We all knew this day would come. When the realisation that the GALAXY FORCE LOVE would never end.
And so it won't. Not as long as recolours exist. Oooh, sends chills up your spine, doesn't it?
Today, we'll be looking at mass retail recolours - mostly in Universe and the 2007 Movie. Recolours that I will one day, get 'em all. ALL.
1)Armourhide
Autobot Scout
Movie
Armourhide (originally: Armourhide)
Armourhide had very sad origins. He was an original mould for Cybertron - but somehow, he didn't make the cut for the anime. He never appeared in the anime, even though recolours like Buzzsaw and Longrack did. Poor dude. Maybe the casting director screwed up. Maybe he didn't make it through the auditions.
And unlike another Decepticon original mould non-anime character, he didn't even receive a recolour. Given that his Cyber Key gimmick, an 8-missile rack, was pretty impressive... I feel sorry for him, somewhat.
2)Big Daddy (Downshift)
Autobot Deluxe
Movie
Big Daddy (Downshift)
Like Armourhide, Big Daddy was an original mould, non-anime Cybertron release. To make things worse, he was actually a homage to a G1 character, Wheeljack. Why he was never given any love, I don't know. Perhaps, like I said, the casting director was a screw-up.
But then the Movie paid him some homage and love. He looks evil in black and orange, and could be mistaken for a Decepticon at first. But no! He is an Autobot, true to his Autobot G1 roots.
3)Blades (Evac/Live Convoy)
Autobot Voyager
Universe (Classic)
Blades (Evac)
Ah, now we're getting somewhere good. Evac, or Live Convoy, as I prefer to call him, was a pretty suave and cool character in Galaxy Force. His toy was pretty feature-laden, although it doesn't seem so. He's got spinning rotors, retractable grappling hook, spring-loaded missiles, missile/booster Force Chip action, and his rotors could detach to be a weapon in its own right.
He was a Planet Leader, too! I wonder why he never got any love in the Cybertron line - Override & Scourge, both Planet Leaders, saw recolours in that line. Metroplex didn't, but that could possibly be because he came out so late in the series. But now, in Universe... two Evac recolours! Love, love, love.
4)Blaster (Soundwave)
Autobot Voyager
Universe (Classic)
A straight up recolour, with absolutely no change to the head sculpt. Hence, Blaster looks like a Decepticon. Kinda lazy, if you ask me. Although the colours aren't bad, either, they also make Blaster look like a Decepticon.
Side-by-side with Soundwave, I guess he'll look nice. But he doesn't really merit anything much on his own. Soundwave was a great Galaxy Force character, though short lived, and it's nice to see his Autobot counterpart here. The problem is that his mould already looks so alien and hostile, it doesn't really work for an Autobot.
5)Bruticus (Scourge/Flame Convoy)
Decepticon Ultra
Universe (Robots in Disguise)
Bruticus (Scourge)
Bruticus is one of those recolours that are really pushing it. If you said he's a homage to Beast Wars, I'll bite. A homage to Beast Machines, OK. Even a homage to G1, say Trypticon or Predaking, still good. I can see where the colours and transformation pay homage.
But Robots in Disguise? I mean, there were only 3 dedicated beast mode Transformers, 4 if you count Gigatron. And yet it's a homage to Robots in Disguise. It's really pushing it - is there no other homage you can do for Robots in Disguise? How about some Car Brothers love?
However, this marks Scourge/Flame Convoy's third colour scheme as his second recolour. As of this, Nitro Convoy, Flame Convoy, and Live Convoy each have three separate colour schemes, spread across various lines.
6)Clocker (Skids)
Autobot Scout
Movie
Clocker (originally: Clocker)
Clocker sees a lot of recolour love. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing because he's one of the few Scout-sized cars around. His original colour is white, he's got a red Swerve recolour, and now this blue colour. Fire and ice themes, perhaps?
Clocker was never really that important a character in Galaxy Force.
7)Countdown (Cybertron Defense Red Alert/First Gunner)
Autobot Ultra
Universe (G1)
Countdown (Cybertron Defense Red Alert)
I like the idea of Countdown's homage. Nobody had to explain it to me - he was in reference to Victory's Countdown/Shuttle Base. The problem is... this Countdown isn't a rocket base. He's a giant friggin missile launcher. What gives?
There are some homages which are nice, in theory, but don't do the original any justice. This is one of them. Countdown of today doesn't do justice to the Countdown of my memories.
This is in complete contrast to the other Universe homages, like Storm Cloud or Treadbolt, which overcompensate for the wimpy (Micromaster) homages they are supposed to be reminiscent of. Countdown was a BASE. Make him a base.
8)Crankcase (Red Alert/First Aid)
Decepticon Deluxe
Movie
Crankcase (Red Alert)
I must say, Red Alert, in his original and upgraded forms, is certainly getting a lot of recolour love here. Then again, so did Hot Shot. And Scattorshot. Only the original Scattorshot didn't get loved - Backpack, he was, in Galaxy Force.
But I digress. Red Alert - or First Aid, I'd prefer to call him - is another of those recolour magnets. He was space pirate Cannonball previously, and now another Decepticon - Crankcase. He looks so Autoboty that I guess it's only natural to want to step up to the challenge and make him as Decepticonal as possible. And it works. :)
9)Dirge (Starscream)
Decepticon Voyager
Universe (War Within)
Dirge
I love the Starscream mould. Who doesn't? Guns, missiles, detail, plane, big, blade - it's got all the requirements for a winner of a toy. And of course, Cybertron never released it - only Galaxy Force did. So here, we have Dirge - a character that isn't frequently featured or repainted.
In fact, for the Unicron Trilogy, Dirge & Ramjet were never featured (unless as Minicons, and even then I'm not 100% certain). So Dirge here is a bonus, of sorts. Now for Ramjet! I wonder how long that'll take...
Of course, there had to be a Sunstorm (Legends) before a Dirge & Ramjet. Oh well.
10)Divebomb (Thundercracker)
Decepticon Deluxe
Movie
Divebomb
Divebomb is in really awful colours. Yeah maybe, just maybe this is the colouration for camouflage planes or stealth bombers... but sacrificing aesthetics for realism is a little overboard here. Some may like it, I don't begrudge them. Just not me.
Thundercracker now has another brother. Then again, they're all brothers here, aren't they? Being recolours and all. Or clones. If I had to write all these characters into a script, there's only really two possibilities - clones or siblings.
11)Dropshot (Scattorshot/Backgild)
Decepticon Voyager
Universe (Classic)
Dropshot
Fess up! How many of you knew who Dropshot was before Classics gave him a make over? All 3 of you, raise your hands. You, my friends, are to be praised as veritable walking encyclopedias of Transformers knowledge. I am proud to have known you. Me, however, I didn't know Dropshot. In fact, besides Countdown & Sky Stalker, I didn't know any other Micromaster.
It's amazing how many small Transformers have made the ginormous transition into gigantic Voyager or Ultra sized "remakes". Tread Bolt, Powerglide, Dropshot... I'm sure I'm missing a few more, too. What happened to tiny goodness?
I'd have recoloured him into Megatron. Then again... didn't they do that for First Gunner?
12)Grindcore (Landmine/Guardshell)
Autobot Deluxe
Movie
Grindcore
Construction vehicles inevitably come in two colours these days - green, like Grindcore; or yellow, like his original, Landmine. Maybe these harken back to Constructicon days of green G1 or yellow G2.
Nevertheless, I always thought Landmine was born to be a Gigalonia Transformer, rather than an Earth Transformer. He truly fits the theme of construction vehicle with the others, and he was even made large by the Gigalonia Planet Force. So... aborted plan to be a Gigalonian? We will never know.
13)Hardtop (Swindle)
Decepticon Scout
Movie
Hardtop
Hardtop is a recolour of Hardtop from Cybertron, who in turn was a recolour of Swindle, who was a toy-only character in Cybertron (not even cameo appearance like the 4 Armada recolours). Amazing! Was his toy that popular? Maybe that's how Movie Landmine came to be - he certainly seems to be a larger "version" of Hardtop.
Swindle & Hardtop variants never really had an alternate mode that impressed me - it seemed more like a kid's vehicle than a real war machine. Still, I suppose it sells well, since so many of them have been made.
14)Heavy Load w/ Drillbit (Quickmix w/Stripmine//Blender w/KillBull)
Decepticon Voyager
Universe (Classic)
Heavy Load w/ Drillbit
Continuing with the theme of yellow or green construction vehicles, we have Heavy Load - a recolour of Quickmix, who was originally orange. And he does round out the Gigalonia Decepticon ranks - all 1 of them. Haha. The head sculpt does work as a Decepticon.
Except... the colours are a tad drab, aren't they? Even with the Photoshop, they're rather bland. Like the colour of blended rubbish. Like what happens when you mix all your leftover watercolours together. Oh well, it... does give a sort of worn out look.
15)Jetstorm (Jetfire/Dreadrock)
Decepticon Ultra
Movie
Jetstorm
I'm not really sure what colour cargo planes usually are. The only ones I've seen are on cartoons, and they're a dirty yellow. Ducktales. The original, Jetfire, was green - a WWII-ish kind of plane, and I didn't really realise it was a cargo plane, until this recolour came out.
Perhaps a bit more white and a little less off-white would have helped. I'm not entirely sure the blue highlights help, but at least he doesn't look so monochrome now. Yes, I'm hard to please, aren't I?
16)Jolt (Crosswise/Autovolt)
Decepticon Deluxe
Movie
Jolt
I love this mould. I've never seen a Bugatti Veyron in real life before, but it's a slick, chic, and yet classic car. I liked it better as the black Crosswise though, but purple and silver's good too.
His transformation is excellent. He wields a shield, and a giant gun. If that's not enough, his Cyber Key power deploys a second pair of missile sets, and you can flip some kipple behind him to become another pair of laser cannons. Not bad for just a regular sized guy.
17)Leo Prime (Leobreaker, Nemesis Breaker/Ligerjack, Dark Ligerjack)
Autobot Voyager
Universe (Classic)
Leo Prime
Hmm. Red and blue. You know, he's a beast, and I've never actually seen a red and blue beast before. Red one, yeah. Blue one, yeah. Not a red and blue one.
I'm kind of disappointed he wasn't done in Leo Convoy colours, ie white and gold. I mean, the Legends version was white and gold. But I guess the "Prime" is more important than the "Leo", hence... the colours. Just like Primal Prime.
Oh, and he's got no electronics. Which is OK, I suppose. Roaring ain't all that... roary. Haha.
18)Mudflap
Decepticon Voyager
Movie
Mudflap (originally: Mudflap)
How many times can you reissue a mould that doesn't sell well?
Many times, apparently.
And construction vehicles only come in green or yellow, so guess what he looks like? A banana. Sigh. I'm not really a fan, not even of the original Mudflap... so... oh well.
19)Optimus Prime (from "Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys")
Autobot Deluxe
Universe (Armada)
Optimus Prime
It's another recolour of the STD Micron Legend mould, but this time in G1 colours! Excited or not? Excited or not?
I'm not.
20)Overload (Cybertron Defense Scattorshot/Backgild)
Autobot Voyager
Universe (Cybertron)
Overload
Overload? Who's Overload, and why are they issuing a Cybertron toy as a homage to Cybertron by giving it another paint scheme? Huh? Mind boggling. Yes that camouflage might work in the Movie line, but not here.
Really, who is Overload? Wasn't he in Armada? And red? And a tractor trailer? How is the homage even a homage here? What? Where? HUH???
21)Ratbat (Sideways/Noisemaze)
Decepticon Deluxe
Universe (War Within)
Ratbat
Ratbat is a repaint of Sideways/Noisemaze, who in Galaxy Force was a pretty cool character. Cool in the "keep switching sides" way, and that he was unpredictable. The only problem was that it was apparent the writers didn't know what to do with him - he was so unpredictable because he really just mucked around doing pointless things. But it all paid off in the penultimate arc of the story.
But a pink Ratbat doesn't strike me as very... pleasing. Yes, he's technically purple. But it's really all pink, to me. Eep.
22)Roadbuster (Cybertron Defense Hot Shot/Exigeyser)
Autobot Deluxe
Universe (War Within)
Roadbuster
All this Roadbuster love is a little suspicious, no? Is he really going to come out in ROTF?
Nevertheless, this is a nice recolour of Exigeyser. It's in muddy, soily, tanky colours ~ which are pretty evocative of a tank and all the grime and dirt that it has to go through in the course of war. Still, I love Superlink Roadbuster the best. Such an enthusiastic punk!
23)Springer (Evac/Live Convoy)
Autobot Voyager
Universe (War Within)
Springer
He's not a triple-changer. Why he carries the name Springer, I don't know.
Or maybe I do, because in War Within he isn't a triple changer yet. But it's such a... I don't know whether it's a rip-off, or it's fan service. Fine, I'll say it's fan service.
24)Storm Surge (Shortround)
Decepticon Scout
Movie
Storm Surge
Sometimes, recolours really suit the character - whether as a realistic vehicle, the general aesthetic mixing of the colours, or the homage.
Sometimes, none of these exist, and the recolour makes no sense whatsoever.
Storm Surge is one of those characters. And he's a recolour of a... what? Toy only character? Sigh. Let's move on.
And I hate his hands, for the record.
25)Vector Prime
Autobot Voyager
Universe (Robots in Disguise)
Vector Prime (originally: Vector Prime)
I will always love Vector Prime because he is one of the original 13 Transformers. Which makes him cool by default. And the fact that his name never changes, although his colour scheme does, makes him even cooler. He's the immortal warrior who lives across all time periods, changing his appearance for that.
And now, a stealth Vector Prime! Woot. Black recolours just rock my world.
26)Warpath (Overhaul/Jackshot)
Autobot Scout
Movie
Warpath
You can't deny that red is usually a good recolour for, er, recolours. Mainly because the heroic characters are usually red - Optimus, Rodimus, and so on. So any red recolour of a car automatically evokes Optimus or Rodimus images, and hence confuses the consumer into buying it.
Which does work in this case, for Warpath. Coupled with the stealth black scheme, I'd say it's a pretty good recolour. Pity the mould's Cyber Key gimmick is kind of irritating. Oh well.
27)Wingblade (Wing Saber/Sonic Bomber)
Autobot Ultra
Movie
Wingblade
I really don't like the drab alternate mode colours and the slightly brightly garish robot mode colours. It doesn't flow, and it really makes him look kind of... schizophrenic. Mismatched. Like they had no more paint left, and they just threw whatever was leftover to create Wingblade.
Which is such a pity, because Wingblade's original mould can combine with Galaxy Convoy, and as fate would have it, I do have a Galaxy Force Optimus Prime with no combining partners...
So that's it for this installment of the Galaxy Force Returns! In the next episode, I'll bitch/whine/dream of
Soundblaster
Dark Nitro Convoy
Dark Fang Wolf
Mass Production Edition Noisemaze
White Gasket
White Chromia
Burgundy Starscream
Who are all "official" Galaxy Force toys. Ah.
