Here is his backdrop, which is the area where the Constructicons formed Devastator and later went up to the Pyramids. It's pretty much the same backdrop used with every Constructicon Rampage, and the shadow is kind of vague as to who it belongs to. Some say it could be Devastator, but it also has bits of Rampage in mind. Anyways, Mixmaster fits in there with no problem.
Here we have Mixmaster in his vehicle mode. It's that of a Mack Granite cement mixer, and its got about everything one would expect the real vehicle mode to have. Maybe the gray could have less of a brownish-hue to it, but it looks the part nonetheless. One could say it's Mixmaster getting a little dirty in the sand (though the silver grille and brush guard look pristine), but he wears it well. The silver is also nicely applied, and I have nothing wrong with the paint apps aside from that one stripe on the drum, where it's not applied too well. I also find the plastic used to snap the wheels on the front a little mismatched with the rim coloring. Still, everything else looks the part, though the back has some robot kibble that's just the arms.
It's got everything one would need for the vehicle to have from the movie. Hell, from the way it looks, for the most part, it's almost like it doesn't transform due to the way its proportions aren't entirely compromised for a blocker robot mode. There's even a cement chute present. In Forged to Fight, he's capable of damaging his opponents with acid.
This figure has an attempt at recreating the Decepticon insignia bulldog ornament. It's a small blob, yes, but it is one step closer to resembling what it should.
Here he is next to the other Constructicons. It's kind of hard to tell what the proper scale is supposed to be between these guys. Scrapmetal sort of fits with Mixmaster while Rampage looks a little oversized while Long Haul and Scavenger look a little undersized.
The transformation is thankfully not as involved as the ROTF figure, a common criticism of the original version of the character. There are a lot fewer steps to work with, though some may find it's got to do with the modern engineering not being quite as involved, the more understandable instructions, and the inclusion of Devastator's head. Also, fewer joints to work with. It's one of those characters that have a unique design, and while the Studio Series figure doesn't have as much flexibility as the older figure. As for the robot mode, when compared to the original Voyager, it's proportions look a lot different than the norm. The limbs literally have 90 degrees from the shoulders and the forearms. Certainly does result in a figure that's not quite as flexible as the old design, but he maintains the look of a walking pipe factory, fitting for how poisonous he could be (in Forged to Fight, at least). And before anyone asks, he does not transform into a cannon. Not that he needs to, because he's pretty much got a different priority in mind.
The side view has nothing much to note about aside from the carried over aesthetics, only from a different angle, but the back is where things get a little funny. The old toy had the entire front of the truck on his butt, whereas it's now upside down and gives the figure a hunched-over look. Also, there's no beige plastic on parts of the toy, which was done for some of the more monochromatic Movie toys and few Nemesis Primes.
The headsculpt is certainly a lot better than the old head design. A mix between better sculpting, better details, and not using that awful beige makes this head look a lot nicer than before.
Articulation's not too bad despite the odd design. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, they also move on what could be butterfly joints from the transformation. The biceps swivel and they bend below them at the elbow. The hands don't rotate, so they're stuck like Blackout's. Hips move front and back, in and out, thighs swivel, knees bend, and the feet hinge up and down.
Here he is next to the other Constructicons, with Mixy being the third Voyager in this team. I personally think the scale works a little better for the robot mode, but is it me, or are Mixmaster and Long Haul supposed to be taller than they currently are? Still, we're three members away from completing the big beast himself.
Speaking of, turning Mixmaster into the head of Devastator's kind of funny. You basically turn him into his vehicle mode, alter the cement mixer pieces, relocate the front of the vehicle to the back, and tab the feet. As for the face, instead of the Legends version's head-tail or the Supreme version's reversed transformation (where the head opens up from the cement drum), the front becomes the head of the combiner. It's also accurate to the design, in that it's red and is better detailed with all the eyes and no obvious inaccuracies (aside from maybe the proportions). Before anyone asks, yes, there will be a piece that will go on the head, completing the look of this figure, which will come with Overload. As for Mixmaster himself, the figure's modes look the part for the character, though anyone that wants the design of the old figure may prefer the ROTF toy. Thankfully, this guy makes up for it by being able to combine with the other Constructicons. Also, there are no real design flaws and there are no obnoxious electronics when it's on its own.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment