 Charlie Clone |
Welcome to Charlie Clone's All Action Figure Revue at SWAFT.info! I'm your host, Charlie Clone! |
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Continuing with
our theme of Transformer-esque
bargain toys, I present my review of the Trans-action Convertible
Vehicle-Robot. These transforming robots run slightly higher than my usual dollar store fare, weighing in at a whopping $1.49 plus tax. However, as there were two in each package, they average out to 74.5 cents each. I acquired these plucky little bootlegish bots at the always prestigious National Wholesale Liquidators. It's a veritable United Nations of shopping, I heard so many languages used between customers and staff. The figures are produced by Way Out Toys whose rather presumptuous slogan is "OF COURSE IT'S A WAY OUT TOY!" Unfortunately their Website is now gone...apparently they were too way out. They proudly inform the consumer that the toys were designed in the U.S.A., but made in China. Way Out also goes out of its way...or out of it's way out...to assert it's copyright on the line, which, as will be shortly obvious, is something of an irony. |
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| CONCEPT:
(The other great irony is that these are billed as convertible...and yet there isn't a single convertible in the bunch.)
Essentially, the concept here was to knockoff the Transformers Spychangers line. The Spychangers were introduced in the U.S. way back during the days of Transformers Robots-in-Disguise (although, technically speaking, the U.S. first saw the Spychangers molds during the short-lived and nigh-apocryphal Transformers Generation 2 Go-bots series...but that's a whole nother story).
Anyway, for a while Spychangers were offered as two packs, with two different Autobots teamed up. Trans-action clearly tries to follow suit, offering two, count 'em two, convertible robots for one reasonable price. The only problem is that both of the Trans-actioners were exactly the same toy. One is in robot mode, the other is in truck mode. It's almost as if they are expecting kids to break one of them. Still, it's considerate of the makers to show you exactly what you are getting (TFs are almost always sold in vehicle mode, and the robot mode never looks as good as the box art). Nevertheless, I can't help but think some lazy kid is just going to pull a switcheroo and replace the robot for the car whenever he wants his robot to transform rather than actually bothering to flip and click...
Trans-action
Convertible robots come in four flavors. Fire Series, Police Series,
Military Series, and the Sport
Series. While the Fire and Police apparently only require one model,
the Military Series boasts a humvee, a pickup, and...well...a
camou-gear sports car (the chicks dig him at the club scene).
The Sport
Series features the same sports car and pickup with various racing
stickers. I was only able to get my hands on the fire and military
truck. At the very least, my Trans-action heroes will be ready to help
out with some
homeland security jobs.
ACCESSORIES: Neither of these sets came with any accessories. The closest I could come was by snapping off the ladders on the Fire Vehicle to create some kind of bludgeoning tool, but they don't look particularly intimidating. Maybe he can wave them over his opponents' heads to give them really bad luck. Also, the siren broke loose from one of the Fire Series trucks and I haven't been able to get it back on...so that has now become an accessory as well.  |
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FEATURES: Doors
pull out to reveal arms; rear pulls out
to reveal legs; hood flips down to reveal head. Stand it up on its
tailpipe and it is more or less as transformed...er...converted...as it
is going to be. This was the same transformation procedure for every
standard Spychanger.
Unlike the Spychangers though, these little fella feature a Mechaneck style telescoping esophogus. Perhaps this is to give the robot a clearer view over his obstructing chest, but the effect looks like some kind of ancient Indian neck trick.
But
the best feature
of all...and the reason why I dropped my three smackers on these
toys...is what's on top of the neck. Each and every Trans-action
Convertible
Vehicle-Robot has the head of Bumblebee from the original and official
Transformers line. It's the spitting image of the little yellow VW
himself.
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PLAY VALUE:
For
a die hard Transformers fan, seeing the
same sculpt twenty times is no problem. Heck, a goodly number of the
original TFs
were just renamed variants of identical or slightly modified sculpts.
So the fact these guys all have the same head
should pose no problem to
drafting them into the ranks of your Autobots. The Fire Truck would
make a cool
back-up to the Spychangers scale R.I.D. Optimus, and the
military vehicles simply were never explored by the
Spychangers line (oh how I wish I had gotten my hands on the humvee
rather than the pickup).
Since these are nameless characters, the most
fun will be had in creating identities for each of them. But you have
to make sure to give them cool
names with some literary merit, not like the completely lame names
they've been giving Transformers lately.
Half of the Transformers in
the past ten years sound like Mattel's Gobots, which had completely
banal or ridiculous
monikers like Cy-kill (because he turns into a
motorCYCLE...get it?) or Jeepers (because he turns into a jeep...Why a
robot would name himself after his disguise is beyond me...seems like
it kind of gives it all away, doesn't it?). About a third of
contemporary Transformers have just stolen cool names from first
generation transformers with the sole purpose of roping in focus
collectors.
Because
there are two of each robot, I'll propose a Tech Spec that is
compellingly cool and an absurdly lame.
Can you figure out
which is which?
Military Series
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Name:Wheelbase Wheelbase
uses his vehicle mode as a military
vehicle to hide at potential Decepticon targets, sometimes waiting
whole months
for enemies to appear. His fellow Autobots think his internal clock is
broken.
Wheelbase’s bed carries an array of sensors that can
penetrate
even a ten-foot
lead wall to pickup even the slightest energon pulse of a Decepticon in
stasis. Strength: 4; Intelligence: 7; Speed: 3; Endurance: 5; Rank: 4; Firepower: 2; Courage: 8; Skill: 7 |
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Name:A.L.I.C.E. Function: Transport "Let me get that for you!" ALICE likes to help people! That’s why ALICE is one of the most friendly and popular of Autobots! But ALICE sometimes has to travel long distances to get much needed supplies to other Autobots. Will ALICE get the important supplies to OPTIMUS PRIME before MEGATRON wins the battle? Only you can decide! Strength: 8; Intelligence: 8; Speed: 8; Endurance: 8; Rank: 8; Firepower: 8; Courage: 8; Skill: 8 |
Fire
Series
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Name:Turnout |
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Name: Enfuegobot This
silly robot sometimes forgets he's a
robot when he is a firetruck! Enfuegobot
puts out fires
fast because he really cares about safety! He knows it's a bad to play
with fire! Whenever he sees someone playing with matches or a lighter,
he tells an adult! And remember: "Tell your parents to check the
batteries in the smoke detector!" |
| Until
next time...
--Charlie Clone |
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