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.

Transformers #64

The Matrix Quest continues in Deadly Obsession. On another distant planet, a lone Autobot Pretender named Longtooth is hunting a giant creature called a Klud. At the same time, his comrades are trying to find him to prevent this. Longtooth tells this story mostly through flashbacks (in fact, most of this issue is a flashback). He recalls himself, Pincher, and Double-Header leaving the Ark to aid in the quest for the lost Creation Matrix. They arrived on an alien planet, and apparently the energy of the Matrix revived an extinct, whale like species called the Klud. One of the animals bit off Longtooth's leg, and ever since he has been in a mad hunt to find him.

Meanwhile, Thunderwing has arrived on the planet to search for the Matrix as well. He learns how the Klud was reborn, and after establishing a mental link with the creature, he is able to discover the location of the Matrix itself. However, while on the planet, his Decepticons encounter the Autobots and a battle begins. Thunderwing desired for the creature to live in order to find the Matrix. During the battle, Pincher is able to reason with Longtooth that killing the Klud would cause him to lose his soul and honor as an Autobot. Longtooth then lowers his weapons as the Decepticons retreat in the wake of Thunderwing discovering the Matrix's location.

After two terrible issues of the Matrix Quest saga, this issue was a breath of fresh air. Simon Furman did incorporate another literary/cinematic allusion into this issue as this issue's story mirrored Captain Ahab's hunt for Moby Dick. The execution was a good one, and the story flowed well. While this issue wasn't the best, it was a vast improvement over the first two parts of the saga. The final two issues kick the story into high gear and feel like a return to the Simon Furman style of story telling.

K-Mart Legends: Grimlock

The leader of the Dinobots got his shot as a Classic Pretender and then saw a release as a Legends figure for K-Mart at the tail end of the Generation One toy line. The figure is the exact same mold as his pretender self minus the shell. You flip back the dino-head, flip down the legs, and the tail becomes his gun. Really simple transformation, but hey... it's Grimlock! You can't beat any decent Grimlock figure. My only gripe about the toy was his face was orange underneath his black helmet. Other than that, he was a great figure.

K-Mart Legends: Bumblebee

In the final year of the original Transformers toy line in 1990, Hasbro tried to tap into the nostalgia of the classic characters by releasing the original Legends line exclusively to K-Mart stores. The line was part of the main Generation One toy line, and it included the four Pretender Classics figures minus their Pretender shells. The first one I am going to discuss is Bumblebee.

This figure was special to me as it was the first real Bumblebee (not including Goldbug) that I owned. He transformed from VW Bug to robot and back. The transformation was simple. You pull the front of the car forward to form the legs and feet, flip the middle section to the back, flip out the arms, and flip out the head. He was a pretty good looking figure, even if he did look a little fat. It also had the face of the animated Bumblebee versus the original 1984 version with a mouth plate.

I thought the Legends figures were a great addition to the toys of 1990. The figures at this time were mainly Action Masters and Micromasters, so it was great to see some of the classic characters back for one more run (and able to transform).

Machine Wars Optimus Prime

Well...why not?! Let's wrap up the Machine Wars series on this blog right now! This is the twelfth and final figure in the Machine Wars toy line, Optimus Prime. He is the only larger Machine Wars figure I have owned, but I could honestly say he was the best. However, that is not saying much compared to his Machine Wars brethren.

The toy is again a repainted version of a European exclusive figure called Thunder Clash. The toy was chosen obviously for his resemblance to the Autobot leader. The new paint job certainly feels the part of Optimus Prime. His vehicle mode is a futuristic tractor trailer combination. The trailer can transform into a massive standing battle station, and the truck transforms to the robot. The transformation for the truck is pretty simple. You split and flip back the front of the truck to reveal the arms, fold down the roof for the chest, flip up the head from the back, close the back panel, and flip down the legs and feet. Pretty standard Optimus Prime transformation. The color scheme resembles Prime, but there are now a lot of greys and some brownish greens in the scheme.

Although the figure looks good, there are some issues. The figure has limited articulation and can only move at the elbows. Also, this was the first Optimus Prime figure to have a mouth (very strange to see). The figure kind of looks like a cross between Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime or even Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Finally, the box art is just a cheap rehash of Laser Rod Optimus Prime's with a few updates. It again fits the motif of the Machine Wars toy line being thrown together.

The toy is a great figure to collect, but not a great figure in general. I have some fond memories of the toy because at the time I was a new collector trying to collect the few new boxed vehicle Transformers available, and I got it for a great price. Other than that, it really doesn't stand the test of time as a classic. I would pick it up definitely over Machine Wars Starscream, but you aren't missing a whole lot. One interesting note is the mold for this figure was planned to be re-released as Transformers: Universe Menasor (the Motormaster name was not available), but it fell through and never hit the stores.

Machine Wars Starscream

This series on the Machine Wars toy line is getting closer to being finished. The next figure up for a review is Starscream. This toy is actually a repaint and a slight retooling of the European exclusive Generation One figure called Sky Quake. The gimmick was that the figure had a target built into him so that the jet could drop bombs out of the wings for near pin point accuracy. The Machine Wars version still has the built in scope, but no mirror inside to use to target which renders the gimmick useless. Also, the toy came with fewer missiles.

The figure is pretty good looking, but it's not a well designed figure with any real playability. It also doesn't feel or look like any kind of Starscream character fans ever saw. His color scheme was primarily black and grey. He was also a giant toy easily towering over the Machine Wars Megatron. Since Starscream was always questing for power, this was must have been the chance he had. The transformation is super simple with flipping down the legs, folding the back of the jet, and folding back the wings. The toy can only move in the shoulders. It does come with missiles which could be loaded in the wings and dropped with a gear, but that is as cool as it got.

Overall, would this figure be worth picking up? It really depends. If you are a die hard Transformers collector and want to own the entire Machine Wars line, yes. If not, he would probably be a pass in favor of the much better designed Generation One figures. I don't hate the figure, but this was a definite example of the hasty assembly of the Machine Wars line. This figure does not work as a Starscream.