User blog:Sclera1/Devastator (Transformers)

Devastator is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. For legal-political reasons, Hasbro now adds a modifier to the character's name on newer toy packages, such as Constructicon Devastator.

Transformers: Generation 1
Devastator is the combined form of the Constructicons.

The team's combined form is brutality in its purest form—his sole purpose is to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way. It is ironic that the suitably intelligent Constructicons should sacrifice their thinking ability in their combined form, but simple-mindedness is a common limitation of the assorted other first-generation combining Transformers, because Devastator's thoughts and actions are limited to what his six components can agree upon at any given time. Consequently, Devastator seems like a being of instinct, lashing out at everything around him before contemplating the consequences, but he is also slow and lumbering and very easy to trip up.

According to information printed in the Marvel U.K. Transformers comic book Devastator is about 100 feet tall. The notes for the 1984 animated series place him as a bit shorter though, being only 48 feet tall.

Marvel Comics
The origins of the Constructicons in Marvel Comics' Transformers series was not nearly so complicated. Seeking to bolster the size of his forces on Earth in 1985, Decepticon Commander Shockwave arranged for the construction of six new Decepticon bodies, which were then infused with life by the power of the Creation Matrix, tapped from the head of the imprisoned Optimus Prime. Thus, the Constructicons were born, and were immediately put to work building a massive radio transmission dish that Soundwave used to beam a message to Cybertron. When the Autobots attempted to interfere, the Constructicons revealed their hidden power and merged into Devastator to fight them off, allowing the message to successfully go through.

The Autobots, intrigued by Devastator's unique combining power, attempted to replicate it with the construction of Omega Supreme. However, Omega was composed of only three (non-sentient) components, unlike the six Constructicons that made up Devastator. The Autobots conducted a raid on the Decepticon base, luring out Devastator so that they could gather data on him. This allowed them to accomplish the construction of the new combiner team, the Aerialbots, capable of forming Superion, whom Devastator battled during the Transformers' adventure alongside G.I. Joe.

A story published in issue #264 of the U.K.'s Transformers comic is often cited as an attempt to explain both releases, but since the "new" Constructicons would not be released for another two years, the only toy the story could actually be based upon would be the Action Master version of Devastator. In the story, it was revealed that that the Constructicons had lost the ability to combine and were attempting to rebuild Devastator as a singular, separate entity. The Autobots Ironhide and Bumblebee arrived on the island to investigate, and Ironhide was able to bypass the security grid and plant explosives to destroy the site, and Devastator with it.

Animated series
According to the Autobot, Omega Supreme, millions of years ago, the Constructicons were the creators of the beautiful Crystal City on the Transformers' home world of Cybertron, which he was assigned the task of guarding. As a friend of the Constructicons, he was hurt the most when they were attacked by Megatron, who, seeking to bolster the forces of his then-small army, subjected the Constructicons to the Robo-Smasher, a device which reprogrammed their minds and turned them into Decepticons. In their first act as Megatron's troops, the Constructicons lured Omega away from Crystal City and demolished it, enraging Omega, who pursued the Constructicons across the planet. Eventually, he succeeded in capturing them and apparently restored their programming to its original state, but as the group returned to rebuild Crystal City, Omega learned that Megatron's reprogramming could never be undone—the Constructicons were still Decepticons, and more than that, Megatron had given them a new power: the ability to combine their bodies and minds into the giant known as Devastator. In the ensuing struggle with Devastator, the Robo-Smasher attacked Omega's mind. He was able to stop it before the reprogramming was complete, only to wind up losing his emotions. Filled with only hatred for the Constructicons, Omega relentlessly pursued them, until they finally fled Cybertron in a spacecraft, which Omega chased across the galaxy. In "Heavy Metal War", the Constructicons joined with Megatron's forces on Earth, and their first mission was an impressive one - Scrapper designed a machine to transfer the other Decepticons' powers to Megatron, and while he battled Optimus Prime, holding the attention of the Autobots, the Constructicons invaded the Ark to destroy Teletraan I. Unfortunately for them, the Ark was protected by the Dinobots, but by merging into Devastator, they became more than a match for their prehistoric foes. The return of the other Autobots and the discovery of Megatron's deception spelled the end of the battle, as Hound distracted Devastator with a giant holographic Autobot, and Optimus Prime blasted the giant at just the right spot to force the Constructicons to disengage. They and the other Decepticons were then forced into a river of lava.

Devastator went on to be used in many more battles since then. Before the coming of other combiner teams (such as the Aerialbots and Stunticons), Devastator was often used as a trump card against the Autobots. His brute strength and sheer power was often sabotaged by his slowness and lack of intelligence. In "City of Steel", Devastator captured Optimus Prime and carried him to the top of the Decepticons tower base (in a pastiche of King Kong), but was knocked off the building by Prime's cannon. In "The Autobot Run", Devastator was set against the Autobots, only for Wheeljack to use Megatron's "Transfixatron" to force his Constructicon components into vehicle mode. In "The Master Builders" Devastator battled the majority of the Autobot forces, only being defeated when Smokescreen tricked him into kicking the Decepticons solar power tower, resulting in it collapsing on him.

In "The Core", the Autobots attempted to take control of Devastator by placing "Dominator Discs" on each of his Construction components. Although initially successful, Megatron used his own control system to take back Devastator. The conflicting signals temporarily drove Devastator insane. His mind was restored in time for him to save the earth from being destroyed by a runaway Decepticon machine. In "The Secret of Omega Supreme", Devastator took on Omega for the second and last time. Overwhelmed by his opponent's fury, Devastator was spared from destruction when Optimus Prime convinced Omega to help save the earth from a hungry space creature. In "Starscream's Brigade", Devastator was formed to stop the treacherous Starscream's Combaticons, in their combined form of Bruticus. Devastator was outmatched and defeated by Bruticus.

In the The Transformers: The Movie, set in the year 2005, Devastator was the Decepticons' primary weapon in the Battle of Autobot City, tearing through the defenses and walls of the city and battling the Dinobots once more. In "Five Faces of Darkness" (part one), the Constructicons were among the Decepticons who had hidden on Chaar following Galvatron's defeat. Starving for Energon, they combined into Devastator (Bonecrusher was unable to stay attached), they attempted to lay claim to the Energon Astrotrain had brought, only to be cut down by Menasor. In "Carnage in C-Minor", the Constructicons formed Devastator twice to battle the Autobots, but were defeated both times by Broadside (who landed on him in his aircraft carrier mode) and Perceptor (who used his microscope mode cannon to blow them apart). In his final American series appearance, in "The Burden Hardest to Bear". Devastator joined Predaking in attempt to destroy Broadside in Tokyo harbor, but failed.

In Transformers: The Headmasters, Devastator often appeared among his fellow combiners, although his appearances were only token, with no major accomplishments made in them. In Transformers: Zone, Devastator was among the nine Decepticon Generals assembled by the villainous Violenjiger. The veteran Decepticon was almost immediately defeated in battle, entombed beneath the earth by a river of magma unleashed by Dai Atlas. It's unclear if Devastator was killed or only incapacitated, due to fact that the Constructicons already survived falling into magma in "Heavy Metal War".

Manga
In the Transformers Manga #5 Galvatron and his Decepticons attacked the Prime Energy Tower. Galvatron ordered the Decepticons to form Menasor, Devastator and Bruticus and attack. Rodimus Prime counted this move by ordering in Superion, Omega Supreme and Defensor. Galvatron then ordered in Predaking, knowing that Sky Lynx was elsewhere and could not counter them. Rodimus ordered the Omnibots to attack Predaking's legs. Tripping up the giant he fell into the other Decepticon giants, winning the day for the Autobots.

Fun Publications
Based on the Transformers Classics toy line, the Timelines 2007 story is set 15 years after the end of the Marvel Comics story (ignoring all events of the Marvel U.K. and Transformers: Generation 2 comics). Megatron survived the crash of the Ark on Earth, reformatted himself into a new form and now leads Ramjet, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream and the Constructicons. Optimus Prime has also returned to Earth commanding Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Grimlock, Jetfire, Mirage and Rodimus (formerly Hot Rod).

When the Cybertronians Skyfall and Landquake arrive on Earth unexpectedly Megatron attempts to destroy them, but Optimus Prime and his Autobots are able to drive Megatron away. The Constructicons merged into Devastator to stop the Autobots from gaining an energy source the Decepticons were attempting to find, but were defeated by Grimlock.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Combiner Devastator (1985)
 * The combined form of the six Constructicons. Based on Diaclone toys.


 * Generation 1 Action Master Devastator with Scorpulator (1990)
 * A non-transforming toy with a Targetmaster partner.
 * In 1990, the final year of the Transformers toyline in the U.S., an Action Master figure of Devastator was released, with a transforming partner named Scorpulator. Two years later, in 1992, the Constructicons' toys were re-released (exclusive to Europe), now in a yellow, purple and grey color scheme, with no individual names for the individual toys and lacking the additional pieces that allowed their original releases to combine into Devastator.


 * Generation 2 Yellow Devastator (1993)
 * Redecos of the original toys in yellow for Generation 2.


 * Generation 2 Orange Devastator (1993)
 * Redecos of the original toys in orange for Generation 2.


 * Classics Constructicon Devastator (2007)
 * A Walmart store exclusive gift set. A redeco of Energon Constructicon Maximus with the familiar green and purple G1 colors.
 * This toy was voted the 46th top toy released in the last 10 years by Toyfare Magazine.

Transformers: Armada
The Autobot Scavenger is called Devastar in Japan. Devastar is also the Japanese name for Devastator.

Transformers: Energon
In Transformers: Energon, a combining team of five robots similar to the Constructicons exists, who form the giant robot known as Constructicon Maximus (Buildron in Japan). The animated series does not refer to any of the components by name - in it, only the central body is intelligent, and the limbs are drones. The five robots transform only from vehicle mode into combined mode, never into their individual robot forms (apart from one out-of-continuity episode). The team consists of:
 * Steamhammer (Scavenger in Japan), the leader of the team who forms the central body of Constructicon Maximus. His toy's bio presents him as dark and stoic, with a primary function in communication and espionage, a job that he performs well due to his ability to jam transmissions and his talent for breaking codes. Although he is a powerful warrior who can literally flatten his enemies in his excavator alternate mode, he actually prefers to avoid getting involved in combat. Steamhammer's toy bio is ignored for the animated series.
 * Bonecrusher - Scoop Loader
 * Duststorm (Glen in Japan, the Japanese name for Hook) - Crane
 * Sledge (Scrapper in Japan) - Scoop Loader
 * Wideload (Long Haul in Japan) - Crane

Animated series
Constructicon Maximus was one of four combining Transformers sealed away in stasis beneath the surface of Cybertron to guard a hidden reservoir of Super Energon. Megatron, guided by Unicron, set out to search for it, and destroyed one of the immobile robots in his rage, only for the reservoir to then reveal itself. As the guardians awakened, Megatron immersed himself in the Super Energon to upgrade himself into Galvatron, and Constructicon Maximus and Bruticus Maximus immediately swore fealty to Galvatron as the one who had awoken them. However, their "brother," Superion Maximus, refused, recognising Galvatron's evil and siding with the Autobots.

Constructicon Maximus added plenty of firepower to the Decepticons' side, and he and Bruticus Maximus had several clashes with the "traitorous" Superion Maximus, until the time for their final battle came, set against the backdrop of the struggle to stop the Unicron-possessed Galvatron out in space. Constructicon Maximus was deactivated by Superion Maximus, who then had his limbs destroyed by Bruticus Maximus, but transferred Constructicon Maximus's limbs to himself and used them to defeat Bruticus, along with a little help from the ghost of the "brother" Megatron had destroyed. Constructicon Maximus was voiced by Don Brown.

Toys
The name "Steamhammer" was later recycled as the name of a Mini-Con in Transformers Cybertron. Also, another homage to the original Constructicons was seen when Demolishor was reformatted into a new form by Megatron. His new alternate mode was that of a massive dump truck colored dark green.

The molds of Constructicon Maximus have been reissued as a Wal-Mart Exclusive gift set sometime late 2006/2007 under the Classics Line. The combined form is be named Constructicon Devastator for trademark reasons, and the individual names are Duststorm, Wideload, Bonecrusher, Sledge, Divebomb and Steamhammer. It has a bright green and purple deco similar to the original G1 Constructicons.

Transformers: Universe
A redeco of Generation 1 Sixbuilder was released in 2004 done as a homage to Generation 1 Devastator.

In 1992, a combining Autobot Transformer named SixBuilder was released exclusively in Japan, composed of six Autobot Micromasters, who, by coincidence or design, shared alternate modes with the six original Constructicons. When this figure was reissued in 2003, a chase Destron (Decepticon) variant was available in a green and purple color scheme intended to evoke the Constructicons. Eventually, the individual components were released in the USA in 2004 as part of the multi-universe-spanning Transformers: Universe toy line, exclusively available from KB Toys stores, with improved paint applications to even closer match the original Constructicons' colors.

Released under the group name of the Constructicons once again, the team's combined form was named Constructicon Devastator, and its members included:


 * Buckethead (payloader, formerly Gran Arm in Japan)
 * Quickmix (concrete mixer, formerly Mixing)
 * Hightower (truck crane, formerly Iron Lift)
 * Scavenger (steam shovel, formerly Digger)
 * Bonecrusher (bulldozer, formerly Crush-Bull)
 * Long Haul (dump truck, formerly Treader)

In Europe, the Micromaster Constructicons were released in Energon rather than in Universe packaging.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Sixbuilder (1992)
 * The 6 members of Sixbuilder members can packaged together.


 * Generation 1 Sixbuilder redeco (Autobot) (2003)
 * A redeco of the original mold.


 * Generation 1 Sixbuilder redeco (Decepticon) (2003)
 * A redeco of Mixing in green as a Decepticon.


 * Universe Devastator (2004)
 * The Micromaster Constructicons were initially a Kaybee store exclusive, but later on were found in other online stores. This version of Devastator has never appeared in any official media.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
In the 2007 live-action film, Devastator appears as an individual character that transforms into a heavily-modified M1 Abrams tank. Although the character was supposed to be named Brawl and he goes by that name in the merchandising, the Decepticon clearly identifies himself as Devastator in an on-screen subtitle (even though another character in the sequel is named Devastator). Movie writers Roberto Orci and Hasbro's Transformers team acknowledge this as an error. When queried, director Michael Bay has stated that he has always preferred Devastator, as it "sounded more destructive and dangerous for a Decepticon".

In 2007 USA today polled people as to which Transformer they want to appear in the next Transformers film. Devastator came in tied for second with Grimlock.

On the Transformers website, it was confirmed that several new Decepticons would form Devastator in the 2009 sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, as well that he would have powerful upper body strength, similar to a gorilla, and have the ability to widen his mouth, creating a powerful turbine that sucks anything in like a wood chipper. Nothing is currently known of any effort to reconcile the naming disparities between the two Devastators, though the tank in the 2007 film is officially dubbed "Brawl". There were conflicting reports as to the number and name of the Constructicons who will form Devastator, due to Demolishor and Scavenger being of the same model. However, the movie reveals that Devastator can be formed by a member from each of the eight Contructicon models in a present area. Unlike the red eyes of most Decepticons, Devastator has green eyes. He is also shown to have turrets on his arms and missile launchers on his shoulders which he uses to try to destroy Mudflap. Like in previous incarnations, Devastator's intelligence is much less than the other Decepticons due to the need for all the Constructicons making up Devastator having to agree on a thought or action. This results in Devastator being personified as a savage beast with Megatron as his master.

Devastator would stand about 100–120 feet tall if erect, but due to his large upper body mass, he is unable to stand upright. This restricts his movement to walking (slowly) on all four limbs. When climbing the pyramid, his awkward form required his use of several grappling hooks so that he would not lose his footing.

A highly criticized scene in the 2009 film involves Agent Simmons standing underneath Devastator, showing what appear to be two wrecking balls dangling from his crotch.

Reception
Wired Magazine named Devastator and the Constructions one of the reasons to go see the film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Devastator was picked as the 52nd "Coolest Movie Robot" by Matt Patches of UGO.com.

IGN described the appearance of Devastator's wrecking balls as one of the worst moments of the Transformers movies.

Movie plot
Devastator is formed by the merger of several Constructicon vehicles in Egypt initiated by Scavenger. Once formed, he begins to suck up all of the structures and vehicles within the construction site in an attempt to destroy Mudflap and Skids. Mudflap is then sucked into Devastator's mouth, but he manages to break free by blasting a hole in the side of his face. Shortly after Devastator defeats the Autobot twins, Megatron commands him to climb the pyramid concealing the Sun Harvester. Once at the top, Devastator exposes the Sun Harvester but is hit by an experimental ship-mounted railgun round that was called in by former Sector 7 Agent Simmons. The shot shatters Devastator, killing him ultimately.

Toys

 * Revenge of the Fallen Supreme Constructicon Devastator (2009)
 * This toy is set of the Constructicon vehicles that combine to form Devastator. While the vehicles form Devastator's body parts, they do not have individual robot modes due to the complexity of the robot's design. The six-pack comes with Scavenger, Mixmaster, Long Haul, Rampage, Hightower and Scrapper. His head can turn into a vortex with light-up eyes, in order to emulate the construction site scene. Devastator also emits sound effects as well. Notably, this set does not come with the seventh Constructicon known as Overload. Priced at US$99.99/£99.99 at the time of release, this surpasses Bumblebee and G1 Fortress Maximus (both having been priced at US$89.99 at release) as the most expensive Transformers toy sold by Hasbro.
 * The Japanese release version features red paint applications on Devastator's face, which matches his on-screen appearance.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Legends Constructicon Devastator (2009)
 * This set also includes Overload, who forms the back of Devastator. Unlike the larger Supreme class version, the individual Constructicons in this set can transform into their robot modes. In Japan, the Constructicons are sold individually.


 * Transformers Legends Constructicon Devastator (G1 Redeco) (2009)
 * A Japan exclusive redeco of the movie Legends Devastator in green/purple colors inspired by the Generation 1 version of the character.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Burger King Constructin' Devastator (2009)
 * Sold with Burger King's BK Kids Meals, this is Devastator's main body with combining Constructicon arms and legs, Scrapper, Rampage, Long Haul and Hightower.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Mega Power Bots Constructicon Devastator (2009)
 * A large, non-transforming action figure for younger children. Features numerous light and sound effects. Because he has wheels on his limbs, Devastator can lie face-first, giving the appearance of five construction vehicles lined up together.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Robot Heroes Desert Devastation (2009)
 * A cartoonish pack of non-transforming action figures. The pack also includes Mudflap, Autobot Skids and Captain William Lennox.


 * Transformers Legends Constructicon Devastator (2010)
 * A Toys "R" Us exclusive release of the G1 redeco version of the Legends gift set, which was previously sold exclusively in Japan.

Transformers: Prime
Devastator is the combined version of the Constructicons. His size makes him the Ultimate Weapon for the Decepticons.

Books
Devastator appears in the novel Transformers: Exodus where he fights Defensor. He appears to be based on the Revenge of the Fallen version of Devastator.

Animated series
Devastator and the Constructions have yet to appear in Transformers: Prime.