This Generation One Transformers Action Figure review is meant
to serve as an in-depth informational review of the entire line of US released
Transformers action figures from 1984 through 1990. There are plenty of lists
out there that show all of the figures and all of their parts, so I don't
feel that is necessary in this posting. What I feel is missing out there in
the books and information on collecting Transformers Action Figures is a type of
"Shopper's Companion" , so that's what this list is intended for. It serves
as an informational review concentrating on typical flaws
of each figure, and things you should keep in mind, or watch for while
hunting down those new additions to your Transformers collection. I will not
usually make a note about chrome wear or "yellowing", since basically any part that is chromed can
have chrome wear and just about any figure can have "yellowing", the same goes with paint wear, or paint "chipping",
unless it is unusually common with a particular figure. From time to
time I will also include notes about foreign releases of the same figure. I have
it split up series by series since all 360+ or so figures simply would not fit
on one page.
*Yellowing: Sometimes called "Suntan" or "Discoloration",
the plastic simply changes color from it's original color. It basically does not
come off no matter what you do. The only way I have found to get it off is spend
hours and hours with fine grit [1000 grit] sandpaper and rub through to the
underneath where it is not discolored. And when you do that you're still going
to end up with a fogged dull finish that may not look better.
*Stress marks: When the plastic is bent or pushed in a manner that it is not
meant to it slightly stretches and changes from it's normal color. The result is the plastic will lighten in
color or just turn white, alter it's
normal shape slightly and/or be weakened greatly and susceptible to breaking off entirely.
*Chrome wear: Many parts of Transformers action figures were chrome plated to
make them shiny and cool. When the parts are repeatedly rubbed against something
the chrome will wear off of the toy and you will be able to see the plastic's
natural color underneath. This makes the toy lose that fresh shiny new
appearance.
Transformers Generation One
Series One 1984
Action Figure Review / Shopper's Guide:
Series 1 includes:
Autobot Minicars [Minibots]
Decepticon Cassettes
Autobot Cars
Decepticon Jets
and the Others
AUTOBOT MINICARS:
Bumblejumper:
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Yellow is by far the most common. I have seen red listed in the
guides, but I most frequently find those to be of Japanese origin.
There also were multiple colors released of this figure in South America. The
copyright you'll find on the bottom of one of those will be "Estrela"
instead of "Hasbro" or "Takara". I have seen/had green,
blue, and white in addition to Red or Yellow ones.
The common flaws to watch for are: Dry rot or splits to/in the rubber
tires which will cause the tires to break off of the rims. Also, Where the head
folds up into the back of the car there are two pegs on the flat side of the
head and two bulges on the back of the car that hold it in place and allow it to
pivot. Sometimes on breaks off causing the head to fall off [or out].
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Bumblebee:
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I see about an even mix on the color, but since yellow is the color from the
show it has always been the more desired [and a little more costly].
The common flaws to watch for are: Dry rot or splits to/in the rubber
tires which will cause the tires to break off of the rims. Also, Where the head
folds up into the back of the car there are two pegs on the flat side of the
head and two bulges on the back of the car that hold it in place and allow it to
pivot. Sometimes it breaks off causing the head to fall off [or out].
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Cliffjumper:
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I see about an even mix on the color, but since red is the color from the
show it has always been the more desired [and sometimes a little more costly].
The common flaws to watch for are: Dry rot or splits to/in the rubber
tires which will cause the tires to break off of the rims. Also, Where the head
folds up into the back of the car there are two pegs on the flat side of the
head and two bulges on the back of the car that hold it in place and allow it to
pivot. Sometimes it breaks off causing the head to fall off [or out].
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Huffer:
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Aside from possible chrome wear on the exhaust stacks, there is usually not much
wrong with this guy. |
Windcharger:
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Barely ever has anything broken. |
Brawn:
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His little skinny chrome arms are prone to breaking. Best to check inside the
doors and
see if they're OK. |
Gears:
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This durable little guy barely ever has anything wrong with him. |
DECEPTICON CASSETTES:
Ravage:
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His knee pins are sometimes loose from excessive transformation. When they're
loose he has a hard time standing up. |
Rumble:
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His head is "tipsy" and sometimes the little spring under it can shoot
right out and disappear. The spring can also end up twisted and stuck sideways.
Either of these occurrences can make his head stay stuck inside the body when
you rotate his arms out for robot mode. The sideways spring is easy to fix - you
can wiggle his head out of the body and take a small screwdriver and reach down
and pull it out, then put the spring back on the head's peg and put the head
back in the socket.
The die-cut sticker on this figure is also susceptible to curling and having
parts of it missing since the sharp edges of it are easily rubbed crooked by
your finger while transforming him. Finding one with a perfect sticker is truly
rare. |
Frenzy:
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His head is "tipsy" and sometimes the little spring under it can shoot
right out and disappear. The spring can also end up twisted and stuck sideways.
Either of these occurrences can make his head stay stuck inside the body when
you rotate his arms out for robot mode. The sideways spring is easy to fix - you
can wiggle his head out of the body and take a small screwdriver and reach down
and pull it out, then put the spring back on the head's peg and put the head
back in the socket.
The die-cut sticker on this figure is also susceptible to curling and having
parts of it missing since the sharp edges of it are easily rubbed crooked by
your finger while transforming him. Finding one with a perfect sticker is truly
rare. |
Laserbeak:
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His neck has a Y shaped double pin. Frequently one side of the Y is broken off.
Even more frequently the entire head is simply missing. His rocket boosters have skinny
tips that break easily. |
AUTOBOT CARS:
*All Autobot Cars have rubber tires mounted on rims which are prone to dry rot
and/or splitting
Sunstreaker:
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Underneath him there is a black flap that holds his hands in place while in car
mode. This flap is often missing. |
Sideswipe:
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The rear spoiler can have "stress" marks or break off |
Hound:
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His two front fender mirrors break off easily. The rear machine gun is on a post
that also breaks easily. |
Mirage:
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His rear spoilers are usually tilted into his feet so many times that they won't
stay horizontal in car mode. His waist has a pin that he pivots into robot mode
on that is frequently snapped. His white front section that becomes his chest
plate has a metal hinge on it - this hinge is usually loosened to the point
where it will not stay up when in car mode and will instead drop until it's
front rests on the pavement. To find one that is tight and stays up on it's own
is truly rare. |
Bluestreak:
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If you try to pop his head up out of transformation sequence particularly by
pushing down on the roof/windshield section it will break right off and finding
a spare is basically impossible. The two rear windows can also be broken out if
the legs are tilted up to become feet before pulling them outward to separate
them. The long skinny barrel on his handgun is also prone to snapping in half. |
Prowl:
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If you try to pop his head up out of transformation sequence particularly by
pushing down on the roof/windshield section it will break right off and finding
a spare is basically impossible. The two rear windows can also be broken out if
the legs are tilted up to become feet before pulling them outward to separate
them. The long skinny barrel on his handgun is also prone to snapping in half. |
Jazz:
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If you try to pop his head up out of transformation sequence particularly by
pushing down on the roof/windshield section it will break right off and finding
a spare is basically impossible. The two rear windows can also be broken out if
the legs are tilted up to become feet before pulling them outward to separate
them. The one-piece missile launcher is also prone to snapping in half. The
heavy duty spoiler is pretty rigid but can be broken off or stressed if dropped
on it. |
Ironhide:
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He has no face?!?! Oh, there it is on his front seat... unless you're sticker is
missing. His arms have skinny weak joints that break easily. His mobile base
platform's chrome rear treads break easily. |
Ratchet:
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He has no face either?!?! Oh, yeah, there it is on his front seat... unless
you're sticker is missing. His arms have skinny weak joints that break easily.
His mobile base platform's chrome rear treads break easily. His roof lights pop
out and disappear sometimes. He came with a red cross or not.
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Wheeljack:
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Wow, Wheeljack has a lot of pieces! Those little clear wings for robot mode are
almost always missing. His spoilers have a hollow shaft to stick on the pegs on
his legs, but the hollow shaft cracks easily if squeezed too hard or dropped on
them. Strangely a number of people have contacted me about needing a face - I
guess a lot of people pulled it off... |
Trailbreaker:
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His shoulders pivot on a plastic twisty peg joint - the joint also breaks frequently
and his arm will fall off. If his hip joints are moved back and forth too much
he will have trouble standing up in robot mode. |
DECEPTICON JETS:
Starscream (center):
If any wings are missing, it's usually one of the small rear wings. The Rudders
have a skinny tip that points forward and these frequently have a stress line on
them. For the stickers, the one that goes on his face and becomes his eyes is
the first to fall off and go missing. The longer lasers are frequently broken.
All 4 missiles are susceptible to having the tab end of them broken off [if
they're improperly removed from the sprue]. If it is broken off the missile will
only stay in the launcher if it is level.
Skywarp (right):
If any wings are missing, it's usually one of the small rear wings. The Rudders
have a skinny tip that points forward and these frequently have a stress line on
them. For the stickers, the one that goes on his face and becomes his eyes is
the first to fall off and go missing. The longer lasers are frequently broken.
All 4 missiles are susceptible to having the tab end of them broken off [if
they're improperly removed from the sprue]. If it is broken off the missile will
only stay in the launcher if it is level.
Thundercracker (left):
If any wings are missing, it's usually one of the small rear wings. The Rudders
have a skinny tip that points forward and these frequently have a stress line on
them. For the stickers, the one that goes on his face and becomes his eyes is
the first to fall off and go missing. The longer lasers are frequently broken.
All 4 missiles are susceptible to having the tab end of them broken off [if
they're improperly removed from the sprue]. If it is broken off the missile will
only stay in the launcher if it is level.
Optimus Prime:
Regular:
Gray:
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A great toy, but still prone to some problems...If you drop the trailer the loop
at the base that holds the trailer door on can break off, the only way to fix it
is a new chassis. The stickers on and inside the trailer are usually fine, but
the stickers that go on his legs and arms usually get curly edges from changing
him back and forth. The exhaust stacks also frequently have chrome wear since it
gets held when transforming his arms.
For missing parts: If his hands get lost he looks silly in robot mode. The
little gas pumping handle is the most common missing piece [and the most
expensive to replace]
Variations: The Gray Roller (1st) version
This version has a LOT of differences compared to the normal version. The Roller
is gray. The trailer has eight little rectangular slots on each side of it
which, on the inside, hold a metal computer panel. This is a sticker on all of
the other versions. The Gas pump at the end of the hose is fatter, the 4
missiles are silver instead of black, the fists are fatter, the handgun [rifle]
is fatter and a totally different shape. The launch bracket for Roller is silver
instead of blue. |
Megatron:
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Mighty Megatron, ...how fragile he really is....LOL
First main problem: Almost all of his stickers are simply in bad spots that make
them get very worn very easily. The stickers on the insides of his arms are
usually the first ones to get damaged because you use your fingernail to push
the tab to get his hands out [and in so doing, you gouge out the edges of that
sticker]. The Decepticon insignia sticker on his hips gets worn through to just
the silver [because that's where you hold it all of the time. Also the curly
swirl sticker along the housing of the barrel gets frayed edges and peeling
frequently because of how you have to hold it to turn him into robot mode.
Other problems: Since, in the TV show, his gun barrel goes up behind his right
shoulder....and since most people don't use the instruction book to transform
them...lots of people try to bend it upward to match how he looks on TV. If you
push enough, it will break right off at the joint. A lot of them are broken like
that. Also the pins that hold the shoulders in place get limp and the arms
don't stay up straight. The hammer(s) [the part that would strike the end of the
bullet] will break if you drop him and that part hits the ground. |
Soundwave & Buzzsaw:
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Who is Buzzsaw? ....why didn't they just sell him with Laserbeak?...the world
may never know...
Soundwave:
His legs are usually the first part to get limp. But, even with very very limp
legs he can stand up straight just fine if you twist them outward at a 45 degree
angle when you stand him up.
His cassette door can break if mistreated, or if thrown into a box while it's
open.
The main problem with Soundwave is that once he's broken, there is almost no way
to fix him. His factory stickers cover most screw holes. His label sheet
stickers cover other screw holes, the stickers are the foil stickers (instead of
the newer ones that have a papery backing) so you can't get them off in one
piece with a razor (Even if you do - they no longer stick...) If you try to
disassemble him and just punch your screwdriver through the stickers he will be
riddled with holes.
My suggestion: If you have one with a broken door or in really bad shape, save
yourself a headache and buy a better one instead of trying to repair it.
Buzzsaw:
His neck has a Y shaped double pin. Frequently one side of the Y is broken off.
Even more frequently the entire head is simply missing. His rocket boosters have skinny
tips that break easily. |
Collector's Cases:
While not really toys, I thought I might as well list them.
Briefcase:
If anything is wrong with it, the inner tray is probably cracked
Round 3-d Case:
I have rarely found anything wrong with one. It is quite harder to find than the
Briefcase one.
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