Transformers: G1
Smokescreen (Re-issue)
There are a couple of types of fans in the transformers community. Those that hold Generation 1 on a pedestal and long for its triumphant return (no going to happen), and those who think G1 is a bunch of lame old crap. There are of course a lot of people who fall somewhere in the middle as well but we’ll just ignore that section for a bit.
Personally, the G1 show is indeed great. Not too long ago I re-watched most of he series and the plots certainly hold up over time. Today’s Transformers shows are seriously overrun with anime clichés and other garbage.
The toys unfortunately tended to leave a lot to be desired. They tend to be brackish and horribly out of scale. The show likeness doesn’t usually match too great either. Not to mention the part about them almost all having easily breakable parts.
G1 toys have never been too high on my desirability list. Still, when the re-issues get cheap, I can’t but help pick up a few of them. Smokescreen is a generally nice looking toy, plus he shares his mold with one of my favorite Autobots, Prowl.
Smokescreen’s vehicle mode is a Datsun 280ZX race car. His color scheme is modeled after Don Devendorf’s Datsun racer with the exception of the number (38 vs 83) being reverse. The vehicle mode is surprisingly small, closer to the size of today’s basic class than the deluxe level as one might expect. There is a considerable amount of die cast metal on the toy giving it a nice heft. The roof parts don’t stay together too well however and it still has an overall fragile feel going for it.
The transformation is worth mentioning. Several of the original Autobots shared it and in my opinion is an absolutely “classic” transformation for Transformers. Essentially the back of the car pulls out and flips down to become the feet; next you rotate the waist and lock it in place with a tab. The arms come out from under the hood and the hood folds down to become the chest. The doors become “wings”. Smokescreen also includes a gun and a pair of launchers that attach to the sides of his head.
The robot mode is actually really decent for a G1 toy. It’s one of the reasons I like this transformation style so much. The proportions are all around great. There are obvious car parts but it’s definitely a robot underneath it all. Articulation is pretty much limited to the arms but the arms have elbows, wrists, and universal shoulders making them very poseable.
Overall I like this toy. The robot mode and vehicle modes are both pretty solid. Still, it’s not worth paying an arm and a leg for online or for the original price of the reissue.
