by Gauntlet101010 » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:44 pm
I have both and they both have their ups and downs.
Herc has those waist pieces that may break if you move them. And while they're supposed to be fixed in the fix they sent and in the newer versions I just can't bring myself to test them. In theory, however, Herc has the better waist articulation since the flaps hinder Giant's legs, so Herc may win out on dynamic posing.
Herc's head is less true than Giant's, but he has several options you may want to consider if this is important to you. I don't like any of them as much as I like Gian't head.
Speaking of which, if add ons are your thing Herc has a great many. Several heads, shapeways kits, Dr. Wu's light add ons (so his eyes can glow), and a purple barrel by Crazy Devy (alternatively Reprolables made a great looking set that's on my radar to buy).
However, speaking of Reprolabels, I feel Giant doesn't need them. Herc has a lot of blank, flat surfaces while Giant has more paint apps and a more complex overall look.
Proportionally ... it kinda varies. Herc has huge hands (which are great for holing Lenegds or WSTF figures) and his arms and legs are somewhat gorillaish. But Giant isn't perfect either, with stumpy forearms and skinny arms overall.
The individual members are kinda split. Half of each team seems to beat out the other to me, with Long Haul tied for suckiness (Herc's might have won were it not for the aformentioned leg problem). I prefer the alt. modes on Giant, but only a little bit. If G1 is your pleasure I feel some of Giant's guys evoke the toys a bit more than the Herc members ... but in a Classics collection many of those guys are updated anyway.
Transformation wise, Giant is FAR tougher than Herc. And some parts are annoying. MT added a bunch of locks with buttons you have to press, even in Scrapper and Mixmaster! Have a letter opener handy when you transform him because you'll need it to press a button down on Scrapper. I found myself transforming the Herc bots a lot more than the Giant bots .... but I also got the Herc bots as they came out, so it's not like I could combine them.
As a Gestalt, I feel Giant has the right head (yes, over ALL of Herc's options) and is highly detailed. However, having both .... I kinda prefer Herc. Especially with the Rage upgrades. I like his proportions more ... he just seems more powerful than Giant with those giant, beefy arms and upper torso. And the stock head is growing on me (although so is the idea of wasting money on the Crazy Devy head). I also like how he towers over the other robots in my display. It creates a nice focal point to work my collection around. And he's about a head shorter than his upcoming rival - YotS Omega Supreme! Or ... Energon Omega Supreme (like I have right now). Leg extentions off Shapeways may make this even more of a match of eaquals.
That said, both figures are winners and it all comes down to look and price. I think Giant is still a bit cheaper than herc all together and the height thing may not be great for you. After all, you may not want him to stand out as much as I do. Giant is larger than FP upgraded Bruticus and much taller then upgraded Superion.
I think you need to take a good look at your collection and think about how, exactly, you want to display Devestator. Is he going to be a centerpiece among smaller Decepticons? Or is he going to stand amongst his combiner brethren? Whichever you choose you win because both are awsome.