It's goddamn gorgeous, that's what it is.

 

1980's people's interpretation of how trucks look in the distant future of 2005.

 

Boy they were wrong huh?

 

It almost feels like Hasbro lost car manufacturing rights in 86 since they stopped adopting Japan toys and started making their own. They mostly changed into fictional inspired versions of cars.
So Roddy would be a space winnebego futuristic semi hybrid?

Maybe Hasbro was secretly mad about it and was like thats cool, we'll just kill all your cars in our movie.
Either way , having wild creative designs like this is what made the 80s so great.
The most creative decade ever, Hollywood's still trying to cashkill on it.

 

Hasbro didn't have to acquire car manufacturing rights back in the 1980's. There were only a couple incidents in which Hasbro simply needed to change the decals to accommodate manufacturers (Wheeljack and Mirage). BUT, it's clear that Hasbro was less interested in dealing with potential legal hoops after they ran out of Diaclone molds. As they started designing their own characters, they went with futuristic and very "fudged" Earth modes from there on. They also ditched the pesky spring-loaded missile weaponry that had to be neutered before thanks to a kid who chocked on a missile accessory back in the late 70's. I don't think Hasbro hated the Diaclone molds - they made them money hand over fist. But with Hasbro now firmly behind the design wheel for the first time, they arguably took the easy way first.

That doesn't mean that some of the post-86 alt modes aren't real life inspired. Just like Hasbro did for GIJoe, they were looking at some real-life prototypes for inspiration - especially in the case of Hot Rod. I do think Hot Rod was conceived first and Hot Rod with a trailer (ala Optimus Prime) came second. FYI, the first concepts had the trailer folding up as a back pack for Rodimus Prime.

 

I thought that was more to avoid problems with U.S. laws about advertising tobacco products to children. Those were the two Diaclone toys with cigarette ads on them.

Either way, I think it's interesting that Takara tweaked the branding on the Diaclone formula one car (Citanes instead of Gitanes). In most other cases, Takara used the actual vehicle and sponsor branding outright (Elf, Martini, Dunlop, Desert Dog, etc, etc, etc).

 

That wasn’t exactly an issue back in the early 80s either

That was the era of local candy stores selling cigar shaped bubblegum or sweet sticks shaped like Cigarettes, even Cigarette shaped gum that could blow “smoke”

Oh and “Practical joke” toys targeted at kids like fake cigarette boxes with mouse trap like springs that would activate when you put a finger in the box

 

What wasn't an issue? Spring-loaded missiles? Yeah, that was an issue. You can thank a Colonel Viper toy from Battlestar Galactica in 1978 for all of the weak springs - or their complete removal - from Hasbro's toys. Kenner even chickened out with Missile-Launching Boba Fett.

 

It's a futuristic truck. Funny that trucks still look like Optimus these days.

 

I remember that Rotorstorm had pretty sturdy springs in his guns. I was always afraid to shoot myself in the eye with these spring loaded guns on the toys in the 80s. They flew straight across my room for 3-4 meters. You could even knock other figures over with them.

 

Like I said I can see why one would think that but I think that he just looks way too much like that concept truck for it to be a coincidence, even the front cab separates the same way

 

I was talking about the cigarette/Tobacco advertising on kids products

 

I remember those. But there's a difference between modelling smoking as a concept and advertising actual brands of cigarettes, such as Marlboro.

Seeing as he wasn't released in the United States, he was probably not affected by American toy safety concerns.

 

Yeah, the UK got the good stuff. They changed all those for Machine Wars when they imported the molds.

 

Hm funny, I keep reading the UK guys don't get anything  

 

Well, Marlboro was a REAL cigarette company. IIRC, the candy had fake names on it. But even those also went out of vogue pretty fast after Nancy Reagan's "just say no" campaign began. 1984 was when the campaign was hitting its stride. I remember the only place I could find candy cigarettes in town during the mid to late 80's was at a local movie theater.

 

The UK got some freakin' awesome exclusive stuff from 1990 to 1993. Then Hasbro kind of turned their backs on you all. Sorry about that...

 

Actually when it comes to the laws pertaining to the advertisement towards children there is actually no difference

That’s why the cigarette companies like Marboro had to actually get rid of cartoon characters that they used to use like Joe camel

Actually when it comes to those laws or regulations pertaining to the advertisements towards children, there really is no difference in modeling as a concept or actually brand advertisement

That’s 1 reason why the cigarette companies like Marboro had to actually get rid of cartoon character mascots

As I said above there were a few and I know it was a small few of those toys and candy’s that came with actual manufacture labels, although I really can’t speak to whether or not it was legit from those manufacturers

And yes by 85/87 They were very hard to fine, for years the only place I was able to find them were on Indian reservations

But lately they’ve been popping up at local five and below stores

 

 :

Are we quite sure its not the flying U Haul van?

 

Things are different now, and it was a gradual process from where we were in the early '80s to where we are now. I did some quick research on this just now, and apparently it varied from state to state (and sometimes city to city) until the 1990s, when the FDA was given authority over tobacco products. However, companies (such as Hasbro) hoping to sell their products in all 50 states would have to comply with whatever the strictest law anywhere was. So there's our explanation of how Hasbro would be afraid to violate laws against advertising tobacco to minors, even while regional candy suppliers happily sold candy cigarettes in select markets--they weren't federal laws. Joe the Camel was a different story altogether, as R J Reynolds claimed he was not meant to advertise to children, in attempt to skirt the issue (which eventually failed).