Scorponok [Cyberworld/Strike Battle Set]

I've been meaning to get around to looking at the Transformers Cyberworld Scorponok Strike Battle Set here on the site ever since getting the big guy a few months ago. Despite often getting larger toys, I tend to focus on smaller robot toys here. So needless to say, it was a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to work him into my posting rhythm. I also admittedly don't post about everything I get; however, as I've chosen to cover the entirety of Cyberworld here, these larger bots have to get figured in. Transformers Cyberworld is a very fun series to blog, so it's not a struggle — just a little bit of a challenge.

Being Thanksgiving week, the time feels right for a big robot post. Not to mention, I often find myself remembering the Thanksgiving Day Transformers Energon marathon in 2004. I didn't watch it all, but a good bit of time was spent tuned to Cartoon Network. I enjoyed Energon despite its issues. Speaking of Energon and the toy we're looking at today… this has a very similar design to that series' Scorponok mixed with the traditional character. It's pretty neat — just big robot monster energy all around.

Scorponok is wonderfully big and chonky, coming in at 14 inches tall, which is smaller than a Titan Class Transformer but in a good way. Cyberworld is intended to be a toy line for younger kids, and this is a toy all the way around. He's just big enough to be imposing, but not too large for a smaller body to move around. Honestly, he's still pretty large for me to handle. As the pictures show, I got down on the floor to play with him for this post. Like the other larger Cyberworld toys, he's full of Cyber Changer interaction and that is awesome.

I'm really reminded of Micromaster bases and the various interaction Mini-Cons had with Transformers Armada toys. Also, due to the upsized Legend/Legion Class nature of a Cyber Changer, it's similar to the Cyberverse toys from Dark of the Moon and Transformers Prime. I enjoyed those a lot, and I'm really starting to think Cyberworld is pretty much what would have happened if Action Masters were more successful. Scorponok is not very articulated in robot mode, but not a complete brick either. His arms have quite a decent amount of movement, though his legs are static. Also, his little visor can be moved up or down to cover or uncover his eyes. This is likely to bother some, but I'd think you'd be aware of what you're buying going in.

He's not a cheap toy, but fortunately not as expensive as others out there. Considering it's Thanksgiving week right now, there's likely some sales too. I'm sure you've seen more than your fair share of affiliate links by now. I'm quite fond of his bright colors. While Scorponok is normally a colorful bot, these are very bright and look great. It's a little reminiscent of the Scorponok from that G1 Micromaster commercial. He also lights up on his chest with some sound effects. That's obviously something the target audience would enjoy… but it is fun to see them go off on occasion no matter how old you are.

There's some big guns mounted on his shoulders that are similar to the ones from the G1 toy. Those can be placed in several spots and manned by a Cyber Changer figure, adding to his firepower. In addition, his lower arms can be disconnected and combined with a portion of the scorpion's tail, creating a motorcycle vehicle for a Cyber Changer to ride. There are some small handlebars that plug in that'd be easy to lose, so be careful. In addition, the big guns or his sword can also be  used. Or, if you're feeling wild, some of Grimlock's parts. There's a lot of modular play in use. The sword becomes the scorpion's stinger… but you could swap it out for any of these parts, creating some real creature chaos. Scorponok is something of a final boss character in the cartoon's video game world, so it's easy to imagine him having a variety of attacks.

Transformation to scorpion mode is pretty easy, and you pretty much just lay him down and arrange the arms and insect legs into place. Those big guns can be placed in a few different spots and once again can be manned by a Cyber Changer if you'd like. I didn't point out the handle on Scorponok's back. There's a handle — it's on his back. At first you'd think it's just for easy movement of the big bot, but there's actually a trigger that'll need to be squeezed to fully unfold his robot legs for beast mode. This creates a larger rear section with tank-like treads. The trigger on the handle also sets off various lights and sounds, as does pressing Scorponok's head down. There's a variety of sounds that play seemingly at random, including the classic transformation sound.

This is a great toy that's admittedly not going to be for everyone. Like I said, there's not a ton of articulation and he's definitely a kids' toy upon first glance. However, thanks to the old-school nature of Cyberworld, Scorponok can easily fit next to your older super robot toys on a shelf. I've actually seen pics of fans sticking him next to their G1 Scorponoks and Black Zarak toys. I could easily see him at home among a Brave toy or even some Shogun Warriors. I'd actually wager he's pretty appealing to the jumbo crowd. I like the bright colors and the fun big chonky robot toy nature he brings, and dammit if that saw blade hand isn't great. While the strength of Cyberworld is within the Cyber Changers that are flying off the shelves, giving them a giant playset like this is perfect. It's just hard not to love a big chaotic final boss monster, you know?