Hammer man! Hammer! Hammer man! Hammer! Smashdown is technically a hammer robot minotaur, but let's not ruin the reference. Smashdown's default mode is a robot minotaur complete with horns and a snout. It wouldn't surprise me if the concept were left over from Robots in Disguise Weaponizers, as those seemed to get the axe pretty late in the game.
I haven't reviewed a lot of these guys yet because I just hadn't had the urge - but they're a thing I've been asking for from Hasbro for ages, only more tricked out. I've been hoping to get lots of cheap, 2-part "Target Masters" guns for the longest time and these all have posable limbs and other moving parts for transformation. They're excellent - but also probably more toy than you need, and priced accordingly. Kudos to Hasbro for trying something weird and different, I hope it sells well and that you can get one if you are so inclined.
After you get the tail/handle in position, Smashdown comes to life with massive forearms with 3mm rivets coming out of them - this allows you to cover 17 of the little posts in blast effects. That's a lot. They're the mascot of the Wreckers, and the mostly red robot seems like it would look well with pretty much any Autobot with fists. (Sorry, Zetar!) The massive explosion effect has a 5mm peg and 2 different 3mm holes, so your minotaur pal can step on it as well as be blasted by it. It's versatile.
The sculpting is pretty good, but the head deco is what really shines. The other figures in this line are generally unpainted, and Hasbro gave Smashdown silver panels on their limbs as well as blue horn and eye accents. This one really pops nicely - especially considering we're usually lucky to get any deco on a toy this small.
The transformation to hammer has lots of twists and turns, setting it apart from the relatively samey blasters in the series (fold in half, repeat.) You get a hammer, and it's a nice hammer. It's small, so it looks better with Deluxe toys than your average Voyager or Leader - but the colors do look oh so nice with Optimus Prime. It's also much more interesting than yet another gun, even if one side looks like a proper mallet and the other looks like a mallet with an ox head. Maybe you'll see this as a positive.
As this kind of toy goes, it's fun to play with and transform. But is it worth $6? That's up to you - considering just how much better the other, bigger size classes are I wouldn't say 3-4 Battle Masters come close to comparing with a single Deluxe toy, and it's pretty staggeringly useless unless you have an existing collection of Transformers or other figures with 5mm-compatible fists. If you only get one of these Battle Masters, I'd steer you to try this one - and then any other blaster that strikes your fancy or Pteraxodon.
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