Mini-Con Sabotage Team

In 2006, Fub Publications took the Transformers Armada mold of Jetfire and repurposed him as Astrotrain for their Transformers Collector's Club. Bundled w/ Astrotrain was a repainted Transformers Cybertron Giant Planet Mini-Con team, dubbed the Sabotage Team.

(from right to left) Astro-Hook, Astro-Line, Astro-Sinker

If those names sound familiar it's because it's a homage to Hook, Line and Sinker - heralds to Unicron in the original (US) Marvel Comics run.

The toys themselves were some of my favorite toys at the time they were released. Each of these molds would see various releases and at one point I owned them all. The submarine (Astro-Sinker) was always one of my favorite Mini-Con molds. The molds for this release feature only a deco change as there were no changes made to the molds.

Astro-Hook is some sort of double crane truck? He reminds me of one of the old original G1 Micromaster Combiners in vehicle mode, especially with the two crane arms. The mold does feature a pretty cool transformation w/ the rear wheels forming the upper torso of the robot. Unfortunately the arms really aren't articulated beyond 360 degree movement at the shoulders.

Astro-Line is one of those designs that looked better on paper than in plastic in my mind. While the alt mode is pretty cool plane, the missiles are a little overkill...in either mode. The nose of the jet covers up much of the robot mode and his legs/feet are thin and small. If you remove the missiles from his hands the robot mode does look a little better, but it's the weak link in this trio if you ask me. The new purple and yellow paint scheme doesn't do much for me either. If you want this mold in your collection, stick with the original release.

In my book the clear winner in this group is Astro-Sinker. This is one of those Mini-Cons that looks good in both modes...something that didn't happen all that often. The submarine is very detailed and translates to a nice robot mode. Yeah the arms are a little long, but I can live it with. I love how the wide the legs and feet are. It not only gives him stability in robot mode, but makes him look more beefy and intimidating. Mix in the new darker color scheme and this is one of the better Mini-Cons released anywhere, period.

I originally kept these trio of Mini-Cons when I was downsizing my collection, opting to sell Astrotrain (and Astrocatcher). Before I gave up my quest to own every Mini-Con/Micron toy, these guys were some of my favorites. The molds were pretty good and the new paint decos were interesting. I have no idea what these guys go for on the secondary market these days, but I know you can find the original Cybertron Giant Planet set for decent prices around the internet. Recommended, but this set is for completionists only.

2012 Transformers Collector's Club Exclusive - Over-Run (Runabout)

I was pleasantly greeted last night to a package on the front porch courtesy of the Transformers Collector's Club (TFCC). Say what you will about Fun Publications and the TFCC, but they have done a stellar job with this year's exclusive toy.

I was never a huge fan of the original G1 Battlechargers. The pull back gimmick just didn't do anything for me. At least with the Jumpstarters the figures would "jump" into robot mode. The Battlechargers just popped up. That said the TFCC have updated the G1 character Runabout in a excellent way. First thing you probably noticed however is the name. Over-Run? Yeah. It sucks they had to change the name. I'm surprised they just didn't slap "Decepticon" in front of the original name. I'd even go for the name suggestion I saw on Twitter - why not use the Canadian name "Runaboot"?!

I love the packaging the TFCC has used for their exclusives since day one. With some of their earlier releases the box art was the best part. At least now the toy housed inside is equally as awesome. The art is a reproduction of the classic Marvel Comics cover #23. It's a shame I don't have room to display boxes anymore because this one is a beauty!

Another nice touch to the packaging is the ability to store the upcoming figure Runamuck. I won't be using this feature, but I still appreciate the ability to do so. Over-Run's tech card is in the same style and format from past exclusives and Botcon exclusives.

Subgroup: Battlechargers

Function: Shock Trooper

Motto: " Beauty is fleeting. Especially when I'm around. "

Over-Run tries to pass himself off as a suave connoisseur of fine things. It’s not a façade he can really maintain for long, less because of his generally low intelligence and more because his interest in beautiful objects starts and ends with “blow them up!” His drive to seem sophisticated is in direct conflict with his enthusiastic love of explosions and action. The former is almost always on the losing side of that battle. He’s not interested in the Decepticons’ plans for conquest; he’s just with them because of the greater opportunities for his kind of fun. He’s always on the move, looking to create a bigger fireball, a larger bomb crater, and generally cram every microsecond with action.

He is partnered with the hyperactive Runamuck, and has never had more fun in his life. Marginally smarter than his partner, he also has better self-control, giving the pairing just enough focus to present a real danger to most robots they gang up on. 

Out of the box you'll see that Over-Run is down right beautiful. The black and red accents blend together wonderfully. The club did a great job taking the Wheeljack mold and making it look both menacing and sexy at the same time. I had my doubts at first when I heard of the choice of mold, but I'm no longer a skeptic.

I love looking at the updated characters side by side when their original counterparts, in this case the G1 version of Runabout. Originally Runabout was a Lotus Turbo Espirit where as now he is just a generic sports car. Doesn't it really matter though when the sports car looks this nice? The red windows, white wheels and big purple Decepticon emblem on the hood though all tie it together and portray a nice homage to the original toy.

This is easily one of my favorite Classics / Generations molds to date. I loved the mold changes they made to differentiate between Tracks and Wheeljack. Sure the robot doesn't look exactly like the G1 version, but I'm glad it doesn't. I wasn't too sure about having the shoulder mounted rockets or the wings displayed, but after holding him I can say these features don't look that out of place. Of course you have the option of whether or not you want to extend the wings or attached the rockets.

Transformers fan and artist Dan Khanna designed the new head for the figure and he did a fantastic job. This toy just wouldn't have worked with a recolored Tracks or Wheeljack head. It needed a new head so I'm glad they hit a home run here.

Comparison time! Seriously - there is no comparison. Where there was once no real legs, feet, arms or hands - now there are.

Here's a quick snapshot I took for the TFCC. He looks happy amongst his fellow Decepticons, though I'm sure he'll be really happy once his partner in crime Runamuck is standing beside him.

If you were on the fence as to whether or not join the TFCC or to purchase this figure then stop reading this review now and go ahead and grab him while you can. The club said they increased the production numbers so everyone could own him that wanted to. This by far is the best club exclusive figure they made to date. The bar has been set high for future releases. Let's just hope the club can keep up!