General Information
Release Date: August 2025
Price Point: $59.99
Retailer: Target Exclusive with limited quantities sold on Hasbro Pulse
Accessories: Arm Blasters x 2 (Elite Seeker), Swords x 2 (Elite Seeker), Sword (Ground Soldier)
Official images and text in italics are from Target.com
- TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION ACTION FIGURE 2-PACK: This Transformers Studio Series toy includes highly articulated Ground Soldier and Elite Seeker action figures with game-inspired deco and details
- 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION: Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Transformers: Devastation video game with these 2 collectible action figures
- GROUND SOLDIER FIGURE: The Deluxe Class 4.5-inch (11.5 cm) Ground Soldier action figure converts between robot mode and car mode in 16 steps
- ELITE SEEKER FIGURE: The Voyager Class 6.5-inch (16.5 cm) Elite Seeker action figure converts between robot mode and jet mode in 25 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: This Transformers figure 2-pack comes with 3 swords, and 2 jet blasters that attach to the figures
- ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Transformers figures feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses
- COLLECT STUDIO SERIES FIGURES: A great gift for any fan who loves Transformers collectibles. Look for more Transformers Studio Series toys to build your collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)
Bring the epic action from the Transformers video games into your collection with the Transformers Studio Series MTMTE Collection Ground Soldier and Elite Seeker action figures inspired by the Transformers: Devastation video game! Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the game with this awesome action figure 2-pack! Transformers Studio Series Gamer Edition toys are collectible action figures that feature video game–inspired details and accessories. Convert the Studio Series Transformers Deluxe Class 4.5-inch Ground Soldier action figure from robot to car mode in 16 steps. Convert the Studio Series Transformers Voyager Class 6.5-inch Decepticon Elite Seeker action figure from robot to jet mode in 25 steps Look for more Transformers Studio Series Gamer Edition collectible figures to build a video game–inspired collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)!
Background:
In 2015 Platinum Games released a Transformers video game onto the market called "Devastation". This G1 inspired game acted like an episode of the original cartoon that you could play, including voice actors from the original series such as Peter Cullen, Dan Gilvezan, Gregg Berger and Frank Welker. Many of them reprised their original roles, making this even more of a spiritual successor to the original series.
As an extension of the Studio Series "Gamer" figures Hasbro has looked to "Devastation" for inspirations for new Target exclusive figures. One of these sets is a two pack featuring an "Elite Seeker" and "Ground Soldier". Both figures are based on the troops in the game, making this a new "troop builder" pack! The Elite Seeker is a redeco of Earthrise Ramjet which would later go on to be used for G2 Ramjet, Sandstorm and Cloudcover. The Ground Soldier is a retool and redeco of the sculpt used for Earthrise Runamuck and Runabout. For the Elite Seeker I will focus on changes made to the figure for this release. Since I've never reviewed Runamuck and Runabout I will be writing a more detailed review for the Ground Soldier.
Packaging:
In a post-"Buzzworthy Bumblebee" era, there is a new style of packaging for Transformers exclusive to Target. This new type of packaging is rectangular and riffs off the style of Studio Series boxes from the main line with a black background, the "Studio Series" logo in a blue stripe and the logo of the "media" ("Devastation" in this case) in the front. Like most current Transformers packaging there are icons showing the number of steps it takes to transform each figure with icons including their faction symbols. Each character has artwork featuring a close up of the robot mode and the vehicle modes. The Target exclusive style of art does not fully paint in the characters but instead uses shades of black, grey, white and red to give them a distinctive and dramatic flair. Both figures are packaged in robot mode against a blue cardboard background. Like most current boxes there is a plastic window over the figures (hurray!).
The back of the box features both figures in both modes, calling out their transformation steps (25 for the Seeker, 16 for the Soldier). Above the photos of the figures are screen captures from the game showing off each character (or at the very least, artwork in the cel-shaded style of the game). Overall the packaging is really nice and I appreciate the effort to make Target exclusive packaging distinctive while still calling back to the mainline packaging.
Accessories:
The Elite Seeker includes four accessories:
Null Rays
The Elite Seeker's blaster weapons are the standard arm mounted "Null Rays" (though honestly they could be any weapon depending on the whims of the writers involved). These are long weapons with a rectangular section in the back and tube shaped barrel sections towards the front until it comes to a point. Each of these features a tip that can accommodate Blast Effects and a 5mm peg towards the back. This piece is made of dark grey plastic and painted silver.
Swords
At first glance it looks like the two swords included with this figure are just a reuse of the sculpt from Kingdom Optimus Primal but the two swords actually have different designs. Sure they both feature curved blades like a scimitar but the hilts and the handles are very different, as are the blades themselves. The handles come to a cone shaped point at the bottom and the hilts each have a 5mm peg on the sides. I was actually surprised the designers did this when they could have easily just reused the CAD model for Primal's swords. The swords are made of black plastic with the blades painted silver.
Robot Mode:
The Elite Seeker uses the model and deco of the "C Class" of Seeker from the game. You can see (and hear) this character in this video on Youtube by DarkVizardBerryTan. For the most part this figure follows the deco pattern of the game model very well. It features dark grey, black and red plastic. The part most influenced by the game's cel-shaded aesthetic is the cockpit cover on the torso which is orange plastic with white details on it. Paint colors featured on this figure include black, silver and red which fill in details like the thrusters on the lower legs and the face. Each wing has a Decepticon symbol tampographed onto the wings. I really love this color scheme. I'm a sucker for silver, black and red in any combination of a figure. Add in the sleek form of the Conehead Seeker design and it looks fantastic!
All the joints on my copy of this figure were nice and tight, so it's cool to see the tooling is holding up (or being fixed up) after so many uses. All the weapons attach nice and tight without a problem.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the fists up and push the forearms up into the elbow sections.
- Push the two halves of the feet together.
- Swing the front panels on the legs forward.
- Hold the front torso panel and then pull the back half of the torso section back.
- Swing the nosecone section up over the head, then pull the cockpit section up and rotate it around.
- Push the robot arms in and then push the back and front halves of the torso together.
- Swing the lower legs over the back of the thighs, then push them together and up against the tabs on the middle section.
- Push the front panels of the legs up.
- Push the wings down.
- Swing the smaller hinges back, then push the ends of the wings down.
- Attach the Null Rays to the wings.
- The swords can be stored on the 5mm ports on the forearms.
Vehicle Mode:
The Elite Seeker's vehicle mode is a straight up redeco of Ramjet. Much of this mode is uniform in color, with dark grey making up most of the jet. Smaller parts are painted black such as the top of the air intakes flanking the cockpit and the tip of the nose. Each wing features a large, purple Decepticon symbol on top. The silver weapons on the wings help give a bright pop of color as does the orange on the cockpit cover. Overall the vehicle looks like a jet meant for stealth and the pops of brighter colors adds some nice brightness to an otherwise dark vehicle mode.
I have to compliment the way the swords can be stored in the sides without looking too obtrusive or getting in the way of any functionality. I appreciate the extra effort given to not only to the design of the accessories but where they would go in this mode.
Accessory:
As mentioned above, the Ground Soldier is a redeco and retool of the tooling used for Runamuck and Runabout. However, this figure does not include their blaster weapons. Instead it has been replaced with a new sword based on the one seen in the game. Unlike the Elite Seeker's swords, this one has a straight blade with a hilt and handle that work together to form a star shape. The cone shaped handle is 5mm and there is a 5mm peg sticking out on the side of the hilt. This piece is black plastic with silver paint on the blade. The sword is nice, but I do wish the blasters had been included as well.
Robot Mode:
When you look at the model for the Ground Soldier (which you can see again on DarkVizardBerryTan's channel) it becomes obvious that the designers had Runabout and Runamuck in mind when they designed it. Distinctive features include the blocky arms and legs, the top of the car cabin forming the torso and the back of the car forming a piece in the back that sits behind the robot head. This sculpt has all these features but also includes a lot of greebles on the arms, waist and legs that add an extra level of detail to the figure that is not on Runamuck and Runabout's G1 models. Keep in mind, this design was made during the War for Cybertron era when greebles were much more of a thing than they are now so these details make perfect sense on this figure. The new head sculpt is based on the one from the game featuring a small crest on top, visor eyes and a mouth plate with a small chin piece in the middle. The head looks just like the one in the game, so kudos on the sculpt.
This figure is based on the design of "Ground Soldier A" from the game so its primary colors are dark blue and light blue with some smaller parts made of black plastic. Paint colors include light blue, silver, black and red. The windows on the torso are painted orange with some white "cel-shading" details on the windshield. A purple Decepticon symbol is printed into the middle of the chest. The deco is relatively simple, but it matches the one seen in the game.
There are twenty two points of articulation on this figure. This includes four on each arm and six in each leg. There are eleven 5mm ports in this mode. By today's standards in 2025 that's a lot, but during the War for Cybertron era it was common. This includes three on each arm, two on the feet (one is on the side of a faux wheel) and one on the back for weapons storage. Because the base tooling of this was made around the Siege era, the Ground Soldier includes three small pegs to attach Blast Effects as if he is being hit by weapons fire. One is on the right shoulder, another on the left forearm and finally one on the right lower leg. I always loved these for their play value and wish more modern figures had them.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the sword and set it aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing each fist into the forearms.
- Rotate the forearms so the 5mm ports on them face forward.
- Swing the chest forward, swing the head into the chest cavity then swing the panel back into place.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing each lower leg up over the thighs.
- Point the feet down and snap them into place.
- Push the feet together to form the front of the vehicle mode.
- Lift up the rear car panel behind the where the head was located and swing out the wheels inside.
- Swing the car cabin cover panel (on the back of the robot) forward.
- Swing the robot arms up, and push the forearms into the sides, forming the car doors.
- Push the rear section of the vehicle down.
- The sword can be attached to the top of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
In G1 Runamuck and Runabout transformed into sports cars like a Pontiac Firebird. Of course, this figure would have an unlicensed mode so what we get instead is a very sleek vehicle with thin headlights n front (much like the Firebird) and a curved rear window with a shape very similar to the Firebird. That said, the design of the wheel wells and hood are very different from the Firebird, preventing any licensing issues. It should also be noted that unlike the game model, this vehicle mode does not have a spoiler. Overall the vehicle mode looks great.
This mode consolidates a lot of the light blue plastic parts which make up most of the body of the vehicle. The wheels are black plastic. A bit of dark blue peeks out on the hood. Black paint is used for the lower edges of the vehicle from the front to the back. The rear window is also painted black. Much to my delight, the rear lights are painted red, something that is not seen as often as it used to be. The windshield and side windows are orange with cel-shaded designs on them. Both doors have purple Decepticon symbols on them. Sure it's not much of a "disguise" in that sense, but I loves me some vehicle mode branding on NPCs from a game!
Final Thoughts:
This set is fantastic. You have two fun figures that each have intuitive transformations and look like their video game counterparts. I appreciate the creation of new weapons just for this set, though I do miss the blasters for the Ground Soldier. Highly recommended if you want a troop builder in your Generations collection!
Pros:
- These were two excellent figures to begin with so it's great to see the base sculpts again in this set.
- Good decos that nod to the art style of the game.
- New weapons are always welcome.
- Despite being used many times already, the Ramjet tooling is holding up nicely.
- Troop builder sets are still rare in the Transformers toy line so it's nice to have another.
Cons:
- I would have liked to see a spoiler added to the Ground Soldier.
- I wish the Ground Soldier had the blasters from the Runamuck sculpt.
