One of the reasons I decided to try blogging again is that I have been taking and posting pictures of new and vintage toys I have collected, and gotten enough encouragement to consider trying to be a toy blogger. This flagship entry is for a specimen I acquired just today at the somewhat notorious discount store Tuesday Morning. It was the only one of its kind in sight, and priced $5.99. After determining that similar items were going for over $20 (but not a lot more) online, I bought it and took it home.
The item in question was sold with the name “Power Driven”, apparently for the figure only. Casual research failed to identify an English name for the toy line, but showed that the toy was made or at least marketed by a company called Polyfect, known for importing Transformers clones and knockoffs of moderate quality and general sturdiness. While unequivocally advertised as a transforming robot, the look of the specimen was rather different, more akin to Voltron or the now semi-obscure Shogun Warriors credited with introducing the giant/ transforming robot toy concept. I purchased it, brought it home, and then opened the package to assess the transformation, “alt mode” and overall quality.
It quickly became apparent that the ability to transform was a secondary consideration at best, in the tradition of the Shogun Warriors. The robot looked kinda cool, the alt mode looked like a kinda space-jet-thingy with clunky bits sticking out (though still marginally better than the Shogun Warriors). The more subtle details were all against it. A number of components are awkward in either mode, especially ludicrously oversized “shoulder pads” that provide the only concealment of the stumpy arms in the alt mode. Several of the steps are counterintuitive, and fiddly enough to break the thing if done wrong. Two red plastic pieces on the feet that look like stickers were cracked straight out of the package. Finally, the two halves of the space-jet simply do not fit. Still, the thing is solid enough that there is little risk of coming apart during casual handing, and the robot mode is interesting enough to make up the shortcomings of the alt mode.
What is most interesting about an item like this is that such things are still being made. In a time when far too many “real” Transformers are too expensive and complicated to consider giving to kids, this has the right balance of durability and complexity to have value both for responsible older kids and the adult collector. And even at online prices it is no more expensive than many “name brand” items. If you can find it, you could certainly do worse than a quirky mid-sized giant robot like this.
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