Post by grahamthomson on Mar 24, 2009 20:57:09 GMT
Transformers Pretenders
Sky High (1988)
Review and photographs by Graham Thomson
By 1988 the Transformers had become mere shells of their former selves. In an uninspired attempt to append innovative new features to the range while lowering costs, and possibly follow a trend towards making "action figures" (Ghostbusters and Masters of the Universe were popular at the time), the developers at Hasbro/Takara came up with "Pretenders".
Taking the "Robots in Disguise" ethos one step further (or one step too far), Pretenders were transforming robots designed to hide inside a human- or monster-like shell. Thus the inner robot was pretending to be something it wasn't... such as being a Transformer.
Sky High was released in 1988 as part of the second wave of original Pretenders. Thought only to have been released in North American territories, the packaging of the second wave Pretenders does inform that they were distributed in the UK. A Woolworths' exclusive, perhaps, or a printing error?
Just like the other five original Autobot Pretenders, Sky High's Shell resembles a human. Rather than the somewhat generic designs of the first wave Autobots, Sky High's Shell displays a bird-like (possibly based on an eagle) moulded motif. The Shell itself is cast in red plastic with painted details. Alarmingly, the hair, eyebrows and pupils are painted orange. While it's not disturbing to have what ginger apologists call "strawberry blond" hair, it is worrying to have ginger pupils. Look around the eyes, not into them.
Sky High comes complete with snap-on belt, helmet and weapon accessories. A word of warning, though: excessive application/removal of the belt will wear away the paint. This problem is prevalent throughout the entire Pretenders range. Sky High can hold two weapons, a "sonic scythe" and a "stun gun". The scythe is held in the middle and to imagine it working is to imagine it slicing into the Shell's chest and filleting its user. Not particularly well thought out. The Shell features only single plane shoulder rotation. For the time period, that's about the best articulation anyone can expect.
The Shell splits in half to reveal the actual Sky High. Um... surprise! Pretenders, as stated on the box, do indeed hide the Transformer inside. I did wonder what that rattling was. Sky High, the robot, is rather lean and otherwise non-descript; red arms, black legs, grey torso and a sky blue painted face. Articulation here is the same as the Shell.
Sky High doesn't so much as transform but fold in half. Once folded neatly, it's simply a case of installing the Shell's two weapons on top and, voila, it's a helicopter. While actually a neat little design, the rotor assembly does not spin at all. You'd just have to pretend, to be honest.
Sky High, sadly, is unremarkable with very little going for it. The only fun to be had is hiding the robot, but that's the kind of feature that can get very old very fast. Aside from that, it really is just a hastily conceived toy with none of the excitement or engineering of an original Transformer. That said, Pretenders are something of a guilty pleasure to me; objectively poor but somehow intriguing all at once.
Verdict: one star out of five.
Full Flickr gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157615856763784/
Sky High (1988)
Review and photographs by Graham Thomson
By 1988 the Transformers had become mere shells of their former selves. In an uninspired attempt to append innovative new features to the range while lowering costs, and possibly follow a trend towards making "action figures" (Ghostbusters and Masters of the Universe were popular at the time), the developers at Hasbro/Takara came up with "Pretenders".
Taking the "Robots in Disguise" ethos one step further (or one step too far), Pretenders were transforming robots designed to hide inside a human- or monster-like shell. Thus the inner robot was pretending to be something it wasn't... such as being a Transformer.
Sky High was released in 1988 as part of the second wave of original Pretenders. Thought only to have been released in North American territories, the packaging of the second wave Pretenders does inform that they were distributed in the UK. A Woolworths' exclusive, perhaps, or a printing error?
Just like the other five original Autobot Pretenders, Sky High's Shell resembles a human. Rather than the somewhat generic designs of the first wave Autobots, Sky High's Shell displays a bird-like (possibly based on an eagle) moulded motif. The Shell itself is cast in red plastic with painted details. Alarmingly, the hair, eyebrows and pupils are painted orange. While it's not disturbing to have what ginger apologists call "strawberry blond" hair, it is worrying to have ginger pupils. Look around the eyes, not into them.
Sky High comes complete with snap-on belt, helmet and weapon accessories. A word of warning, though: excessive application/removal of the belt will wear away the paint. This problem is prevalent throughout the entire Pretenders range. Sky High can hold two weapons, a "sonic scythe" and a "stun gun". The scythe is held in the middle and to imagine it working is to imagine it slicing into the Shell's chest and filleting its user. Not particularly well thought out. The Shell features only single plane shoulder rotation. For the time period, that's about the best articulation anyone can expect.
The Shell splits in half to reveal the actual Sky High. Um... surprise! Pretenders, as stated on the box, do indeed hide the Transformer inside. I did wonder what that rattling was. Sky High, the robot, is rather lean and otherwise non-descript; red arms, black legs, grey torso and a sky blue painted face. Articulation here is the same as the Shell.
Sky High doesn't so much as transform but fold in half. Once folded neatly, it's simply a case of installing the Shell's two weapons on top and, voila, it's a helicopter. While actually a neat little design, the rotor assembly does not spin at all. You'd just have to pretend, to be honest.
Sky High, sadly, is unremarkable with very little going for it. The only fun to be had is hiding the robot, but that's the kind of feature that can get very old very fast. Aside from that, it really is just a hastily conceived toy with none of the excitement or engineering of an original Transformer. That said, Pretenders are something of a guilty pleasure to me; objectively poor but somehow intriguing all at once.
Verdict: one star out of five.
Full Flickr gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157615856763784/
