General Information:
Release Date: July 9, 2015
Price Point: $179.99
Retailer: San-Diego Comic-Con Exclusive, Hasbrotoyshop
Accessories: In a boxed set with other five Constructicons. Includes Devastator forearms/weapons x 2; Chest plate/weapons; Rifle (splis into two weapons)
The largest Transformers San Diego Comic-Con 2015 exclusive was a boxed set featuring the Decepticon Combiner Devastator. Based on the "Combiner Wars" version of the character, this set included all six Constructicons and featured an exclusive deco and packaging. This review will focus on Hook, who was the last Constructicon I bought back in my younger days.
Vehicle Mode:
Like his G1 counterpart, Hook transforms into a crane truck. The design takes a lot of cues from the G1 version. The biggest give away is the asymmetrical design where the left side of the vehicle is mostly flat while the right side has two cabin sections. Presumably the front section is where the driver would operate the vehicle while the rear cabin is for control of the crane arm. Like the G1 vehicle form he also has four wheels in the back section and two in the front. I really appreciate these G1 influences since this is basically "Generations" Hook.
Unlike his G1 counterpart, there is a lot of small, sculpted detail. This includes a ladder on the sides in the middle, piston like details near the base of the crane and a cross hatch pattern underneath the crane. I love small details like this because they really add to the grandeur of the vehicle mode overall.
Hook is cast in bright neon green, black and purple plastic. The green makes up most of the vehicle. The black is found on the wheels while the purple is focused in the center. Silver is the main paint color. It's used on the ladders on the side, the rims of the wheels, the headlights and the hook at the end of the crane arm. Purple paint is used for the windows on the two cabin sections (also a callback to G1 Hook). There are some tampographed details on top of all these. There are hazard lines in front of each front wheel well and on either side of the crane arm (another G1 homage). On top of the front cabin section is a purple and silver Decepticon symbol. The deco is pretty simple, but it's actually one step up from the mass release of the figure which appears to be missing the silver paint apps on the rims and ladder. The mass release version also appears to be missing the hazard stripe designs. I'm basing these comparisons on promotional photos however, I do not yet own the mass release.
The crane arm can move up and down and you can roll the vehicle around on his wheels. I am a bit sad the crane arm section can't extend and retract. Nor can it swing side to side. Unfortunately he also doesn't have connection points for 5mm peg weapons. Play value isn't the strong suit of this mode for sure.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Swing down the panels on the underside of the vehicle's front end, then flip out the ends to form the robot feet.
- Swing down each half of the vehicle's front end. There are tabs on the panel that forms the front of the lower legs that tab into these sections.
- Hold on to each rear section with the two wheels and pull them out to the side and down.
- On each robot forearm, flip out the robot fists.
- Rotate the robot head around (it's the rectangular black piece).
- Hold on the base of the crane arm section, pull it back and down.
Robot Mode:
One of the concerns many fans had was whether or not the individual Constructicons would "truly" be Voyager Class. Well, putting Hook next to "Generations" Springer and they're actually about the same height. Indeed, Hook is actually slightly wider, so size wise they're about the same. I also weighed the two for fun and while Springer weighs in around 5.2 ounces (about 147.4 grams) Hook is actually roughly 6.2 ounces (about 175.7 grams)! I was surprised by this for sure. Note: these weights include Springer's weapons!
Like the vehicle mode, Hook's design incorporates a lot of G1 inspired elements into the sculpt. Most notable is his head sculpt, which has the same flat top and visor eyes found on G1 Hook. Also, the design of the torso and waist area is almost completely borrowed from his G1 incarnation. This includes distinct elements like the three horizontal bars on either side of his chest, three rectangles on the right side with a single rectangle on the left. He also has a vent like structure right under the chest and a series of horizontal lines in between his legs. All these details come right from the G1 design. For the kid in me who never had Hook until many years after G1 was over, having Hook make such a strong showing sculpt-wise is a treat.
Hook's bright green colors carry over into this form mainly on his arms and lower legs. However, a lot of the main body and waist area are cast in purple plastic. Black plastic is used for smaller parts like the joints on his shoulders and hips as well as the head. One of the signature deco elements of the SDCC set is vacuum metallized purple and here it appears on his chest, outlining the array of raised, sculpted details in the center.
Hook has a ton of deco, much of which references the G1 action figure. Here's a rundown:
- The head features a silver face, but the eyes are painted red. The G1 version featured both the eyes and face painted silver.
- The chest features silver, gold and red details. Silver is used for the three horizontal lines on either side of the chest and smaller details are painted in gold and red. This is taken directly from the chest sticker on G1 Hook.
- At the bottom of the chest is a Decepticon symbol outline in white. G1 Hook had a Decepticon symbol sticker in this spot.
- The area right under the chest has blue painted on the "vent lines" outlined by a silver border. G1 Hook had a sticker with similar details.
- The sides of the waist area are painted black with red on top. This references the waist stickers on G1 Hook.
- Each knee armor piece is painted silver with a blue triangle on top. While often lost and hard to see in most pictures, G1 Hook did have stickers like these.
All these direct references to G1 Hook's sticker sheet really surprised me. The mass release version of the figure doesn't have as many deco points, and I've been staring at those so long I didn't even think about what this figure would look like with "G1 accurate" deco and it looks amazing. I'm not a huge fan of the vacuum metallized chest however. It's a bit "too much" for the character, but it does achieve the goal of making the figure distinctive.
Hook has nineteen points of articulation in this form. This includes four in each arm and five in each leg. His elbow joints are a bit odd looking because when you swing the arms up, there's a huge gap between the upper arm and the forearm, but I'm not really that stuck on it (but that's me, your mileage may vary). His fists are designed to accommodate 5mm peg weapons, of which several are included with the set so you can mix and match which weapons he uses.
The only issue I had with this figure is the left foot. The feet use small, raised, rounded bits to hold on to the hinge joint instead of being pinned in (a cost cutting measure no doubt). Unfortunately the left foot on mine does not sit into the hinge tightly, so it can be pulled off fairly easily. It's also important to note that Hook needs his crane arm in back to stand properly. His feet aren't tight enough to support the full weight of the figure even though they're rather wide.
Final Thoughts:
Hook is a bit deceptive in that you'd think he's just an upscaled Deluxe, but keep in mind he also has to become the chest/head of Devastator so there's a "hidden" complexity here. That said, there are minor issues here and there. I wish the crane arm could extend out (in that sense the G1 version wins) and the loose foot is a bit annoying. Overall a good figure.
