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Combined form of the Commandos:
Armorhide, Mega-Octane, Movor, Rollbar & Ro-Tor
Series: Robots in Disguise
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Combiner
Year: 2001
I command you to destroy!
Mega-Octane is the cruel, cold-blooded combiner general and command center. He merges with the other combiners to become one Decepticon - with Mega-Octane in total control of them all. He is the only one with the strength and skill to use the weapons he carries - and he uses them with steely accuracy in battle.
Robot Modes: Like most G1 combiners (or repainted re-issues of G1 combiners) the robots comprising Ruination consist of one large leader-robot, Mega-Octane (the only one to get a bio text), and four small team members. The four smaller robots are not particularly detailed and usually don't have more posability than movable arms. Still, all four manage to look unique (which is more than can be said for other combiner team members) and you can tell what they transform into, so no complaints here. The leader, Mega-Octane, towers over his subordinates quite a bit and has a lot more posability to boot. He lacks the chest shield his original, Onslaught, had, which makes his chest look ... lacking, I guess. Apart from that, though, no complaints here either. The Combaticons (which I'm gonna call them since they lack a team designation in RID) are among the better G1-style combiners.
Alternate Modes: The Combaticons transform into military vehicles. Mega Octane becomes a mobile artillery launcher, Armorhide becomes a tank, Rollbar becomes an armed jeep, Ro-Tor becomes a military helicopter, and Movor turns into a space shuttle. Mega Octane has something of a third mode, being able to transform into a base-like structure that can be attached to Trypticon in city mode (see Trypticon entry for picture).
Combiner Mode: The Combaticons combine into the mighty Ruination (or Baldigus in Japan). Mega Octane forms the center, the other four can be used interchangably for the arms and legs. You can experiment a little here, give Ruination different weapons depending on which robots form the arms. For example you can apply Armorhide as an arm for the massive tank gun, or use Movor for two smaller guns. Whatever suits your fancy.
Missing Parts: I'm missing Rollbar's handgun. Apart from that, the Combaticons are complete.
Remarks: I bought these five guys for one major reason: Before they were renamed for the Robots in Disguise line they were the original G1 Combaticons: Brawl, Onslaught, Blast-Off, Swindle, and Vortex and they combined into the mighty Decepticon gestalt called Bruticus. The Combaticons were created by Starscream and used in one of his more successful bids to take over the Decepticons. Then they rebelled and struck out on their own before being brought down by the unlikely alliance of Megatron and Optimus Prime.
Their origins in the RID series are interesting, too, though. They were once Autobot protoforms, taken over by Megatron and converted into Decepticons. Their first appearance marked a turning point for the RID cartoon. Now the bad guys weren't just incompetent jokers anymore, they were heavily armed, destructive, and vicious. Okay, their combined form Ruination doesn't seem nowhere near as tough as Bruticus was (a single blast to the midsection usually shatters him into his component robots), but still looks mighty cool.
To sum it up, the Combaticons are a great addition to every collection, no matter which incarnation they might be.
Rating: B
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