General Information:
Release Year: November 2003
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Kay Bee, Wal-Mart etc.)
Price Point: Supercon (Approximately $9.99 depending on retailer)
Accessories: Blackout Mini-Con figure, Missiles x 2
In an attempt to refresh the later Armada assortments, virtually ever figure in the line received a redeco. However, these redecos were not just in the toy line, several appeared in the animated program as well. One of these was Powerlinx Demolishor. This review will cover the changes made to the toy for this release. Please read the original Demolishor's review for a detailed review of the toy itself.
Blackout:
Where would Demolishor be without his little buddy? Blackout is back in a color scheme to match Demolishor's. Blackout is cast in two shades of gray plastic. Most of his body is a light gray, with the wheels, upper legs, radar dish and other parts being dark gray. Most of his upper body is dark blue, offering a nice contrast against the light gray. The arms are red plastic, with dark blue for the laser hands. I won't say this color scheme is better than Blackout's original as much as it is different. He's certainly brighter, with colors
that stand out a lot more.
Vehicle Mode:
Demolishor's new color scheme is a far cry from the more "industrial war machine" look of the original. This one is much more colorful, and dare I say it, "bright". Like Blackout, Demolishor's primary colors are light gray and dark red. However, instead of dark gray, many of his parts such as the treads, missiles and the seat in the rear are dark brown. Silver and black make up a good portion of smaller details such as the barrels above the missiles.
The front of the turret is metallic gold with the Decepticon symbol painted purple. What was a bit of a disappointment since other sculpted/painted symbols in the line were done so that the "gaps" such as the "eyes" of the symbol were not painted in, allowing it to stand out more. But for most this will be a minor quibble.
What makes this redeco look really nice are the camouflage patterns painted on the turret and above the treads. White patterns are painted on both which give Demolishor a very distinctive look. The red and gray alone would have looked very plain, but with the camouflage pattern, the toy looks really nice.
All of Demolishor's functionality is intact including the chair for Blackout to sit in and his Powerlinking features.
Robot Mode:
In robot mode, Demolishor has a few more details peek out. His legs reveal additional black paint used to bring out details such as the tube on his right leg. The upper arms have some dark blue detail and the robot head is red with yellow eyes and a silver face. The black, dark blue, yellow and silver all blend in perfectly with this color scheme.
What is really nice about Powerlinx Demolishor is that he offers up a very different aesthetic than the original. The first Demolishor was more of a gritty, black washed, "dirty" war machine. To stretch the description, he was basically more "realistic". This color scheme is brighter and more of a cartoonish version of a tank, with less focus on individual details and more focus on overal color splashes.
Both Demolishors have their strengths, and I really don't see either as particularly superior to the other, it's all a matter of taste. However, if you totally missed out on the first Demolishor and can get this one, it's a fine replacement.
