteen points of articulation, and because of the stabilizing heel piece, you can achieve some pretty cool poses and still have the figure stand. Quite impressive.
Final Thoughts:
Demolishor is an awesome upgrade for the character. A lot of care was put into the design and sculpt, and his posability is icing on the cake. Highly recommended.
