Does anyone have G1 Nightbeat? I pulled mine out of storage last weekend and I was a bit surprised that he looked more like a teal blue than I remembered. I thought he’d been discoloured. I looked at photos and I could see both the blue I thought he was and the more teal colour. Now it’s probably he was always like that and I’ve just not seen one in person for years so the photos have been my main reference but he really didn’t look the colour you see in photos.


Edit: just took some photos and it looks like he just dosnt capture right as in the photo it’s the blue I thought he was. So it’s just not picking up his real colour. I think anyway.

 

@mcart Don't forget about Ratbat being tough to find with its ears intact!

@transfan32 Really enjoy your posting style in this thread, man. Keep it coming!

 

Oops, sorry that's what I meant by complete, seen tons with no ears!

 

G1 triple changers are some of the best toys. I’d like to get a copy of those quirky repaints of Blitzwing and Astrotrain.

 

Speaking of which, this guy came in yesterday, MIB!

 

Some of my favourite later G1 toys who survived my childhood.

 

Thunderwing and Bludgeon, very nice. Thunderwing looks to be in great shape, is he complete?

 

Yeah all three guns and inner bot. His forehead has some paint wear and his joints are a bit still but I was surprised how well he has held up.

I am missing Bludgeon and Octopunch’s inner bots though. I’m hoping Bludgeon is somewhere but I know for sure someone stole Octopunch’s.

 

It's weird how the Decepticons pretenders somehow both fit and look distinct against other transformers is impressive.

 

Thank you so much! I appreciate that, and I’m glad so many of you are enjoying my posts. Really means a lot. I will continue to do as many as I can, but as I’ve mentioned, unfortunately I just don’t have as many G1 toys as I used to. I’ll stretch it out as best I can.
On that note, continuing the triple-changer love with arguably the next best TC (and my personal favorite so arguably first best), sound the air raid sirens for Blitzwing!!

My original copy of Blitzwing is lost in time, but he was a Christmas present I got one year as a kid and I absolutely loved him. Blitzwing was my first experience with a triple-changer and I was fascinated by the concept. Plus I was going thru that period where I was enthralled with the “Top Gun” movie, so of course I was in love with this.

Absolutely gorgeous Russian MiG jet! Just too bad there wasn’t an Autobot Tomcat, at least that I owned, to go up against. Side note: I know Blitzwing was released before the movie, but I’m pretty sure I got this figure the Christmas after “Top Gun” was released.


I love the deep purple color. The fact that the tank turret in this mode doubles as landing gear made the kibble feel functional, so it didn’t bother me having it hang off the bottom of the fuselage. Definitely one of the best jets in the G1 line. This was my favorite of his two alt modes.......

.........But the tank mode is no slouch either. A perfectly acceptable no-nonsense tank mode with nicely painted tread detail made for a fun little war machine. A fully rotating turret with an extendable barrel is an excellent play feature as well.


The choice of color for the tank though is interesting. The design is based on the Japanese Type-74, but the color is that shade of desert tan. This was done at a time when most military tanks, if not all, were still primarily green. This color scheme wouldn’t be mostly seen until the crises in the Middle East started heating up in the 90s. Blitzwing was somewhat of a precursor of things to come. This would be almost passable for a model of a real tank if not for the purple highlights, but it all melds nicely together in robot mode.


Blitzwing has a very unique and dynamic silhouette. The gun barrel behind the head is a nice touch. I love how the tail fins act as his feet. He has a similar problem to Astrotrain with his arms. Where AT’s were short and stubby, he at least had more articulation to them. Blitzwing has longer arms, but the way they connect to his frame, it seriously limits his articulation. They feel more, for lack of a better word, robotic. And there’s a weird thing with his hands. The peg holes to hold his weapons are on the side of his hands instead of on top like normal TF fists. And the way his weapons were molded, he could only hold them in specific hands without seriously messing up his aim.

But as with Astrotrain, this is something I could work around. And like Astrotrain, I think he and Blitzwing might be the only two TC’s that are immune to the curse, at least from G1 (maybe Sandstorm too).


Blitzwing is one of my most beloved Transformers. He just ticks so many action toy boxes. From the old school brick beef-tank to the super stylish badass jet, this triple-changer is truly a triple-threat. Plus, I always thought his name was just super-cool, I just love saying it.

BLITZWING!!!!!

 

I have a MIB Thunderwing, no visible wear and the box looks nearly fresh off the shelf, one of my prize possessions. The only thing that bugs me about it is the shoulder stickers aren't straight, that was the first thing I noticed on yours, was how nicely applied they were.

I have a couple of spare inner bots for Bludgeon. If you never find your original, let me know.

 

He’s definitely discolored a bit... blue “yellows” toward green and you can tell the most in the legs where you can see both the original shade and the discolored shade.

 

@Turbine027, you ever get a chance to check your Groundshaker/Landshaker?

 

Groundshaker is definitely a darker red just like your picture ... I have a spare junker and it’s the same darker red too ... looking on eBay I seem to see both shades appear, but that could just be lighting

 

Thanks. Yeah Thunderwing is quite a special toy for me too. I remember getting him with Christmas money and how exited I was thinking he was super rare because I’d not seen him anywhere else. I think I was at the perfect age that I was mature enough too look after him more than a lot of my collection.

ah yeah I can see that in the picture. It’s not so clear in hand but I think that’s the lighting trick again.

 

Fucking love Blitzwing! Such a badass design with a sweet color scheme. One of the best Decepticons out there  

 

Awesome write-up! Blitzwing is one of my favorites. All three of his modes are great.

 

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

I think this particular bot is sorely underrated. Not officially a triple-changer, never even saw a third mode in the cartoon. Yet, when you bought the toy, you discovered a hidden third mode that came as a complete surprise for the character. It made what was probably one of the more boring figures, in terms of official primary alt mode, kind of an action badass. Who else, but Perceptor........

With one of the more unique color schemes of the G1 Autobots and a headsculpt nowhere close to what we saw onscreen, Perceptor was a perplexing figure for many. So unlike any of the other Autobots from the time, Perceptor stood out in character as the logical scientist and stood out in design as a truly menacing robot that turned into.........

..........a microscope?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

How does this make sense? A Transformer who belongs to the Autobot faction that doesn’t even turn into some kind of vehicle?!? RIP-OFF!!! But wait,......he’s a real “working” microscope?!? That’s different and kinda cool. Perceptor has a real working lens and a scope that can actually adjust magnification. Granted it’s not science lab grade equipment, it’s still a toy, but it was cool to have such an innovative interactive toy with an Autobot symbol attached to it.

The dials on his arms could even twist and turn and integrated a folding specimen tray into his transformation. Perceptor definitely throws you for a loop, but once the minor confusion wears off, you realize how cool he really is. And that’s when you notice the tank treads on the inside of his legs and wonder, “What the hell are those doing there?!” Then you also start to think, “Ya know, that scope kinda reminds me of a gun barrel.” Put two and two together like a good scientist and that’s when the surprise kicks in.

“Holy shit!!! Perceptor is a tank?!? Perceptor is a tank!!!!”
*Calling all of your friends that has the toy*
“Hey Timmy, did you know Perceptor is a tank?!”


Turns out this is a carryover from the Micro Change line that called this mode a weapon emplacement that could angle forward for a tank and upwards as a mortar cannon. For the Transformers line it was repurposed as a mobile laboratory, presumably in keeping with the more passive theme of the character. But why they never changed the headsculpt I don’t know, though it’s still pretty cool. Anyway.....,

Knowing that Perceptor had a hidden alt mode which was a scientific war machine kinda makes you look at him differently. Yeah in the show, Perceptor was usually portrayed as the logical, more passive, thinkbot. But he did join in the fight when necessary. All the aggression simmering under the surface really comes thru in the toy’s bot mode, especially when he’s all armed up.

All of this would go to waste if he just sat in the lab all day.
Side note: I know historically Perceptor is portrayed with his scope/cannon shoulder mounted on his left, but it just sits better on the right on my copy. Benefits of a swiveling adjustable mounted weapon. Moving on.

Man, he really pops when the light hits that chrome a certain way.


I honestly don’t mind the fact he doesn’t have a cartoon accurate headsculpt. This is an incredibly menacing robot. Perceptor is blocky and burly and beautiful. It makes you question everything you thought you knew about the character, but in a good way. You’d wonder how best to incorporate him amongst the ranks. As evidenced in the 86’ movie, he’s a strategist who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when the time comes. That kind of character you can kinda see in the G1 toy as well and I love every bit of it. I don’t care if he was initially just kind of brushed off as a non-auto Autobot, he’s an Autobot I’d definitely still want at my side.

 

I’m embarrassed to admit just how long it took me to know you could extend those wheels in his feet...even after I was long aware of the tank mode