COLLECTING THOUGHTS: 3 G1 Transformers vs their non-TF versions

I’ve been on a pre-Transformers kick of late.

And a post-Transformers kick, come to think of it. Maybe even something of a ‘parallel-Transformers’ kick, even. Suffice it to say, if there are funky alternated-coloured versions of the original series ‘Generation 1’ Transformers toys out there, I’m into them, whatever way that takes shape.

True, my shelves are already littered with weird and wonderful reissues of the robots in disguise from over the years, often those trussed up with bold and unusual new colour schemes, but there’s something about seeing a well-known and familiar toy design turned out for an entirely separate line that hits a little different, somehow. Today, we have examples from all relevant eras to show exactly what I mean.

First, let’s look at this absolute beauty from the pre-Transformers era, which no doubt many of you will immediately recognise as the toy that would become G1 Blaster in 1985. Yes, this is the Takara Micro Change equivalent from the year prior, known as MC-21 Radi-Cassette Robo, and it features a surprising number of differences to the more recognisable robots in disguise equivalent aside from the obvious colour swap (although that is also a large part of the appeal here). Some fans will often cite this as having a similar look to Twincast, the 1987 Japanese exclusive repaint of Blaster, but that’s just because of the main blue body (which, even then, is a little darker on this version). With the grey legs, teal chest and a host of uniquely colour decals, this is its own thing entirely.

The other clear variation here is in the moulding, with the most immediate example being a frankly beautiful raised and embossed Takara logo rendered in the clear plastic of the cassette door. I had long assumed this was a sticker of some kind, and it wasn’t until I finally saw a copy of the toy in hand that I realised the truth and appreciated the splendid result. In fact, the entire door is made of clear plastic here, finished with a sizeable cover sticker for the teal section, all of which was then entirely reworked for Blaster into a solid plastic door with a clear insert window. It makes for a very different look overall.

The other critical thing to note about this pre-TF example is that it features working electronics, all of which were stripped out when it was turned into Blaster. Instead of microcassette companions capable of slotting in the chest, here you have a small AM radio receiver that plugs onto a jack inside the compartment itself (the presence of which does mean the likes of Rewind, Eject, and the rest of the Autobot cassettes cannot fit inside this release). The jack is wired to the function buttons underneath the cassette door, which allow you to actually press play (turning the radio receiver on), stop or eject with some functionality. There’s then a tuning knob to the left of the door, which was retooled into a statically moulded equivalent piece on Blaster, a volume control and even a working headphone jack! Radi-Cassette Robo does have a single earpiece accessory to plug in and use, with the wire able to wrap around the gun in robot mode and the bud plugged into the hole in the middle for storage. Clever!

There’s more, however, as the electronics extend down to the legs, the right of which contains an AA battery compartment to the rear and a working speaker on the front, allowing you to blast (eh?) the radio out loud, should you prefer. You’ll also note an overall on/off switch just above this, which, again, was replaced by a simply moulded bit of detail for the Transformers release. The speaker functionality works in both modes, and you can even transform Radi-Cassette Robo between the two whilst the radio is playing, which is very nifty to behold. Overall, it’s incredible to see just how much is going on underneath the skin of this figure, especially when it was all gutted for conversion into Blaster. One can only speculate that Hasbro determined the gimmick was simply too costly or too complicated and decided against its inclusion. Still, it’s fascinating to observe how it was originally supposed to function.

There are some other variations, too, most notably a large opening compartment on the robot mode’s back, which can be used to store away the AM radio receiver or, indeed, a Transformers microcassette! To my mind, it’s strange that this feature was also removed for the Blaster release, as it would have been an excellent place to keep a spare tape buddy when not in the main chest compartment or converted to their robot form. All these changes add up to make the Micro Change equivalent feel exceptionally different – perhaps quite literally, given it’s a bit heavier and arguably more fragile as a result – leading to what I believe is likely one of the most beguiling pre-Transformers experiences of its kind.

It’s worth noting at this point that there was a second colour scheme available during the Micro Change days, as Radi-Cassette Robo was also decked out with a red body much more similar to Blaster’s eventual look, albeit featuring a dark blue decal over the translucent plastic cassette door, instead. That may be an interesting version to experience further down the line, too, but for now, there’s little doubt that the blue release is a true thing of beauty and easily stands apart from any of the various Transformers releases in terms of looks and functionality.

Next, we move to the post-Transformers era, at least in the sense that this particular release came out roughly three years after its Transformers equivalent, even if technically, the line was still just about wrapping up in Japan at that time. Taking 1989’s Victory big bad Deathsaurus and giving him a shockingly vibrant new colour scheme, what you see here is known as Red Geist from Takara’s Brave toyline. In this case, the figure represents a robot seen in 1992’s The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn animation, though even putting the corresponding fiction to one side, there’s a lot to appreciate here.

Let’s start with the obvious: this is a straight-up repaint in every sense, featuring no retooling or remoulding of any kind. In a way, that makes it even more fascinating, as it’s a true Transformers recolour from an era where such a thing was in surprisingly limited supply, even in Japan. Despite a few differently coloured Takara releases versus their Hasbro counterparts, such repaints were exceptionally few and far between during Transformers at the time, to the point where you can almost count them using the totality of your prehensile appendages. It makes such Brave examples even more fascinating, and while Red Geist is certainly not the only instance of a robots in disguise mould being re-used, it’s one of the most striking and intriguing.

Despite being the same exact toy, there are some differences to the 1989 equivalent, most notably the absence of chrome on the kaiju alternate mode head and neck, even if the shiny metallic gold finish is retained for areas such as the robot knees, cuffs and chest horns. There are some very different decals here too, which was common with the Brave re-uses of Transformers designs. Sadly, this release also does not feature the oft-forgotten Eaglebreast from Deathsaurus, which is commonly tucked away underneath the more prominent Tigerbreast on the original figure. Given the nature of the design, you arguably don’t miss it in terms of general appearance or display, but still, it’s a shame nonetheless.

No matter, as if anything, it’s just exciting to see such an unusual recolour of this prestigious piece of Transformers history to begin with. Deathsaurus is commonly held up as a real grail to many collectors, despite the relative contradiction that it’s actually an exceedingly common toy! Whilst yes, it can command eye-watering sums on today’s secondary market, it’s still not rare in any sense – in fact, there are frequently quite plentiful copies of it available on eBay at any given time, making it more a question of condition and expense as opposed to actual rarity. By contrast, Red Geist is comparatively the more scarce of the two toys now, likely because of its relative obscurity to 1989’s big villain toy. That has yet to translate in terms of value, mind, as no doubt Deathsaurus maintains the significantly higher asking price of the two.

Still, Red Geist is creeping up there, meaning it’s not quite the ‘cheap alternative’ that it could otherwise potentially be. In truth, though, it’s worth making the big push to acquire both these specimens, if you’re interested in them, as they form a truly fitting duo of diametrically opposed recolours in their way. Just like Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Megatron and Robots in Disguise Cryotek after them, there’s almost a vibe of fire dragon meets ice dragon to this pairing, their particular palettes so pleasingly polar as they are.

And sure, I may miss the chrome of the Victory original, and yes, Eaglebreast is a notable omission for this release, but otherwise, there’s little here to compel me that Red Geist isn’t one of the most alluring alternate-brand outings of a Transformers mould that exists. The fact it’s such a rarity in terms of its own availability but also as a representation of a late-era G1 recolour makes it all the more worthy of our admiration, in my book.

For our final entry today, let’s head back towards the early days of the Transformers line and look at a sort of sister release to one of the most popular G1 toys ever. 1985’s Shockwave needs little to no introduction, at least in terms of the character it represents, though the toy in question has seen release in various other forms over the years besides. Many collectors will be aware of its pre-TF origins away from the typical sea of Takara Diaclone and Micro Change fare, first cropping up as ToyCo Astro Magnum in Japan in 1983. However, just as renowned is the American release, licensed to and distributed by Radio Shack under the name ‘Galactic Man’, but more commonly referred to as ‘Shackwave’.

I call this a ‘sister release’ because, really, it’s not a pre-TF at all if we get all technical about it, given that it debuted in 1985 alongside Shockwave first being available on shelves as part of Transformers. However, the Radio Shack equivalent was notably cheaper (by roughly $10 or so, which was considerable at the time), and retained the primary grey colour scheme and all of the original tooling of the ToyCo release. The major difference is in the translucent plastic parts seen on the hands and chest, as these are entirely clear on Galactic Man, now eschewing the faint pink tint of its Astro Magnum forebear from two years prior. It also sports some different decals, including prominent Radio Shack logos on the side of the body, a large one on the inside leg, and a ‘Galactic Man’ logo on the top of the chest.

Compared with the Transformers release, though, the most obvious difference is the colour, as the classic monochrome palette making for quite the alternative to Shockwave’s signature Decepticon purple. It’s an idea which has been brought back for homage on more modern toys under the Transformers banner in the decades since, most notably with the Siege mould, which gave way to a Generations Selects repaint titled ‘Galactic Man Shockwave’ and sporting this particular Radio Shack interpretation of the colour scheme. However, the real prize is seeing the two takes on the vintage toy design lined up, of course, given just how magnificent a compliment to one another they are.

It’s at this point that the small but significant tooling difference will become apparent, as Hasbro opted to adjust the trigger for their version, no doubt in an attempt to make it a lot less… suggestive. Shackwave retains the ToyCo moulding to its full and looks rather pleased with himself as a result, making for one of those toy design quirks that is extremely hard to unsee once you clock it. It perhaps doesn’t help that you cannot post a photo of this release without someone never failing to point it out!

Really though, humorous elements aside, this is a glorious alternative to a toy many Transformers fans will already have great admiration for and brings its own rather bizarre production history to the table in the process. I’ve heard from various collectors who recall owning this very release as “their Shockwave” back in the day, which perhaps explains why finding a copy isn’t that hard a prospect all these years later. Still, given how inherently fragile any version of this design has proven to be, picking up a mint copy is arguably another matter, but well worth it if you can.

Ultimately, it’s the perfect example of just how joyous these alternate releases to classic Transformers toys can be, assuming you’re willing to look beyond the confines of the popular brand name itself. Be it pre, post or parallel to our favourite robots in disguise, there’s often more than meets the eye to be discovered.

Join us for another part soon!

TTFN