Transformers 3rd Party: Impossible Toys - Requiem TS-06 (Tetra Squadron)

One of the early 3rd party companies on the unofficial Transformers scene, Impossible Toys had a very hit and miss record with the fans. While they were responsible for some very nice vinyl Quintesson figures, their transformable figures weren't always met with open arms. Towards the end of Impossible Toys' run they released the Tetra Squadron, the Decepticon seekers in their Cybertronian forms. Being a fan of Dirge, I tracked down his Requiem TS-06 release at TFCon a few years ago. I've been sitting on these pictures for sometime, but I'm glad to finally get around to this post.

The overall presentation of the packaging is very nice. The box has a Generation 1 feel with the checkerboard background and the art. The quality of the packaging however leaves a lot to be desired as the box feels as if it was assembled using photo paper. It's very thin, easily damaged and could warp and not hold it's shape if you don't store the box carefully. It is supported with a little cardboard tray inside, but it could have been better. The back of the box does give you a good bio of the character, which is a nice touch.

On the side of the box you'll find a write up about the Tetra Squadron. I believe there is a typo in their motto however, "No one flies were we do, except for the dead." Just doesn't sound right.

Courtesy of Transformers Wiki

If feel that the designers at Impossible Toys did a pretty good job at capturing their animated likeness and transforming it into physical form. The cockpit canopy on the toy is larger, however I think that was done more for the look in robot mode. The lasers attached underneath the wings are removable. For a more authentic look my guess is you would leave those off.

The back of the jet isn't lacking detail either. From the single engine thruster to the intricate detail molded into the plastic. 

Transformation from jet to robot is a little rough, partly because of the jet's outer "shell". You can see from below how the robot parts aren't really hidden. The chest, arms and legs are all easily seen.

One thing that always bothered me in the animated show was how both the Autobots and Decepticons in robot mode still looked their Earth counterparts, however their alternate vehicle modes looked drastically different. 

In keeping with these theme, Requiem retains much of his Earth robot form, minus the large bombs his G1 toy came with. Overall it has a good look, however the quality of the plastic Impossible Toys used was really light and thin and I always worried I was going to stress the plastic or worse, break something. 

The figure has a decent amount of articulation, but the large wings can hinder the poseability. Points of articulation exist at the shoulder, elbow, hip and thigh.

Somehow the designers did work in his original cone head look. The size of the cone is much smaller than his G1 toy, combine that with his new sculpted face and I love the overall look.

If you like kibble then you'll love the Tetra Squadron! I seriously don't know what anyone else could have done with these pieces. If you add lines and hinges to make it fold up and compact down, then you sacrifice the clean look in vehicle mode. If you leave it all just hanging on the back of the figure then it hinders articulation and the overall look.

While the figure isn't a perfect masterpiece by far, it does give fans a version of the Decepticon seekers that surprisingly no one else has attempted thus far. These figures did hit clearance with most online retailers at one point. If you want one now you'll have to rely on the secondary market where they generally sell for even less than their clearance price...if you can find them. The original trio (Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker) are harder to find.

Transformers 3rd Party: Impossible Toys - Animated Humans

One of the earliest 3rd party companies to make unofficial Transformers products was Impossible Toys. They were also one of the first 3rd party companies to go out of business. Before they did however, they released a set of PVC figurines of 3 human characters from Transformers Animated...Professor Sumdac, Captain Fanzone and Sair.

These figures were not articulated, but solid pieces of plastic. The paint apps for the most part were OK, but from what I've seen of this set there were some that were horrendous. I actually acquired this set for free at TFCon Charlotte in 2015 courtesy of Captured Prey. They pretty much left a bucket of these sets out near the registration table to people to take. Yeah, they sold that well!

Professor Sumdac

Captain Fanzone

Sari

I long have since sold my Animated collection so I really can't say if these scaled well with the actual Animated toys. I would think not as these figures were about 3 inches tall (maybe?). While I loved the Animated television show, I didn't care enough about the toys to keep them. I guess for some people/collectors this set would "complete" their Animated collection, but I ended up passing this set on to someone who actually wanted the toys.

Transformers 3rd Party: Impossible Toys - Bump MC-03

Earlier this year the Transformers fandom said goodbye to one of the earliest companies in the 3rd party community, Impossible Toys.  I don't think many people however shed a tear when the announcement was made due to the quality and execution of some of their products.  In my experience with the company their products were hit or miss.  The Tetra Squadron jets they did were a miss (at least for me), but their Quintesson figures were really good.  Impossible Toys' swan song was a set of Mini-Bots.  The release of these seemed to fly underneath the radar and it wasn't long before I saw many of them sold out or on clearance at different online retailers.  I happened to pick up one on clearance myself just so I could experience it first hand.  So did Impossible Toys pull off a modern articulated G1 Minibot?  Read on.

My choices of which Minicar to purchase were limited, so I went with Bump.  He obviously is Bumper from G1, one of the few G1 toys I've yet to acquire.  The packaging has that G1 feel to it, from the red, grid line background and the iconic Transformers font from the 80's.  The quality of the box is on the cheap side, but then again all of their packaging is printed on flimsy, thin cardboard.  Look at the image below and you can see a crease in the top right corner of the box from shipping.

Overall the packaging presentation is some of their best to date.  Product images on all sides and even a new bio of sorts on the back.  No awards are needed here, but a suitable job none the less.

Impossible Toys molded plastic trays with removable lids to house each Minicar inside the box.  This is the only thing that really holds the outer box intact.  I was surprised when I slid out the tray to see a tiny gun packaged with the toy!  Bonus points for this addition.

  

Out of the package the first thing I noticed was it's size.  These IT Minicars are much larger than what I had expected.  I'd say they are a chunky basic/scout size if I'm using modern toy terminology.  Bump retains his G1 look, from his blocky angles and rubber tires.  I will point out that gap you see in the front does disappear when you press in his legs.  My one complaint with vehicle mode is the exposed screw in the back.  He sorely needs a sticker to cover this up.  I may slap an Autobot symbol on there as I would be surprised if Reprolabels.com ever releases any sort of update set of stickers for these releases.

Transformation is pretty much the exact same as the G1 toy.  Flip up the head, pull down the legs and flip out the feet.  When you go to pull out the arms however, you'll notice they lift up as they now use a ball and socket joint.  While the transformation is close to the same, articulation is not.  IT did a good job giving these guys a few extra points of articulation that their G1 selves lacked.

Can your G1 Minibot pull off poses like this?

I found this to be a fun little toy to mess with.  Plastic quality seems to have been improved as it doesn't feel cheap or lightweight in hand.  You've got the look of a G1 toy with updated modern action figure articulation.  Throw in a great headsculpt a little hand gun and you've got a winning package.  I can't remember what these retailed for originally, but I only paid 15 bucks and at the price point it's pretty hard to pass up.  Check out BBTS to see what they still have left in stock if you are interested.

Now what kind of review would this be without comparison pics?  Now remember I don't own a G1 Bumper, so I grabbed my Takara TF Collection reissue of Bumblebee for the obligatory comparison shots.

Please comment a I'd love to hear your experiences with Impossible Toys in general or just your comments about Bump or any of their other Minicars in the series.