fairplaythings.com

Transformer of the Day for December 4, 2009

FIREBOT

-Faction: Go-Bots
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Rescue
-Motto: “With Me Around, Danger’s All Wet”
-Notable Toy: Gobots (Playskool, 2003)

Notes: Part of Firebot’s charm is that you can almost see him as a Gobot Red Alert. Even his toy face is red, which practically screams cartoon reference. For yet another repaint of the original Speedbot body, the paint applications really do him justice. Even better, Firebot features the kiddy autobot logo, as the toy came out before the formal shift to the Go-Go-Gobot line, where the logo was replaced with a stylized G.

Transformer of the Day for November 14, 2009

SPEEDBOT

-Faction: Go-Bots
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Earth Defense
-Motto: “Catch Me If You Can”
-Notable Toy: Transformers Go-Bots (Playskool, 2004)

Notes: Back when the first four pre-school Transformers hit the market, the 1-2-3 Transformers that would become the Go-Go-Gobots, they all had cutesy Autobot logos. And while this eventually changed in North America to a single capital G, it was also so classy to see the original logo. Speedbot may have evolved along the way, and the metallic late reissue of the original is too much fun, but for no other reason than showing off the classic package, let’s go with the original.

Transformer of the Day for November 3, 2009

PREDITRON

-Faction: Go-Bots
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Aerialbot Leader
-Motto: “There is Freedom in My Loss of Control”
-Notable Toy: Go-Bots (Playskool, 2004)

Notes: Preditron is a Go-Bot gone bad. He is a transformed Beast Bot who makes mischief across the universe. Released at the tail-end of the Go-Bot’s line as a modified Cheetor, he has clear plastic limbs that make him stand out in the crowd. Plus, evil. In a Go-Bot kind of way of course.

(Apologies and thanks to tfu.info for the toy image.)

Transformer of the Day for October 21, 2009

HAULER-BOT

-Faction: Go-Bots
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Transport
-Motto: “Ready to Roll”
-Notable Toy: Go-Bots (Playskool, 2003)

Notes: Hauler-Bot is the largest and most expensive of the Go-Bots line. He comes complete with a trailer that, reminiscent of Sky Lynx, can split into two components - a pterodactyl and a turtle. He bears a passing resemblance to the original Gobot transport, Staks (albeit with a proper face to showcase) and the G1 mini-spy, Huffer.

(Apologies and thanks to gobotsarepurelove.com for the toy pics.)

Transformer of the Day for September 26, 2009

MOTOTRON

-Faction: Go-Bots
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Bad Craziness
-Motto: “Move Aside or Be Moved”
-Notable Toy: European Go-Bot (Playskool, 2005)

Notes: Mototron is the closest thing that the Go-Bots have to a nemesis, which is highly amusing since his “villainy” seems to consist of mischief at the expense of the good Gobots. Stranger still, and unlike the other baddie of the line, Preditron, his original release bears the kiddie Autobot symbol on his release. But it’s the deluxe, rare version, released as a tailender in Europe, that is in the spotlight here. Must redouble my efforts to find and grab this one.

(Apologies and thanks to gobotsarepurelove.com for the toy pics.)

Transformer of the Day for January 13, 2009

TIGERTRON / GEORGE

-Faction: Go-Bot
-Era: Playskool Gobots (2002-2005)
-Function: Search and Rescue
-Motto: “Experience is the Path to My True Potential”
-Notable Toy: Mission Earth Tigertron (Playskool, 2003)

Notes: Once the competition, Go-Bots emerged as a gateway for many preschoolers thanks to the Playskool’s Big Adventure line. There was even a short-lived cartoon. In North America, they had names like Prowl-Bot and Beast-Bot. In Japan, however, they were Billy, Greg and Paul Jr. In Japan, Tigertron was known as George. We love him.

(Apologies and thanks to GobotsArePureLove.com for the toy image.)