General Information:
Release Year: May 2007
Retailer: General release (Wal-Mart, Target, Toys 'R' Us etc.)
Price: $9.99 (Depending on retailer)
Accessories: None

Images:

• On Card*
• Vehicle Mode
• Vehicle Mode (Side)
• Vehicle Mode (Back)
• Vehicle Mode (Mine sweeper extended)
• Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
• Vehicle Mode (Mine sweeper arm extended as claws)
• Robot Mode
• Robot Mode (Side)
• Robot Mode (Back)
• Robot Mode (Close up)
• Robot Mode (Arms extended)
• Robot Mode (Back claws extended)

*Image from the official Transformers web site.

Tech Specs:
BONECRUSHER hates everything, and what BONECRUSHER hates, he destroys. He hates this planet, and all its inhabitants. He hates the AUTOBOTS for getting in his way. He even hates MEGATRON and the other DECEPTICONS; the only reason he stays with them is because MEGATRON scares him. BONECRUSHER lives for the day when he's the only one left standing atop a pile of smoking rubble and shattered robots.

When the first full trailers for the Transformers movie began to be shown, one of the most striking images was of a Transformer jack knifing a bus on a highway and then charging at Optimus Prime. The identity of this evil Decepticon? It's Bonecrusher, whose name has its roots in G1 where it was given to a Constructicon. Here it belongs to a Decepticon who exists only to destroy.

Packaging:
Bonecrusher is packaged on the standard movie bubble on card, with the sides wrapping around the sides of the card. The curved tech pattern does not indicate any special features, though on the back the picture of the robot mode indicates "Spinning Blades" (which is not exactly accurate). The vehicle mode is identified as the Buffalo MPCV Mode. His cosells are Bumblebee, Jazz, Barricade, Brawl and Swindle. I did find it interesting the packaging does not mention his extendable hands at all, but they are covered in the instructions.

Vehicle Mode:
As indicated by the packaging, Bonecrusher is a Force Protection Buffalo series mine clearing vehicle. This real life troop carrier is designed with a distinctive claw arm that can extend beyond the vehicle to dispose of dangerous materials. The vehicle looks a lot like a cross between a semi-truck and troop carrier. The front end has a long nose that leads to the passenger section complete with windshield and six windows. The lower half of the vehicle actually angles inward in a V shape, a design intended to deflect blasts on the underside of the vehicle away from it to protect those inside. Rolling on six wheels, there is a spare tire on either side in the middle, angling downward. It is great to see so many major features of an unconventional vehicle replicated so well in toy form.

The designers did a good job of recreating the Buffalo's general shape, but they also have a ton of details found on the real life vehicle on this figure as well. This includes a raised cover piece on the hood, angled vents on the sides of the nose, small circles representing bolts around the windows, railings on the back section and a ladder for passengers to climb up the very back of the vehicle. They even added in a small staircase on the right side of the vehicle that exists on the real Buffalo. The care that went into this sculpt is really impressive and adds to the figures' appeal.

Bonecrusher is cast in beige, grey and metallic brown plastic. His main body is beige, with some parts such as the claw hand are metallic brown. The tires are grey and metallic blue is used for coloring the windows. A bit of silver is used on the top of the claw arm, making up a Decepticon symbol. While these colors may sound very simple, if you look at pictures of the real life vehicle it pretty much is rather plain in color. Adding a bit of distinctive detail however is a sticker on the right side towards the rear featuring a dog and the name Bonecrusher, a detail found on the real life vehicle used for the movie shoot.

The claw arm can be extended forward and angle side to side. A tab on the arm allows you to move the two halves of the claw hand, causing them to make a grasping motion if you split up the shovel/claw hand section. It does not spin as the package mentions, although I can understand if that was a feature that was originally intended but then dropped. The arm itself has ten points of articulation, allowing you to use it as a mine sweeper/scooper or as a weapon against Autobots!

Transformation to Robot Mode:

1. Swing the claw arm forward.
2. Swing the front wheels out.
3. Swing the two rear tires out and down on each side.
4. Split the main compartment of the vehicle in half and swing each half out to the side.
5. Swing each robot leg back so the two spare tire pieces meet, then swing the waist piece down over them.
6. Push the robot head back.
7. Rotate the lower robot legs around so the tires face outward.
8. Swing the front beige claw on the feet forward and the side one out.
9. Swing the foot piece (with the wheel on it) towards the center.
10. Swing each rear half of the vehicle back.
11. Swing out the side panels from the vehicle mode to reveal robot arm details.
12. Swing each robot hand forward.
13. Center and swing the claw arm from the vehicle mode up. Rotate each half of the claw arm so the pieces are at a right angle from each other.

Robot Mode:
From time to time a Transformer comes along that screams "I'm different!" and Bonecrusher qualifies. Instead of standing tall with even proportions, this strange looking robot looks more like a hunchback of sorts. His head is situated in the middle of the body, he has huge arms and relatively small legs. Movie footage shown online has already shown that this character can "skate" on the wheels on his feet, so perhaps the extra upper body weight helps him balance and push himself forward? Whatever the logic, the result is one funky looking Transformer that looks like he could have come from the days of experimental Transformer design right out of Beast Machines.

Strange proportions aren't all there is to Bonecrusher. He definitely has a "bone" theme running through his design. If you look at this lower arms and claw fingers, they all look like they are bones connected to each other by machinery. The claw-like protrusions on his lower legs look like mechanical representations of bones from some alien predator. The head is a very alien design, straying away from the more insectoid look of other Decepticon heads. This one looks almost mammalian, like some type of big rodent with a wide face, albeit a very mean looking rodent. Of course, the box art makes it look more like an insect with antennae, so this is open to interpretation.

Small details abound on Bonecrusher as well. The inner side of the panels that fold out from the arms have angled details that look like a cross patch of metal beams. His head is intricately detailed with a central crest, ear like protrusions on the top and a big brow over triangular eyes. The central body has tube like details along with cross hatch lines running along the edge of each side of his chest. Despite not having a crazy amount of panels and raised parts, Bonecrusher definitely looks like he belongs among the alien looking Decepticons in this movie.

The beige and metallic brown colors from the vehicle mode dominate here. Some bits of gold and silver can be found on his head, chest and waist piece. Grey can also be found on his lower arms. His eyes are colored red, which is nice to see for one of the Decepticons in this film! The color scheme isn't spectacular, but judging by how the character looks on screen, it is quite accurate.

Bonecrusher has twenty three points of articulation. Much of the extra points come from his lower arms, which can extend outward almost doubling his arm length. This also includes the claw mounted on his back which has two points of articulation on each side. You can use the claw's "grabbing" feature in this mode as well.

Final Thoughts:
Bonecrusher is weird, mean looking and fun - all qualities that make up a must-have Transformer. Highly recommended!