Is it actually based on something real?? I only ask because I've noticed that out of all the 86 movie characters to be updated in the CHUGRTS lines, he is the only one that didn't receive a more earth-based/present day looking alt. mode. Blurr: from "futuristic" looking vehicle to earth-based sports car Kup: from Cypbertron's version of a pick-up to an Earthern version Hot Rod: from "futuristic" sports car to slightly more "normal" looking sports car Galvatron: from "futuristic" artillery cannon to Earth-based tank Scourge: from whacked out "space boat thing" to earth-based flying wing type plane (not one that is in use yet, but...) Wreck-Gar: from "alien" motorcycle to an Earth-type dirt bike. Some of those are fairly drastic (albeit welcome IMO) like Scourge and Galvatron... Why is Cyclonus so special?
More or less, or the hybrid thing Space Case transforms into. Maybe something like the G.I. Joe Conquest X-30, which was sort of based on the Grumman X-29. Space Case - Transformers Wiki List of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vehicles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia +-MWG-+
actually, it's a conglomeration of those ideas. at the time, in there was this huge aerodynamics industry craze for the radical, forward sweeping wing design. and really, Hasbro was pretty smart in taking an experiemental plane design, adding a few "spacy" like touches and giving us Cyclonus. and 24-25 years later, that old design was good enough to be kept intact for us.
Whatever it's based on I think Cyclonus is one of the best CHUG molds so far and I would have liked to see some of the others stick to the 80's design as faithfully especially Kup & Blurr.
Because his alt mode was still awesome and fit in among the newer figures. Others were too outdated or unfitting in modern lines, like Wreck Gar or Blurr.
Cyclonus is supposed to be a starfighter. Cyclonus is the only one they really got right, IMO. I really, really like the original altmodes for the TFTM cast, it's part of the appeal. Hot Rod - exactly what his name suggests he turns into. Kup - Cybertronian Pickup truck. Blurr - Cybertronian hovercar. Springer - Cybertronian Helicopter/Racecar. Arcee - Cybertronian roadster. Scourge - Sleek hoverskiff. Cyclonus - Starfighter. I like starfighters. Galvatron - alien self-propelled gun. I saw those modes, and I was thrilled. They really appealed to me. Cyclonus is a perfect, upgraded version of his G1 toy. I was rather hoping for Kup, Scourge, and Blurr to be the same way, but no. So I'm stuck repainting and kitbashing. Scourge I could maybe adapt but not Kup and Blurr. Thanks a lot IDW.
Not to flame but I reckon a Cyclonus that turned in to a Su47 Beirut would be even better than the Classics Cyclonus. Partly because Galvatron and Scourge also got updates.
Hehehe! Russian jet fighters are one of my all time favourite subjects, so I tend to get a bit precious about them!
Personally I find the fact that Megatron was still a gun to be weirder because every other mass shifting figure got a new alt mode. Leaving Galvatron as a turret and Megatron as the tank would have made more sense.
