Robots in Disguise - Bruticus
Yes, just for the record, RID contains a repaint/rerelease of Bruticus from G1 and G2 (he's
Ruination now), and also a release named Bruticus. The folks at Hasbro just want to
confuse us, don't they? Well, G1 fans anyway.
Bruticus is one of the RID releases that was not part of the Car Robots line (along with
all spychangers after wave 1 and the jets in the deluxe two packs). Actually he was leftover
from the Beast Machines line, though Hasbro apparently didn't want to let the mold go to waste.
Maybe they should have finished it before they released the thing, though.
Beast mode is that of a freakish techno-organic cerebros (that three headed dog thing that
guards Hades in mythology). He's a big mess of red and black and yellow parts, really. He
doesn't look too bad from the sides or the front, but from the top and bottom he's not a pretty
sight. You can see right through him. Also his poseability is nearly zero in this mode, though
I suppose I should be accustomed to unposeable beast modes, so I won't hold that against him.
His center beast head is big and fat with bat wings for ears (I'm not sure what that's about),
and his other two heads are pretty skinny and wimpy. The one on the left (your left, not the left head)
has a red thing that folds back to reveal the robot fist and is supposed to be the snout in
beast mode. It just ends up obstructing the head. The other head is pretty cool, but it lacks
jaw articulation like the other two have.
Transformation is utterly complicated, but I managed to do it without the instructions somehow. I had
to look at the pictures on the card a lot (and it doesn't help any that they're so horribly, horribly wrong in a
few places). It involves a lot of twisting and flipping and I won't get into it really.
The result is less than satisfying. Robot mode actually looks unfinished or something. There's a
big hole in his stomach and his chest panel flips open but serves no purpose otherwise. You'd think
they'd stick his spark there, but it's behind his head. This chest panel thing is probably the result
of an unfinished or nixed 'Battle for the Spark' gimmick, since all BM toys under that line had some
sort of gimmick involving their spark. As it is now, it's just a dumb panel.
Bruticus also has the option of having four arms in robot mode. His rear beast feet unfold
to become some extra arms, though they have nothing you could figure to be elbows (unless elbows
bend down). It's better just to keep them as backpack.
All in all, well, it's not a horrible toy, but it certainly has its fair share of flaws. One wonders
why Hasbro or whoever didn't complete the gimmick or at least improve the mold or something before
release. Also given the very limited release of him, finding one on eBay will set you back quite a
bit (usually around $20, though I've seen them go as high as $65), and those prices really aren't
worth it. I bought mine off ViceGripX, loose for $5, which is about what it's worth, sadly. Carded,
I'd say go for the $10 if you can find it, but don't pay any outrageous prices unless you're a completist
to the extreme.