Transformer of the Day for October 12, 2009
AIRWAVE
-Faction: Decepticon (Micromaster)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Aerial Defense
-Motto: “My Price is Too High and You’re Going to Pay”
-Notable Toy: Deluxe (Hasbro, 1989)
Notes: Given their size, Micromasters introduced us to the concept of bases and platforms that had not been previously available to the Transformers. Of course the basis transformered themselves, but what was really fun was their ability to link up to form a kind of Transformers City in their “disguised” form. Airwave’s little airport seemed to work particularly well with him, providing him a massive gun battery as well as a natural hiding place to land.
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com and bbts.com for the toy image.)
Transformer of the Day for October 11, 2009
FORTRESS MAXIMUS
-Faction: Autobot (Headmaster)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Headmaster Leader
-Motto: “Prepare for War but Strive for Peace”
-Notable Toy: Supreme (Takara, 1987)
Notes: Adjusted for inflation, Fortress Maximus was a behometh of a purchase. Costing over $100 back in the day, and sitting at more than two feet tall, he comes with his own crew, namely Cerebros, Cog and Spike. He’s a must buy, particularly if you can get your hands on the Japanese version that comes with a master sword. Because nothing says victory like a giant sword!
Transformer of the Day for October 10, 2009
THUNDERWING
-Faction: Decepticon (Pretender)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Aerial Espionage
-Motto: “Cover Yourself With Lies and No One Will Find You”
-Notable Toy: Mega (Hasbro, 1989)
Notes: Joining the animated Scourge, Thunderwing was also corrupted by the power of the Matrix, which made for an interesting storyline in the U.S. comics. As a result, he has emerged as one of the most memorable of the pretenders. It’s a nice touch that his pretender shell itself is a transformer, of which he can become a part. And of course, he is the basis for the brilliant redesign known as Black Shadow that was available in Japan.
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com and bbts.com for the toy image.)
Transformer of the Day for October 8, 2009
SLOG
-Faction: Decepticon (Monster Pretender)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Combat Artist
-Motto: “Destruction is the Highest Form of Art”
-Notable Toy: Basic Pretender (Hasbro, 1989)
Notes: True confession here for a moment. While I love saving tech specs and file cards, and bemoan their absence in their purest sense from more recent issues (or their inclusion as foldout scraps of paper in trilingual packaging in order to avoid the costs of individualized packaging), I very seldom read them on their own. And even when I do, I only skim. So nine months (and counting) of TFs of the Day has been an education at least with respect to mottos and functions. What’s this got to do with Slog, you ask? Two words. Combat Artist. Who came up with that one? Was warrior taken? Still, best job description ever! It alone warrants his inclusion into this list!
Transformer of the Day for October 6, 2009
DECEPTICHARGE
-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Mayhem
-Motto: “I Will Leave Nothing but Wrecks in My Wake”
-Notable Toy: Alternator (Hasbro, 2005)
Notes: Decepticharge is one of those few characters that doesn’t neatly fit into a specific category. Having been cancelled by Takara, he only really exists as part of the North American Alternators line (and even there, he is quite rare), but following on Dead End, he seems a natural fill-in for Drag Strip. But I don’t think Hasbro lost the name to Drag Strip given the recent Asian market exclusive. So he’s a puzzle. But a good toy needs to go somewhere, so since the Alternators (or more specifically, the Binaltech) seem to be Generation One revised, G1 it is!
Transformer of the Day for October 5, 2009
KUP
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Warrior
-Motto: “The Past is the Greatest Teacher”
-Notable Toy: Reissue (Takara, 2005)
Notes: Kup, the “flinty old warrior,” whose main purpose seems to be keeping Rodimus out of trouble, and regaling one and all of war stories a million cycles old. And yet, he is at his best when he is at a loss of words. The Takara reissue of 2005, with Wheelie and his targetmaster partner, is the easiest and best way to get your hands on a classic.
Transformer of the Day for September 20, 2009
BLACKJACK
-Faction: Decepticon (Micromaster)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Advance Assault
-Motto: “The Road to Victory is Paved with Autobot Wrecks”
-Notable Toy: Four-Pack (Hasbro, 1989)
Notes: Blackjack was the simply the black car in the Decepticon Sports Car Patrol, a set of colourful micromasters released as part of the first wave of the small-size transformers. But in appearance and style, he can’t help but stand out. First on the card back, first in our hearts.
Transformer of the Day for September 12, 2009
SUBMARAUDER
-Faction: Decepticon (Pretender)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Undersea Warfare
-Motto: “Conquer the Seas and the Rest will Fall”
-Notable Toy: Deluxe (Hasbro, 1988)
Notes: Like his Decepticon Pretender brethren, Submarauder seems to be an excuse to bring life to a monster. The toy inside may not look like much more than something small enough to actually fit inside the shell, but the outside is a thing of beauty. Can you imagine if there had been the technology to give him articulation?
Transformer of the Day for September 9, 2009
PIPES
-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Bulldozer
-Motto: “One Being’s Junk is Another’s Art”
-Notable Toy: Mini-Bot (Hasbro, 1986)
Notes: Pipes has always fascinated me as a Transformer. First, he seems so appropriate for collectors, his motto and bio seemingly made to describe much of our collections. But it was the clever reuse of the original Huffer form that truly intrigues me. Same vehicle, and yet, with a slight change of the head transformation (and head), there is a completely different figure sitting on the shelf. Even wilder when you can put him next to the blue version of Huffer that showed up in some markets.
(Apologies and thanks to shmax.com for the toy pic.)
Transformer of the Day for September 7, 2009
METALHAWK
-Faction: Autobot (Pretender)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Space Commander
-Motto: “Harmony is a Goal Worth Catching”
-Notable Toy: Deluxe (Takara, 1988)
Notes: Metalhawk was a Japanese-exclusive Pretender who stands out because of the use of die-cast metal in his construction. This is another example of a toy that is begging for a reissue, even if the jet form could be a little more streamlined.
(Apologies and thanks to bbts.com and shmax.com for the toy pics.)
