Steamhammer

Height: 13.5cm to top of head, 14cm to top of treads in Robot Mode; 8cm to top of body in vehicle mode.

Articulation: 19 joints in all: Swivel neck; 5 joints in left arm- swivel shoulder and upper arm, hinged elbow, shovel, and shovel blades; 4 points in right arm- swivel shoulder and upper arm, double hinged elbow; swivel waist, 4 joints in each leg- double-ratcheting hip joint, above-knee swivel, hinged knee. Various other joints associated with other modes.

Accessories: None.

Colors: Molded pale green, black, silver gray, and transparent blue plastic. Painted metallic purple, red, silver, black, white, and orange.

Release Data: Released November 2004 with an MSRP of $9.99. Still widely available as of this writing (February 2nd, 2005)

Gallery: 6 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

The Energon line has put a lot of stock into the gimmick of combination, mainly on the side of the Autobots, who are able to "Powerlinx" with one another on a one-on-one basis. However, large, multi-part combiners had been absent for most of the line, which Hasbro has now remedied with new takes on the Aerialbots, Combaticons, and Constructicons. Steamhammer is the leader of the latter team, and is a fine figure in his own right. In this review, I'm only going to address Robot and Vehicle Modes, and review Constructicon Maximus- along with the robots that form his limbs- at a later time.

Robot Mode

Steamhammer's Robot Mode is stocky, since he serves as the torso for a larger robot. But, it's a good look for him- it makes him look strong, and it helps balance out his left arm, which is the large shovel he makes use of in Vehicle Mode.

The head is a bit small, furthering the image of a real bruiser, and is sculpted well. The black plastic helps hide the fact that the back of his head is made of clear blue plastic, in order to make his eyes appear to glow. Unfortunately, it also minimizes the effect, as does the bar hanging over his head joining the vehicle's treads.

The right arm is nicely jointed, with a tight double-jointed elbow that allows for a good range of movement. The driver's compartment for vehicle mode is tucked behind the right shoulder- this little box also contains Constructicon Maximus' head. The left arm is the shovel arm, and is also quite well-jointed. His spark crystal is flanked by a pair of Mini-Con points on the "palm" of the shovel. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve. The elbow joint is more than tight enough to hold up the weight of the enormous shovel-hand, and the shoulder does fine too- but only for the weight of the shovel itself. It's a pity- he has this huge hand, and it's natural to want him to be able to hold something, or someone, up.

The torso, as I mentioned, seems a bit big compared to the proportions of the rest of the robot, but again, it just makes him look like a "heavy"- it's not enough to look truly disproportionate. It's painted metallic purple with red highlights- a nice nod to the purple breastplate that you attached to the original Devastator. His Decepticon symbol almost completely centered on the torso, purple on a white background. The waist has no clearance problems whatsoever and "clicks" when it's centered- a nice feature to be sure.

The legs are a bit short, but nice. Double ratchet-joints mean that the legs have a good range of motion and stay in the position you want them in. The knees give a solid 90-degree bend, and the above-knee swivels allow for some decently-stable posing, despite the lack of ankles.

This is where I should probably mention that Steamhammer has no accessories. None. However, he has more Powerlinx Points for using Mini-Cons and Energon weaponry than any Transformer I've seen recently- one on the right shoulder, two on the shovel, and one on each knee. Not to mention a series of standard-size sockets for attaching more Energon weapons- one dead in the middle of his chest. I have no idea what I'd attach to it that wouldn't look just plain weird.

Paint and Detailing

Steamhammer is nicely detailed, like most of the Energon line. In fact, there's so much detail that a fair bit of it goes unpainted. Which is fine- there's enough detail that painting it all in would look far too "busy." As it is, Steamhammer is nicely decorated, with about as much paint as he actually needs. The only thing I'd have liked to see have more paint is his right hand- his right arm in general is the most under-decorated part of the entire figure.

The only other issue is the pair of large pegs on his arms, used to attach arm-robots to Constructicon Maximus. They don't get in the way at all, but they kinda stand out. Still, it's really the only place that the combination interferes with the standalone toy at all, and it's not a major flaw.

Articulation gets 8/10

Sculpt and Deco gets 7/10

Vehicle Mode

Steamhammer's Vehicle Mode is a steamshovel. A very boxy steamshovel at that. It's not the most interesting TF vehicle you've ever seen, but it's nicely done for what it is. The wheels roll nicely on a wooden desk, and the upper part of the vehicle pivots on the tracks. It's a touch back-heavy- the treads aren't as long as you'd think it would need. The shovel-arm's articulation is put to good use here, though there is a certain tendency to tip to the side when it's extended. The joint in the shovel blades comes into play here- you can open the shovel and dump any dirt you've gathered up, just as you should be able to. It's a decent toy steamshovel, actually, and I think you could probably give it to a pretty young child with no problem, given the lack of removeable small parts.

Vehicle Mode gets 7/10

Closing Remarks:

Steamhammer is a pretty nice toy in his own right, made better by the fact that four Basic figures will make him into an imposing giant. His robot mode is his best feature, where he really shines in terms of articulation and sculpt. He doesn't come with any accessories, which does hurt him. The best way to put it, I think, is that he's a good toy, but not terribly exciting.

I paid the SRP of $9.99 for mine, and I'm pretty happy with the purchase. I still see him around often, and he's one of the better toys at the price-point on his own merits, if you have some weapons to give him. I give Steamhammer a rating of Very Good.

-RAC 2/02/2005