Post by grahamthomson on Apr 13, 2009 12:41:03 GMT
Transformers: Generation 2
Firecracker (1995)
"Gobots" used to be a toyline of transforming robots that rivaled "The Transformers". Time passed and the Gobots faded away. In the meantime, Hasbro and The Transformers went from strength to strength until a point in the 1990s when Hasbro bought out the company that produced Gobots. Then, in an act of corporate middle-finger flipping, Hasbro took it upon themselves to call one of their Transformers sub-groups "Go-Bots". But let's leave the corporate playground antics to those with big litigation budgets and look at one of the Transformers Go-Bots: Firecracker.
Firecracker, released in 1995 amongst the first wave of "Go-Bots" under the Transformers: Generation 2 brand*, is a 1:64 scale Lamborghini Diablo sports car that can transform into a robot that's prone to falling over. The vehicle mode is actually the same size as a "Matchbox" or a "Hotwheels" car. And, like said toys, it features what experts call Through Axle Construction, which means it can roll smoothly and freely. It also means it can interact with all the ramps, loops and jumps-across-burning-canyons associated with the Hotwheels playsets. It seems like the first time a Transformer has been given the ability to interact with rival toy ranges. (*By then, however, Hasbro USA stopped using the "Generation 2" branding, but it continued in the UK. Why were the 1990s so confusing?)
In vehicle mode, Firecracker is cast almost entirely in translucent red plastic. This is to the car mode's detriment, the translucency obscures all the authentic detailing. Ironically the windows are painted black. The solid parts of the car can be looked through, but the windows can't. A nice little touch is the chrome gold paint applications on the hubcaps. Still, when you're launching the (actually very durable) car off a ramp through a blazing ring, the subtleties of the paint applications are neither here nor there.
Firecracker is easy to transform. It's a three-step process, roughly on a par with previous mini-cars of the same price point. Firecracker, however, does come equipped with a little gun (also cast in clear red plastic). In robot mode, solid plastic yellow and white parts are revealed. The robot's face has a smudge of blue paint as well. Truth be told, the robot mode is not quite as exciting as the vehicle.
Firecracker is a cheap, little robot with a sleek and fun vehicle mode. It's nice to see a line of "Mini-Autobots" back again. Depending on your aesthetic tastes, the translucent red can be a little off-putting, but since it's the 1990s, it's not the weirdest of colour choices for a Transformer. Firecracker and the rest of his Go-Bot friends prove that a Transformer with an authentic vehicle mode can provide uncomplicated fun and durability. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that can cheer you up. As a 1990s Hasbro executive might tease, "Up yours, Tonka!"
Review and photography by Graham Thomson
Full Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157616704658372/
Firecracker (1995)
"Gobots" used to be a toyline of transforming robots that rivaled "The Transformers". Time passed and the Gobots faded away. In the meantime, Hasbro and The Transformers went from strength to strength until a point in the 1990s when Hasbro bought out the company that produced Gobots. Then, in an act of corporate middle-finger flipping, Hasbro took it upon themselves to call one of their Transformers sub-groups "Go-Bots". But let's leave the corporate playground antics to those with big litigation budgets and look at one of the Transformers Go-Bots: Firecracker.
Firecracker, released in 1995 amongst the first wave of "Go-Bots" under the Transformers: Generation 2 brand*, is a 1:64 scale Lamborghini Diablo sports car that can transform into a robot that's prone to falling over. The vehicle mode is actually the same size as a "Matchbox" or a "Hotwheels" car. And, like said toys, it features what experts call Through Axle Construction, which means it can roll smoothly and freely. It also means it can interact with all the ramps, loops and jumps-across-burning-canyons associated with the Hotwheels playsets. It seems like the first time a Transformer has been given the ability to interact with rival toy ranges. (*By then, however, Hasbro USA stopped using the "Generation 2" branding, but it continued in the UK. Why were the 1990s so confusing?)
In vehicle mode, Firecracker is cast almost entirely in translucent red plastic. This is to the car mode's detriment, the translucency obscures all the authentic detailing. Ironically the windows are painted black. The solid parts of the car can be looked through, but the windows can't. A nice little touch is the chrome gold paint applications on the hubcaps. Still, when you're launching the (actually very durable) car off a ramp through a blazing ring, the subtleties of the paint applications are neither here nor there.
Firecracker is easy to transform. It's a three-step process, roughly on a par with previous mini-cars of the same price point. Firecracker, however, does come equipped with a little gun (also cast in clear red plastic). In robot mode, solid plastic yellow and white parts are revealed. The robot's face has a smudge of blue paint as well. Truth be told, the robot mode is not quite as exciting as the vehicle.
Firecracker is a cheap, little robot with a sleek and fun vehicle mode. It's nice to see a line of "Mini-Autobots" back again. Depending on your aesthetic tastes, the translucent red can be a little off-putting, but since it's the 1990s, it's not the weirdest of colour choices for a Transformer. Firecracker and the rest of his Go-Bot friends prove that a Transformer with an authentic vehicle mode can provide uncomplicated fun and durability. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that can cheer you up. As a 1990s Hasbro executive might tease, "Up yours, Tonka!"
Review and photography by Graham Thomson
Full Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/the-hub/sets/72157616704658372/
. I hope to see more. 
