Cloudburst

The next evolution of Transformers stealth technology is here (or...was here in 1988)! This is the Generation One Pretender Cloudburst. The gimmick with the Pretenders was that a Transformer was inside of an outer organic shell. The shell could split open to reveal the robot inside and reassemble to fight along side the Transformer.

Cloudburst was an Autobot who transformed into a jet fighter. He was a slick looking figure. The shell had a nice red color with an inner robot who was red and black. The transformations on the Pretender figures were all super simple. With Cloudburst, you flipped the legs over his body, flipped out the nose cone, turned the head, and flipped out the wings. Like I said, super simple, but the Pretenders were a fun gimmick.

It is really too bad the animated series ended in the U.S. in 1987. It would have been great to see the Pretenders on the small screen. Cloudburst did appear in the Japanese exclusive animated series Transformers: Super-God Masterforce that featured the Power Masters (God-Masters in Japan), Pretenders, Headmaster Juniors, and the awesome Overlord. In Japan, Cloudburst was called Phoenix.

Cosmos

Most of the Mini-bots from the Generation One era are classics. Cosmos is another one of those classic toys and classic characters from the original animated series. He transformed into (literally) a UFO. It kind of makes one wonder what he scanned when he took the form. His UFO mode is really simple looking, but the paint applications work well. He is green with some yellow and a red top. To transform him, you pull the front part forward and down to form the legs, flip down the arms, and pull the red top up for the head. He is a really neat looking Mini-bot in robot mode (even if he is a little fat looking).

On a side note, he had one of those great iconic voices from the old cartoon. While the voices for all of the characters seemed to fit well, there were some which always stood out. Optimus Prime with his father like, John Wayne style, Megatron with his tough and evil voice, Starscream.... there is no comparisson (best iconic voice and character), Soundwave with his tecno style, and Cosmos is also up there. His voice had this type of laid back feel with an echo that was great. He played a decent role in the second season of the show.

Transformers Artwork #12

This is another classic piece from the Dreamwave Comics era. The image features Transformers from the later generations of the original franchise with Targetmaster Hot Rod, Goldbug, Hun-Grrrr, Headmaster Fangry, Galvatron, Headmaster Horribull, a Sharkticon, and the massive Headmaster Autobot City, Fortress Maximus! There is also an appearance by Grimlock, one of the most beloved characters of the Generation One series.

Most Expensive Transformers Ever?

Over the last four years, eight figures have surfaced which could easily be called some of the most expensive Transformers ever released. During the era of Transformers: Generation 2, Hasbro had plans to rerelease the Stunticons and Protectobots for the toy line. All ten toys had been produced in extremely limited quantities and with new neon/realistic color schemes. However, with the line failing despite the massive push of the revived 1980's animated series and the Marvel comic books, the figures never got past sample stages. All ten toys were produced in their packaging, but the samples are so rare that they command more than six times the price of a Generation One Fortress Maximus MISB!

An eBay seller sold the eight "limb" figures for a huge profit (I believe it was well over $20,000-$30,000 total for the set). They opted to not sell the two team leaders. A few years later, the buyer of the four "limb" Protectobots also tried to sell them for a similar price as a single set. Would I ever shell out the cost of a college education for these toys? Never! However, if you are that keen on owning a piece of Transformers history, it doesn't get much better than this. The Stunticon Breakdown was the only figure to be released to the public. He was an exclusive figure mint on card at the very first Botcon way back in the mid 1990's!

Transformers #65

The hunt for the Matrix continues in the exciting fourth chapter of the Matrix Quest! In Dark Creation, the Creation Matrix has been located. Within the old body of Optimus Prime, the Matrix has begun to evolve and learn about not only good but evil. It had possessed a being who had become evil and desired to kill all life. It then encountered an alien creature whose only desire was to kill other life forms. It studied the being and then learned more when the creature attached itself to the face of a scientist and killed him (obvious Aliens reference).

A while later, Grimlock, Jazz, and Bumblebee find a science research station on the same planet and try to locate the missing scientists. Grimlock finds them all dead and expresses that he is tired of all the fear the Autobots have for Unicron. His desire to see his Dinobots brought back to life is mentioned for the first time (this plays out in later issues). While the Classic Pretenders are looking for more clues to the Matrix's location, Thunderwing and his Decepticons find the Autobots and attack. During the struggle, Thunderwing destroys Bumblebee's Pretender shell. Also, the alien studied by the Matrix has evolved and attacks Thunderwing's Decepticons. Thunderwing shows no concern for the creature nearly devouring Windsweeper which causes the rest of his forces to abandon Thunderwing to his obsessive search for the Matrix. Thunderwing continues his hunt while the Autobots escape to search for the Matrix also. Jazz falls through the floor of a hall and locates it. However, the alien creature is also there as well. The Autobots have burned up most of their Energon due to the intense gravity of the planet, but Thunderwing arrives to fight the creature. Some time after, Grimlock's shuttle returns to the Ark. Optimus Prime and Hot Rod go to greet the others only to be blasted by the energy of the Matrix. The wielder of the Matrix emerges from the shuttle and it is Thunderwing!

In my opinion, this issue turns the entire Matrix Quest saga around in a positive direction. The previous issue helped save what looked like a doomed story, and this issue kicked the turn around into high gear. Simon Furman still pulled in more film/ literature elements with an obvious tip of the hat to James Cameron's Aliens (the best movie of the franchise!). However, unlike the first two issues of the Matrix Quest, this issue's reference completely works. The previous issue did far better than the first two, but this one nailed it. One item of note is that it was implied after this issue that Grimlock, Jazz, and Bumblebee's Pretender shells were all destroyed during their battle with Thunderwing. The next issue is the final chapter of the Matrix Quest, and it was a great way to end the story.

K-Mart Legends: Jazz

The final figure in the K-Mart Legends line from 1990 was the coolest Autobot to ever come on-line, Jazz. As with Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Starscream, Jazz was a re-release of the original Pretender Classic version minus his outer Pretender shell. Of the four figures, Jazz is probably the weakest in terms of design and his look.

The vehicle mode looks pretty good, but it is bland with the primary colors being white with a black windshield. There are several stickers for him, but it really doesn't change the feel too much. To transform him, you pull down the legs, flip out the arms, and flip down the hood. The hood can be removed, but it serves no purpose as it was designed to be removed to fit in a Pretender shell. However, on this figure, removing the hood may not be such a bad idea. With the hood down, Jazz's face is almost covered, and his arms don't rotate too well. However, without the hood, you are losing part of the appeal of the robot mode. The robot is pretty bland too, as his only colors are white, black, and he has a blue head with a light blue visor and a white face.

It was great to see Jazz one final time as a transforming Transformer when the original Transformers toy line was coming to end, but this was one figure that I always preferred the Action Master version of when I was a kid. Once I got to play with an original Jazz figure, the order shifted, but the K-Mart Legends version is still probably the most forgettable version. However, he is great to pick up as a collector's item, if you can find him mint in package.

K-Mart Legends: Starscream

The lone Decepticon of the Generation One Legends toy line from 1990 is none other than the traitorous fan favorite, Starscream! Like the other Legends figures, this toy is simply a repackaging of the earlier Pretender Classics figure with no outer Pretender shell. The toy looks great for a simplified figure.

His transformation is easy. You simply pull out the arms, rotate the wings, split the legs, and flip down the cock pit to form the head and torso. That's it! You can also unpeg the tail fins to create guns which can fit in both hands. The wings could also be removed and arms rotated to the back. However, those features are meaningless for this release as those were included so that he could fit into his Pretender shell.

Although he is not the best Starscream ever, it was great to see him in the Generation One toy line one final time before it ended. The mold was definitely simpler than the original 1984 figure, and it was a lot better than the lamer Action Master toy.