Inside the box you get the standard instructions, two sets of extra hands, “liquid nitrogen” nozzle and rifle.
The Robot
Sharp-eyed readers might notice the blue eyes instead of the red shown on the box and in all of the promotional photography. New Age Toys is aware of the issue and will be producing replacement heads which will be shipped out to dealers.
New Age Toys has released a statement (translated by NOCV on TFW2005) about a factory error with Riddick. The eyes were supposed to be red but some were painted blue and some black. They will be sending dealers properly painted replacement heads. On the plus side, now you can mix and match to give McCoy some color contrast if you got the blue-eyed version or make your own Zombie Ironhide with the black-eyed version.
The Vannette
The nannette looks good in black.
The Name
Following their pattern, the name presumably comes from Riddick (2013).
Another day, another Datsun: New Age Toys’ Diaclone No. 7 Fairlady Z blue version inspired Kitt has arrived.
The Box
Th box is very similar to Maverick‘s with a very strong 1970’s feel that replacing the racing flag pattern with a sea green background and removing the Ark Warrior badge. Unlike the rest of the Bluestreak-inspired releases which were numbered H4_, Kitt has been added to Harry‘s numbering scheme: H3B.
Like the rest of the Datsuns this includes the rifle and two of the same missile launchers that came with Harry for a more toy-inspired look.
The Robot
No changes from Murphy except for the blue. I was a little concerned by some of the early photos of this figure that the shade of blue would be overwhelming but, in hand, it looks fine.
The Datsun
Again, no changes here besides the blue paint job.
The Comparisons
To really show off the blue, here’s Kitt with Maverick.
There is now a Bluestreak for everyone; animation, toy or Diaclone. I have no doubt that there will be clear versions in the near future for those of you that just need more Datsuns.
I was a member from the start to the finish and always looked forward to the annual membership exclusive figure.
Inspiration
Tomorrow will see the final mark-down in the closing sale of the TFCC store with everything dropping to 90% off. I’ve been following the thread on TFW2005 and some of the conversations there got me thinking about how much I’ll miss the Club. I’ve made three purchases from the clearance sale so far, only two of which have arrived, and expect to make one final purchase tomorrow.
While preparing this article, I took a look at my collection and realized just how many Fun Publications figures are still prominently displayed.
The Beginning
For me, it all started with Nexus Maximus and the translucent member exclusive figures that populated the first five years of the club. Here are Topspin and Breakaway from years 4 and 3 respectively.
The only Botcon that I was able to attend was the 2007 convention in Providence Rhode Island and it made a lasting impact. Not only was it the perfect theme for me with it’s continuation of Classics but it was close to home and allowed me to attend the premiere of the first Transformers live-action movie. Here are Dreadwind, Thrust, Thundercracker and Bugbite from that year’s set.
Still my favorite, toy-accurate, version of Thrust.
Seekers
The Classics Seeker mold is still a favorite of mine. It was also a favorite of the club; not only did we get Thundercracker and Thrust years early, we also got the More Than Meets The Eye Rainmakers (Bitstream, Hotlink and Sunstorm), G2 Ramjet and Japanese G1 catalog inspired Nacelle!
There is no other official mold with as many different versions available.
G2
Generation 2 was a weird time in the franchise that not only spawned some neon repaints but also introduced modern levels of articulation. Botcon 2010 featured the Generation 2: Redux box set. Here we have Ramjet (not technically from Botcon but still G2), Rapido, Spark (rear), Streetstar and Breakdown.
As mentioned in a previous post, one of their last exclusives (and the only Masterpiece figure that they released) was a Marvel Comics inspired repaint of the Ratbat mold, the only time this mold has been officially available in the US.
Turbomaster (aka Scorch) and Spinister have also managed to remain on display over the years.
The Vitriol
Anyone who’s spent any time in any TFCC-related thread on the TFW2005 boards knows that there is a certain portion of the fandom that simply cannot help themselves but to express their deep hatred of the Club and their glee that it is no longer around. I will never be one of them. I feel that the end of the Club and Botcon is a huge loss for Transformers collectors and, I fear, we are unlikely to ever see the same breadth of obscure characters again.
Twin Twist has finally arrived at Junkion HQ and the Jumpstarters are finally complete!
In photos Twin Twist’s tank treads can look very thin and Topspin’s wings do not lock in place so I had been a little concerned about how the treads would work. But with the actual toy in hand I’m happy to say that they stay in place very well in both modes. There’s no real lock but they are tighter than Topspin’s wings.
Like his mold-mate, Twin Twist has a great transformation that compacts everything into the vehicle mode for a very solid feel. Not only is it a great update of the original, but the cockpit is very well integrated and feels like it should always have been there.
Also like his mold-mate, Twin Twist’s biggest difference from the original is the height difference. There is no question that these are the same ‘bot. You may notice that my G1 Twin Twist is not exactly pristine – it is my original toy and features a catalog Autobot symbol that I glued on after the sticker wore off.
Swoop was another figure that I owned “back in the day” and I was very excited when Ptero was announced, especially after seeing how great Clobber’s beast mode turned out. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by Ptero’s mini-vehicle and am much happier with him in his new form (at least until we receive the true Swoop next year).
