Devastator was already completed two years ago with the regular releases, and even moreso when Skipjack got his own individual release. But what if you were someone that wanted to get all of them in a single go? Hasbro made sure that was possible, especially since they took up some of the main movie characters' main slots as much as SS86 did...anyways, what if you already got Devastator and want to display him in two different ways? You can easily get a hold of an upgrade kit that changes his upper body. When you think about it, that might be a response to the lack of some of the features present in the concept image on the box, which everyone expected the toy to look like instead of the one we ended up with. So let's take a look at SS-69 Devastator WITH the DNA Design DK-20 upgrade kit.
Let's first go over the upgrade kit's content: you have the Vortex Grinder, the back fins, a backpiece of his head, two shoulder parts, the rubber hoses, the enemy scrotum, a neckpiece, a cannon meant for Mixmaster, and extra pieces meant for the hoses and the truck nose.
The neckpieces are meant to go with the hoses that will eventually go to the back of Scavenger. You'll be able to peg those parts onto each other if you use the bases that lack the peg since the latter is meant to connect to the toy. Do you notice those tiny holes on the neckpiece bases? You can screw in the hose pieces if necessary.
Now for the headpiece, which can connect to the neck of Devastator in a fashion similar to Overload's storage of it in robot mode. I have to warn you that there may be a chance the piece will not be easy to remove due to the density of the plastic compared to the official toy. Originally, there was a gap that was between the face and the neckpiece. With this new headpiece, can help round it out into a much more complete design that fills everything in, adds the facial cheeks, and even the little head fins! Thankfully, there is no color discrepancy or lack of synergy between the face and the new pieces, and the new parts complement the new paint apps.
Now we have the Vortex Grinder, which can peg onto the back of the figure without having you worry too much about any disassembly. It's able to fit in nicely even if it's a separate accessory. It can also spin on the inside, a very nice touch. And while it's not the last accessory he has, we have the enemy scrotum! You have to attach it onto the little slit where the tail would go normally, but while it looks a little DIY with the paddle and the chains in terms of appearance, it still works well. Also noticed one of the wrecking balls has a hook!
Next, we have the back fins with their method of attaching to the toys being rather difficult, which will be pretty hard to work with if you want to transform him into his vehicle mode. The tabs that go on the back are fine for the hoses. As for the neckpiece, it's able to attach on there fine enough. But the stomach piece is not so easy to get on there due to the tabs and the clip that goes on the pin near the canopy. It stays on there, but you have to adjust everything so it remains on there or else it'll come undone.
And now we have to attach Mixmaster onto the neckpiece...this is not easy due to the limited space from the hole, but you can flex it enough as you get it in there. And the little pegs allow you to slide the rectangular tabs into the mushroom pegs of the truck nose's wheels.
And voila! I also added the shoulder parts to complete the look; those prevent transforming so be sure to either watch over the pegs or leave it in Devastator mode. Anyways, while the legs get no visual differences, the upper body is where the upgrades truly shine. We no longer have scrawnier shoulders, the exposed back of Overload's face, and a vaguely incomplete face or back. Everything we have here, in addition to the new paint apps that Scrapper, Scrapmetal, Long Haul, Skipjack, and Mixmaster's Devastator face, results in a much more complete Devastator than the stock configuration.
Let's compare the face sculpts, as the original version did not have the right proportions on its own since it looked a little more square than I'd like, plus the neck piece didn't flow well with the rest of the toy. Here? It's a much stronger appearance thanks to the facial cheeks and the ears/antennae/horns that not only complete the look but also connect the neckpiece and the face together. You can even articulate those parts!
The backs are also improved upon, as we not only have the back fins where they need to be, but we have the hoses AND Vortex Grinder on where the treads go. The original attempt was appreciative, though it did look incomplete. The truck nose also looks better on the back than on the back of Mixmaster. And originally, the toy had the stand on the back of the crotch, but now we have the enemy scrotum in its place. You can still store the stand within Skipjack if you want.
With the original Constructicons now in their individual robot modes, let's cover the bonus cannon accessory; while Devastator can use it on the right arm, Mixmaster can utilize it while he's in his robot mode by wedging this in-between the inner portions of the wheels. This allows you to turn him into his cannon mode, which is admittedly nothing too crazy.
In sum, this upgrade kit is impressive! While there are a few things I'd like to see improved upon or even added onto to further complete the look, Devastator feels much more impactful this time around than with his stock configuration. IF anything, it makes me happy to have bought two versions of Devastator so I could do the comparison better AND get a more complete collection of Studio Series figures. If I ever get around to doing the rest of the DNA Design sets, I'd probably do the Jetwing or Jetpower Prime kits, and possibly get back to fix Grimlock's accessories with his kit. The add-ons for Blackout, Sentinel, and Bee are cool, but I feel it'll be irritating to get doubles for the sake of Bumblebee's ROTF and DOTM forms. That Dino/Shatter upgrade set is neat but they don't entirely fix car Shatter while a new bumper would be nice for Dino. And who can forget about Shockwave's parts? There's a whole lot to catch up with...
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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