Name: Scourge
Series: United
Allegiance: Destron
Alternate Mode: Cybertronian Space Ship
Thanks to Tiby for loaning me Scourge for this review
SPACE SHIP MODE
Height: 3.5cm Length: 11cm Width: 20cm
A transparent pale indigo flying wing with darker indigo (also transparent) along the front edge and on the engines at the back of the wing. There are six small silver painted windows at the front and some white painted details on the engines at the rear, but this version of Scourge is really all about transparent plastic. Despite the name, it's more of an indigo than purple - so Scourge is quite close to the blue of the regular release of this mould. There's a small purple Decepticon logo stamped on top. The flying wing design isn't quite what we're used to from Scourge - this combined with the shift from blue to Indigo means this repaint isn't instantly recognisable as Scourge (although the distinct top mounted cannon is here). It works very well, visually,. mind you.
The shape might be different, but the smooth curved lines are the same as G1 - he's wider & more aerodynamic but still has the same general feel as the hovercraft-shaped toy from G1. There's no longer a bridge at the back, but the cannon is still there (if lower now, since there's no bridge to mount it on). The sculpt is pretty good with depressions on the wings allowing air intakes into his jet engines. There's a few seams and the like on the wings as well, and the wingtips are pointing down. On this transparent version the hands aren't immediately visible inside the engines (as is the case on the regular version) and there's a _lot_ of internal detail visible on the relatively colourless lighter main wing area, giving him a very detailed look - but also moving him further away from his G1 self.
There's not a lot of play value here. The cannon on top is fixed and there are no other weapons in this mode. Scourge's undercarriage can fold away and he'll happily lie on his belly. None of the three undercarriages sections feature actual wheels. His robot mode weaponry is stowed inside the wings, but he can't really use them here.
A good vehicle mode despite being a little static. This transparent repaint feels a lot less like G1 Scourge than the regular version, but the semblance is still here. The extra detail here and switch to indigo make this a rather different looking toy but the changes work very well aesthetically.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
Open his wings to reveal the weaponry, lift out and close the wings again. Fold away the landing gear, unclip the underside (with wings attached), allowing the front to unclip and extend as legs. Fold back the cannon to reveal his head, pull the head out. Fold out his feet, lift up the pale panel in front of the Decepticon logo, slide the darker panel under the logo back & rotate his waist. Rotate the legs, stand him up. Pivot the underside plate onto his back, with the wings hanging as a cape. His engines become arms, and while the forearms are fairly standard - the fists slide out - there's a rather clever but difficult to describe contortion used to form his shoulders. Lastly, unfold the gun, clasp the top section on and place in either hand.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 14cm Width: ~15cm (depending on what you do with the wings)
The lighter pale indigo which dominates his vehicle mode is now relegated to second fiddle - the darker indigo is far more prevalent here. The sides of his boots, his thighs, elbows and the wings on Scourge's backpack are composed of the lighter colour but most of the robot mode is the darker colour. His face is painted silver with a gunmetal moustache and black eyes. The fingers are transparent red along with the tip of the cannon on his head while there's white and silver painted details on his arms. Scourge features more silver on his torso, along with that stamped Decepticon logo. The colours are still something of a departure from the character, but the layout makes the tribute a lot stronger here - and the distinctive facial here really nails this robot as Scourge, anyway. Again the colours work visually, and the transparent plastics work better here, if anything.
While the shape of the vehicle mode represented a departure from his G1 form, this robot mode is much truer to G1. The wings form a cape and the head is spot on. The gun even is even designed to resemble Fracas' gun mode (although this toy isn't a Targetmaster). The shoulders are unusually wide which is probably the only notable flaw of this robot mode. I'm happy to report that the wings are hinged in such a way that they'll stay out of the way of his limbs while still allowing the backplate to sit flush. What's more, that panel also tucks away nicely on his posterior (it looks like a nappy/daiper, sure, but at least it's out of the way!).
The play value here is essentially just the poseability. Well, and Scourge's ability to stow his weapon in his cape, I suppose. The head is ball jointed, allowing him to aim the cannon on his head. The shoulders swing and lift out to the sides while his elbows are hinged with rotators. The wrists rotate, helping him aim. The waist turns, but it doesn't look very natural since both the waist and groin are wide (this is really just a joint for transformation). The hips are ball jointed with rotators just below them to assist his hinged knees. Scourge's ankles are hinged and he has fairly meagre heelspurs. Scourge can be a little back-heavy, so I'd recommend a wider pose for the wings, bringing his centre of gravity forward. Overall it's good poseability, although some poses can look a little weird with his wide shoulders.
A great robot mode despite no gimmicks. Scourge's face is spot on, the wings work well and the colours amazingly well considering that the's character usually blue - not indigo. The shoulders are a little weird but he's poseable enough that you'll find a pose which looks good. Okay, there's no Targetmaster partner, but the gun works well. The repaint is very well focussed here.
VARIATIONS
None that I'm aware of. He was exclusively available in a three pack with Cyclonus & Galvatron, only through e-Hobby, making variants unlikely.
OVERALL
A solid tribute toy with clever use of two shades of transparent indigo - the colours work exceptionally well for a limited exclusive in that they work for the character while still offering a vastly different look to the broadly similar colours of the original. Scourge has good engineering and a tribute that works well in both modes. The robot mode's shoulders are a little weird, and this is his only real flaw. There's no Targetmaster, which will displease some - but that's not exactly a flaw, and would have compromised the look of the vehicle mode anyway. A really impressive limited repaint that's both subtle and striking at the same time - 9/10
|
