Energon Bruticus Maximus

Robot Mode: The Combaticons (or Destruction-Team, as they are actually called in Energon) are five different robots sharing three different molds. The leader, Barricade, is the largest of them and looks massive and powerful. Unfortunately he doesn't have any kind of weapon in robot mode, which drags him down a bit. Kickback and Blight share a mold, being heavily armed tank bots. They have weapons on their arms as well as (slightly oversized) Energon weapons to use on the side. Their tank tracks from the vehicle modes form wings on their back, which gives them a very nice look. Stormcloud and Blackout also share a mold. They, too, have Energon weapons, which are a bit nicer than those of their colleagues. All five figures are nicely posable and the colour differences between those bots that share a mold are such that they appear different, even though they actually look pretty much the same. Nice robot modes.

Alternate Mode: All five robots transform into military vehicles. Barricade becomes a missile truck (much like G1 Onslaught, though very different-looking). The missile launcher is fully posable, the only slight drawback to this vehicle is the fact that you can see his robot head from the side. Kickback and Blight become tanks. They look a bit futuristic, not like any tanks you'd expect to see on Earth, but their turrets can swivel and each gun is separately posable as well, so very good vehicle modes. Finally Blackout and Stormcloud become helicopters. No complaints here, either. All in all the Combaticons have very nice vehicle modes, too.

Combiner Mode: The team combines into Bruticus Maximus, in my opinon the best of the Energon combiners. The gestalt robot is very posable and manages a uniform look despite the wild mix of colours. The limbs made from Blackout and Stormcloud are a bit unstable, but that is his only flaw. He does share some similarities with G1 Bruticus, mostly in the head, but he is his own character.

Remarks: The Combaticons were quite possibly the most interesting Decepticons in the G1 era, so it is no surprise that they were recycled for the very homage-heavy Energon series. I'm a bit miffed that they didn't give them the original names (and what is this Destruction-Team things about? They are the Combaticons, damn it!), but that doesn't stop me from liking them. They are the best of the Energon combiner teams and most definitely recommended.

Rating: A-