If Sledge had an original Constructicon's name then he'd be Scrapper. Exactly the same vehicle mode - a 4 wheeled digger moulded in light green (for most of the vehicle's body), dark green (for the cab & shovel) and clear blue for the cab windows. The shovel at the front raises where it's connected to the body of the toy and pivots at the end of the shovel arms. He comes with an Energon claw thing to attach to the back of the vehicle. Whar it's meant to be in this mode I'm not sure but a little more work could have made the claw like an excavator arm !
Sledge has a complex tf involving much folding, it's the only Energon combiner limb to hide the connector anywhere other than on the top with the head folded over it! The back of the vehicle folds back to become the legs, with quite a bit of folding producing the waist. The front wheel fold upwards allowing the front of the vehicle to be folded out to the sides to become the arms.
Sledge is a little loose in robot mode but better than Duststorm's floppiness. Articulation consists of ball joints at knees, hips, shoulder & elbows plus a turning wasit & lightpiped head. He looks like a missing RID Build Team member which is a big compliment. The claw can be folded out (as can a handle hidden within) into a spear type weapon ...... sadly this also can still attach to where it would in digger mode.... which has ended up on his waist..... where the handle can point out. Oh dear.
In my opinion Sledge is the best of Energon combiner limbs:
Arm mode: the Digger with Claw opened out on the end - good and solid
Leg mode: Digger with flattened claw on the end - again good and solid.
Might need some more of the this one. Going to try them on Barricade tonight.
I did end up with 3 more Sledges. And boy does Devastator look good with just green diggers for limbs !
Sledge was sold in the Galaxy Force Line in Japan as Scrapper which was part of the Toys R Us exclusive EX-01 Buildron set.
As a name Bonecrusher works pretty well for this toy - the original Constructicon Bonecrusher was a tracked bulldozer and there's similarities between that and the digger, a front mounted shovel for a start! Bonecrusher is a repaint of Sledge, with a sandy colour used instead of the pale green and a browny burgundy plastic for the darker green. The toy has a lot of yellow painted highlights. Although these aren't the traditional Constructicon green, they work as construction vehicle colours.
As limbs Bonecrusher and his co-sell Wideload alter the overall colour balance for Constructicon Maximus (Devestator) The yellow on Bonecrusher does rather draw the eyes towards him which maybe isn't too good.... and the overall colour effect of pieces sort of but not quite matching detracts somewhat from the overall toy.
Bonecrusher was sold in the Galaxy Force Line in Japan as part of the Toys R Us exclusive EX-01 Buildron set.
In the year after Sledge & Bonecrusher were released, the Cybertron toyline carried Hardtop and it's repaint Swindle who have a transformation nearly identical to that used by Sledge !
Both toys in this set use lovely clear purple Energon which helps the final combined toy no end.