Mixmaster Bio:
Nothing is safe from him… 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. As left leg module, combines with fellow Constructicons to form giant robot “Devastator”.
Introduction:
Mixmaster has always seemed like a very cool toy and an interesting character as well. I was excited to get my hands on the figure to see if the personality his tech spec bio portrays is imbedded into his toy. As the 4th entry into this Devastator team, I’ve come to expect a lot of cool functionality from the alt mode and hopefully an above average bot mode, because they have been hit or miss. Let’s see how Mixmaster ranks in this G1 Journey.
Alt Mode:
Mixmaster is no disappointment: PERIOD. I actually LOVE the way this toy looks and how well it captures a real-world cement mixer. Everything seems very well balanced, a common trait of this Constructicon team for the most part, but Mixmaster has managed to be well balanced with so much more to work around. The huge cement drum is a positive instead of something one might think could be a gimmick hindrance. All features of the cement mixer are worked into this toy SO well! The best feature of the cement drum is the back-end of the vehicle mode. Mixmaster not only has a funnel molded in to have all his chemicals, acids, and other mixtures to be poured into, but he also has beautiful molded detail of an actual cement shoot to have his mixture poured out. Just fantastic detail in this alt mode all around.
Moving away from the molded and drum features, Mixmaster also has a great blend of the traditional green and purple color scheme. I love the all purple windows against the green frame and the chromed grill really makes things POP to grab your attention. The hazard stickers are also always welcomed on these Constructicon figures, although I think I would have liked to see another hazard sticker added to his drum to break up some of the green. I’m not too convinced that’s a deal breaker for me though. All and all, probably one of the best alt modes from this team so far. So much play value and another aesthetically pleasing addition to the collection shelf.
Transformation:
Transforming Mixmaster kind of reminded me of one of those RPM figures where all you do is turn the alt mode over and it’s transformed. Obviously, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but there really isn’t much to Mixmaster going from alt mode to robot. His entire front cab is flipped over to become one solid foot (this is actually very beneficial I think … more on that later), and then his head flips up while his arms are slightly extended from this sides. This transformation can seriously all be done in one fluid motion, which can be fun if you’re re-enacting some action scenes or something 😉
Robot mode:
I really dig Mixmaster’s robot mode! I’m going to start with one of the highlights that carried over from the alt mode: Mixmaster’s cement mixer gimmick! The cement drum takes up over half of Mixmaster’s body, but it is absolutely a benefit to this figure’s look and play value. For starters. Mixmaster is packed with accessories that can be used in action. He comes with two guns and two missiles. The missiles can be loaded into the bottom of the cement mixer and with a flick of the trigger those missiles are LAUNCHING. I love this gimmick. At first I thought the sheer size of the drum was going to cause a lot of top heavy balance issues for Mixmaster, but the one solid foot I mentioned seems to hold him upright with no give. Just a solid robot mode with a gimmick that doesn’t take anything away from it.
Beyond the gimmick, Mixmaster has even more features to rant and rave about. The chromed legs are already prone to some wear and tear, but for the time being they add a lot of flare to the figure. Sticker placement is superb; just enough stickers to not annoy me and enough to add plenty of color to the figure. The stickers really help break up the dominant purple colored chest and add some good balance to the figure. Articulation is limited to just his arms moving up and down, but it’s to be expected (badass cement missile launcher makes up for it!). The final feature I love is the head sculpt. Mixmaster has a much, much more recognizable face than most of his counterparts. I’m very high on this figure and happy he’s in my collection.
Combined Mode:
As part of the 6 member team that forms Devastator, Mixmaster forms the left leg of Devastator. Transformation to the third mode isn’t much different than transforming him to robot mode. As usual, more to come of this mode later …
Evolution:
See the thing is, after the collapse of Transformers: Generation 2, Mixmaster fell into the wrong crowd. He started running with some really bad bots on Earth and Cybertron. He did some hard time behind bars on Cybertron and even got involved in an underground Fight Club near Kaon. When the time came for him to make a true return to Transformers in the form of TFC Madblender he had CLEARLY beefed up and become even more crazy than his G1 tech specs suggest! ….. Okay, I made all of that up, but look at this evolution! It’s nuts! The Madblender alt mode I feel suffers a little bit, but it’s still a wonder how TFC managed to capture so much of Mixmaster’s silhouette in the figure. The robot mode is just … nuts. Although Madblender doesn’t have an awesome missile gimmick, his entire drum splits apart to become four separate blasters you can place on his arms and legs. This is probably one of the best evolutions from G1 to Classics I can think of because Madblender really seems to have captured Mixmaster’s personality more than anything.
Alt mode comparison:
Robot mode comparison:
Overall rating 9/10:
Mixmaster hits a home run. There’s really nothing I can nitpick about with this figure beyond the transformation. It’s a functional alt mode, a badass robot mode with an AWESOME gimmick, and an overall play value that makes it hard to put the figure down. I can see Mixmaster suffering some wear and tear over time because of how much he’ll be handled, but toys are meant to played with right? 😉
One of the things I think is really interesting about Mixmaster is that even though the transformation is simplistic, there’s a certain unusual complexity to it for an early G1 toy. What I mean by that is that most G1 toys would either extend the cab straight down and maybe flip out some feet, or rotate the entire cab around. But instead, here the windshield and grill remain immobile and flip THROUGH the cab as it rotates around. It’s a somewhat clever and unusual bit of engineering for what was (at the time) one of the more inexpensive toys in the line.
Been enjoying your blog, keep up the good work.
That’s a very good point about Mixmaster. The simplicity just seems to work for this figure and that’s in large part because of the engineering you mentioned. It really is hard to put this figure down and stop transforming it!
Thank you for reading the blog! I hope you continue to enjoy it Hugh!
This is an awesome post. Great photography, and I love the comparisons. Fact is, looking through your pictures actually makes me respect MakeToys’ “Giant” figure a lot more because I didn’t realize just how much of an homage it IS to the original individual bots. Great work.
Thanks for the compliments TJ! MakeToys Giant actually does a lot better of a job capturing the individual robot mode. I wish I had a Green Giant to do some comparisons.