Mixmaster

My favorite Constructicon is the final one released? This is clearly a personal attack on only me and no one else! Mixmaster combines with the Constructicons to form Devastator. Wow, terrific bio information, Hasbro, that's not an utter waste of ink at all. To steal the work done by copywriters in Generation 1, "Nothing is safe from him... he will use anything from unliving rock to living robot in making new materials. Uses acids and bonding agents to reduce and recombine almost anything inside mixing drum... a chemistry lab on wheels." See? That's what these things are supposed to be like. But writing that would cost money, and things costing money ain't gonna happen under Chris Cocks' Hasbro. It hasn't been that long since there was a Mixmaster - why, Combiner Wars was only... nine years ago?! Good lord. Still, this new version is entirely superior to that one in every way. Studio Series strives to duplicate the cartoon designs, so this time the mixing drum on his back is actually on his back, rather than dangling off his butt like some kind of insect. Inspired by the G1 toy, his shins/feet are very flat in front, but stick out farther behind. All the details on the torso are molded in, matching details that, in the '80s, were just stickers. Even those two dark circles on the ribcage area represent the screws that held the original toy together. Mixmaster's defining feature in Generation 1 was that his head existed inside a big, boxy frame, so any Mixmaster that gets that wrong is no Mixmaster at all. He doesn't get the forehead missiles the original sported, but there are two bumps up there that at least suggest them. The head is a great update of the classic design, its slightly rounded shape contrasting well against the square frame behind it. The black helmet comes down over the nose, and there's a Decepticon-style crest on the forehead. Despite being so enclosed, the head is balljointed, so he can look all around. He's also got swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and rocker ankles. The Studio Series figure is slightly shorter than the Combiner Wars version, but the green color is more in line with the classic shade. The elbows only bend to 90°, which is a bit disappointing. He's armed with a small black laser pistol. Converting Mixmaster is not complex. Straighten the arms, open the panels on the shins, press the legs together, fold the feet up, lift the chest panel, tuck the arms in, flip teh chest panel the rest of the way over to lock onto tabs by the shoulders, swing one set of flaps out of the feet and a different set in, and finish by opening the mixing drum so you can flip out the spot for the rear of the truck. After the utter mess that was Combiner Wars Mixmaster's altmode, it's nice to see this one go back to being a normal, recognizable style: cab in the front, drum in the back. The rear wheels have a different style of hubcap than the front wheels, but all six of them roll - though the mixing drum doesn't, due to the way they let you fold the spout away for a more cartoon-accurate robot mode. The truck is about 5" long, and the gun can plug into the roof for storage. Mixmaster of course becomes the left leg for Studio Series 86 Devastator, but the instructions don't tell you how to convert him to that mode; for that, you have to turn to the separate Devastator instructions included in the Hook/Long Haul two-pack. Starting at the vehicle mode, just hinge up the front layer of the cab (the windshield and grille) and move it onto the roof. The instructions then have you move the flapslike they were for the robot's feet, though the art shows them being done in the wrong order. It's easy enough to figure out what you're supposed to do. Unhooking the robot wrists from the tabs that hold them in place in this mode allows access to a ratcheted rocker ankle joint that will afford Devy more mobility. To attach the leg to the big robot, you have to hinge open the mixing drum again, slide the leg onto the connector, and then close the drum to keep it in place. Because I got Unite Warriors Devastator, I didn't feel the need to collect the Studio Series 86 Constructicons. But Mixmaster is my favorite of the group, so I couldn't just let him pass me by entirely. This one is so much better than the last one, I wish it were possible to swap him into the Combiner Wars group. And honestly, he made me briefly consider grabbing the other 86 Constructicons - he really is that much fun! But not including leg mode instructions here, and only making them available in a different set, brought me back down to Earth by reminding me of what a sloppy mess Legacy Menasor was, and all the combiners that have come after him. If this Mixmaster had been what we got in 2016, I'd have been thrilled, but no matter how good he is today, he can't overcome the way Hasbro does gestalts in 2025 to convince me to buy five other high-priced toys. Sorry, Mixxy, you're on your own. -- 10/14/25 What to do with a leg that has no body? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.