Perceptor's the scientist that many would occasionally revisit in other continuities, with G1 occasionally having him with a British accent a la C-3P0 while Animated would have his voice be that of a Macintosh text-to-speech voice and Cyberverse would make him Shockwave if he was a good guy who loses his eyes everytime he shoots his cannon. He's probably moreso best known for having his mind transferred into the mind of another robot while also confirming that Optimus Prime is dying, much to the dismay of 80s kids who were traumatized at the death of their role model. Perceptor has been in the CHUG line throughout the past, but now we have what is apparently the definitive version of him so let's see what we have from him.
Here is Perceptor in his microscope mode. It's very self-descriptive when it comes to describing what kind of microscope he turned into back then, but it is a take on it alright. It's not that different from the other ones we got that had the same alternate mode, but hey it is something. I do wish that the dials can turn, but at least the scope can hinge up and down through its magnifying glass does nothing. You can turn it into a tank if you really want to, though it really does nothing as far as being a tank is concerned since it's more like one of those modes you use to reposition the parts of the toy from one spot to the other and market it as another mode. It lacks any wheels so there's no proper mobility with this toy! It's a cool feature that at least have some locking tabs.
For a comparison with his fellow Autobot roleplay toy, here he is with Blaster, which is probably a decent scale between what a boombox and microscope would be like. No other reason for the comparison.
Transformation is very simple, as it feels like a more-or-less Deluxified take on the transformation we've come to expect in the past few iterations with his toys. It's nothing too exciting, and the same goes for the robot mode. It's got the Perceptor colors, which feel a little drab than I'm used to? I guess the robot mode was pretty much alright for what it was, but it's pretty basic in the same way SS86 Jazz was. At least Hot Rod had a unique character design, and it doesn't help that the sculpted details, while there, don't feel as though they have much effort put into them. My least favorite thing on the figure has to be the gap on the back. I think it's kind of dumb that there could have been a panel to cover it up, and sure, it's a Deluxe, but I think with the lack of any clever engineering, he could have had a back panel to make him less flat and fill in the back.
Head sculpt is very much like what Perceptor looks like, though it is a generic robot design. I'd say it fills the checklist alright. I appreciate the paint apps. His articulation is the standard of the WFC line, the head is on a swivel, shoulders can move around on ball joints, which is rare for this modern line, but the biceps, elbows, waist, hips, knees, and ankles work the same as always. You can lift the scope up for him to see better on his left, but more importantly, his generic red gun can be held in his hand.
The first ever Studio Series toy to be released in Generations Selects, Perceptor was reused as Magnificus, making him black with a toy-accurate head like the e-Hobby repaint and a Takara repaint of the RTS mold. The gray plastic does look flat along with the off white chest, but the black and the clear red on his chest both balance things out well enough.
For a comparison with other CHUG-display Perceptors, I honestly think that some of the design elements of the Reveal the Shield version look awesome, with the chrome, the unique shoulder cannon, and the alt mode of choice being what I'd want from a modern Perceptor, though the legs are a little chunky from below the knee and I don't like the lack of stability on the torso. The Titans Return version has more interesting proportions and design traits that make the G1 character model look cooler, especially with the chest design combined with the more stylized deviations that he has. Studio Series 86 Perceptor just feels rather flatlined for a figure.
Honestly, I don't hate this take on Perceptor, but I'd hardly say he's my favorite version of the character just because of how uninteresting he feels. Yes, he's cartoon accurate, but so is most of the WFC line in Earthrise and Kingdom, and guess what? They manage to be better in terms of capturing the look of the character while making the sculptwork and engineering great. I know people will love this guy for his cartoon accuracy, and I am happy to own A Perceptor that's consistent with my G1 display, but I'd hardly say he's the best version of the character for how simple he feels by comparison. If you do see him, go for him, but if you want a more exciting take on him, get the other ones. At least he has the bow-legged stance mode. So articulation is good, he does look cartoon-accurate, he isn't a shitty figure, and he's got everything one would need from him at a minimum level, but I do find him uninteresting and I wish he'd have a back panel to cover the gap.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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