Siege Brunt

Prelude: During the days of G1 the big city bots all came with a number of support robots and drones. Some of them were robots of their own, others just a way to make use of parts that were used in city mode. For the mighty Trypticon the latter was a tank named Brunt, who basically became Trypticon’s towers in city mode. Brunt never had a robot mode of his own back in the days, but now he’s been brought back for the first time since 1986 for the Siege line as a stand-alone robot. Here we go!

Robot Mode: As mentioned above, the original Brunt never had a robot mode, so the designers of the Siege figure were more or less free to do as they pleased here. In what I presume is preparation for an eventual repaint, Brunt in robot mode resembles fellow tank bot Tankor from Beast Machines. A big, hefty robot, pincers as hands, big gun on his back, tiny little head. The paint job is mostly purple, befitting a Decepticon warrior, and the huge forarms with the pincers make him look very dangerous.

The figure is very nicely articulated, especially considering that it’s designed to fall into several different pieces, and the detail work is also very good. The infamous battle damage paint specks are restricted to his pincers, which looks pretty good. Sadly the big gun peeking out behind his back cannot flip forward onto his shoulder, but can be removed and plugged into his forearm for shooting. This is basically the only slight downside here.

Overall I very much like this robot mode and, apart from the already announced Powerdasher repaint, I’m hoping to see this mold used for Tankor and possibly a pre-Beast-Wars Scorponok. Thumbs up.

Alternate Mode: This is the mode where Brunt strongly adheres to his G1 predecessor. Brunt becomes a futuristic tank with a big gun in the center. Unlike the other two Weaponizers, who (mostly) transform in one piece, Brunt actually has to be taken apart and put back together in order to transform. Nothing that bugs me, but I thought I’d mention it. The finished tank looks pretty good, has Brunt’s head peeking out in front (more shades of Tankor) and the big gun itself can turn and be raised upwards. All in all a perfectly decent tank mode, no complaints.

Like the other support robots / drones of the G1 citybots, Brunt, too, has been turned into a Weaponizer for the Siege line. Meaning he doesn’t just transform into a vehicle, he also falls apart into a number of weapons to be used by other figures. In Brunt’s case that’s the big gun (which can split into two parts), the claw hands, and a few other parts. Compared with the other Weaponizers Brunt is actually a bit short on actual weapons, but in his case it’s the size that matters more than the numbers.

Just like with the other Weaponizers there are multiple variants on how to arrange these parts as weapons / armor on other figures. See just two variants in the pictures. Personally I like the one where he can become a kind-of claw-rucksack for another figure (see 13th picture), but that’s subjective, naturally. Overall I’d rate Brunt’s Weaponizer mode as slightly behind Cog’s, but better than Sixguns. Still like the concept very much, so thumbs up here as well.

Remarks: Brunt never made an appearance in the G1 cartoon or comics as a separate entity, only as part of Trypticon’s city mode. That he is now part of the Siege line marks his first toy appearance since 1986 and we’re still waiting for his first in-media appearance as something other than a building. Total lack of media presence aside, though, Brunt is a great figure. So far the Siege line is really impressing me and the Weaponizer gimmick is pretty great, too. So if his zero media presence doesn’t bother you, Brunt is most definitely worth a look (and a repaint or two, too).

Rating: A-

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