TF Views

This is less about the toy, which I am unlikely to buy, than it is about the characters dwscribed on the box.

Bruticus consists of 5 smaller transformers that combine to form the larger Bruticus Maximus. Given the names and colors used for the smaller 'bots, it is pretty clear that the toy is meant to reference the original characters from the 80s.

The vehicle modes are less problematic than one might initially think. Onslaught is an artillery truck. Vortex is a 'copter. And, Brawl is a tank. But, Swindle is a 'copter and Blastoff is a tank. Objectively, there is nothing inherent about Swindle that soecifies he has to be a jeep. Swindle being a 'copter makes about as much sense as him being a jeep. And, given given that Blastoff was a sniper, it is not completely out of order for him to be a tank. (While not perfect, it does work pretty well.


The toy's packaging raises problems. In the US, the toys are sold in "Revenge of the Fallen" packaging. But, internationally, the Bruticus Maximus set is sold as part of "Universe". This makes placing the characters difficult, even before one considers that neither setting, ("Revenge of the Fallen" or "Universe"), is an easy fit.

The easiest thing to do at this stage is to assume that the two packaging variants represent two different characters. Precedent for this can be found in "Beast Wars" and "Beast Wars II", where a number of identical toys were repackaged as different characters.

Of course, "Car Robots" and "Robots in Disguise" provide precedent for the inverse, with repackaged, and even recolored, toys being intended to represent the same character.

Either way, both "Universe" and "Revenge of the Fallen" are problematic.

In "Universe", there is already a character named "Onslaught". In "Revenge of the Fallen", the names "Swindle" and "Brawl" have already been used. And, in the case of "Brawl", the name was used on a character similar to the one described on the back of Bruticus Maximus' packaging. To make matters more complicated, the molding for Bruticus Maximus is from the post-Beast years, and does not look right with current movie toys. (There are a number of recolored toy from the post-Beast years that fit this description.)
The easiest thing to do here is to assume that Bruticus Maximus is from yet another sub-continuity. There is precedent for this as well. If one reads the movie comics, there are a number of variations to the story. And, other toy packages, such as both Target exclusive Jazz recolors, have presented mutually exclusive contradictions to the movie.

And, assuming divergent context is consistent with the original premise for "Universe".

Which means it probably makes sense to put these toys....wherever it is one puts the rest of their weird non-movie in movie packaging recolors.


Dom
-has been wrestling with this for a while.

You, sir, are treading the road to insanity. I gave up on this sort of thing when I realized I was putting more thought into it than Hasbro was. Put them on whatever shelf feels best to you (or don't, since you're not buying them).

Indeed--most of the non-fitting Movie toys I've nabbed have gone to entirely different homes, and even a bit through Universe as well--Universe's Heavy Load hangs out with the Cybertron & Energon crew, while CrasherFracture hangs out with the...discombobulated mess that is my G1/Classics/Universe Decepticons. I don't have enough of either to make dedicated displays, unlike the Autobots, so it's a strange mishmash of both. MasterScream is next to ClaSlaught who is next to G2 Dreadwing.

I tend to default to Universe as well. But, some of them have profiles that indicate they are firmly in the movie's context.

Dom
-well, some of them fit in vehicle mode.

True, but how much of that is liable to stick?

I own the Universe release, as that's the one released here. I prefer it to the movie release purely because the recolour set was originally intended that way, I'm a stickler for intent. Plus, nicer boxart. Sure, Universe already has an Onslaught toy, but Universe is intended to be a neo-G1, and already has several Prime and Megatron toys, why can't it just be a different body the same character used at some point?

I prefer this set to both the Superlink and Energon releases, although the weird orange and red merge parts are offputting. I thoroughly recommend the set if anyone doesn't own an iteration yet. When transformed differently so the arms actually have articulation, it's a very nice gestalt. Favourite part of this version is the way they've included each character's name in their deco, some are quite subtle and clever. Swindle has a dollar sign that looks equally like an S. Y'know. S for Swindle.