He's a timeless figure. I'm looking forward to getting Earthrise Fasttrack to go with him. Earthrise Scorponok looks great but his price tag will automatically put him in grail territory for me.

 

I have Fasttrack as well, just not pictured. Think I lost track of at least one radar and one of Fasttrack's guns for months. LOL.

 

The one and only original G1 Devastator.

Spoiler: Non-G1 Content

 

My G1 Hook broke so I replaced him with a G2 version, giving me a two-colored Devastator...heh.

 

Tomorrow...

 

NGB goodness  

 

Finally, a side to G1 that I’ve actually always been fascinated by, yet barely scratched the surface of when I was younger. I only had two as a youth, but I really enjoyed the concept of the Pretenders. This week, thanks to a mix of cabin fever and eBay, I struck gold and acquired several beautiful examples of these figures. One of them is an old friend, the rest are new acquaintances. All are complete and in relatively good shape. I’d like to start a series of introductions for my new friends starting with the first one I bought this past week. Please welcome Bomb-Burst!

And he’s a hideously lovely, fiendish, energy vampire of a figure. I had none of the first wave Decepticon Pretenders before. My first intro to them was in POTP. While those were fun for what they were, they weren’t nearly as dynamic or wonderful as their G1 incarnations. Just look at the level of quality in this toy. For a 30+ years old figure, Bomb-Burst (as well as my others) have held up remarkably well. Granted, there are variables that determine a toy’s resilience, but minus a broken belt tab and minor paint scuffs, and a loose robot leg, this figure is beautiful.

And I’m elated that he’s complete. His accessories are very well crafted and sculpted. The inner robot is nicely detailed for a late era G1 robot. Though I believe most of the budget went towards the shells in this line. In retrospect, I think it was worth it. The headsculpt on the shell is delightfully creepy with gorgeous gold paint for the eyes and bright blue for the ears. The dark grey and purple armor really pop and there’s fur molded into the shell which has a nice texture.

Bomb-Burst’s inner robot is an overall basic design like all the Pretender bots. But I’ve noticed with these, now that I have more of them, that there was actually a lot of effort put into their details to individualize them. The general body shape depended mostly on what their alt mode was which is arguably the simplest transformation process ever to perform. But their actual look is not so simple.

Bomb-Burst is a very nice shade of bright blue, which looks to match the shell’s ears. The guns can be tabbed into his arms to make him look a bit more dynamic in this mode. The headsculpt is pure G1 robot with the face painted to match the shell’s armor. I love how the shell and the robot color-match. It’s a small pity that the visor is not a different shade than the rest of the face, but the sculpt is so good that you can still make out all the details. The stickers help add some nice detail though some on all my new(old) figures are a bit frazzled. But that’s to be expected after 30+ years. I love the circuitry board molded into his torso. More paint would’ve been nice, but again the majority went toward the shell. Besides, they had to save some for the alt mode.

Just enough for the cockpit, anyway. Bomb-Burst transforms into a VTOL jet. For its size and simplicity it’s actually quite nice. I’m glad my copy holds it’s form in this mode. The left leg on my copy is really loose. It’ll stand in place well enough and transform, but I’ll still be careful with it.

I love how some of the Pretenders’ weapons had dual functionality. The guns become the wings in this mode. The cockpit is nicely painted. The VTOL hover engines are nicely molded. And the tail fin sticking out of the back of the robot head is the perfect touch.

There is so much play value within these figures. They were an evolution of the Transformers that I never expected nor realized that I wanted. Aside from the robot that could still transform, now you had a beautifully sculpted, painted, mildly articulated statue to go with it. A statue that could interact with the robot by becoming a protective shell that enhanced their individual abilities. It’s an incredibly tidy package.

The Pretenders were released around a very tumultuous time in my life. The couple that I had became cherished favorites amongst my collection. They offered multiple options for entertainment and helped immensely to pass the time and keep my mind off the sadness. That’s all you can ask of a beloved toy. And now I’m glad to have Bomb-Burst and others in my collection to continue that tradition.

 

Very nice!

 

Takara Ehobby 2006 Lilac purple Galvatron.
MISB

 

Nice review @transfan32

Interested to know how buyers of pre-owned G1's are cleaning them (if at all).

I have started buying missing weapons and accessories during this time, I normally give an antibacterial dish washer liquid and water rinse and/or disinfectant wipes depending on the condition. I feel a compelled to go a bit further and plan to air them for a few days and then repeating again.

I haven't seen my vintage Red Alert with his gun in so long, so the wait is killing me.

 

Does the blaster from the G1 Grimlock fit the PotP Grimlock?

 

The TRANSFORMERS
More.... Much More than Meets the Eye

The HEROIC AUTOTBOTS

 

Ehobby G1 RoadRage aka Red Diaclone Tracks.

Aka Gerwalk mode.    

 

Prepare for ocular devastation!!


@Goldimus Prime

 

I like it. Very nice!

 

Someone turn those three photos into a GIF for the flashing neon effect.

 

Dug up my MIB Powermaster Optimus Prime. This one stays in the box

These are awesome. Even though the colors are insane, I find them very.....logical...

 

  In a weird way it looks like he's walking.

 

The wave 1 Pretenders seem rather easy to get a hold of, especially the Autobot ones. Landmine is one of the only two boxed vintage G1 toys I have, but he needs a replacement insert.

The other one is Pretender Starscream, who actually is complete with insert. I think both cost me about 50 dollars each, which I think is pretty cheap for a boxed vintage toy. Then again, one of them is Landmine.