I assumed when I saw this that it is the Reissue. But then I checked and seems the 2003 Reissue re-release has the classic faceplated head too. So... no idea what this is. Knockoff maybe?
I added the back of the toy's image to the first post, which seems to me to be the same as the Reissue's back - my original G1 one has the Hasbro/Takara names and dates on the bottom under the dial, not on the right and left sides.
Yeah, I used to have that and the quality was ok. Decent for the time. Don’t remember who made it. This is the only picture I have of it: There’s also this one: Perceptor g1 custom anime head Looking at your pictures again though, the details seem a bit different so it might be another one still. In any case, my money is on it being an official figure with a replacement head. A bit off-topic but there were pretty cool ones for G1 Soundwave and Blaster as well!
It's a very nicely done custom part, but IMO the toy noggin looks far better. I wonder what a middle ground version would look like ... The animation design overall, but with the detailing of the toy. Kind of what MP36+ did blending the toy and animation head designs for Megatron.
Why am I only finding out about these Renderform heads now? Those look great. I've seen lately Repro Productions on Ebay has an alternate head for G1 Soundwave based on a pre Transformers version where the figure had a head very similar to that of the G1 Trailbreaker figure. I've been considering getting it. When watching Buck Rogers as a child, Tweaky's head always reminded me of G1 Bumblebee's animation model.
When I told the seller this seems like the reissue, he cut the price by half, so I bought it. It indeed seems like a custom job, the back of the head is the orginal and there seems to be no screw holding it, it is just fit in there snugly. His face is kinda scrunched up due to the tall helmet though. The eyes are painted blue.
Weird how no website I found mentions how the reissue changed the stickers. On the original, the shoulders show x14 magnification, on the reissues it is x15. Also, the reissue has MC20 (I assume the Microman numbers) on the leg stickers.