Transformers Studio Series Brawl review

Whether he's called Brawl, Devastator, Decepticon Punk, or the tank Decepticon, this character had a Deluxe figure and a Leader Class figure in the original Movie line yet never had a Voyager. He had a Deluxe figure that was pretty weak compared to the contemporary options available, and the Leader Class figure was a much more accurate toy yet felt a lot more clunky when stacked next to later Leader Class figures like ROTF Optimus Prime and HFTD Starscream. A version of Brawl made in the Voyager Class would not be a reality until the Studio Series line was made, so let's see what the mean, green, fighting machine has in store!

Here we have Brawl in tank mode. A modified M1 Abrams tank mode with the additions of a cow-catcher and two missile pods because this Decepticon means firepower. With a camo deco and some bits of rivets to imply how this tank mode was built, Brawl does have that nice feel that a tank former should have.

I do wish the upper two barrels looked like they would match up better. They almost look like Jar Jar's face for some reason with how they look.

Here we have a comparison with the 2007 Deluxe and Leader. The Leader's deco is more apparent yet not as accurate as on either figure, and the treads on the Leader are the best, but the Voyager feels more accurate overall. Deluxe is good, though. I do find it weird that the Voyager's missile pods aren't facing forward. In general, all three of the tanks are good.

Transforming Brawl with the instructions is pretty annoying, and to make matters worse, mine didn't come with any instructions at all! There are some parts that don't look like they're possible to accomplish when you're unaware of how to transform him, such as when to rotate the turret in the robot mode position. That said, once you get the hang of it, you'll have less of a frustrating time transforming the toy, but it's still annoying to deal with.

Brawl's robot mode looks accurate, but there are two issues I have with the figure: The first issue is how the arms work, and the second issue is how the turret sticks out like some weird boner that'd give G1 Megatron a run for his money. Perhaps some would joke this Devastator has an enemy penis than an enemy scrotum found on the ROTF combiner. I wish you can hinge it to make it look like it's positioned to the hip like an underslung cannon. The arms, I do feel are, are a weird part of the toy. They are accurate,, but they don't look normal at the same time. Also, the hands are molded within the turret. The side does look good.

I will compliment the figure by having no big backpack like the original Deluxe and Leader, but I wish the turret was hidden better, and I also wish the hands were easier to see.

The face sculpt looks great, though I wish the eyes were easier to see. Perhaps there are fans that are more used to seeing him with the simpler head design, but that'd work more if the original Brawl figure was made for a Classics line of sorts.

Brawl's articulation is decent. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders swivel 360°, shoulders move in and out, a bicep swivel is added, and the elbows bend. The hips move front and back, in and out, there's a thigh swivel, and a bend at the knee.

Brawl's accessories complete the looks of his arms, as they add even more arsenal that he can unleash in Mission City! They include a missile rack on a blade and a claw with a gun attached. Standard accessories that Movie Brawl normally has.

For a size comparison, here he is next to his Deluxe self that I once owned and the Leader which I never got (even though they've been on shelves more than either Prime or Megatron did). In terms of accuracy, the Studio Series wins better, especially when it's more durable than the Deluxe figure (more on that later), but the Deluxe and Leader manage to win in terms of how the cannons are placed. The Deluxe has it on the arm, Megatron style, and the Leader has it on the hip.

The Deluxe and Voyager at least both handle the weapons in similar ways, but the Deluxe had you remove the cannon for a proper look of the missile pods, and without storage to boot, while the claw looks more intimidating on the Voyager than the Deluxe with its coloring. Also, the proportions of the head made me lower the treads so it can be easier; the Voyager's head looks better.

If there is a problem my Deluxe Brawl had, it's how the back and arms popped off. Too easily. And to make matters worse, this figure had the Allspark Power paint that made him look so bad.

Overall, Brawl's got some minor issues that kind of mess up his aesthetics, but he's still a great recreation of his old self with all the screen accuracy he could get! If you can get past the transformation, limitations of the turret, and the arms, you'll be quite content with this figure. He hasn't been repainted yet, but do expect a Deep Desert variant at some point.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐