Power Core Combiner Bombshock

Review by Soundscream:

Robot Mode: Bombshock is a decent figure in robot mode. The two cannons on his back are a clear homage to G1 Onslaught (just like his alternate mode, see below). Fortunately and unlike his predecessor he can actually point those cannons forward, making him look even more menacing. The colors fit well for a Decepticon with a military alternate mode. The detailing adheres to current standards for Scout-sized figures, too.

Bombshock kind of reminds me of ROTF Bludgeon, what with his “loincloth” and his Samurai-armor-like body. The head is very nicely sculpted and the goggles above his eyes are very much to my liking. The only downside to this mode are the blue power connectors on his forearms, which are always visible and can’t be folded away properly.

Vehicle Mode: To my knowledge this vehicle doesn’t resemble any real-world one, but if you exchange the double cannons with a missile launcher, it comes rather close to a Russian Scud Launcher. Unfortunately this is Bombshock’s weakest mode and doesn’t really do it for me. Paint applications are rather sparse, while the very visible blue power connectors seem out of place here as well, despite being on the rear end. As mentioned this vehicle mode also pays homage to G1 Onslaught, but with some differences. The long loading area is lost, seeing as the cannons were placed in the back. Additionally there are two quad-missile-launchers next to the primary weapon. All in all not the best vehicle mode.

Drones: The so-called Combaticon drones don’t have much to do with their G1 predecessors except for one exception, a small beige jeep that somewhat resembles Swindle. His cannon was replaced with a double missile launcher, though. As far as the mold goes, I can only ask: do you know those kiddie rides, where you put in a coin and then your kid is rocked back and forth for a minute or two? Yeah, it looks like that. The design looks too compressed and rather unrealistic. The weakest of the drones in terms of design.

Then we have a vehicle that actually does have a real-life counterpart it was modeled after. The rather dark-beige halftrack vehicle is a spitting image of the SD.KFZ 251 of the German Wehrmacht from the second World War. Some changes were made, such as the two stock pipes up front and the made-up cannon on top. All in all a decent drone vehicle.

Next up we have a kind of artillery tank in a nice green-black color combo with oversized silver missiles. And that’s pretty much it, because if you ask me what you can do with this vehicle, the answer is: nothing. The missile launcher can’t turn and there is no other gimmick here, either. It’s just a lump of plastic.

Finally we have a silver-grey-black flak vehicle. Together with the halftrack vehicle it might be the best drone in the set. Here the gun turret can turn a full 360 degree, but can’t angle upwards, either (which is a rather hefty flaw for a flak tank, come to think of it). Just like with the other drones, no other gimmicks to be found, everything’s been reserved for the ‘transformation’.

Combiner Mode: YES!! YES!! YES!! Two thumbs up and an A+ with a smiley face. Here you have a near-perfect combination of the figures and it looks fabulous. The individual drones were distributed well for the limbs, making the Combiner look very brutal. The missile launcher of the artillery drone and the body of the tank make his shoulders look massive. Okay, seeing as the missiles can’t turn on the shoulder, they’re stuck sideways, making them rather useless in a fight. The flak cannons on the other shoulder can be pointed, at least. Apart from his very broad shoulders Bombshock is a rather slim robot. The figure is very agile, so dynamic poses for your shelve aren’t a problem. His head looks great and fits well with the rest of him.

Conclusion: All in all perhaps the best of the PCC sets so far, so a clear and definite recommendation on my part.

Rating: B