Double Punch

This is one of the European exclusive figures from the Generation One toy line. Released in 1991, Double Punch is one of the Action Master Elite figures. The Action Masters were part of a sub-line near the end of the original Transformers toy line which consisted action figure versions of classic and original Transformers characters. These toys were unable to transform into an alternate mode, however the four Elite figures had a limited ability to transform.

Double Punch transformed from a robot to a scorpion. His design is heavily influenced by the Japanese exclusive figure Black Zarak. The robot mode looks virtually spot on, however the colors for the figure features teals and blues rather than gold. Transforming this figure is really simple. From robot mode (I know, this is reversing how I normally do this), you flip up the arms, flip down the scorpion legs, fold the legs over the back, and flip out the guns. It's a pretty good looking mode, and it was neat to see an Action Master that could transform. I still say it would have been great to get these toys (and all of the European exclusives for that matter) in the United States. Why Hasbro, why?

Raiden

Here is a gem from the 1987 series Transformers: The Headmasters. This is the gift set for the Trainbots. These figures were Japanese exclusives and unfortunately never saw the light of day in the United States. These six figures each transformed into train cars, and they could connect in their vehicle modes to form a full train. The figures could then combine to form the super robot Raiden.

One interesting note about these toys is that each figure is the same size as the six individual Constructicons. This is because the Trainbots were originally part of the Diaclone toy line which preceded the Transformers line. Like the Constructicons, the molds for the Trainbots were incorporated into the Transformers toy line and became regular characters. They never appeared in toy form or in animated form outside of Japan. The six Trainbots were regular characters in the animated series Transformers: The Headmasters which many fans consider to be the lost fourth season of the original Generation One series.

We Now Return...

With this post, I wanted to officially state I will be returning to my blog. I have updated the look to it, and I hope you guys enjoy it. I plan on doing some additional posting over the next few days. Thank you all again for your patience, and God bless!

Rodimus Convoy

Hiatus

Hey fellow Trans-Fans. For the time being, I will be taking a brief break from the blog. I have a lot of big things coming up which will demand more of my attention. I will not be shutting down the blog this time (as with Teletran 3, my previous blog). That blog I shut down with no intention of doing any further writing. With this blog, I do plan to come back really soon. I will leave this site up for references and for fun reads from any fans on the web who happen to stumble across it. Again, I do plan on posting new entries within another month or two. Until then, I will close with what the image says..."The Transformers will return after these messages."

Rodimus Prime vs. Rodimus Prime?

I saw a recent post on a forum on seibertron.com that made me think of this. It is amazing how much the Generation One Rodimus Prime gets a bad wrap because of his incarnation in season three of the original series. The fact he replaced Optimus Prime didn't help much either.

In the movie, Optimus Prime was killed off after a heroic final battle against Megatron. Eventually, the young Autobot known as Hot Rod would reclaim the stolen Matrix from Galvatron, unleash its power to destroy Unicron, and he would become the new Autobot commander Rodimus Prime. In the movie, he was portrayed as a strong and courageous new leader. There were still traces of him in the third season, but fans tend to remember more of the character's weaknesses. Rodimus Prime was insecure in his leadership and even walked out on the Autobots at one point. He was also more impulsive as he leaped into action first and thought about the consequences later.

However, I feel the style through which the character was written was a great move on the part of Flint Dille as this part of Rodimus needed to be seen in order to flesh the character out. I feel that the struggles seen during the third season only helped to make Rodimus Prime more real in that he had to learn how hold the mantle of leadership. Optimus Prime was once a young robot too formerly known as Orion Pax. On screen, we saw his youthful innocence once after he was betrayed by Megatron, and he was fatally wounded and rebuilt into Optimus Prime by Alpha Trion. That mistake was all fans saw. We never got to see the other mistakes he made or the path he took to become a strong leader. Rodimus Prime only held the Matrix for a little over a year before Optimus Prime returned. It would realistically be ridiculous to think that a young character would mature to the level of Optimus so quickly. I think the writing style added a lot to the character, and had he remained the leader a while longer we may have seen more of the hero of Unicron War.

Masterpiece Optimus Prime

In 2004, one of the best versions of Optimus Prime hit the store shelves in the United States and in Japan. That figure was Masterpiece Optimus Prime. The figure was designed to look like his animated counterpart and transform into a vehicle that looked also like its animated version. The robot mode was highly articulated (right down to the fingers), and it was made almost entirely of dye cast metal. There were plastic parts such as Prime's hydraulics and the rubber tires however. The figure also featured the Autobot Matrix of Leadership which could glow when opened. It sat inside of Optimus Prime's chest behind the wind sheild and in a hidden compartment (like in the 1986 film). I could spend a lot of time talking about this figure, but I won't. If you have the $80.00 to pick him up on eBay, I would highly recommend it. Outside of the original figure and the Powermaster Optimus Prime, this is the version of the figure to get.

Transformers Artwork #16

In honor of the recent post on the Cybertronian form of Transformers: Animated Megatron, here is one of the images of the character from the series. The cool thing about this form of Megatron is he truly looks like he is an evil character. From the pointed shoulders to his fusion cannon to his evil gaze just says that the Autobots are in deep trouble. This form of the character was a mix between the original Generation One character and the 2007 movie version. Eventually when Megatron was rebuilt on Earth, his new body heavily resembled his body from the Japanese exclusive manga Battlestars: The Return of Convoy which was released in 1991. That form was a heavily upgraded version of his original animated form.