Here’s another one I never had as a kid, Wreckgar – leader of the Junkbots of Junkion. He was first seen in Transformers The Movie and turns into a motorcycle. Seems like it was much more important for it to look like a motorcycle when it transformed than to look like the robot in the movie. The toy came out in 1986. By this time I wasn’t collecting Transformers. I did not really care for this character in the movie. But I picked it up a couple of years ago so I could complete the set of Generation 1 Transformers I actually wanted.
Wreckgar came out in 2010 Reveal the Shield which is far superior to the G1 release. And Target has a Exclusive version out right now Transformers Generations Platinum Edition Planet of Junk Clash that includes Hot Rod, Wreck-Gar, and Junkion Scrapheap figures which is pretty nice if you have $75 to shell out.
Here’s the last of the Decepticon jets – “Sunstorm.” This was never issued originally with the G1 robots in 1984 even though he appeared in the first episode of the Generation 1 cartoon. I think I have all 7 of the Seekers now, unless there are others I do not know about. The Hasbro Masterpiece Sunstorm just came out, but the colors are awful. This will be the only Sun-storm in my collection, unless they make a nicer one.
This is another one I got in Akihabara, Japan. This appears to be made by e-Hobby a store affiliated with TakaraTomy that has made several exclusive Transformers redecos.
The Generation 1 Jazz Action Masters figure by Hasbro in 1990 is another attempt to make a figure that is more true to the cartoon. It does a pretty good job. It’s not amazing, but it is a nice try. I think the size at 3.75 inches limits how accurate the figure is to the source material and the manufacturers were forced to limit the proportions/size based on packaging constraints. If the figure were made half an inch to an inch larger, they could probably have added much more detail and gotten the proportions right. So all the figures from the Transformers Action Masters line are almost exactly the same size and proportions. Shockwave is my favorite robot from this line. The Jazz figure is just another solid addition. Like the previous post for Wheeljack, Jazz lacks the correct proportions if you really want to capture the cartoon, but this appears to be the style of line.
Jazz Action Masters 1990 Hasbro Transformers Autobot Generation 1
Transformers Jazz Action Masters 1990 Hasbro Autobot Generation 1
Here is the Wheeljack Action Masters in 1990 from Hasbro. The Action Masters line did for the first time, what no other line had done so far. Not only did they not transform, but they also reintroduced several of the core Generation 1 robots. It was nice to see these robots again in another form.
I am a big fan of Wheeljack, but not for this figure. I really wanted to like this one, but for reason it just does not look or feel right to me. The proportions seem really off when you compare him to the cartoon. He should have a wider chest and have more bulk all the way around. He looks too skinny for me. While the Action Masters line is meant to reflect how the robots look in the cartoon, they really missed on this one. The newer figures from the Classics line do a better job of depicting Wheeljack than this one. This is still a solid representation and seems to be the style of this particular line, but this is just ok for me when I really wanted it to be amazing.
The Shockwave Action Masters is a robot in the line of Transformers that does not transform(weird right?) and is meant to look like the robot in the Generation 1 cartoon. The nice thing about these robots is they really do look as close as any toys to their source material. Many of the Generation 1 robots look nothing like the cartoon. The Megatron figure comes to mind. The Hero Mashers Transformers line in 2014 reminds me of the Actions Masters, except the Mashers are larger and more posable. Shockwave is about 4 inches and looks like he just jumped out of the cartoon. Some of the colors are off, but it really does not hurt this figure. This Shockwave is a bit beat up, so no poses as it can barely stand. It is leaning on the back of the cabinet. I need a nice minty new one so I can see if they can pose and stand without issues.
I picked up Shockwave at a local comic book store. They had a bunch of loose Transformers and I had never seen the Action Masters before. They looked super cool and I really liked the idea. I am surprised it took them 5 years to get around to it.
This is Construction(lamest name ever, right?). I found this combiner robot at Danny’s Carwash 6 years ago. Aside from the robot’s name and brand Polyfect Toys, there is almost no English on the package. It’s all in Chinese. But what this really is, is a really cool knock off of the Generation 1 Devastator. Go figure. I had hours of fun playing with these at my desk at work transforming them when I was bored.
Polyfect Toys Construction 7″ combiner robots Chinese Devastator Knockoff
The only other English on the box besides Construction is the name of each combiner robot, the distributor, and the choking warning. The names are as generic as you can get(Building, Feeding, Picking, Sanitation, Ravage, Disguise). Wonder what genius figured out those names? Anyway, I lost this piece and I found it again at the Dollar Store. Guess they keep pumping out more of these, but I am glad they did. I see some Spanish on these, so they must be selling it in Spain or Mexico too. Probably China too, seeing as there is Chinese all over it.
Polyfect Toys Construction 7″ combiner robots Chinese Devastator Knockoff
This is a fun piece to have and such a great price. I only ever had 2 of the original G1 Constructicons, so it is nice to have them all in this piece. I am wondering why they are still selling the Polyfect Construction after all these years. I am thinking Takara must have sold them rights to use the original molds as they look identical to the original Devastator. The quality is not that great(the plastic is cheap and the paint job is not that good), but now I feel much more comfortable transforming each of these as I did not spend a ton on these robots.
Prowl is a nice piece to add your Masterpiece collection(probably the best one this year). I have yet to own one of the Masterpiece Editions, but this one is making me think about it. I usually try to add the cheaper new Transformers or pieces from the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s.
Prowl is one of my favorite Autobots and one of the better Generation 1 toys. I never had one and this piece is so much nicer than the original G1 robot by far, but for the price I wish it was a little taller than 7 inches. It looks so close to the cartoon version it is making me itch to see the old cartoons again. From the pose on the box it has much more articulation than the original, so poses will be much more fun than what you could do before. The police car transformation really looks great, but the robot form is where the toy really shines. What a beautiful version of Prowl. Though it seems a lot of people prefer the Takara version. The only big plus I can see is that the missile launchers shoot( I actually prefer the white missile launchers to the original black ones. They look too big). One other plus I see is the Takara box is so much smaller. The Hasbro box seems like a space waster. You can get either version on Amazon, eBay or ToysRUs.com.
If you are going to pick up a Masterpiece robot Prowl blows away Sunstorm. And the Masterpiece Grimlock re-release is just another reissue. So they will likely put him back out again in some form or other.
On a recent trek to Toys R’ Us I found a stack of Masterpiece Sunstorms. It was a pleasant surprise and they were fun to look at. I am afraid that the bright yellow color is so ugly, that I will never seriously consider adding this piece to my collection. Maybe if they blow Sunstorm out here on clearance for $30, but I will not be paying $79.99 to add this Toys R’ Us exclusive due to limited funds and space.
I do not have a Masterpiece Seeker in my collection and would love to add one of the other ones like Skywarp, Thundercracker, or Starscream, but Sunstorm is very low on my list. I wish they had chosen another robot for the Masterpiece edition. Say Shockwave or Arcee. Instead they do a redeco of Takara’s Masterpiece MP-11 Starscream mold, which kinda tells me they are too lazy to make a new mold. They are really milking this one. The sculpt is the same one they used on the Acid Storm and Thundercracker which were also Toys R Us exclusives as well. It is an amazing sculpt and I do not blame them for re-using it, but it would be nice to get some new original product. Maybe if they used the orange/goldish color in the first cartoon I would actually be interested in this robot.
This is a pretty nice Toys R’ Us exclusive. The Transformers Age of Extinction Grimlock Evolution 2-Pack comes with a classic Generation 1 like Grimlock based on the classic 1984 cartoon and the Age of Extinction 2014 version from the movie.
If you don’t want to pay big money for a G1 Grimlock, here is a cheaper option you can pick. I do not have Grimlock yet, so it is an option I am thinking about. I have been eyeballing the dark blue Generation 2 Grimlock as my cousin already has the G1 version. But what I like about this one is that the head is not a teeny weeny wee little thing like the original Generation 1 release. The new Grimlock looks really nice, but I haven’t gotten around to seeing the movie yet. So I do not have any attachment to it like I do for the G1 Grimlock redux.
Transformers Grimlock Age of Extinction Evolution 2-Pack 1984 to 2014
Both robots change to Dino mode or into a tyrannosaurus rex.
When I found the Transformers Hero Mashers at Toys R’ Us, I almost picked them up. I find these robots very appealing as they are faithful to the Generation 1 cartoon. This is one of the better Generation 1 renditions of Megatron. The original G1 robot form was so poorly done, I have never wanted to add it to my collection. I wish they had concentrated on the robot form instead of how it looks as a gun. The Optimus Prime Generation 1 robot was always the cream of the crop. Awesome looking robot, looks great as a truck.
I may pick up the Megatron, Starscream, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. I find the Megatron and Starscream are the best looking figures in the bunch followed by Bumblebee. I love the Starscream as you can see the smirk on his face or Megatron the sneer of disgust. It brings back so many good memories. The size is perfect for display or just playing around with your kids. The only fault I see is that the robots do not transform. But they are not meant to be transformed. You are supposed to pull them apart and mix up the body parts like Mr. Potato Head. Imagine Megatron Prime or a mashup of Grimlock and Optimus?
The Hero Mashers offer a fun option for G1 collectors who want robots that look more like the original cartoon, than their original G1 counterparts in the 80’s or just a great way to get your kids love the Generation 1 Transformers as much as we did. I am glad they came out with these instead of another reissue.
The Optimus Prime is also pretty sharp too, but they have so many decent versions of him out there. A good Megatron or Starscream figure is much more appealing as it is harder to find cartoon faithful rendition of those figures. I am sure several of these will fill a happy space in my collection.
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