Transformers Studio Series Bonecrusher review

He may have died too soon, but Bonecrusher's still a recognizable Transformer in the movie continuity, between the design, his rollerskating moves, the tail claw, and his death showing just how strong the then-new incarnation of Optimus he fought against was. Of course, he does more in other fiction, but that's expected with some tie-in media. However, as limited as his screentime was, I still dug seeing him in action, though I wish getting new figures, or larger ones in the case of this guy, would be done more often. Nearly 12 years after the 2007 line has ended, perhaps the Studio Series version of the character can live up to expectations as the first figure since the MV1 Deluxe, right?

Here is Bonecrusher in vehicle mode, which does capture how the Buffalo MPV looks in real life, but something about it looks a bit off, yet I can't seem to put my finger on it. All of the details are there, yet things like the hinges underneath the doors and the somewhat broken up undercarriage mess things up. I'd say the grill should look a bit less wide than it is here, and I wish the windows were a darker blue. The painted windows just look a bit to light for a vehicle mode that's already pale in color.

You can see some of the weirder things about the kibble from this side of the altmode. It's not awful, but it does look a bit weirder than it normally would be.

You can pose the claw arm to recreate its method of detecting mines, though a part of the claw should hinge up to look a bit flat in order to not make the pose look as awkward.

Here is Bonecrusher next to his MV1 form. I think that there are a few parts of the altmode from the MV1 version that does look better than the Studio Series one. I like the thicker tires, the proportions of the grill, and the undercarriage not being as broken up as it is here. Also, the size of the two altmodes is about the same in the case of these two.

It should be noted that the 2007 figure is missing some pieces and there is a sticker that mostly came off; it was one I got from a retro toy shop and held onto until the Studio Series version was made.

The old version's clas does look noticeably thicker, but I like how the claw can look a bit more flat on the ground. Maybe it's a personal preference thing.

Here are the other Decepticons in the line made before Bonecrusher (though Barricade was in the same wave as him). The scale isn't exactly perfect, mainly with Starscream and Blackout needing to be bigger, but from a screencap of the first movie where Brawl, Bonecrusher, and Barricade go en route, the size between Brawl and Barricade doesn't look too bad (Barry should be smaller, though) 

Transforming Bonecrusher is pretty simple to do. I'd say that it's about on par with the MV1 Deluxe in terms of complexity. I kind of wish there'd be more steps for the forearm panels so they don't look like they have stumps on their arms. At least the torso isn't too simplistic, and the tail claw's joints do let you fold it up tidily

Bonecrusher in his robot mode certainly captures the stocky appearance he hates. If there is anything that I would hate, I do wish the arms don't look like they have the details etched on there, as they look like they'd belong to a previous figure. The rest of the bot mode does look good, though. It should be mentioned that you can swivel the spikes however you like, though they're meant to have the claws rotated 180 degrees rather than 90 degrees like they are in my images.

The rest of the bot mode looks somewhat lost when viewed from the side, but at least the back doesn't look too bad. Another complaint I do have is that I think the color should be a bit darker since I don't remember Bonecrusher being this pale in the movie. Another weird thing is the 5mm ports that don't really make much sense when he has no real weapons to use.

The head sculpt doesn't have as much molded detail compared his other Decepticon allies, but at least you can tell his angry face full of hate is there.

Bonecrusher's articulation is about what you'd expect. The tail claw can hinge as well as open up, the head is on a hinge for looking left and right and on a ball joint for tilting the head. Shoulders move front and back, in and out, biceps swivel, the elbows bend, and you can move the arm cover to make it look like it's not really part of it. Also, the claws can open, which is nice since you'd think they'd be in soft-molded plastic with no movement. The legs can move front and back at the hips as well as in and out, swivel at the thighs, bend at the knees, and even pivot at the ankles.

And here we have the Buzzworthy Bumblebee repaint of Bonecrusher, this time depicting him in NEST colors as he spies on the Autobots and the military to gain some new intel. The secret message "4LL H4IL M3947R0N" is hidden under the windows, and by hidden, I mean it'll fool almost no one, but like Ratchet, this is reminiscent of the old days of movie toy repaints. I'd prefer a Jungle redeco, though.

Here he is next to the MV1 version. Despite the accuracy of the new mold, the Studio Series figure falls short (no pun intended) by not having that much of a size upgrade. I know Bonecrusher was a squatting robot, but I don't think he's supposed to be that short. On the plus side, the blades of the tail add a bit more height in a way, and the head being bigger works in its favor.

The original's claw feature was a bit different from the use of Automorph technology that Hasbro wanted to push for the 2007 Movie figures, and the claws do extend for added play value.

While the new figure is still a better toy as it's more accurate, you're sadly not getting too much that makes it feel like it's a worthy upgrade after nearly 12 years of waiting for a new Bonecrusher.

Here he is with the Decepticons that were brought together as told by Frenzy (who's missing in this line). I'm really looking forward to seeing them all hail Megatron, who's the last MV1 Decepticon in the line (and he sadly's missing Frenzy). As for Bonecrusher himself, I think he's the weakest Decepticon in this line-up. Some will think that's me criticizing the screentime he has, but I'm referring to how limited the changes are for this guy. If I never saw the 2007 Deluxe, I'd honestly think the Studio Series one was from the MV1 line. If you want to get a Bonecrusher and can't get any of the 3P MPM offerings, this will do well enough, but I'd recommend him for a cheaper price, so I hope you got some discounts on Bonecrusher.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐