fairplaythings.com

Transformer of the Day for November 4, 2009

CROSSWISE

-Faction: Autobot (Spy Changer)
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Gravity Ninja
-Motto: “Lighten Up”
-Notable Toy: Single-Card (Hasbro, 2003)

Notes: X-Car in Japan, Crosswise makes the list because he’s my favourite of the first six Spy Chargers mold, which were adopted from the first six Generation Two Gobots. His is the same form as G2 Highbeam, Botcon Nightracer and G2 Goldbug Bumblebee. And given the multitude of package and colour variants for him, he nonetheless just looks so sharp on this single card release.

Transformer of the Day for October 18, 2009

MEGA-OCTANE

-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Flatbed Truck
-Motto: “I Command You To Destroy“
-Notable Toy: Giftset Exclusive (Hasbro, 2004)

Notes: Robots in Disguise was an entertaining toyline because of the variety of sources from which it drew its figures. Generation One and Generation Two, Beast Wars and Beast Machines, new Car Robot toys and previously unreleased toys, they all seemed to find a home in Robots in Disguise. Interestingly though that the Decepticon logo for Mega-Octane and his crew, Generation One transformers all, were inversions of Generation Two Autobot symbol

Transformer of the Day for September 5, 2009

WEDGE

-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Bulldozer
-Motto: “I’ll Shove the Bad Guys Out of the Way”
-Notable Toy: Exclusive Four-Pack (Hasbro, 2003)

Notes: Wedge has to be the strangest choice for a gestalt leader. Interestingly, what he lacks in experience and size, he makes up for in enthusiasm and team support. The build team really seems to get behind their leader, even if he doesn’t always make the best of choices. And although the original release had the advantage of colour differentiation between the four construction vehicles, there is something to be said for the leader coming complete with colour-matching troops in one convenient package.

(Apologies and thanks to bbts.com and shmax.com for the toy pic.)

Transformer of the Day for July 26, 2009

R.E.V.

-Faction: Autobot (Spy Changer)
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Race Exertion Vehicle
-Motto: “Plan Well, Win Easy”
-Notable Toy: Spy Changer Giftset (Takara, 2001)

Notes: Now here’s a curious thing. While Hasbro certainly make frequent use of the Spy Changers as part of their Generation Two, Robots in Disguise and Universe lines, it seems it also made use of their paint applications as well. Case in point, Robots in Disguise R.E.V. (known as Eagle Killer in Japanese) uses artwork eerily similar to G2 Gearhead, while his companion W.A.R.S. (a redeco of the very same Gearhead) nonetheless updates the colour scheme of G2 Firecracker (see below).

(Apologies and thanks to plasticcrack.net and tfu.info for the toy pics.)

Transformer of the Day for July 9, 2009

SCOURGE

-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Tanker, Decepticon Commander
-Motto: “Vengeance is an Excuse for Failure. I Do Not Seek Vengeance”
-Notable Toy: Ultra (Takara, 2000)

Notes: Robots in Disguise is not a favoured series for me, and yet its portrayal of Scourge, the corrupted protoform dupleganger of Optimus Prime (or Fire Convoy if you prefer), is terrific. In fact, in some ways, he’s more interesting than Optimus himself. Doesn’t hurt one bit that the first and best toy used for Scourge just happened to be a repaint of one of the best Generation Two toys to be released.

Transformer of the Day for June 22, 2009

HOT SHOT

-Faction: Autobot (Spy Changer)
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Squadron Leader
-Motto: “I Can Take the Heat”
-Notable Toy: Blind Box Super Spy Changer (Takara, 2003)

Notes: As is often the case, Artfire goes by a complete different moniker in North America, Hot Shot. Like his Spy Changer brethren, he is useable with standard 1/64 scale playsets and his toy mold has been recoloured many, many times, both as himself and including as a silver Megatron and a purple Frenzy. I still like the white Super Spy Changer version myself.

(Apologies and thanks to tfwiki.net and plasticcrack.net for the toy pics.)

Transformer of the Day for April 17, 2009

STORM JET

-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Aerial Reconnaissons
-Motto: “Keep Your Eyes on the Enemy To Stay Ahead of Him”
-Notable Toy: Deluxe (Hasbro, 2001)

Notes: Like Bruticus, Storm Jet is an example of Beast Machines creeping into the RiD line. But in this case, Storm Jet was a repaint of the deluxe Jetstorm (and sonic attack jet drone), for which his name is a clever play on words. Meanwhile, the non-cartoon appearing toy sent fanboys crazy with its Jetfire-esque paint scheme, even if the head didn’t seem quite right.

Transformer of the Day for January 11, 2009

SIDE BURN

-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Speed Knight
-Motto: “Speed Limit? What Speed Limit”
-Notable Toy: Hasbro Deluxe (Blue Version) (Hasbro, 2001)

Notes: As if a flying shark wasn’t enough, the RiD cartoon brought us the hot headed young speeder who, in this case, had the hots for a little red number with a license plate. While the red powered-up version was a nod to Hot Rods everywhere, I’ve a preference for the cool, blue machine.

Transformer of the Day for January 4, 2009

SKY-BYTE

-Faction: Predacon
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Warrior
-Motto: “I’ll Tear My Enemies to Shreds”
-Notable Toy: K-T Figure (Takara, 2000)

Notes: What’s crazier than a bad poetry-spouting flying shark that just wants to prove himself to his leader? Probably that the best toy version of Sky-Byte is actually the eerie AI bathtub diarama. Still, he seems in his element at least.