TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Numbat's review of: Flamefeather

Name: Flamefeather
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Warrior
Sub-Group: Firecon

Quote: "The only good Autobot is a deactivated Autobot."

The only Decepticon ever thrown out of the Decepticon Military Academy for being too violent. Trashes entire car lots when there's nothing better to do. Usually works alone because his fellow Decepticons refuse to work with him. Flamethrower inside his mouth can fry a football field. Maximum flight speed: 90mph. Greatest achievement: talking to someone for more than a minute before flying into a rage.

The Firecons were among the pocket money Transformers in 1988, and are interesting little toys. From the times when each group of Transformers had to have their own special gimmick, these guys shot sparks from their mouths in monster mode. Since reviewing Sparkstalker, I have discovered that some people have a soft spot for these chaps. Unfortunately for Flamefeather, I’m not among their ranks, and am not particularly fond of the Firecons (although definitely more so than their Autobot counterparts, the Sparkabots). However, Flamefeather is by far my favourite (although second purchase / gift as a kid), and has remained in my collection to date (although this is due partly to the fact I somehow ended up with three, and after selling two on Ebay, I couldn’t really be bothered with the hassle of selling a third… plus he looks pretty cool in monster mode…).


Alternate Mode:

Famefeather turns into something that vaguely resembles a Griffon, but isn’t quite. He measure 4” (10cm) long from beak to tail, and is definitely the most attractive Firecon. This has little to do with his having the best mold, though. Although there is plenty of detail for such a small G1 Transformer, it is not the best of the trio (Sparkstalker and Cindersaur being his comrades). However, the colour scheme is – and in this case, his competition is poor and hideous. Consisting mainly of white, navy blue, and grey-blue, with yellow beak and eyes (and dark grey wings), he doesn’t look half bad.

If you roll him, a wheel on his belly sets off the whole flint thing (that we’ve been doing for quite a while now, as a species collective – amazing the different ways we choose to use it!), and sparks shoot nicely out his mouth. This gives a nice effect in the dark.

Articulation is superior in this monster mode, with moveable arms and legs. There’s also a degree of freedom of movement with his head (tilting) before you reveal the robot head, so he’s not a bad display piece in this mode.


Robot Mode:

The Transformation is extremely simple, but to give credit, it is not as simple or intuitive as it could have been.

The result is a 3” (8cm) robot, with moveable legs and a lot of kibble. Not to mention a bird’s head worn as some sort of stylish headdress.

Colour wise, white and blue vie for dominance, with a lime-green face entering the fray. The face sculpt is actually nicely and neatly detailed, and one of my G1 favourites. The body looks very blocky, and has little detail, resulting in something of a messy impression – especially where the arms hinge joints are located. Still, he has more detail than Sparkstalker here.

Certainly not a desirable display or play mode, I’ve found further problems with discolouration around the head through sparks (on two of the three I had). However, to all of their credit, all three retained stiff joints.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 1 – very straightforward, although not as easy as it could have been.
Durability: 6 – Out of three, two became discoloured due to the spark gimmick. However, all three retained stiff joints.
Fun: 3 – He’s not a lot of fun, except for in the dark, but he does display ok in monster mode.
Price: 5 – You can pick him up loose from £1.50 [$2.80], but I’ve never seen him available carded, so couldn’t give a price.
Overall: 4 – If you have to own a Firecon, this should be that one. It’s not likely to be your favourite Transformer though… (but I tip my hat to you if it is!)