Menasor, the combined form of the Decepticon Stunticon team, was the gestalt I was most looking forward to out of the first announced batch of Combiner Wars figures. Menasor was a favorite of mine as a kid because I loved the idea of a team of Decepticons who could go toe-to-toe with the Autobots on their own turf, and the original G1 Menasor was this heavy brick of a figure that just looked so cool despite the rudimentary technology of the G1 years. Where the first Transformers G1 combiner — Devastator — was a bit floppy and sketchy when assembled, Menasor was a sturdy-as-all-hell revelation. Sure, he wasn’t all that articulated or anything, but at least he was easy to assemble and he was, above all, stable when assembled.
So how does this new, updated Menasor fare? Well, it’s kind of a mixed bag, and this is one of those occasions where video footage will better convey both the negatives and the attributes this figure has to offer.
Video:
Text and pics:
As you can plainly see in the pic below, Menasor’s proportions are a bit odd. His torso is very squat and compact, while his legs and arms are almost too long, giving him a sort of ape-like silhouette. At first I found this pretty off-putting, to be frank, but the longer I have him on my shelf, the more ok with this I become. To me, when I see his angry face coupled with this particular body shape, it just makes him look meaner. I just wish he could be posed in such a way to capitalize on that possibility.
Menasor is easy to assemble, but he does not feel sturdy at all. His legs are just too floppy, and it’s often a struggle to keep him standing. Once I find a sweet spot, I like to just keep him in it and hope that he stays in it.
The configuration I’m using here is as follows:
- Torso/head: Motormaster
- Chest: Blackjack
- Right arm: Dragstrip
- Left arm: Dead End
- Right leg: Breakdown
- Left leg: Brake-Neck (Wildrider)
Offroad can be used for a limb in place of Brake-Neck, and in the video above I have a comparison of the two. It’s really apples and oranges, though. Since both share the same color scheme, any differences there may be are negligible. I prefer to use Brake-Neck because I like the idea of having the classic Stunticon team form Menasor.
I think it may be how his legs and hips have to be situated in order for the combined form to work. His legs end up being pretty far apart, which adds to the squat-torso look and just makes him look weird. And his hips aren’t strong enough to maintain any dynamic poses, so while he does have knee articulation, it can’t really be used because it compromises his sturdiness quite a bit.
Motormaster’s sword can be used as a weapon in the combined form, and it seems to fit a little bit better here in Menasor’s grip. Now, Menasor’s arms do look a little bit “stiff” here, but they can be adjusted so as to give him some elbow articulation. The problem with that is that he then has to deal with some rather large “cuffs” at his wrists, so just for the sake of a more natural, neutral look, I prefer his arms to be in the pictured alignment.
Menasor comes in a good couple inches taller than the leader-class Jetfire, and that feels just about right in terms of sizing. I still think he’s totally decent for a retail-level combiner offering, but based on what I’ve seen, Superion seems to be the stronger offering out of these first couple waves. Menasor does have his positive traits, but I can definitely see fans taking issue with his proportions and his floppy legs.
Regardless, I’m still pretty stoked to have him because I am partial to the Stunticons, and this may be the only combiner team I pick up, unless the rumors of the Combaticons coming our way are true.
If you’re interested in Menasor, the complete Stunticon team can be purchased here:
