Salvage with Bombburst

I feel kind of bad for Hasbro.

They tried something new with the Transformers: Power Core Combiner line but they just took too long to get it working. Without any supporting media to pull in interest, the toys were the only draw for kids. They needed to pop on the shelf, and make an immediate impression on the buyer once they opened it. That wasn’t the case. Their first few attempts were ugly, especially the scout teams that combined to form gestalt robots. Those 5-packs were awful, even Grimstone and the Dinobots. It wasn’t until I got Steamhammer and the Constructicons that I finally could start to appreciate the line and see some potential.

By that time however, the whole line had already hit the bargain bin. When the last line of Power Core 2-packs came out, they were already priced at the same Php 350.00 point as the previous waves. That’s sad, because both Salvage with Bombburst and Undertow with Waterlog are decent toys.

Salvage is just a repaint of Mudslinger (from the Destructicons 5-Pack) and Bombburst a repaint of Chainclaw (from the Icepick 2-Pack). There isn’t much to say about either of them aside from they’re both really gnarly.

The packaging for the 2-Pack Power Core Combiners is your basic plastic bubble with an interior tray to hold the toy in place, and a printed card to lock them in. The “minicon” (a 2” Transformer that becomes his weapon) is housed in a separate, blue-colored tray. I figure it’s to highlight the accessory, although how successful the attempt was is arguable.

 

Bombburst (the minicon) is an awesome toy. The base mold is easily the best of the Power Core Combiner weapons since it looks decent in all three modes; robot, gun, and missile launcher. Now that I’ve got both him and Chainclaw, my standard Transformers with standard 5mm holes can dual wield!

Salvage is pretty sweet too, though I still don’t like the look of his Commander form (the one he takes to accommodate the scout limbs that come in the 5-Packs). It’s got huge “ears” that just make him look goofy. If you want to get him in this mode, however, you'll need to buy a few of those 5-Packs to get the drones that act as his feet and hands.

His robot form is also kind of goofy-looking with a god-awful looking “hat”.

He is however, nicely articulated (with mostly ball joints), and looks like a proper bruiser bot. I love the way his wheels hang right out there, screaming at you to call it kibble, so that he might shove one of them down your throat. The radiator for a chest is a nice touch, too. The big, killer boots are also chunktastic.

His vehicle mode is a monster truck built from some kind of car. I don’t think it’s meant to be anything from real life. Just look awesome. The wheels roll freely and Bombburst pegs onto the top on one of those minicon mounts.

You can also swing his Commander head out from underneath his hood and get something that looks like a robo-bull on wheels. No idea what you can do with it, though. Maybe a pet for Optimus Prime?

I never picked up Mudslinger because of the awful looking limbs/drones, but Salvage, as a standalone figure with a wicked accessory is an awesome buy at 50% off. He's still available at Toy Kingdom in Megamall, and many other branches, so go out and find one for yourself.