Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Gobots: Street Heat

I was never a fan of Gobots growing up, opting for Transformers of course. However as I grew older I started to appreciate many of Bandai's Machine Robo designs. There was a point in time where you could purchase new, sealed on card Gobots for just a few bucks. My how times have changed!

When I was a kid you didn't dare get caught in public with a Gobot, unless you actually liked being picked on! With today's collecting market it is acceptable for Gobot toys to be amongst your transforming robot collection. With this surge in popularity, the prices of loose toys has gone up as well. I don't usually actively search them out anymore, but if I find a good deal then I'll usually pull the trigger and snatch them up.

Gobots Street Heat photo 015_zps85afe89d.jpg

I may have had a few of the early Gobots growing up, but Street Heat was never one of those. As cool as Leader-1 was, I was always attracted to the cars. Blame it on the Autobots. Street Heat is one of the Guardians, otherwise a good guy. His alt form is that of a real world Chevrolet Camaro, modified for drag racing. Being a Chevy guy this one always appealed to me.

His red color has a touch of maroon putting it somewhere in the middle of bright and dark. His exposed engine and exhaust pipes underneath this doors are chromed. His windows are painted silver.

pic courtesy of Counter-X.net

In Japan as part of the Machine Robo series, Street Heat had a different paint scheme. I really like the blue on this mold. Even the flame stickers I can deal with. This is one I'd love to personally own someday.

Gobots Street Heat photo 017_zps98f5db26.jpg

Transformation to robot mode is achieved with just a few simple steps. Unlike some of the other Gobots, his transformation is a little more elaborate than just pulled out the legs and arms. Articulation wise he is limited, but I'm guessing most people know that. Overall he's got a good looking robot mode. Even his chromed head sculpt looks cool.

It seems that in today's market a good majority of loose Gobots command between $8 and $20. If you decide to go after him or any others, just make sure you inspect the photos well as the die-cast can tend to make some of the joints loose over time. Also many of the toys had chromed parts to make sure you pay attention to chrome wear as well as sticker and paint wear. I actually upgraded my Street Heat with this version as my previous one had some noticeable chips to the gray paint on the windshield.

Gobots Street Heat photo 016_zps6e5e14db.jpg

...waiting for the green flag to drop!

2 comments:

  1. I had this guy when I was a kid - one of my favorites! And further proof that GoBot haters are merely uneducated as to some of the absolutely excellent robot/vehicles in the series.

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