TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Civ's review of: Scorponok

Name: Scorponok
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Terrorcon Leader
Sub-Group: Terrorcons
"If I do not crush you with my claws, I will finish you with my sting! I will finish you with my sting!"

Scorponok is a power-hungry warrior who believes that he is the rightful leader of the Decepticons. He can back up this claim with a three-mode arsenal and a nasty attitude. In scorpion mode, beware of his huge mechanical claws and energon stinger. In vehicle mode, Scorponok is a powerful jet and construction vehicle with a talent for destruction. Megatron beware! This dangerous Decepticon is coming for you.

Vehicle Mode:
When I first saw Scorponok in his packaging, he was in scorpion-mode. I was nearly instantly amazed at how much detail he had. At first when I saw the pics on the Internet, I thought the company really overdid the detail to the point where it didn't even look credible. Upon closer inspection, they didn't overdo it at all. All of the ridges, the fins, the detail for the plating looked to be very well done. I'm not a big fan of the green, orange, black, and dull blue-gray paint job with translucent yellow parts, so I think the color scheme could have been done better.

Once I started transforming him, I noticed something. The blasted toy makes noise during the transformation when you touch the tail. I mean he makes sounds via buttons and amplifiers. If you're a fan of that, then it's great for you; however, I am NOT a fan of TFs that make noise. Everytime I moved that tail, some trasformation sound would start up and after about two minutes I had to remove the batteries or I was going to go insane.

Scorponok has two official alternate modes and a bucket load of pseudo alternate modes. His transformations aren't tough to figure out but can be a little tricky at first. For once, the instructions weren't complete hieroglyphics that I had to figure out. I personally think out of his two official alternate modes, his scorpion mode looks much better. His jet mode doesn't look that great to me. My main problem with the jet is I don't care for the tail becoming the fuselage of the jet and how it's only supported by one little plastic link. I can foresee in the future once that link loosens up, it's going to be mighty hard to keep the fuselage straight without it drooping by about 90 degrees. Luckily, the scorpion-mode looks fairly solid.

Robot Mode:
Scorponok in robot mode is pretty articulate. I like how they made his pincers open and close and how the missile launchers are inside of them and would prevent accidental launching of his missiles into young children's eyes. The triggers for the missiles are well inside the claw and unless your child is double-jointed, it's mighty hard to trigger the spring mechanism accidentally. Scorponok has knees, elbows, a rotatable head, shoulders, and his legs can rotate in their sockets. He also has a moveable visor much like the original G1 Scorponok. I also like how the figure did not come with stickers and has very few accessories (only two long, black missiles); therefore, I don't have to worry about anything peeling or losing a gun or something. I also like how they used gears to get his tail guns to swing into position, which is very clever on the designer's part.

Transformation: On a scale of one to ten, I would give his transformation a 5. It's not to tough, but it's not too easy either. Being that I'm a 25-year-old man, I had little difficulty moving parts; however, I can see a five or seven-year-old having some difficulty with him. One instance that comes to mind is when you transform his shoulders into jet mode. The joints are quite tight and even gave me a little trouble.
Durability: I'm going to give this guy a 9.5. The only reason I don't give him a 10 is that black link in his tail. As stated earlier, I can see this link wearing in the future and causing a lot of difficulty for the figure to retain the jet mode without using both hands.
Fun: On a fun scale, I'll give him a 10. With all of the pseudo modes (http://tfarchive.com/visions/temp/scorponok-all.jpg), the two official alternate modes, and the robot mode, this figure kicks a lot of tail. Pun intended. With all of this rather large character's articulation and little tricks, it's next to impossible not to have fun with him. The only minor thing that bugs me about how the figure originally comes, are the ultra-sensitive triggers in his tail. Just remove the batteries if you hate noise and you're good to go.
Price: I'll give him a 6. He's not as cheap as a $3 Universe Autobot Ratchet or a $7 Omnicon, but he's certainly not Masterpiece Prime's price either. For approximately $27 at Walmart, I think he's well worth the money.
Summary: Ten. I would definitely give this figure a 10. He is a main character in the cartoon show, a barrel of fun, and not bad looking overall if you don't let the color scheme bother you.