Top Gun Transformers

Top Gun Transformers

Hasbro

I'm pretty harsh on the old Transformers/Star Wars crossover for not giving the bot modes unique personas, or the personas/names/designs of Generation 1 favorites...this Top Gun mash-up is borderline.  Maverick?  So is this just a mech suit (like the Star Wars) for the flesh-and-blood Pete Mitchell?  Or is it a robot with a mind of his own who just happens to have the name of his inspiration?  Pretty lazy, no matter how you look at it.  I mean, the Ecto-1 didn't transform into Ray Stantz.  The Delorean time machine wasn't actually Mecha J. Fox.  What gives here?!  I know about every jet/plane title has been taken at this point...Callsign?  Tomcat?

From what I gather, this is an all-new mold...which is pretty surprising.  They could have just repainted a Seeker jet like Starscream, slapped a new head on him, and called it a day.  While all new parts is nice, the overall aesthetic?  Eh, it's just okay.  The arms and legs are a bit long and spindly looking for my tastes, but I guess there was only so much they could do there to minimize "kibble" underneath and stay as close to the real jet as possible.  

While the detail on the helmet is great, I wish he had a more blocky, G1 bot jaw from the visor down.  It's just a tad too realistic. 

Paint/color is another issue.  Yeah, it's a mostly gray jet.  They did try to break that up a bit with some lightly applied "dirty" camo.  That's fine topside, but would have liked the bot pilot to have a more unique paint scheme.  Just some hints of olive drab to suggest a flight suit.

"Maverick" came with some additional accessories (that I seem to have misplaced).  You get a mini Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle in scale with the jet, and a set of alternate hands and volleyball to "play with the boys."  While it's funny to consider someone making a volleyball that size for a giant robot to spike at his enemies, it's a bit too on the nose for me.  All of these lead me to believe that this is just a Pete Mitchell mech suit after all.

Oh well!  Goofy, but fun merch from an 80s classic that I amazed is getting this kind of attention.  Even though Matchbox did a more in-depth line, Hot Wheels put out a 1:64 classic Tomcat before the pandemic.  

It's smaller than the Matchbox line, but more detailed.  It comes with a display stand AND has opening wings.  I think this was from Hot Wheels' slightly more expensive line, close to five or six bucks.  It may be hard to find at this point, so expect to pay more on Ebay.

That's all I've got on Top Gun to date.  I have seen the sequel...Top Gun: Maverick was worth the wait and then some!

Gigawatt

 Gigawatt

Transformers Back to the Future Mash-up - Hasbro

As I have said before, I’m not much of a gearhead.  However, my love of pop culture does extend to various rides, wheels, and random vehicles associated with my favorite properties.  Most of this bleed-over is satiated by smaller, cheaper Hot Wheels, but lately Hasbro has been delivering the goods in a larger scale with a twist:  Transformers masquerading as movie rides!  What would be on top of the list, after Ecto-1/Ectotron?  Why the Back to the Future Delorean time machine of course!

Instead of having these transform into mech versions of the movie characters, like the horrible Star Wars Transformers a decade and a half ago, these have been given unique/original Transformers identities.  Sure, Gigawatt is loaded with movie specific references/designs, but he’s not a Doc Brown mech: the goggles, the integration of the flux capacitor in the chest, lightning rod,  the Mr. Fusion canon...but without the weird hair!

The transformation to the car is much smoother than it was for Ectotron.  It’s fun, simple, and works with little frustration.  I didnt even need the instructions on the second go-round.  Of course the gull wings work and are integral to the switch!

The silver parts have a neat striation/grading texture to them to simulate the stainless steel body of the car.  The minimal paint is appropriate and applied well.  Little details, like the license plate and gizmos on the back end, are well defined.  The tires can be rotated downward for 2015 hover conversion.  Sadly, he does not sport BTTF III 1955 substitution parts or tires...that may be one variant I would pay for, if it came with a dusty, dirty paint deco throughout.

The bot’s gun can be stored within the body of the car...something that most Transformers are lacking.  Mr. Fusion can plug onto the gun on the top or back end, and the lightning rod makes a secondary hook weapon to Gigawatt.  I’m not sure what all these power ups do...maybe they explain in the comic book crossover from IDW?

Like Ectotron, Gigawatt came in a retro-Transformers packaging, complete with robot tech specs on the back.  This is of the few toy packages I plan on keeping.  He looks great with Ectotron.  I hope Hasbro continues to drop surprises like this in the future.  Spoiler warning:

In the meantime, take a look back at Ectotron in detail:

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2019/07/ectotron-and-starscreams-ghost.html