Would y’all recommend G1 Megatron? I have a modest G1 decepticon collection consisting of Soundwave, Starscream, and Devastator, and I feel like he’d fit well. Just want to get some opinions on if it’s worth looking for one now.

 

If you want a transforming G1 Megatron, he is the best option.

 

The forgotten Triple-Changer.

Before Octane, before Astro-Train, Blitzwing shared the Triple Changer role with this guy.



I've always called him Switchblade, as a nod to the Helicopter to Jet from MASK. It makes a decent name for a Decepticon.

I'm sure if I scoured TFWiki I could find a name assigned to a background character model from Dreamwave or IDW that resembles him. Edit: Rotorbolt apparently... yawn.



Honestly, I can see why Hasbro skipped on this guy as he is quite easily damaged, the way the heavy die-cast lower legs (with very small tabs) tab into the plastic upper legs, which have to be pulled apart at the waist at the same time. The extendo-arms are great but feel fragile, Astrotrain would have benefitted from these but I can see why they were cut. The whole figure relies on friction to hold everything together. Paint chips easily. The nosecone has barely any clearance.

His plane mode especially leaves a lot to be desired. The plane back end doesn't really attach to anything it just hangs in place, the front landing gear is great but there is no rear landing gear, no way of hiding the helicopter blades underneath, and even though the arms tuck away snugly for helicopter mode, you're supoised to fold them down to make a sort of mid-plane landing... struts? It's odd, and keeping the arms tucked away looks better.

The helicopter mode is pretty solid and the best of the alt modes, with rear landing gear and nice tucked away arms, but even the way the missile launchers slide onto the aero foils doesn't really feel Transformers-y. As I have the Italian Gig version, the missiles are massive.

Despite all this, he's a great little figure and an awesome curiosity. But definitely a product of early Diaclone-era Takara.

As always, theres lots of Diaclone branding across the toy so you don't forget the toyline.



And for some reason mine came with this odd little figures (early Playmobil maybe?), I'm very confident they aren't intended for inclusion with this mold but they're so odd I cant bring myself to remove them from the box.

 

I picked up the Mega Pretender Vroom recently. Wow, this guy is really cool. Love how the inner robot becomes the sidecar in motorcycle mode. This guy is already on my favorite Pretenders list (subject to change, my favorites are Skullgrin, Bludgeon, Octopunch, Bugly, Longtooth, Splashdown, and now Vroom)

 

It's a pretty rare feat to get a complete one, too. Congrats!

 

Normally, I’d wait til the end to show the combined mode. However, I want to preface this series with a disclaimer.

Officially, this is Ruination from the R.I.D. series. Each of the bots it is comprised of belong to the Commandos Squad from that line/show. But, he looks an awful lot like G1 Bruticus, right?
These bots are all pretty much straight redecos of the original Combaticons, with very slight remolding here and there. This series was released in a few different color schemes during the RID era. This iteration of the group makes up my favorite of the color schemes.
I pretty much will treat this group as my official Bruticus. Given how much the original troop goes for, this was a more viable option for me to obtain variations of the classic figures. And honestly, I actually prefer this series’ deco choices over the G1 figures.
I like to think of them as my Spec Ops team of Combaticons. Seeing as how some of these colors are arguably more real-world accurate, I imagine this group is able to infiltrate world militaries better to commit espionage and sabotage on their enemies. Given these capabilities, they can even hijack an aircraft carrier.


Blast Off, formerly Movor (the RID names were weird), was the only Combaticon I owned as a kid. I’ve always had a thing for space shuttles. As fond as I was of the original figure, I really like the more real world colors on this figure. Blast Off displays the classic black and white of the iconic shuttle. Great paint apps too, for the time, on the cockpit window and the singed effect from re-entry on the payload doors.

This is my first time using this aircraft carrier play set as a backdrop. And I think it is very fitting for this lot of bots. It has several features which I’ll show off indirectly with each figure showcase. For one, Blast Off has a nice runway to use for take off. Of course I know this is not standard for a shuttle, but this is not a standard shuttle (IMAGINATION!!).

He’s also got plenty of room to come in for a landing.

Not much to say about robot mode. Nothing bad to say, just not much. It’s a G1 mold, we all know how terribly simple these figures were/are. The nice black/white combo carries over on his limbs. But now we get a great splash of color for the torso
with a vibrant reddish-orange hue. I think it complements the purple splotch that is his face though nicely.

I like that Blast Off can use/store all of his accessories in bot mode. The tips of the nose cone can swivel around if you wish to change hand positions. But I like this way the best.
Overall, I’m actually happier with this version of Blast Off than the original. I love the color scheme better. I’m not opposed to alt color schemes for figures, but when done right I prefer a more realistic look. It’s nice to have Blast Off back in my collection and better than ever, for a G1 mold.

 

Thank you for sharing.

This has been on my want list for years. I finally made the effort to purchase it after seeing your photos. It will be displayed next to his 2005 eHobby wavemate Overcharge.

Magnificus is a spendy bugger, but Perceptor was one of the first Transformers I got as a small child, so naturally, this version also speaks to me.  

 

Weirdwolf arrived today. I like him, very charming figure.

 

Brawl, formerly known as Armorhide, is probably my least favorite of the Combaticons. I still like the character/figure, but he’s the very definition of a “brickbot.”

This iteration is very much an improvement over the OD green color of the original G1 figure. The blue/black camo deco looks awesome on him. He looks like he’s ready for spec ops in the Arctic. The lighter colors I think better accentuate the toy more so than the original. But with the shape of his body, unfortunately it kinda makes him look like a cracked ice cube too.


Probably one of, if not the most basic of tank formers, Brawl wears his alt mode better than his bot mode. Still looks really good as a tank and the paint job really shines in this mode. It really helps bring out his tread detail.
And granted a tank doesn’t really look like something that should be patrolling a flight deck, so.....

In the meantime, he can chill in the cargo bay of the carrier awaiting deployment. One of the fun features of this play set is the entire hull is one big cargo space. But, you better believe Brawl will be ready for combat when necessary.

Comes equipped with his mounted twin cannons and blaster rifle which can be utilized in tank mode. Really helps to make him look more dynamic, at least in alt mode. I really like the placement of his Decepticon symbol too. Helps to let the Autobots know who’s treads they’re being crushed under.

He can only wield the blaster rifle in bot mode with those awkward chunks he calls arms. They can at least move up and down, but you have to adjust the turret on his back to allow for clearance. The turret does make for him having a decent silhouette and I do like the orange paint on his visor. It’s a very nice, small contrast against all the blue and grey. The G1 Brawl, from what I’ve seen, was definitely the most boring mold out of this group. But at least with this iteration, you can tell he’s at least trying to be more interesting.

I mean, his turret can rotate. That’s something right. At least in these colors, Brawl is definitely a much better looking brick house of a tank bot.

 

The RID release of Ruination was my first experience with each of those molds.

 

Brazillian boys here!

Salt-Man X

Malignus Pick-Up

Robocar Camaro

 

I just realized I forgot to respond to this.

I appreciate the suggestion. I have to admit, getting a KO has been tempting considering the incredible prices the original goes for (at a con a few years ago, Artfire2000 had a loose Great Cannon with no accessories and when I asked the price, I think it was almost a grand. That's not a knock on AF2K, just a comment on how expensive the toy is).
However, I'm one of those people that having a KO in place of the genuine toy would bother me. I'd rather not own it at all than use a KO as a shelf stand-in for the real thing. I might as well hang a giant asterisk over the toy  

I've said many times on this thread, Vroom is one of my top G1 toys. I got my boxed one at an early Botcon (like '99-2000 or so) and considering what it's going for now, it was a huge bargain.



And just for the hell of it, since I love Vroom so much...
Years ago there was an eBay auction where his original box art painting was available. It's not mine, of course, but I did save the auction pictures of the painting. What I wouldn't give to own something like this, or any other box art painting. I wish I knew who owns it now:

 

Omnibot Overdrive: Diaclonic goodness

 

What are people's thoughts on separating items to sell individually?

I recently have seen a seller taking apart the Diaclone Train Robo (Raiden) gift set. It made me sad to see the guns, play mat/poster, rails and carriage connectors get sold off.

Same seller also separated styrofoam and paperwork from some Japanese releases.

Obviously up to whoever has it to sell how they want and there are people who just want certain bits to complete their collection, just a bit gut wrenching to see it all separated.

 

I suppose people are free to sell things however they want. I personally wouldn't break up a set to sell the pieces individually. It's a gamble. You might make more money selling them individually. You might also only sell half of it and get stuck with the other half. But it is kind of crummy to break up a good set.

 

It seems sad, but we don't know if their set was 100% complete anyway. And for every 100% complete set someone breaks up, they might complete 10 or 20 different people's sets.

It's a bit mercenary but it also does contain risk, so fair play.

 

omnibots are overdue for generations treatment

 

and would make very appropriate Generation selects figures as well.

 

Swindle, formerly known as Rollbar (no, not the Throttlebot), is the sneaky one of the bunch. So sneaky, that he managed to weasel his way up to my second favorite of the limb bots for the Combaticons.


And not to knock on his classic original color scheme of the mustard yellow and purple motif, but I really like the more realistic green in Jeep mode with the nice orange contrast in bot mode. I think this deco works well for the character seeing as how it would make Swindle more wily and scheming by allowing him to blend in more. This more real-world color scheme helps make him a much better infiltration unit, something I’m sure a bot who loves blackmail would appreciate.

When Swindle isn’t running a ‘con’ he likes to lurk in the shadows and bide his time. Yet another reason why I really like this carrier play set. The cargo bay motor pool is the perfect spot for Swindle to stay in Jeep mode and dig up dirt on personnel. At least he’s got some company. There’s enough room for Brawl to hang out down there too.

Speaking of the Jeep mode, I’m really digging this mold. For such a small figure, Swindle is a very cool and fairly well detailed Jeep. We got the molded in seats, a center console with some molded controls there, a collapsible windshield, and an artillery turret. Really, the only things missing is the steering wheel and spare tire on the back. For a bot this size, Swindle is a damn fine Jeep.

He’s no slouch in bot mode either. His proportions are a lot better than Brawl’s and I love the orange and green combo here. The brighter green spots for his eyes are a nice touch and Swindle probably has the best face sculpt of all the G1 Combaticons, at least in this set.
I like that he can store all of his weapons on him too in bot mode. Keeping his hood section just tucked back slightly gives his artillery rifle enough room to stay pegged in his back while he can easily hold his blaster. Bulks out his silhouette a bit too, and gives him a nicer profile, something I always appreciate.
I always liked the character of Swindle. He’s definitely the spy of the Combaticons, but he acts like the spy that would sell your secrets to the highest bidder. Not saying that’s a good thing, but historically that’s always made for a fascinating character study and story. I’m glad I finally have this figure to go with those concepts.