General Information: Images:
*Images and text in italics below from The Official Transformers web site: Race into action with this fearsome SCOURGE figure! Press the button to reveal this figure’s robot allegiance and then prepare him for a battle. In robot mode, this fighter is as tough as they come — but with blasters that combine to form a battle rifle, he’s got power, too. When it’s time to chase down his enemies, convert him to recon jet vehicle mode so he can pursue them from the “air”! Ages 5 and up. *It is interesting to note that the write up above describes Scourge as if he were part of the Reveal the Shield line with a heat sensitive rub symbol. He does not have this symbol and his packaging firmly places him as a "Generations" figure.
Vehicle Mode: The wings mounted on either side of the central section definitely distinguish Scourge from his G1 predecessors (toy or animated). The middle section has small windows for the cockpit section, and if you take that size ratio of windows to a human into account, Scourge winds up being huge (relatively speaking). I like the idea of Scourge being this large vehicle that dominates the skies as it befits the original character's portrayal as a tracker and hunter. Also impressive looking are the two huge thrusters mounted on either side of the central section of the vehicle. Both look like they can put out some significant power. Add to that a third thruster where the central sensor is and Scourge looks like a powerful bomber that means business! Scourge is really sleek looking, and there isn't a ton of kibble on him, nor does he have excessive detailing. He has just the right amount to look good but not overdone. This includes lines sculpted into the wings representing different armor panels meeting. He also has shapes that look like plates bolted on to the wings (as evidenced by the tiny circles at the edges). Overall Scourge has a fantastic sculpt that evokes his original form while brining something fresh to the character. Scourge is cast in blue, dark blue, off-white and silver plastic Most of the vehicle mode is made up of the off-white color, from the wings to the cockpit section. The thrusters on the sides and the middle area are primarily blue, with some dark blue sections on the underside of the vehicle. Silver is used sparingly in this mode. You'll see a bit of it as the center rear thruster and his landing gear. If you want to see more detail, each of his wings opens up to reveal the weapon storage areas but also some nicely done line detail for a section that is out of sight most of the time. I was very impressed that the designers went to this trouble to provide him with this level of detail inside the wings. Paint applications are done in blue, black, off-white and red. The blue color is found mostly in the middle and front section of the vehicle. The black details are most noticable on the windows in the front area. The off-white color is used on the repeating bands on the two side thrusters and red can be seen on the inside of the sensor pod on the top of the vehicle. On the blue section in the middle is a Decepticon symbol in silver and purple. This bold, large style of Decepticon symbol was used more in Generation One than any other Transformers line and it's nice to see that reflected on Scourge. The colors are very clean and simple, and they all align with the color scheme found on Generation One Scourge. It's great to see his sculpt and colors pay homage to the character even in vehicle mode. In terms of functionality, there are some cool little nuggets here and there. The landing gear is rather non-standard. Two panels swing down from the underside, each one with three wheels sculpted into it. On the back section, again on the underside are C clip rods to attach more weapons. Another bit of functionality is a bit of a silly homage to Scourge in his animated appearance in Generation One. If you pull the sensor pod up, you'll reveal Scourge's head. This was something he did in "Transformers: The Movie" and always struck me as odd and funny even as a kid. It's cool to see such an obscure bit of functionality available on this figure. Transformation to Robot Mode:
Robot Mode: The overall shape isn't all Scourge has in common with his G1 predecessor. Many of the smaller details from that version of the character are covered here as well including:
All these nods to the Generation One toy and animation model look fantastic and I was very happy to see so many of them represented in this figure. I would say my biggest disappointment is simply that the weapon is sculpted to look like Fracas when it isn't a fully transformable Targetmaster like Nightstick, who was included with Universe 2.0 Cyclonus. I do understand that the price of oil has gone up, thus making it more difficult to get your "bang for your buck" when it comes to Transformers figures, but since these "Classics" style figures are meant to be homages to their G1 selves, it is sad to see a missed opportunity with this figure since the figure itself looks great and truth be told, the weapons sculpt looks great. Heck, I would have taken a figure with zero articulation, just put legs on it and have them swing down like the G1 figure had. Having the top of the weapon able to act as a separate gun is neat, but doesn't make up for the lack of a Targetmaster partner. Scourge shows a lot more blue color in this mode. Blue plastic makes up most of the head, torso and arms. The rest is a blend of dark blue, off-white and dark silver. For the most part, these colors conform to his G1 self. This includes how the paint applications are put on. For instance, the forearms are dark blue but have the "bands" colored white. This same color is used on his face, but oddly his eyes are a translucent plastic rather than being colored red. The light piping doesn't really work however, I would have preferred red being used instead. A bit of silver paint is used on the shoulders and a copper color is found on his knees and fingers. The fingers were pink on the Generation One animation model, so I think copper is a good compromise color-wise. One of the nicest details is the way the Decepticon symbol from the vehicle mode winds up right on his chest in this form. If you include his wings, Scourge has twenty points of articulation in this form. This includes waist articulation (which I give points for nowadays as it has been sacrificed often for transformations in recent time) and four points of articulation in each arm. As mentioned earlier, the weapon can be split up to be used as two blasters instead of just one. His fists are standard sized so he can hold other weapons including "Mech Tech" and "Energon" weapons.
Final Thoughts:
 |
|||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
In the classic 1986 "Transformers: The Movie" feature film, a large group of new characters ewre introduced into the Transformers universe. Among them was Scourge, a Decepticon formed from the damaged bodies of other Decepticons by the Dark God Unicron to serve Galvatron (and by extension, Unicron himself). Since then, the character has been used in many different ways in various forms of Transformers fiction. Even in Generation One, his origin was rather convoluted (involving a good bit of time travel). Regardless of his origin, Scourge is back and has been given a makeover courtesy of the "Transformers Generations" toy line.
