Transformers Masterpiece Movie Decepticon Brawl Review

Whether you know him as a Brawl, Devastator, or Decepticon Punk, this tankformer was reminiscent of the hard-to-kill enemies in movies where the heroes would struggle to take down until they find the weak spot. Though he had some of his weapons damaged by three of the five Autobots and the military initially, he didn't get taken down too easily; let's not forget that the other Decepticons popped up while Megatron killed Jazz and Optimus was late thanks to Bonecrusher (and presumably Barricade but he was last seen on the highway). Seeing the surprising teamwork of a crippled Bumblebee and Mikaela help the military take him down while Optimus and Sam had to contend with Megatron and the other Autobots were worn out from Starscream and Blackout was quite the treat, and easily better than the Decepticons going down too easily in The Last Knight or Bumblebee doing his own rage mode with red eyes his solo movie, ripping off Baymax and Iron Giant. Anyways, let's not talk about the two worst Transformers movies and instead cover a figure that is from one of the best!

Before we begin, Brawl comes packaged out of the box like this, with his tank barrel all bent up and his accessories placed in little baggies. It's better than having him come with cheap ass paper tissue wrapping, but I wish he had a plastic tray instead, or a styrofoam one like in the old days of  Megazord toys. Or hell, at least a better-quality cardboard tray reminiscent of the SWAT Megazord I got a month before Brawl.

Here we have Brawl with the tank barrel straightened and his missile pods added on the back, looking badass as hell. The figure's deco is somewhat monochromatic compared to prior toys, with richer shades of green or added color variety one would find from older toys to make them more eye-catching for kids; that being said, it is accurate to the movie as one would expect from the Masterpiece Movie line. Brawl's sculpted details are also faithful to the proper M1 Abrams tank, from the rivets to the treads underneath, and from the panel lines on the turret to the latches where the pilots would enter. There is also a hole where Brawl's head would be, but that is surprisingly accurate to the movie despite it somewhat revealing his head. Weird but it's something you'd never expect unless you remember the Leader Class toy. This altmode is also appropriately heavy, thanks to the die-cast bits as well as the somewhat denser plastic. 

The movement for the tank mode consists of the three barrels moving up and down, the two turrets rotating in their base with no issue, and the two missile pods also having rotation in their ports, allowing you to have them either at an angle or facing forwards as other Brawl toys did (except for Studio Series, which is rather limited).

There is some weapon storage at the top of the turret, which isn't too sightful yet is at least convenient nonetheless given how they, too, also have firepower in mind.

As for the blast effects, the main barrel, the twin turret barrels, and the missile pods can integrate these, blasting the Autobots and any unlucky military soldiers out of the way in Mission City. I love seeing these getting put to good use after seeing Blackout get his own blast effects, and Bonecrusher's flame effects were sweet, too.

For a tank comparison, here he is next to Combiner Wars Megatron from nearly a decade ago! Remember when that hunk of plastic got hyped up for being metallic silver and being Geewun enough for fans? Man does it hold up poorly as a Leader Class. Brawl manages to weigh more, have a lot more engineering comparable to an old ROTF Leader Class figure, but on a higher budget, and is not restrained by economy woes as seen with CW Megs. 

Here is Brawl next to one of the two Decepticons he mobilized with on the road, with Barricade appearing rather oversized. Obviously he is meant to represent a scale comparable to the Autobot Cars in the G1 Masterpiece line, but I can't help but feel that this comes off making Brawl look like he's the undersized one.

As for the scale with Bonecrusher, I feel that it works much better by comparison, with the two having a size more or less comparable to what was briefly seen in the movie when they mobilized.

For a comparison with the vehicles used in the movie, some could argue that Brawl could be narrower and taller to match up with Bonecrusher, though it may be an angle the camera recorded in. Barricade definitely doesn't match the Masterpiece toy, but you could probably use the Studio Series version instead.

And what is a review on a Movie Brawl figure review without having Jazz hop on and call him a Decepticon punk. Jazz does appear oversized in this, so perhaps using the Studio Series version may help with the size change once again unless we get an oversized Brawl.

Hot take: the 1986 movie may have been the originator of the scene, but the 2007 movie did it better. Sorry, Kup and Blitzwing.

Transformation is just as complex and Bonecrusher and Blackout, continuing the trend of the Decepticons we got after Beewun Optimus being intricate on a scale not seen with prior MPMs. With a design as heavily involved as Brawl's, HasTak ensured that the character model was done justice, something not done as well for figures like both Optimus Primes, Ratchet, and even Megatron. The resulting robot mode is the best Brawl has ever looked when it comes to official HasTak offerings. He's got the appropriate chunkitude without making his arms look undersized or etched within vehicle panels. I always liked how he felt reminiscent of G1 Bruticus in some ways, from the powerhouse proportions to the twin barrels on the back. Not to mention, he IS Brawl only now as a more independent 'Con. Also, he may not have the option to have his tank turret slung under him, Armada Megatron-style, but it's better than leaving it in place like with the Studio Series version.

The head sculpt is accurate to the movie, what with the bronze/copper paint apps as well as the small bit of teeth added in his mouth. The slight battle damage on the left side of his head is a nice touch, representative of his war torn nature. Hell, the tank treads surrounding his head are also painted to look dirty from being on all sorts of terrain. His articulation. Consists of a ball-jointed neck, ratchets at the shoulders moving front and back as well as in and out, rotation below the shoulders as well as the elbows, single-jointed elbows, slight wrist rotation, finger articulation at two points as well as the thumb. There is waist rotation, ratchets at the hips, rotation at the thighs as well as above the knees, ratcheted knees, and the ankles can pivot. The bulk makes him less dynamic to pose, but the weapons he has add to the look nonetheless.

The blast effects compliment the right arm's cannon perfectly, with his left arm instead doing all the slicing and dicing. I almost wish we got another missile pod effect part.

That being said, Brawl has additional display options that are moreso used against him, such as a severed left arm from when Ratchet's buzzsaw cut it off, or an explosion effect from when Bumblebee kept shooting him with Mikaela's help. Just pretend Bee's crippled and Mikaela is driving the tow truck.

For a size comparison, here he is with Bonecrusher, who manages to be somewhat shorter than our tankformer yet manages to be wider by comparison. 

And here he is with Barricade, with height difference that seems easier to stomach than their scale in vehicle mode. Obviously, Megatron, Starscream, and Blackout tower over Brawl.

Overall, this is a very impressive Masterpiece Movie figure once again, and the fact that Brawl manages to be in a consistent streak with Blackout and Bonecrusher makes me very happy to see how well he turned out. Sure, Jazz is about to break his missile pod off, but don't let that stop you from getting your hands on him. He should be easier to obtain since I've seen him in-person more often than with every MP figure that was a Target exclusive, but he's still a huge recommend regardless if you get him on clearance or not.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐