Jump to content

Your thoughts, gentlemen:


Devilbat

Encore Devastator 20 or 20A?   

5 members have voted

  1. 1. Which release do you prefer?

    • Encore 20 Devastator
      1
    • Encore 20A Devastator
      4


Recommended Posts

As you all may know, I'm a huge Encore fan; it tends to be the focus of my Transformers collecting these days. Anyway, I'm in a position to get the Encore Devastator set. As a kid I had Hook...and that's it. Do you know how pathetic it was to have one lone Constructicon, the one that came with Devastator's head mind you, just to remind you that you were never gonna be able to complete the set and build him? (lol) Needless to say, I've wanted Devastator for nearly thirty years now, and he just might finally be mine. But I'm torn...I can't decide if I want the Encore 20 or 20A (anime colors) set. I've always liked the fact that the Encore figures were pretty faithful replicas of the original toys, although there's been a tweak here and there, such as show-accurate eye color, stamp-on emblems, etc. I just like the notion of having a brand-new, straight-up reproduction of a childhood favorite toy. So it's appealing to me to have a set that's as close to the original as possible for old times' sake.

 

But the more I look at the 20A version, it just looks outstanding, as if it were the true Devastator we should have gotten in the first place some twenty-five-plus years ago. I'll admit though, when it first came out, I was kinda underwhelmed. It just initially felt like a silly cash-grab by Takara/Tomy...it was released so soon after Encore 20, therefore it seemed like overkill at the time. Then in comparison pics with Encore 20 it almost looked more yellow instead of green like the original. However, upon closer inspection, I liked the updated head, the red eyes painted on all the Constructicons, the new black forearms, and his purple parts look more purple than even the original release. It looks really, really good.

 

Maybe it just boils down to personal taste, but I'd like to cull some thoughts/comments/insight and/or opinions on the matter from you all; which one do you guys prefer? I'd especially like to hear from those of you that have had the good fortune to have owned both sets at some point, or for you guys that have both now...are there any major differences or QC issues that I should be aware of? Thanks for your input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I like the greener color of the Encore 20 better, the re-decoed heads and the more cartoon-accurate Devastator head sculpt of Encore 20A leads me to choose the latter. I say get Encore 20A. It's worth it, even though BBTS is selling it for $10 more.

 

PharmV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Short version: I would get Encore 20.

 

Long version: Devastator is my all time favorite Transformer and if I had the money I would own both of them. But if I could only get one, I would go with the regular reissue. I really like the cartoon accurate colored versions, I have the anime version of Starscream and Galvatron. But I prefer to have my reissues look as close to the original toy as possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do so appreciate the responses and votes guys. I've just about made up my mind...I think I just enjoy reading everyone's thoughts on the matter.

 

I keep going back to seibertron.com's comparison pics, and I keep noticing how there are varying shades of green on the original Devastator. On one hand, that would accentuate the fact that he's a robot made up of thousands if not millions of combined parts, and there's gonna be some differences in colors. However, in my mind, one of the Constructicons' outstanding features was the fact that they all matched in color, or at least they were supposed to, and that allowed Devastator to be a more cohesive-looking robot when they were all combined. The Encore 20A set's colors seem more even; all the parts seem to be the same shade of greenish-yellow, so they all match better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no contest that 20A outscore the regular 20 by a mile! The individual face of the Constructicons 20A, Mixmaster blue barrel, made it as though these guys just jump out from the animation. In term of yellow-green of 20A, he's actually accurate to TFTM just like Prime has the extra yellow color above his cab light. Now if you were to say pick either 20A or the original, of course I'll say the original. The only main reasons I pick the original over 20A because of nostalgia (the green color since that how I remembered him, the original face of the toy) and it has better quality. But if I was a fan who grew after G1, there's no question that I would choose 20A over the original because it's more cartoon accurate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's the thing...I have very distinct memories of the originals, specifically the Hook figure I owned, and the subsequent Devastator head that came with him. The imagry of the originals was seared into my brain early on. Having said that, my fondest memory of the Constructicons and Devastator in general is definitely his/their appearance in Transformers: The Movie. For example, I love how Devastator single-handedly starts ripping Autobot City apart when he shows up, then he proceeds to take out the Dinobots one-by-one when they attack him. And I just loved his one line in that wickedly ominous voice: "Prepare for extermination!!" To me Encore 20A is the most faithful representation of Devastator from the animated film, and that, in turn, is his definitive rendition in animation, and I'd love to commemorate that. As much as I love the original set, as iconic as it is, I think I'm leaning way more towards the 20A set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I think I've about decided to get Encore 20A, but I have one more question for those that know: when you combine all of the Constructicons and form Devastator, is he a pretty-solid robot? For a time I used to get the impression that he wasn't, that the individual robots didn't stay together very tightly, and he looked somewhat flimsy. If I knew Devastator as a figure himself was nice and solid when he was formed, I'd probably get the set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I think I've about decided to get Encore 20A, but I have one more question for those that know: when you combine all of the Constructicons and form Devastator, is he a pretty-solid robot? For a time I used to get the impression that he wasn't, that the individual robots didn't stay together very tightly, and he looked somewhat flimsy. If I knew Devastator as a figure himself was nice and solid when he was formed, I'd probably get the set.

 

He is the worst one out of the G1 combiners... I would watch a few video reviews before making a final decision...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In term of the overall G1 combiners, I agreed that Devastator is the least stable. In term of Encore, I don't know if it's only in my set but I have a hard time connecting Scrapper into the leg connector. Every time I made the connection, the peg connector would push Scrapper back out. Since the time I purchased 20A, I haven't disassemble Devastator yet in hoping it would loosen up the connection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I was at my brother's house yesterday, and he has a Devastator, although his set is primarily comprised of knock-offs. I think he said the one that makes-up the mid-section (Long Haul?) is an original. The rest of them are knock-offs. Anyway, I asked him to see it; I just wanted to see what Devastator, or at least an approximation thereof, felt like in-hand, to get an idea of what kind of impression I'd get of it as a figure. First of all, I was pretty impressed with the quality of his knock-off parts; I don't know if they're Chinese or where they're from, but they aren't that bad. So even for a knock-off figure, I got a pretty-good impression. I really liked how it looked and felt in person alot. I found it interesting though that this particular Devastator had the original head-sculpt, but the eyes were red instead of yellow, so I don't know if that's how this particular knock-off set came, or if the eyes were simply painted red after the fact. (Incidentally, my brother's not very discerning; he bought this set second-hand from a friend. It was loose and pretty-worn.) I did take note that it looked as if the right leg might have been glued in-place at some point in order to keep it connected, implying the problem some of you all have been alluding to, but that may have just been my imagination; like I said, his set seemed pretty heavily used...I hope he didn't pay too much for it. (lol)

 

I guess that even with the knock-off version, it seemed to make a great figure. Over the years I had come to realize that a lot of the G1 figures weren't exactly the great toys our rose-colored glasses would have us remember them to be, and Devastator seemed to me, looking in from the outside, as it were, since I never had one myself, to be one of the clunkier, more awkward robots from that era, that it didn't stand the test of time or age very well for a toy. But judging by my brother's set, that's not the case at all. I really liked it, and it makes me want the real thing even more now. But even for the so-called "weaker" G1 robots, like Megatron, Wheeljack, and others, I can appreciate them for what they meant to me as a kid and what they represent as classic vintage toys, not necessarily as figures on-par with the intricately designed and better-articulated Transformers of today, but I digress.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not sure why many are saying that Devastator does not hold together well and that they have a hard time getting him to stand properly. I am starting to think that it is because these days most collectors experiences with Devastator have been the many KO's released over the years and now the reissues. I cant speak for the reissues as I dont have those, but I do have 5 versions of Devastator.

 

Original G1 Green version

Original G2 Yellow Version

Original G2 Orange Version

KO Green Version

KO Funky Multi-Colored Version

 

They 2 KO versions frustrated me, they did not stay together very well and were very loose.

 

Now the G1 and G2 version are a whole different story. They feel very solid and stay together very well. I have never had any problems in getting the legs to stay in place. As for being clunky looking, I just dont think that is true either. To me he looks like what you would expect out of 6 construction vehicles merged together. When I first bought Devastator in 1985 I thought the was the coolest TF ever, but I can see how he can look clunky when compared to the combiners like Bruticus and Defensor.

 

Please note, this is just my personal thoughts on Devastator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me he looks like what you would expect out of 6 construction vehicles merged together.

 

Yes, that's exactly how I have come to feel about Devastator. In recent years, I had thought he looked a little hodge-podgy, asymmetrical, and just downright cobbled-together. But it's just like you said Dev...it's a giant robot that's made up of six big construction vehicles; he should look a little asymmetrical, as if all of the vehicle parts have shifted and realigned to create a giant semi-humanoid form, and that's the appeal for me. That's what makes him so cool-looking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess that even with the knock-off version, it seemed to make a great figure. Over the years I had come to realize that a lot of the G1 figures weren't exactly the great toys our rose-colored glasses would have us remember them to be, and Devastator seemed to me, looking in from the outside, as it were, since I never had one myself, to be one of the clunkier, more awkward robots from that era, that it didn't stand the test of time or age very well for a toy. But judging by my brother's set, that's not the case at all. I really liked it, and it makes me want the real thing even more now. But even for the so-called "weaker" G1 robots, like Megatron, Wheeljack, and others, I can appreciate them for what they meant to me as a kid and what they represent as classic vintage toys, not necessarily as figures on-par with the intricately designed and better-articulated Transformers of today, but I digress.

 

I agree. I actually sold my G1 collection in 2007 in favor of strictly collecting Masterpiece and Binaltech because they were much truer to the original cartoon's designs. However over the last year I have gotten back into collecting G1 and partially because they were just fun toys from my childhood. So with this being said, you should totally get the Encore 20A 'cause those cartoon colors look sharp and breathe new life into a toy mold that's almost thirty years old!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's where I'm coming from...my G1 figures are not the definitive embodiment of transforming robots like they were when I was eleven, but I appreciate them for what they were and are, cool toys for their time and reproductions of toys I once had as a kid, respectively. It's almost as if I'm preserving my memories in some physical form, as it were.

 

Having said that, I think I might prefer the Encore 20A Devastator, even though it's not an exact replica of the toy that eluded me as a kid. Why? Well, besides the fact that it looks great, at the end of the day, Takara made it. That means it's just as official a Transformers product as the original was, right?

 

I'm usually a purist, preferring my replica toys to be as close to the original as possible for posterity's sake, but any time a company can actually improve upon a toy's design, then why not? Isn't that the whole concept behind the Masterpiece series?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

 

If I was not in the middle of moving I would so get that!

 

You finding toys you forgot you have yet?...

 

I did find the little radar dish and Cerebros gun that goes to my RID Brave Max. I also found the folder that had my Tech cards from the Takara book style reissues. I thought those were gone forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Thanks Dragon! That is a good price...but I'm no longer in a position to get one. I found the Masterpiece Sideswipe restocked from an online retailer, and I went with that. Oh well, I'll just start saving again. (lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Thanks Dragon! That is a good price...but I'm no longer in a position to get one. I found the Masterpiece Sideswipe restocked from an online retailer, and I went with that. Oh well, I'll just start saving again. (lol)

 

I hope you didn't overpay for him... Takara most likely will do a second run soon...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Find Action Figures on Ebay

×
×
  • Create New...
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE