RED ALERT
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Movie Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Security Director
-Motto: “Caution Can Never Be Overused”
-Notable Toy: New Year’s Special (Takara, 2005)
Notes: Red Alert is full of contradictions. An overly paranoid director of security. A public rescue vehicle that takes the form of a beyond-expensive Italian sportscar. Still, he’s a lot of fun. While we await the Henkei issue of Red (and shed a tear for the lost Palisades statue - see below), let’s enjoy the Takara reissue, black head (instead of cartoon red) and all.
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com and bbts.com for the toy images.)
And because it simply cannot be found on the web anymore, behold the prototype of what could have been had Palisades not lost the statue license. You can almost see G1 and G2 Sideswipe and Tigertracks in those curves…
Transformer of the Day for April 3, 2009
AIR RAID
-Faction: Autobot (Aerialbot)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Warrior
-Motto: “If You Look First You May Not Leap“
-Notable Toy: Generation 2 (Hasbro, 1994)
Notes: I don’t seem to remember Air Raid getting a lot of particular focus compared to his Aerialbot colleagues in the cartoon. But an Autobot jet based on the same F-14 as the Decepticon seekers is pretty cool. And there is something charming about his G2 paint applications. Almost vaguely Leader One-esque…
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com and bbts.com for the toy image.)
Transformer of the Day for March 10, 2009
ROADBUSTER
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Ground Assault Commander
-Motto: “War is a Dirty Business… and I’m as Dirty as they Come“
-Notable Toy: Universe Two-Pack (Hasbro, 2008)
Notes: Roadbuster has non-Takara origins, specifically the Japanese Dorvack toyline. And until 2008, other than a few notable turns in Transformers U.K. as a member of the Wreckers, that original release was all we saw of him. But Hasbro saw virtue in Cybertron Defence Hot Shot mould and partnered the resulting repaint with a super rendering of Dirge. Still, to really get him right, you need to get the fan-produced hardware available through natobot.com.
Transformer of the Day for February 25, 2009
SCOURGE
-Faction: Decepticon (Constructicon)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992), Generation Two (1993-95)
-Function: Warrior
-Motto: “Thinking and Winning Do Not Mix”
-Notable Toy: 6″ Titanium (Hasbro, 2006)
Notes: Is it from the ashes of Thundercracker, he comes? No longer the discarded warrior of past battles, now he leads his own armada (of varying size), claims the matrix and takes a targetmaster pet. Now if only he could get some Universe love. In the meantime, we’ll make due with his transformable Titanium, just expensive enough to prohibit an army of Sweeps from joining him. Which, like the good insecticons from which they come, travel in packs.
Transformer of the Day for February 20, 2009
SMOKESCREEN
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Diversionary Tactician
-Motto: “A Look Can Be Deceiving; A Touch Can Be Lethal’”
-Notable Toy: Fast Action Battler (Hasbro, 2008)
Notes: While Smokescreen’s name has ended up on unrelated characters from Armada to Generation 2 Decepticons, his original likeness has certainly received a good toy treatment - the toyrocket statue, the Cybertron homage and certainly the original. That said, I don’t expect many opportunities to use the Fast Action Battlers line, and this redeco is a great way to spotlight the best part of the movie line of toys.
(For more information on Smokescreen, check out the Generation One Transformer Bible.)
(Apologies and thanks to botchthecrab.com for the character image.)
Transformer of the Day for February 19, 2009
BOMBSHELL
-Faction: Decepticon (Insecticon)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Psychological Warfare
-Motto: “The Mind is My Playpen”
-Notable Toy: Action Master (Hasbro, 1991)
Notes: I always thought the Insecticons functioned as an efficient collective, with none of the egotism that followed the main Decepticon group. So it is hard to determine exactly which one, when jettisoned from Astrotrain in the Movie, exactly became Cyclonus and which became his Armada. In any event, the European Action Master is a great rendering of the character.
(For more information on Bombshell, check out the Generation One Transformer Bible.)
(Apologies and thanks to toyarchives.com for the toy images.)
Transformer of the Day for February 18, 2009
INFERNO
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Search and Rescue
-Motto: “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Me”
-Notable Toy: Universe (Hasbro, 2009)
Notes: I like Inferno well enough but I never understood how he got called up to join Jazz and Sideswipe as part of the G2 assortment of Autobots. Maybe it had something to do with his Japanese recolour, Artfire, or maybe Hasbro was planning ahead to the 25th Anniversary release. Speaking of Artfire, I wonder if we’ll see a redeco?
(For more information on Inferno, check out the Generation One Transformer Bible.)
Transformer of the Day for February 6, 2009
PROWL
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Military Strategist
-Motto: “Logic is the Ultimate Weapon”
-Notable Toy: Action Master (Hasbro, 1990)
Notes: Prowl is just one of those characters who keeps reappearing in one form or another across the Transformersverse. There are two versions in Beast Wars, as well as versions in Robots in Disguise, the Unicron Trilogy and TF:Animated. And so many excellent choices for G1-inspired toys - from Alternators to Titanium to the original release. But I have to go with the Action Master here. Prowl always seemed aptly suited to ride a motorcycle - maybe that helped inspired his Animated self.
(For more information on Prowl, check out the Generation One Transformer Bible.)
(Apologies and thanks to the shmax.com, bbts.com and tfw2005.com for the toy and cartoon images.)
Transformer of the Day for February 5, 2009
REFLECTOR
-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Reconnaissance
-Motto: “See and You Can Know, Know and You Can Destroy”
-Notable Toy: Diaclone (Takara, 1983)
Notes: Pity poor Reflector. A Decepticon who never appeared on North American store shelves (other than as a decoy bonus in 1987), he is a key part of the Decepticon army in the first year of the cartoon. But let the Decepticon army ranks grow with newly released toys, and Reflector is quickly shuffled aside. While a special offer in the mid-1980s allowed him to officially join our toy ranks, we still wait for the day to see a reissue of some kind that better reflects his onscreen presence.
(For more information on Reflector, check out the Generation One Transformer Bible.)
(Apologies and thanks to toyarchives.com for the toy image.)
Transformer of the Day for January 31, 2009
THE ARK
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992), Beast Wars (1996-98)
-Function: Deep Space Interceptor
-Motto: Not applicable
-Notable Toy: Titanium 3″ (Hasbro, 2006)
Notes: Not a Transformer per se, the Ark is the deep space exploration craft shot down by Decepticons over pre-historic earth. A base for both Autobots and Maximals and home of Teletran 1, the Ark was eventually destroyed in a fit of bad animation by Trypticon in “Five Faces of Darkness Part V”. Interestingly, the 3″ Titanium version of the Ark bares little resemblance to the original cartoon, at least that is until you separate the front part from the rocket section.
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With the Ark, fairplaythings.com prepares to enters the second month of its ongoing Transformers-a-day 25th anniversary online calendar. And what better way to proceed then to use the next month to spotlight some of the many heroes of the very first North American cartoon series. For the Month of February, all characters spotlighted will be from the original North American Generation One release, alternating in the now-familiar pattern between hero and villain. Roll out!
