Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Scrapper

Release Date: March 2025

RRP: $34.99/£34.99

While we’re now quite far out from the 35th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie it originally arrived to celebrate (so much so that we’re rapidly approaching its 40th anniversary), the Studio Series 86 line is still going strong! By this point most of the new characters that appeared in the film have been neatly covered off, but there’s still scope when it comes to the veteran Generation One characters. 2025 is poised to be a pretty big year for the line as it delves into its first combiner, the only one to appear in the film itself – Devastator! With the six Constructicons set to be released across five sets at varying price points, Studio Series 86 Scrapper neatly kicks things off with their de facto leader.

This year Hasbro have revised the box design on their Transformers toys so that there's more uniformity between the Power of the Primes and Studio Series lines, and while this has resulted in the Studio Series 86 packaging losing some of its individual flair it does however once again have a clear plastic window at long last! This looks at the figure itself is nicely complimented by artwork of Scrapper in both modes to the side of the window, as well as the Transformers logo running along the bottom. One side of the box features additional artwork of Devastator, noting that this release is "1 of 5" to build the Decepticon gestalt. This might seem like a misprint as there are actually six Constructicons, but as Hook and Long Haul are being released in a two-pack it actually makes sense in terms of releases. The other side of the box simply has the Transformers logo again along with the Autobot logo, which admittedly doesn't really fit the box but does go with the box's red accents. Oh the back you'll find a number of images of Scrapper in both modes alongside a short bio as well as an image of Devastator straight out of Transformers: The Movie. Inside another big change is the Studio Series' signature scene trays have been axed, and Scrapper is simply tied down on a blue cardboard tray. The accessories are tied to the side of the tray, wrapped up in that familiar Transformers-branded paper.

Despite being billed as a Voyager Class figure, the first thing you'll notice about Studio Series 86 Scrapper in hand is that really he's a Deluxe figure. There is a reason for the Voyager price tag and this will be mentioned further down, but as far as Scrapper himself is concerned this is very much a Deluxe. He scales well with all of more recent Transformers toys from the War for Cybertron trilogy onwards, but is considerably smaller than the Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors figure from 2015. So if you're looking for the biggest (official) Devastator possible, the Studio Series version won't be it. That said, at least it'll be in scale with all the other combiners. The other thing worth noting is (as has always been the case with the line) this is a far more cartoon-accurate Scrapper, with a much simpler colour scheme that lacks all the additional chest detailing that appeared on the original G1 toy. It does however do an excellent job of this, and even adds a bit of extra moulded detailing across the body to give it a slightly more updated look without losing any of that cartoon-accuracy. The colours on the figure look great - not just that distinct Construction green and purple pallette but also the silver as well. Simple as it may be the colouring on the chest looks really sharp even without the additional detailing the figure would have if it included the original's stickers. Meanwhile the upper legs being painted rather than just "silver" plastic helps give it a more premium look. Simple as it may seem the head sculpt on Scrapper is absolutely superb - really nailing its boxy looks with the red goggle eyes but also making sure it has that additional sculpted detailing on the forehead.

But even as a Deluxe-sized figure Scrapper still has plenty to offer when it comes to articulation and poseability, consisting of;

- Ball jointed head

- Swivel hinge shoulders and hips

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Hinges shoulders, knees and ankles

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

There's also hinged wrists if you want to get technical, but really they're just there for the transformation rather than adding to poseability. Unfortunately the absence of a waist swivel doesn't go unnoticed on this figure, and definitely would have elevated it slightly had one been implemented. That said, supposedly the reason one is missing is to provide more stability when forming Devastator, so as far as sacrifices go that's not the worst compromise that could have been made here. As much as we'd all like Scrapper to be the best figure he can be, the truth is most collectors are probably going to display these figures as Devastator unless they buy multiples. Outside of that slight grievance though the poseability here is very good, with lots of points that help make up for the lack of waist swivel. The bicep and thigh swivels work very nicely, as does the additional butterfly movement on the shoulders. The neck, despite how easy it would have been to make it a swivel due to the boxy head design, is a ball joint that gives it just enough tilt to add some extra personality to posing. Scrapper isn't really breaking the mould for modern Transformers figures, but for the most part he meets expectations nicely.

Scrapper’s accessories consist of his signature blaster, and two further weapons that can combine into Devastator’s rifle. Scrapper’s own blaster is the smallest and simplest of the three, cast in black plastic but featuring some moulded detailing. It does however nicely resemble the version included with the original G1 toy, and it’s nice that it was included rather than just omitted in favour of the chunkier Devastator weapons. Said weapons are cast in purple plastic with no additional paint details, with one a more conventional-looking weapon whereas the other is very clearly an extended barrel part. Despite being larger and more colourful though, there’s something that just remains more charming about Scrapper’s standard firearm. All three weapons peg comfortably into either of Scrapper’s hands for easy posing.

With only a 17-step transformation Scrapper’s conversion into a front-end loader isn’t particularly complex, nor is it what you would expect from a voyager class figure. It is however a wonderful rendition of his G1 alt mode in that iconic Constructicon neon-green colour scheme, complete with additional sculpted detailing such as the ladder on the side of the vehicle leading up to the driver’s seat. True to the cartoon outside of the green however there isn’t a whole else in terms of colour to be seen here, with most of the purple hidden. The silver painted hubcaps are a nice touch though. In this mode Scrapper can store his weapons (primarily the parts for Devastator’s rifle) on the back section of the vehicle.

In vehicle mode Scrapper has the usual four free-rolling wheels, but the construction vehicle alt mode also allows for a little more extra playability as well. Not only can the shovel itself rotate, but it can also lift upwards on its double-hinged arms to give it a level of movement similar to that of an actual front-end loader. Of all the Transformers I’ve bought in the last couple of years it’s definitely one of the more fun alt modes, and surely will only get even more fun alongside the other Constructicons. It also slightly makes up for some of the figure’s shortcomings when compared alongside its price point.

Of course Scrapper also technically has a third mode, forming the right leg of Devastator. Interestingly there aren’t specific instructions on how put Scrapper into limb mode here (even if it is just a very slight variation on his vehicle mode), so one can only assume that dedicated Devastator transformation/combination guidance is included elsewhere. While my plans are to properly cover Devastator once I have all six Constructicons in hand, it is worth noting that in limb mode Scrapper has a ratchet joint ankle tilt – something which will not only be extremely significant when combined with the other, but also the piece of tooling that elevated Scrapper (and similarly Mixmaster) to Voyager price point.

Studio Series 86 Scrapper kicks off what could potentially be the line’s magnum opus in style, but one component certainly isn’t enough to determine just good Devastator is going to be. As an individual figure Scrapper delivers fans another great quality figure that feels like it’s leapt out of the cartoon, but even with the knowledge of why it’s the case a Voyager price tag for what is essentially a Deluxe figure does sting a little. This isn’t a case like Hot Rod where you can really see the more complex tooling in a smaller figure, this is one where it’s purely going to be seen in that combined mode. That said, if both the other Constructicons and Devastator himself turn out this good then Transformers fans should be in for quite the treat.