KO Korner: G1 Transformers Egale Jet SY-812 "Snare"

The next entry into the Transformers KO Korner is yet another Decepticon Predator jet, Snare. This is the second KO Predator jet that I've acquired for my personal collection, however it falls a little short when compared to the other I own ("Falcon").

If you didn't know your Transformers and may have wondered if this was a legitimate toy or not, the name alone should have been a dead giveaway. Egale Jet...ha. I'm sure it was meant to be Eagle Jet, but whatever. What we have here is a blue and yellow KO of the Decepticon Predator, Snare. The packaging was a little rough when I received it in the mail. As you can see one corner of the blister card was bent. What you may not be able to see is that the blister bubble was attached with staples. I'm guessing the previous owner wanted to keep it on the card and when the glue started to wear off added the staples to keep the bubble intact. Personally I didn't care as I knew I'd be opening the toy upon arrival.

He comes packaged in vehicle mode with a spring loaded missile launcher and 3 missiles attached to the spruce. The plastic felt like that cheap, hard variety where you have to be careful moving parts around due to the plastic possibly breaking in half. The toy itself mirrors the original Takara mold quite well, but the nose of the jet has an ever slight gap. The stickers are cheap, paper thin and the adhesive was all but gone once I got him out of the packaging.

This mold isn't my favorite of the Predator jets to begin with. I only picked it up because I got it from the same seller that I got "Falcon" from. I don't like how the arms protrude out so far towards the front of the jet and I think the wings are little too short. I like the blue and yellow on the toy however. I should point out that the included missiles are the wrong type. The correct missiles have a hole that allows them to be attached underneath the wings. The missiles that came with the toy actually belong to the Autobot Turbomasters.

Transformation is rather simple and unimaginative. I did have a harder time with this one to get the metal screw to slide along the groove during transformation. Partly due to the hard plastic and exposed excess plastic that was never shaved off. Without any paint apps or stickers he looks really plain in robot mode.

Head sculpt is dead on when compared to the original, however again without any paint apps it just blends in with the rest of the yellow plastic. Too bad because I like the look of the sculpt.

Overall this KO is a disappointment. I know that sounds like an odd statement for me to make, but most of the KO toys I own have their own unique charm...except this guy. He can hold his weapon, barely, and it does fire a missile even though it's the wrong missile to begin with. I've never seen this guy in anyone else's collection or for sale before so I doubt many will have the opportunity to buy this toy in the first place, but if you do come across one in the wild just do yourself a favor and stay away from this toy...far away!

Transformers Generation 1: Snare (Predator)

QUICK INFO:
Name: Snare

Line: Transformers - Generation One (Hasbro, European exclusive)

Year: 1992
Price: unknown

Function: Surveillance

Subgroup: Predators

Motto: "Fear? What's that? It's all fun to me."

Bio: The crazy loner. Knows no fear. It makes no difference to him if nothing remains of him, as long as he has had fun. Uncommonly dangerous in his role as a sentry and guard. As an airplane, is deadly and streamlined, with extra sight thanks to his Megavisor-system. As a robot, attacks with a rocket launcher.

Strength: 7 Intelligence: 8 Speed: 9 Endurance: 9

Rank: 6 Courage: 9 Firepower: 8 Skill: 7

I've got a quick little review of the European exclusive Deception Predator jet, Snare. Is it worth the $.80 I paid?   Let's see!

Snare is a member of the subgroup of Decepticons called the Predators. Hasbro on released this toy in parts of Europe and Takara later in Japan as Flarejet as part of a two pack. The jet is based on the real world design of a Grumman X-29 jet fighter. Snare is a typical G1 style mold, yet the color scheme screams G2. Snare comes packaged with several neon green missiles as well as a gold missile launcher that doubles as a hand gun. The mold features G1 articulation...which is basically next to none! In jet mode he does have retractable landing gear underneath the nose and two sets in the rear. Most of the jet is molded in a pinkish-red plastic with a little teal paint applied to the top sides of the wing tips. The rear jet and shoulders of the robot are painted a copper color. The rest of the colors come from stickers, blue featuring the standard Decepticon emblem on each wing and a blue sticker on the nose of the jet. The canopy is molded in a translucent yellow plastic. The jet itself is rather small. I'd compare it to the size of a modern Revenge of the Fallen scout class toy. There isn't a lot of detail molded into the jet outside the usual metal panels. There are some small intake jets molded into the top of the robot's arms which I thought was a nice touch considering the arms exposed in jet mode take away from the jet's overall look. There are small pegs on the underside of the wing's tips that allow the green missiles to be attached.

Also on the underside is a little gimmick exclusive to the Predator toys...a view finder or as his tech specs call it a Megavisor. This particular one features the Autobot Boss. You could attach Snare or any other small Predator jet to Skyquake or Stalker to activate the Megavisor and pretend you were targeting the Autobot enemies. Simple gimmick, but innovative at the same time.

Transformation is very simplistic.

1) Flip up the landing gear

2) Flip out the robot's feet

3) Pull down the legs

4) Flip down the jet's cockpit

5) Fold up the head

There isn't a whole lot to say about Snare's robot mode. The only articulation in robot mode is at the shoulders allowing the arms to move up and down. There is some nice light piping in the back of the robot's head allowing light to shine through and illuminate the translucent yellow eyes. There are a few more stickers visible in robot mode. One blue sticker on each leg around the landing gear and two smaller green stickers on the waist.

Word of caution though if you plan to track down this toy. The missile launcher suffers from GPS - Gold Plastic Syndrome. I own two of this toy and neither came with the gun. The same color gold plastic on my Skyquake (as well as Pyro/Spark) has already chipped/cracked/broke so it's just as well I guess that I don't own Snare's gun! (quick eBay search)

I don't remember what I paid for the first Snare that I bought, but when I ran across this toy some time ago on eBay I couldn't resist placing a small bid. The seller had no idea what it was other than a Transformer and the listing must have gone unnoticed for the most part thanks in part to the bland title and description. If you are a fan of G1/G2 and don't mind a very simple toy then I recommend this toy. It's not worth the high price tag that it comes with on eBay in my opinion, but finding one loose and complete still may set you back a pretty penny.

** Thanks to TFW2005.com's Resources section for the pictures **
(I was too lazy to take my own pictures...very crazy week for me)