Thanks to Hydra from the Allspark.com, I was able to acquire what just may be the rarest of the Headrobots Cobra repaints: Nightrider.

Since I first laid eyes on the original prototype (in "neutral" greys) for this great little mold, I always wanted to see it in darker, more menacing tones, rather than the bright tan/yellow & green of the normal release. Nightrider seemed to be my wish coming true (not quite - more on that in a moment). The color scheme is intended as a dual homage to both Black Zarak (which makes sense, as this is an exclusive made for the Hero Gangu Kenkyujo store in Osaka, Japan) and, oddly enough, the 80's action series Knight Rider. Japan's most notorious Gold Plastic Syndrome example *AND* THE HOFF given a nod in one figure? I had to order one, despite the slight markup (and the fact that I do not own a Black Zarak   ). Hey, there are only 200 of these in existence! That's pretty darned rare. And he's Black! And Red! And GOLD!!!

Err... well, that's what the promo pics seemed to indicate, anyway.

Now, I wasn't expecting gold plastic, since this guy didn't need to take the Black Zarak homage THAT far (I like my toys not to crumble, thanks), but the NEON YELLOW was a bit of a shock when I opened the package this morning. The closest match to this color in person that I have on a figure nearby is the roof of Classics Sunstreaker. Yeah, THAT yellow. Like I said, I don't own a BZ, but from pictures I've seen online, the yellow here will not at all match that gold. So, if you're buying this as an accessory for your somehow NOT broken BZ, you may be disappointed. I was hoping for yellow plastic covered with gold paint. I suppose I could go ahead and try some customizing...but considering only 200 of these little figures exist, I'd rather not alter it in any way.

So, paint gripes aside, on to the good stuff: a NEW accessory. Nightrider (and the upcoming Cobra Commander themed "Snake," as well as another rumored variant) comes with a nifty dual cannon that can attach to the figure in SnakeTank mode, adding some much needed firepower. The weapon also includes a peg which seems like it could fit very nicely in many G1 figure hands. I haven't tried it out yet, but Targetmasters in particular should be able to fit it no problem.

The plastic somehow "feels" better than the other two releases of this mold so far. I doubt that's actually the case, but something about the nice matte black just makes handling it a joy. I'll add more thoughts tomorrow, but I wanted to get some pics up. Enjoy!

 

And here are some more shots from my little shoot. Like I said, I don't have Black Zarak, but here's how Nightrider matches up with good old G1 Scorponok. Looks like Lord Zarak is having a bad day.

And something about the Cobra shape always makes me think back to GI Joe. I can't wait for the "Snake" variant of this figure in Cobra Commander blue colors to complete my pairings.

Another neat note: the "Neutral colors" Cobra Headrobot displays different tech specs from the Retail version and Nightrider when plugged into a Headmaster body:

 

Lovely, can't wait for mine to arrive!

If anyone has one and a Black Zarak could they possibly show us them together?

 

Oh crasis nothing pleases you  

 

Those pics of "Nightrider" attached to Scorponok show why the Headrobots guys need to get around to making a more comic/show accurate "Lord Zarak" figure.

I mean, the normal Scorponok head looks as though he's just escaped from a primitive tribe of headshrinkers, or something.

 

You got yours already? Hydra didn't PM me to tell me he shipped, though I do see he says in the thread that he's sent most of them. I chose SAL, so I'll be waiting a bit.

Looks good, but I'm disappointed by the non-gold. :-/

 

Hydra told me a few days ago that he had hoped to ship them in the next day or so. I believe his price included EMS shipping so perhaps mine will come sometime next week?

 

Ha! So not true. I actually love this little guy, but I can't help but feel a little mislead by the promo/packaging pics. Black Zarak is featured prominently on the card, so I would think the "gold" tones would match a little closer to him...or at the very least be GOLD in some form. I figured it was worth mentioning.

Still, the black is very nice, plus the added weaponry (and the very limited nature) somewhat justifies the markup on this. I've somehow become a Headrobots completest in the past couple of months. I just love the idea of making figures out of old, abandoned designs. And, of course, I can't wait for the Hardhead upgrade.

 

He gave me the option of either shipping method -- $37 for EMS or $31 for SAL.

 

The addition of the gun really makes this figure shine, IMO. I love the way it looks in Scout or Deluxe hands.

 

they look great. the best so far.

 

It's cool as a stand-alone drone unit...

but im not really feeling the Headmaster mode..:/

 

wow knight rider cobra ( blue version ) i like the others are ok

 

cool but cybertron armourhide isn't a headmaster how did you attach it

 

I don't believe that's actually "neon" yellow. I looks more like a light yellow or cream to me, and it isn't similar to Sunstreaker's roof, either.

 

thanks for the review, we really enjoyed your pictures and how lovingly shot the little "storyboard" scenario came out. excellent! congrats on obtaining most of the existing cobra molds so far as well!

the gold plastic would have cost more and there would be a risk of fragility. since the product is such low run our sponsor and ourselves decided on replacing the gold with another color. the problem is once you remove the "metallic" finish from gold plastic it ends up being muddy brown so we had to find another substitute.  

 

Can you point me to this thread where he says he shipped them? Thanks.

 

Head Robots Black Zarak Themed Recolor - The Allspark Forums

 

love the comic!

 

Probably a good idea to replace the gold plastic. I'd rather have the colors be a little different in order to keep the figure from crumbling to bits. Function over form in this case. The gold plastic might have looked better, but I doubt it would have aged well.