Encore Devastator

[Goktimus Prime]

(yeah sorry, I'm gonna have to break out of Haiku mode from this thread :P)

 

PICS

 

Assault vehicle modes

 

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Comparison between 1985 G1s (left) and Encores (right).

 

Bonecrusher

 

Hook/Glen

 

Long Haul/Long Howl

 

Scavenger

 

Scrapper

 

Devastator

 

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Thoughts

 

+ I can see what people mean when they describe the Encore Constructicons as being of "KO" quality. These really are not excellent reproductions of the original Constructicons. They're not terrible per se, but they are certainly disappointing. The colours are brighter and the plastic quality does feel cheaper.

 

+ The sculpting really isn't as nice as the originals. This is particularly noticeable with the grooves on Mixmaster's cab roof and Long Haul's grille. Note that Encore Long Howl is based on the slotless grille/chest whereas my G1 Long Haul is the slotted version. Original G1 Long Haul was available in either slotted or slotless varieties, so this isn't an Encore thing.

 

+ Scavenger's toes are poorly made and are prone to falling out (this has never happened on my original G1 Scavenger).

 

+ For some reason, Hook's hook is "reversed" on the reissue. G1 Hook's hook points outward, whereas the Encore points inward.

 

+ There have been some design changes made in an effort to improve some toys. Hook has an extra tab added on the right side of the rear portion of the vehicle - this is intended to help the toy lock in better when transforming into Devastator's chest/head. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work out so well in reality because the tab's a tad too small and fails to sufficiently interlock.

 

+ Bonecrusher right arm panel has a small tab added - this allows Bonecrusher's arms to lock together in vehicle mode, and it works! I really like this feature as one of my long-running irks about Bonecrusher is how his arms don't have any locking feature in vehicle mode - it just relies on the arms to stay in place, and eventually when the arms get loose they just flop out of place. This is particularly frustrating when he froms Devastator's left arm as gravity makes the arms part. My Bonecrusher's arms had become pretty loose by 1987-88 after years of thoroughly playing with him... and it was around 1988-89 that I stuck a piece of Blu-Tac there to keep his arms in place when transformed as vehicle mode, and especially as Devastator's left arm!

 

+ I really do enjoying having all of the little accessories now - and especially having a set of Constructicons that I can play around with and combine into Devastator without having to tread on eggshells! :)

 

I used to have a set of KO Constructicons (it was a free gift) and in all honesty, Encore Devastator is still definitely superior to the KO by a long shot. The colours and sculpting on the KO are still much worse than on Encore. But having said that, the quality of Encore Devastator is still below par for a legit/official reissue. It's not as bad as Encore Bruticus - the mould doesn't seem to suffer from mould degradation issues that Bruticus does, but it does seem to suffer from quality issues.

 

Overall I am quite happy with Encore Devastator, but there are notable flaws with this set and I can understand how it might bother some people. I'd still recommend this set, but not for above RRP. If you're thinking about getting this set, get it now. Don't wait till later and pay some inflated aftermarket price for it, because it won't be worth it. If you can get it for below RRP then even better. (I got mine at 20% off the RRP) :)

 

I'll post G1/Encore vehicle comparison pics tomorrow.

[jeffafa]

Couple questions.

Are you making the comparison to one of the high quality KOs or one of the cheap ones? Its easy to assume you meant the high quality but you know what they say about assuming...

 

I was expecting more metal on the encore. I have not seen a G1 Devs since childhood, but from pics I have seen I thought things like Long Hauls legs, the chest of Scavenger, and the sliding part of Hook were metal parts. These (and more) are definitely chromed plastic on the encore. The tab in front of Scavengers chest that connects to hook seems like metal. Am I wrong about how much metal the original had?

 

I noticed differences in shades of green, and I thought that was an issue. After seeing your G1 comparison pics I see that the original had the same differences, like Scavengers bucket is a shade off from his body and the "roof" of Scrappers alt mode is a shade off. So is Devs crotch piece.

 

Either way, this is soooo much better than the crappy KO that I have had for so long now.

[MikePrime]

I got the HQ KO last year. It was a surprisingly solid toy; and I did read and watch some reviews comparing that one to the vintage Devasator prior to purchase. Contrast that with the BBTS Seacons reissue that I got earlier this year. That Seacons set feels like the KO. From this description of Encore Devastator, I suspect that it would remind me of those Seacons. Aside from being all plastic, I didn't have a problem with Encore Bruticus. I already had the metal version of the vintage Bruticus, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

Maybe I will buy Encore Devastator when it goes on sale; I do have a weakness for applying stickers. :redface

[Goktimus Prime]

Couple questions.

Are you making the comparison to one of the high quality KOs or one of the cheap ones? Its easy to assume you meant the high quality but you know what they say about assuming...

High quality. Of course, my KO Constructicons eventually ended up becoming features in pet habitats for mice and fish before I threw them away! :D While the Encores are noticeably inferior to G1, they are a helluva LOT better than the KOs. The KOs are just complete shite... (just as well I never paid for them - my mice had fun chewing and pooping on them)

 

I was expecting more metal on the encore. I have not seen a G1 Devs since childhood, but from pics I have seen I thought things like Long Hauls legs, the chest of Scavenger, and the sliding part of Hook were metal parts. These (and more) are definitely chromed plastic on the encore. The tab in front of Scavengers chest that connects to hook seems like metal. Am I wrong about how much metal the original had?

Encore Scavenger's connecting peg and Encore Glen's sliding part are both metal (I just double-checked). Long Haul's legs were never metal on the G1 toy.

 

More pics!

 

In tray

 

Stickers

 

Vehicle mode comparison pics (G1s on left, Encores on right):

 

Mixmaster

 

Hook/Glen

Note the "reversed" hook on Encore Glen

 

Long Haul/Long Howl

Look how much more "crisp" the front grille is on G1 Long Haul.

 

Scavenger

 

Bonecrusher

 

Scrapper

 

Pics of some of the flaws on the Encore Constructicons:

 

Scavenger's feet:

Note the peg that connects the toes to the feet is much smaller on Encore Scavenger. Consequently Encore Scavenger's toes are prone to falling out REALLY easily. :( :(

 

Long Howl's back tab:

Long Howl's purple back tab is smaller than G1 Long Haul's. This creates gaps where the roof panel should connect with the tab. On G1 Long Haul, the purple tab interlocks with the rectangular hole in the roof panel, but on Encore Long Howl it doesn't because the tab's too small and leaves gaps. As a result the panel can flop around when playing with Long Howl in robot mode. :(

[MikePrime]

I wonder if the crane hook was reversed just to differentiate the Encore toy from the vintage toy? The hooks on real cranes are attached to a cable and can move, so I guess both versions are correct when compared to a real crane.

[Goktimus Prime]

I wonder if the crane hook was reversed just to differentiate the Encore toy from the vintage toy? The hooks on real cranes are attached to a cable and can move, so I guess both versions are correct when compared to a real crane.

Yeah, I don't find the crane hook position to be any better or worse than the position on the original. Just different. Intentional or not, it does help to differentiate the toy from the original (in case the extra bright green didn't give it away :P)

 

More pics:

 

The two Long Hauls on the sides are 1985 G1 originals, the one in the centre is the Encore reissue. Note how the Encore's green is brighter than both G1s.

 

L-R: 1985 G1 Scavenger, 1992 G1 Scavenger, Encore Scavenger

 

And in robot mode

 

L-R: 1985 G1 Bonecrusher, 1992 G1 Bonecrusher, Encore Bonecrusher

 

L-R: 1985 G1 Mixmaster, 1992 G1 Mixmaster, Encore Mixmaster

 

L-R: 1985 G1 Scrapper, 1992 G1 Scrapper, 1993 G2 Scrapper, Encore Scrapper

 

Shovels up

 

Robot mode