A little bit tin man, a little bit cowardly lion, a whole lot of scarecrow. G1 and G2 Constructicons Scavenger and Bonecrusher!

Having learned my lesson, I am starting out with the kooky secondary alt modes this time rather than ending with them. This might just backfire on me as Scavenger and Bonecrusher, who form Devastator’s arms, actually seem to have the most decent secondary alt modes of all the Constructicons. Using the pieces that constitute Devastator’s forearms as drill devices, the G2 release was neutered to remove the launching mechanism built in, but the Encore reissue restores the launchers as they were in the original G1 release.

The reason showing these first might backfire is that, for as decent as their secondary alt modes are, both have robot modes that leave a lot to be desired.

Scavenger has a very “scarecrow” look to him; thin arms and legs attached to a blocky chunk. This is made worse by the shovel mechanism from his alt mode that juts awkwardly from his back. Scavenger also gets the vote for most pathetic Constructicon. “Everything is worth something, even me” would almost be an endearing motto if it weren’t for the rest of his bio, which describes him searching for “things of value in a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his comrades”. I rarely agree with Megatron, but can’t help it in this instance when he says that “such behavior would be charming in a puppyoid, but ill-becomes a Decepticon warrior.”

Bonecrusher, on the other hand, is something of an artist. Unfortunately for everyone in his general vicinity, his idea of art is “rubble-strewn wasteland”, “for him, demolition is not merely a job – it is a performance.” As swell as this might be, his robot mode is even more scarecrow-like than Scavenger’s.

Mostly this is due to the fact that Bonecrusher’s arms are permanently bent at the elbows like a scarecrow’s arms hanging from its crossbar. His shovel chest also gives him a somewhat hollow look overall.

Then again, maybe I did do this in correct order. After all, if there is one thing that all of the Constructicon toys do very well, it’s alt mode.

There isn’t much to say about them, but in this case, that is a good thing.

Seeing these well-detailed, powerful construction vehicles one could easily believe their ability to build a big, strong, imposing Decepticon fortress or, perhaps, their leader Megatron?

Ah, Decepticon Constructicons building Megatron from “Five Faces of Darkness Part 4”, one of the more egregious continuity entanglements of the original cartoon series.