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Zob's Thoughts on G2 Masterpiece Sideswipe (Fake? Real? Who Knows?)
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Zobovor
Mar 6, 2015, 1:08:06 AM3/6/15
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My birthday is on the seventh, but my wife thought that since I'm taking some time off work now, it might be nice to have a couple of days to open gifts early and play with my new toys.
First, some background: When Hasbro brought back the cancelled Transformers toy line in late 1992, they started with a small assortment of 1984-85 toys that had been updated for modern times. All the toys were modified in some way, many of them with new spring-loaded weapons and some with alternate color schemes. I expect a lot of the color changes were made so as to prevent too many similar-looking toys; it's my theory that Sideswipe was changed from red to black because Inferno was already red. Whatever the reason, I have always loved Sideswipe's new look. Transformers: Generation 2 was also the first opportunity I had to buy brand-new versions of some of the characters.
The Marvel G2 comic book didn't feature the new look for every character (Ramjet kept his old G1 colors, for example), but Sideswipe was one of the characters who got an update. And what an update! Derek Yaniger, who arguably defined the look of the G2 universe, kept the basic designs for the characters, but threw away all their official weapon designs in favor of beefed-up guns and swords and the like. It might have been an attempt at emulating the contemporary work of Rob Liefeld (or a parody of same) before the style became a tired cliché. Sideswipe is also notable in that he got some big, spiky tires on his wheels and an alternate head design (with Snarl-like horns, more closely matching his Hasbro toy than the standard animation model).
Well, I'm a huge fan of G2 and I love it when they pay homage to it. This version of Sideswipe was obviously a must-have for me. The fact that it isn't just a fairly slavish copy of the G2 toy from 1992, but also includes elements specifically styled after Yaniger's interpretation of the character in the comics, was just icing on the cake. The toy's official designation is MP-12G and his name in Japan is Lambor G-2 Ver.
In car mode, he's got a gorgeous glossy black body shell with a red front bumper. Unlike G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert, who have smoky grey windows, G2 Sideswipe's windows are a translucent red color, which helps to differentiate the windows from the window frame. It also makes him look kind of evil, since this is traditionally a Decepticon color scheme (like Runabout or Wildrider), but G2 Sideswipe was one of those Autobots who skirted the line between good and bad, so it fits him.
One great change they made was to give G2 Sideswipe a unique head sculpt with a distinctive scowl. It really is authentic to Derek Yaniger's art and it fits the character so well. Like G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert, his robot head is designed to open and collapse for ease of transformation, though in G2 Sideswipe's case it isn't strictly necessary, as his fully formed head fits even when he's transformed.
Another thing that differentiates G2 Sideswipe from his G1 counterpart is a consumer-applied sticker sheet. The toy comes packaged in car mode, and while his vehicle mode is nearly all-black and very sexy, the stickers help to complete the G2 homage. Perhaps to help with brand recognition and to enforce trademarks, most of the G2 toys had the names of the characters emblazoned somewhere on their bodies. True to form, the stickers for the Masterpiece toy (which are bright green) clearly identify this Autobot for your edification. They're deliciously hideous and go a long way to making this look like a reincarnation of the G2 character. Included are four Autobot symbols, a large and a small version of both the G1 and G2 insignias. He's also got stickers for his robot mode that go on his feet and abdomen and forearms, which are based on the details of the consumer-applied labels for the 1992 toy. My only problem with them is that they're printed on translucent plastic stock, so the green color is noticeably muted when applied to black plastic.
Sideswipe comes with five accessories. He's got two spiked wheel accessories, which are designed to plug into the square slots reserved for the shoulder launchers on G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert. They sit in their slots kind of loosely, though, and don't plug in very securely. He also has two very big, very fat, very square guns (one is identified as a Machine Gun, model MA685; the other is a "G Launcher," model GZS-3) that are virtually ripped from the pages of the G2 comics. Except for the weird antennas protruding from them, they're identical to the ones Sideswipe carries in TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 2 issue #1. He's also equipped with a broad sword, which the instructions claim can store in his back, inasmuch as you can stuff it into the slot between his body and windshield. All he's missing, really, is the bandolier that Sideswipe wore across his chest, Chewbacca-style, in the comics.
All these accessories can actually connect together for mounting on his roof in car mode. One gun plugs sideways into the other; the two spiked wheels sandwich together and then hook on to the back of the launcher; the sword just plugs onto one of the guns. The fully-assembled accessory is a little silly-looking, but at least you don't have tons of spare parts sitting around if you don't want to. He looks pretty good with just the one gun mounted to his car mode, which is closer to his depiction in the G2 comics.
He doesn't come with his laser gun or shoulder launcher, unfortunately, though the Masterpiece version of G1 Sideswipe has a gun that's the right color. Not much you can do about the lack of a Snow Serpent launcher, though, which was fluorescent green with blue missiles.
So, once again, as with Masterpiece Bluestreak, at first I had no idea whether I had the genuine Takara edition or a very convincing knockoff version. The results of my research, checking web sites I've visited that document comparisons between the two, have not been conclusive. I'm given to understand that the ridges of corrugated cardboard are prominent on official Takara boxes and that (on G1 Sideswipe, anyway) the Lamborghini Countach logo on the fake car's tail section is in fact spelled Lamborgthl Cantach. If that's true, and if this applies to the G2 edition as well, then I have an official Takara product. Some web sites say that there are obvious mold-release pin marks on the knockoff, and my Sideswipe does seem to have some pin marks that my official Red Alert lacks. I've read that the knockoff of G1 Sideswipe actually has Tigertrack's head (which itself was a fusion of Sideswipe's helmet and Red Alert's face), but G2 Sideswipe has a different head sculpt altogether, so no help there. Basically, I have no idea what I've got here, and it's not for lack of trying.
I also got a Masterpiece Bluestreak, which for those of you keeping track, was actually a toy I already added to my collection last Christmas. I do not fault my wife for not perfectly keeping track of what toys I own and which ones I don't; even I'm guilty of buying toys a second time that I forgot I already had. I was unable to determine from examining the box whether it was a genuine Takara toy or a fake (I already own the fake version), but I chanced it and opened the second one, reasoning that if it was a genuine Takara edition, I could keep it and jettison the fake. Well, it turns out the second one is the fake version as well, so now I've hopelessly devalued it by opening it. Just about my only hope now is to customize it in an interesting manner and try to resell it. There are actually toys I wouldn't mind owning two or more of (The Zhong Jin "reissues" of Cyclonus or Scourge or Gnaw, for example) but Masterpiece Bluestreak is not one of them.
So, what else can I say? This toy makes me happy. Also, my G2 display shelf just happens to be on a wall directly above the bookshelf that my Masterpiece toys are on, so G2 Sideswipe can help bridge the gap between the two.
Zob
First, some background: When Hasbro brought back the cancelled Transformers toy line in late 1992, they started with a small assortment of 1984-85 toys that had been updated for modern times. All the toys were modified in some way, many of them with new spring-loaded weapons and some with alternate color schemes. I expect a lot of the color changes were made so as to prevent too many similar-looking toys; it's my theory that Sideswipe was changed from red to black because Inferno was already red. Whatever the reason, I have always loved Sideswipe's new look. Transformers: Generation 2 was also the first opportunity I had to buy brand-new versions of some of the characters.
The Marvel G2 comic book didn't feature the new look for every character (Ramjet kept his old G1 colors, for example), but Sideswipe was one of the characters who got an update. And what an update! Derek Yaniger, who arguably defined the look of the G2 universe, kept the basic designs for the characters, but threw away all their official weapon designs in favor of beefed-up guns and swords and the like. It might have been an attempt at emulating the contemporary work of Rob Liefeld (or a parody of same) before the style became a tired cliché. Sideswipe is also notable in that he got some big, spiky tires on his wheels and an alternate head design (with Snarl-like horns, more closely matching his Hasbro toy than the standard animation model).
Well, I'm a huge fan of G2 and I love it when they pay homage to it. This version of Sideswipe was obviously a must-have for me. The fact that it isn't just a fairly slavish copy of the G2 toy from 1992, but also includes elements specifically styled after Yaniger's interpretation of the character in the comics, was just icing on the cake. The toy's official designation is MP-12G and his name in Japan is Lambor G-2 Ver.
In car mode, he's got a gorgeous glossy black body shell with a red front bumper. Unlike G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert, who have smoky grey windows, G2 Sideswipe's windows are a translucent red color, which helps to differentiate the windows from the window frame. It also makes him look kind of evil, since this is traditionally a Decepticon color scheme (like Runabout or Wildrider), but G2 Sideswipe was one of those Autobots who skirted the line between good and bad, so it fits him.
One great change they made was to give G2 Sideswipe a unique head sculpt with a distinctive scowl. It really is authentic to Derek Yaniger's art and it fits the character so well. Like G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert, his robot head is designed to open and collapse for ease of transformation, though in G2 Sideswipe's case it isn't strictly necessary, as his fully formed head fits even when he's transformed.
Another thing that differentiates G2 Sideswipe from his G1 counterpart is a consumer-applied sticker sheet. The toy comes packaged in car mode, and while his vehicle mode is nearly all-black and very sexy, the stickers help to complete the G2 homage. Perhaps to help with brand recognition and to enforce trademarks, most of the G2 toys had the names of the characters emblazoned somewhere on their bodies. True to form, the stickers for the Masterpiece toy (which are bright green) clearly identify this Autobot for your edification. They're deliciously hideous and go a long way to making this look like a reincarnation of the G2 character. Included are four Autobot symbols, a large and a small version of both the G1 and G2 insignias. He's also got stickers for his robot mode that go on his feet and abdomen and forearms, which are based on the details of the consumer-applied labels for the 1992 toy. My only problem with them is that they're printed on translucent plastic stock, so the green color is noticeably muted when applied to black plastic.
Sideswipe comes with five accessories. He's got two spiked wheel accessories, which are designed to plug into the square slots reserved for the shoulder launchers on G1 Sideswipe and Red Alert. They sit in their slots kind of loosely, though, and don't plug in very securely. He also has two very big, very fat, very square guns (one is identified as a Machine Gun, model MA685; the other is a "G Launcher," model GZS-3) that are virtually ripped from the pages of the G2 comics. Except for the weird antennas protruding from them, they're identical to the ones Sideswipe carries in TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 2 issue #1. He's also equipped with a broad sword, which the instructions claim can store in his back, inasmuch as you can stuff it into the slot between his body and windshield. All he's missing, really, is the bandolier that Sideswipe wore across his chest, Chewbacca-style, in the comics.
All these accessories can actually connect together for mounting on his roof in car mode. One gun plugs sideways into the other; the two spiked wheels sandwich together and then hook on to the back of the launcher; the sword just plugs onto one of the guns. The fully-assembled accessory is a little silly-looking, but at least you don't have tons of spare parts sitting around if you don't want to. He looks pretty good with just the one gun mounted to his car mode, which is closer to his depiction in the G2 comics.
He doesn't come with his laser gun or shoulder launcher, unfortunately, though the Masterpiece version of G1 Sideswipe has a gun that's the right color. Not much you can do about the lack of a Snow Serpent launcher, though, which was fluorescent green with blue missiles.
So, once again, as with Masterpiece Bluestreak, at first I had no idea whether I had the genuine Takara edition or a very convincing knockoff version. The results of my research, checking web sites I've visited that document comparisons between the two, have not been conclusive. I'm given to understand that the ridges of corrugated cardboard are prominent on official Takara boxes and that (on G1 Sideswipe, anyway) the Lamborghini Countach logo on the fake car's tail section is in fact spelled Lamborgthl Cantach. If that's true, and if this applies to the G2 edition as well, then I have an official Takara product. Some web sites say that there are obvious mold-release pin marks on the knockoff, and my Sideswipe does seem to have some pin marks that my official Red Alert lacks. I've read that the knockoff of G1 Sideswipe actually has Tigertrack's head (which itself was a fusion of Sideswipe's helmet and Red Alert's face), but G2 Sideswipe has a different head sculpt altogether, so no help there. Basically, I have no idea what I've got here, and it's not for lack of trying.
I also got a Masterpiece Bluestreak, which for those of you keeping track, was actually a toy I already added to my collection last Christmas. I do not fault my wife for not perfectly keeping track of what toys I own and which ones I don't; even I'm guilty of buying toys a second time that I forgot I already had. I was unable to determine from examining the box whether it was a genuine Takara toy or a fake (I already own the fake version), but I chanced it and opened the second one, reasoning that if it was a genuine Takara edition, I could keep it and jettison the fake. Well, it turns out the second one is the fake version as well, so now I've hopelessly devalued it by opening it. Just about my only hope now is to customize it in an interesting manner and try to resell it. There are actually toys I wouldn't mind owning two or more of (The Zhong Jin "reissues" of Cyclonus or Scourge or Gnaw, for example) but Masterpiece Bluestreak is not one of them.
So, what else can I say? This toy makes me happy. Also, my G2 display shelf just happens to be on a wall directly above the bookshelf that my Masterpiece toys are on, so G2 Sideswipe can help bridge the gap between the two.
Zob
Cappeca
Mar 6, 2015, 7:51:28 AM3/6/15
to
Em sexta-feira, 6 de março de 2015 03:08:06 UTC-3, Zobovor escreveu:
> Well, I'm a huge fan of G2 and I love it when they pay homage to it. This version of Sideswipe was obviously a must-have for me. The fact that it isn't just a fairly slavish copy of the G2 toy from 1992, but also includes elements specifically styled after Yaniger's interpretation of the character in the comics, was just icing on the cake. The toy's official designation is MP-12G and his name in Japan is Lambor G-2 Ver.
>
Very nice. I gave up on my MP collection, but I'd still pick the original G2 version, just so I can assign him Optimus Prime's big guns and a custom bullet belt (probably making one with the extra Megatron reissue pellets).
> Well, I'm a huge fan of G2 and I love it when they pay homage to it. This version of Sideswipe was obviously a must-have for me. The fact that it isn't just a fairly slavish copy of the G2 toy from 1992, but also includes elements specifically styled after Yaniger's interpretation of the character in the comics, was just icing on the cake. The toy's official designation is MP-12G and his name in Japan is Lambor G-2 Ver.
>
> I also got a Masterpiece Bluestreak, which for those of you keeping track, was actually a toy I already added to my collection last Christmas.
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/991073-mp-blue-bluestreak.html
banzait...@gmail.com
Mar 6, 2015, 7:58:05 PM3/6/15
to
There is a very easy, 100%, sure fired way to tell if your toy is a fake ( although it will not guarantee it is 100% authentic). There is a difference, btw. Here is the algorithm:
1.). Grab receipt
2.). If price is a single dollar less than bbts, tfsource, or other market price, it is 100% fake
The fact that you have doubts as to its authenticity leads me to conclude that you probably have a "fake".
-Banzaitron
1.). Grab receipt
2.). If price is a single dollar less than bbts, tfsource, or other market price, it is 100% fake
The fact that you have doubts as to its authenticity leads me to conclude that you probably have a "fake".
-Banzaitron
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