General Information:
Release Date: October 2016
Price Point: $99.99 (Suggested Retail)
Retailer: Limited Exclusive (Amazon, Bigbadtoystore, Entertainment Earth etc.)
Accessories: Hands x 2, Feet x 2, Rifle (Scattershot), Blasters x 2 (Afterbreaker), Shotgun (Lightsteed), Drill (Nosecone)
Official images are from Amazon.com. Official text in italics are from Bigbadtoystore:
In the Combiner Wars, teams of Autobots and Decepticons combine to form giant super robots and battle with the fate of worlds in the balance. Computron is never wrong. Of all the Combiner robots, he is the most successful at merging the different personalities of his component bots. The Autobot processes input from each of Technobots and evaluates all possible outcomes to identify the perfect plan of attack.
Join the battle and build a Combiner super robot with this 7-in-1 Combiner Wars Computron Collection Pack. Get 6 Technobots figures that combine to form a Computron Combiner figure in this 1 set. The Voyager Class Scattershot figure forms the torso of the Computron Combiner figure; the Deluxe Class Afterbreaker, Strafe, Lightsteed, and Nosecone figures form the arms and legs; and the Legends Class Scrounge figure becomes a Combiner weapon.
The Combiner Wars universal connection system means these figures work with other Combiner Wars figures. Combine the Scattershot figure with other Deluxe Class Combiner Wars figures or combine Afterbreaker, Strafe, Lightsteed, and Nosecone figures with other Combiner Wars Voyager Class figures to build more Combiner super robot figures. (Additional figures are each sold separately.) The pack also includes 12 accessories, a Cybaxx mini space shuttle figure, a Combiner Wars poster, and a collectible Computron character card.
Packaging:
The packaging for Computron resembles the one used for G2 Superion. It is a huge rectangular box with a black background. The side features a vertical "Transformers" logo with the "Generations" logo above it. Most of the box's front features Computron's poster art. The other side features the poster and card art that is packaged inside the box. Below that are photos of all six team members in vehicle mode. The back features a large, vertical photo of the character with a write up about him. The individual character names are broken out along the top of the box with cropped images of each team member.
It may sound odd to say but Scrounge was one of the biggest selling points of this set for many fans. Introduced in Marvel's Generation One comic books the character of Scrounge was a spy who was a friend of Blaster's. The character was known for having a "very special arm" with various devices built into it. This is the first time the character has been made into an action figure so fans were quite excited about it.
Scrounge is a retool and redeco of Legends Class Cosmos. He also includes a redeco of Payload, the Micromaster partner that originally came with Cosmos. This time out his name is Cybaxx, a reference to the character of Boltax, also from the G1 Marvel comic books. Check out my Cosmos review for a detailed look at this figure. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
There is an interesting confluence of source material in choosing Cybaxx (aka Boltax) as the partner for Scrounge. First, Cybaxx's G1 inspiration is a character who was first introduced in (and mostly limited to) the G1 Marvel comic books. Second, the character's coloring was mostly yellow just like Scrounge himself. I think a meta joke can also be made about the Underbase being shot into space and all that but I'll leave that to hardcore fans to chew on.
For this release the Payload sculpt has been completely cast in a pearlescent yellow plastic. There are only two paint applications on the whole figure: the robot face and the cockpit windows. Sure it looks rather plain, but to be fair it is pretty true to the character he represents. Also given that this is basically a glorified accessory, I'm not holding it to the same standards as a regular figure.
All of Payload's functionality is intact including his weapon mode. All the parts are in good shape so no worries about loose bits. In all honesty I'm relieved this piece was even included with the set. Given that Legends Class figures no longer come with smaller figures, I was worried at first this figure would be removed from the final product. I think it adds value to the set and it provides the set with a much needed extra weapon for the Deluxe figures (I'm looking at you Strafe).
Vehicle Mode:
In the Generation One comic book Scrounge transformed into a wheel. No, you read that right. His alt-form was a metal wheel that would blend into Cybertron's wasteland of scrap metal when needed (though his bright yellow color didn't exactly help). This round shape made Cosmos' sculpt a good choice for Scrounge's vehicle mode since it is a (mostly) round shape.
Scrounge features a new head sculpt which peeks out slightly in this form. The part that shows is the top of the head where a backswept crest mirrors the rear vertical stabilizer on the body of the UFO mode. His eyes also peek out a bit which is kind of cute. The rest of the sculpt is the same as Cosmos.
Scrounge is cast in the same yellow color as Cybaxx. Like Cybaxx, red is the primary paint color. It's used on the blasters in the front, the thrusters in the back, arrow details in the front and outlines of the windows. The windows themselves are painted blue and there is a bit of silver under them. If you are not familiar with Scrounge as a character, this color scheme may seem extremely boring. However it is actually very true to the character and I really like how much the red and blue colors pop against the yellow plastic.
Like the original release of this sculpt you can connect Cybaxx to Scrounge using the rockets on the back to connect to the blasters in front. My only concern is that since the blasters are painted there is potential for paint to scratch off. Now, I've done this about three times as of this review and it has not happened yet but keep an eye on it if you own this set.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Detach Cybaxx and set him aside for now.
- Lift the panel with the thrusters on it up.
- Pull the front half of the vehicle forward a bit, then out to the sides to begin forming the robot legs.
- Swing the leg section down, then rotate it around in the middle. Be sure the hip piece is pushed all the way forward.
- Straighten out the halves of the legs.
- Swing the rear halves of the vehicle mode up, then swing the forearms forward.
- Pull the robot head up.
- Swing the panel on the back down.
- Cybaxx can be attached to either fist in weapon mode.
Robot Mode:
Scrounge features a new head sculpt in robot mode. While it is somewhat similar to his G1 Marvel Comic book design, it actually looks a lot more like the one featured in the IDW Publishing comic books. It features a curved design with angled eyes and a distinct mouthplate. The crest sweeps back, making it almost look like he's wearing a funny hat of some sort. Overall it works as Scrounge's head and even if you are not familiar with IDW's design it is not hard to figure out who he is meant to be.
This mode is cast completely in the pearlescent yellow plastic which is interesting as it is rare for most Transformers figures to be cast all in one color. It works for the character however. Most of the details from the vehicle mode carry over into this one, but he has some additional red detailing. His eyes are painted red and his upper arms have red outlines on them. An autobot symbol graces his left shoulder. Again the color scheme may turn some folks off, but it fits the character nicely.
All the joints on my copy of Scrounge are really nice and tight. I was surprised because in some cases (like the legs) the joints are actually tighter than those on my Cosmos figure!
Final Thoughts:
Scrounge gets a lot of kudos for being a fun modern take on a character I frankly never thought I would see as a toy. Indeed, he was a large part of the reason I even picked up this set. He's also fun to play with and he looks great. This is one of the best parts of this set!
