KO Korner: G1 Transformers Triple Metamorphs 368 B Cobra / "Battletrap"

It's been awhile since we've visited the KO Korner so let's push past all of the authentic Transformers and the 3rd party stuff and look at an interesting knock off of G1 Transformers Battletrap...or at least half of him.

I've found that these Metamorphs branded Transformer KOs are some of the best on the market.  Usually the plastic is of better quality than most bootleg toys and the color schemes are interesting.  Sometimes they are drastically different like "Quickmix" I reviewed earlier this year while others are subtle changes from the original G1 release.  The latter is the case for this one half release of the Duocon, Battletrap.

Not surprisingly the original G1 box art was used on both the front and back of the box.  The only alteration I can see is the added cobra snake on the copter portion.  I have no idea if the jeep portion of the toy was colored like the G1 release so I can't comment if the colors are toy accurate.  I'd love the pick up the other half, but I'm not holding my breath of ever finding it...or the other Duocon, Flywheels.

Cobra, as he is now called, looks very similar to Battletrap, but there are a few changes.  First off the decals.  You've got the appropriate cobra sticker on the wing, but there is also a clear target reticule sticker on the center cockpit panel.  Speaking of the cockpit the whole think is painted a light shade of purple...which I really like.  The more obvious changes are blue plastic used for the center portion and the added gun sculpted onto the nose of the helicopter.  The guns underneath the wings have also been extended from the G1 release.  These changes give the copter a much more menacing look in my opinion and look really nice.

The last change that I noticed is on the underside of the 'copter.  First of all the colored piece of plastic is orange versus blue.  You may also notice the lack of springs here as well.  With both G1 Duocons when you placed the two vehicles together and pressed down, they would merge together and pop up into robot mode.  The KO loses the spring, but transformation isn't really hindered by this.  The last change I noticed is the lack of the peg hole for the original weapon to be pegged in.

I grabbed the bottom half of my G1 Battletrap to get a better look at the helicopter's portion of robot mode.  Combined together it looks pretty good, but you can tell the shade of blue plastic is darker than the G1 toy.  It's almost a purple blue.  The head sculpt is identical to the original, but you can see there is a lot of over spray of silver paint on the face.

Comparison time!  What good is a review of a KO if you don't have the original toy to put side by side?

Which look do you prefer?

New tail fin stickers!

Here is a better look at the bottom and the missing springs.

I know a lot of Transformer fans could care less about KOs, but I find them intriguing and fun.  I find the characters that these Taiwanese or Chinese companies decide to knock off equally interesting.  Perhaps one day I'll find the other half of Cobra or my namesake (Flywheels), but for now I'll just have to settle with what I've got.  In a lot of ways I like this helicopter better than the authentic version.  He's better armed and has a better look in vehicle mode with the addition of the purple on the cockpit.  I wish the blue was more in line with the Hasbro version, but that is a small complaint.  

I've got a really interesting piece that I'm working on for the next installment of KO Korner that I'm excited about sharing with everyone.  So if you're into KOs or just a fan of a certain TF leader then make sure you keep visiting the blog for the next entry.

Reprolabels X-7 Upgrade set - G1 Transformers Duocon Flywheels

As much as I loved the G1 Transformers growing up as a kid, I can't help but look at some of the toys 20+ years later and realize how bland some of them are. Reprolabels has been a great source for picking up new label sheets to give your old, worn and tired looking TFs a fresh set of stickers, but they have also been churning out some nice upgrade sets that give certain figures that much needed oomph.

Flywheels has always been one of my favorite G1 toys/characters. I know that seems like an odd choice, but for a few reasons I chose to adopt that name as my internet alias...that was until Google decided to change me over to my real name for all of my associated accounts. Anyways as much as I love the toy - that is one bland and boring figure. This is where Reprolabels steps in to the rescue.

Flywheels consists of two toys...an olive green tank w/ maroon trim and a maroon fighter jet. As you can see there are virtually no stickers on the toy outside of the ones on the jet's tail fin. There is supposed to be a gray square on the jet's canopy w/ a purple Decepticon emblem, but it looked so out of place I took it off.

While there is some decent detail molded onto the toys themselves can't you see how naked they look. Aren't they just screaming for some much needed details?

When the two vehicles combine together they transform into Flywheels' robot mode. I like the gimmick of two becoming one and even the spring loaded transformation on the toy is kinda cool...1987 cool, but you know what I'm talking about. I believe the Autobots in the animated toy commercial for the Duocons thought the two vehicles were going to crash into each other and were surprised to see them transform and attack. Ironically enough that animation was one of few times Flywheels ever made it on TV. Neither Battletrap or Flywheels were ever really used in any form of Transformers media. Back to the toy. You can see most of Flywheels' stickers can be seen in robot mode. Decent enough, but he could still use some improvements.

First off the tank is a shade of olive green and not a brighter green. Photobucket's auto correct feature turned up the color way too much and it was too late for me to reverse it.

Can you notice the improvements in this group photo? See how much better both toys look with their upgraded stickers? Let's take a closer look, shall we?

The most obvious sticker here in my opinion is the added Decepticon emblem. I hate those stupid rub symbols. In addition to that Flywheels gets some artillery stickers on each side of the tank's turret and some headlights on the front edge.

On each side there are these little stickers w/ the numbers D-97 and 87. D-97 is Flywheels' Japanese number designation while 87 represents the year the toy was released.

The last two stickers for the tank can be found on the back. The most prominent are the 4 gas tanks and the little silver U shape hook just underneath the toy's spring. The other is a two part Decepticon emblem that when the jet lands on top of the tank (almost) forms a complete emblem.

The best stickers of the set are applied to the jet portion of Flywheels. That bland maroon cockpit canopy sorely needed some added detail. I also like the added silver outline Decepticon emblem. In addition to the canopy sticker there are two small stickers applied to the right and left of the cockpit area giving what appears to be some extra firepower.

Remember those tail fin stickers? They have been replaced with a much nicer looking set. Like the tank these stickers feature the D97 & 87 numbers. Also found are two Decepticon emblems on the wings and 4 small black stickers that actually fit down inside molded ridges on the jet. This small bit of black does a good job breaking up all of the maroon.

While most of the original stickers were viewable in robot mode and most of the upgraded stickers aren't, the ones that do show through make a huge difference. Now that I've got these applied I can't believe I waited so long. I don't care for all of the upgrade sets (this is only the 2nd set that I've used. I believe this set will set you back $6, but it gives a bland TF a whole new look and is worth every penny. Flywheels' Duocon cohort, Battletrap, also received an upgrade set of stickers which I'll eventually share as well.