COUNTDOWN: 18 FansToys repaint ideas that need to happen! (part 3)

 

Now it’s time for the third and final part of our list of potential FansToys repaints that never happened – or, at the very least, haven’t happened yet! Some of these have been a lot less likely to ever see fruition than others but one lives in hope, all the same. Anyway, be sure to check out both part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t already, before continuing below.

 

#6: Diaclone Insecticons

FansToys first teased their set of Insecticons back before just about everyone and their grandmother had a stab at producing the same characters, in that small window when not every Generation 1 ‘bot was being attempted multiple times over. Yet it’s not entirely impossible that they could still be brought back for another release in brand new colours, and what better excuse than to homage the original Diaclone toys that later became the Insecticons in 1985? The pre-TF paint jobs were hugely different after all, with red, yellow and even green being the predominant mix of hues on offer for these insectoid mechs. They may have been the bad guys of the Diaclone fiction but still, they knew how to be colourful.

 

#5: Black Hot Rod

Hoodlum was most definitely not my favourite FansToys figure, although some people still swear by it as their go-to Masterpiece-styled Hot Rod. Whatever your opinion, there’s little doubt that it could look fairly snazzy dolled up with the far-too underutilised black, purple & teal stylings originally found on Masterpiece MP-9B Black Rodimus, which, if there were any justice in this world, would be a prerequisite repaint on any new Hot Rod toy by now. File this one away under the ‘not gonna happen’ category though, I reckon.

 

#4: Generation 2 Beachcomber

Oh, is it time for another Generation 2 entry? I think it is! And whilst the most extremely 1990s of all Transformers toylines may have had more than its fair share of influences on this list already, I’m sure we can all agree that a blingy-chromed green Beachcomber is hardly the place to draw the line. Especially not when FansToys relatively recent Dunerider release was good enough to warrant another go. Besides, the alternate buggy mode already looks a bit like a frog (seriously, find a picture of it and tell me it doesn’t), so just how perfect a marriage of concept and colour would this be, eh? Sadly it seems at though FT has moved on from such homages, but we live in hope.

 

#3: Toy colours Astrotrain (Takara version)

I mentioned FansToys Thomas already in part 1, I admit, but even then I acknowledged that it was the Hasbro Generation 1 toy that I was referencing at the time, whereas vintage collectors will no doubt be aware that the accompanying Takara release looked very different. It was a lot more ‘real world’ in how it approached the colour schemes for both the alternate forms, with the shuttle being white (and even featuring little NASA logos!) whilst the train was black. It was reissued in 2004 (with a change to the NASA stickers, sadly) but other than that, has mostly faded into obscurity as far as new toy homages go. Could this be the time for FansToys to bring it all back? Well, it seems highly unlikely but you never know!

 

#2: Generation 2 Tiger Grimlock

OK, we’re down to the final two entries, so you just know that I’ve saved the best till the end, right? In that vein, here is the unreleased concept art for Generation 2 Tiger Grimlock for your consideration! It sadly never made it past this stage back in the 1990s, but c’mon now, how jaw-dropping would FansToys Grinder look decked out in this amazing colour scheme? Does it even need any more explanation? Whilst I’ve every confidence that this isn’t about to happen any time soon, I do genuinely think it would garner quite a bit of interest from the collecting community, especially as it’s a paint job that has never been replicated on any Grimlock toy over the years. Make it happen, FansToys – it’d be great!

 

#1: Marvel Comics Soundwave

And finally, we come back to FansToys most recent release with Acoustic Wave (under their Robot Paradise name, but still), as whilst a Soundblaster version seems somewhat inevitable, the real repaint that would get my heart beating is a purple Marvel comics overhaul. It’s another colour scheme that’s so sadly underused in terms of Transformers toys, whether official or non, but remains a real nostalgic favourite in the minds of many fans who grew up reading these stories back in the day. Looking at the Acoustic Wave design, I really think it would suit it so nicely as well, to the point where I will be genuinely a little sad if this never comes to pass, no matter how unlikely that is to be. Just imagine it though…

 

So that’s our list! Did we miss any other obvious FansToys repaints that you’d like to see happen?

TTFN