Dave's Transformers Rant: Basics Wave 10 Shadow Recon Mini-Con Team (Recon Team recolor) Hightail (Lugnutz recolor) Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Cybertron/Basic10 Last gasp of Cybertron is a couple of recolors. And finally, I have a version of the Recon Team that doesn't have green wheels. :) As of November 13, 2006, I only have the Shadow Recon Team. Update November 14: Thanks to William Rendfeld for Hightail's Key Code. Update November 16: I now have Hightail, review completed. Unless I pick up one of the recolors I passed on REALLY cheap, this is the close of my Cybertron reviews (other than occasional late notes on existing reviews). http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Japan/GFMicron1 - Original review of the Recon team molds http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Cybertron/Basic2 - Cybertron version http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Cybertron/Basic6 - Lugnutz CAPSULES Shadow Recon Mini-Con Team: Original molds strongly recommended. Nifty clear and black recolors, if a bit thin on the paint applications. Recommended if you have the originals, strongly recommended if you don't have any version of this mold yet. $6.99 at Target. Hightail: Original mold recommended. Joints a bit too stiff at times on this one, but good colors. Recommended if you don't have Lugnutz or if you're a University of Cincinnati fan, mildly recommended otherwise. $6.94 at Wal-Mart. RANTS Packaging: standard Scout class blisters with Giant Planet map. MINI-CONS: SHADOW RECON MINI-CON TEAM Members: Jolt, Reverb, Six-Speed (note: names swapped, see below) Altmodes: Helicopter, 4x4 truck, Racecar (not necessarily in that order) Planet: Giant Previous Name Use: Cybertron (same characters), Armada and G2 (Jolt only) Previous Mold Use: Cybertron Homage: None Key Gimmick: None Key Code: None This team has been through too much to split up now that the universe has been saved. They've taken their orders to explore the galaxy seriously, oufitting themselves with cloaking devices so as to explore new worlds and new civilizations without disturbing the natives. Just because they're off adventuring across space doesn't mean they've forgotten their friends, of course. Every once in a while, when they discover something particularly exciting, they head back to Earth, pick up Bud, Lori and Coby and go on one more spin across the cosmos. Jolt: STR 6 INT 8 SPD 9 END 6 RNK 5 COUR 6 FRB 6.5 SKL 8 Avg 7.06 Reverb: STR 9 INT 5 SPD 6 END 8 RNK 4.5 COUR 7 FRB 6 SKL 8 Avg 6.69 Six-Speed: STR 5 INT 7 SPD 9 END 6 RNK 4.5 COUR 6 FRB 6 SKL 7 Avg 6.31 Cute Star Trek reference ("new worlds and new civilizations," plus the Federation often uses cloaking devices on anthropological missions). Anyway, Jolt and Reverb have their pictures mixed up on the back of the package, but their stats seem correct (identical to the originals). The instructions have the names correct, but given that they're just tweaked from the originals, that's not surprising. Two twist-ties each hold Reverb and Six-Speed in place, while one suffices for Jolt. Color Swaps: They were all on the same set of dies, so all the color changes go at once. Bright green plastic (which, recall, is painted over for Jolt) becomes a clear medium blue. Blue plastic becomes a light clear blue. The pukey green plastic becomes a clear smoky color with maybe a hint of green. Black stays black, clear colorless stays clear colorless. The light blue clear glows REALLY strongly under UV, the medium blue moderately, the others not much (the colorless clear just ends up looking kinda milky). While I'm on the topic, the original green plastic glows strongly, while the original blue plastic is one of those cases where some pieces glow and others don't, giving Reverb a patchwork appearance. Paint Apps: Jolt's face is silver and the bits that are painted white on the original are painted black here, but the floor window is painted over, so no backlighting on the helmet. Reverb's face and forearms are painted black, and his windows metalflake reddish orange. Six-Speed has a red eyeslit that glows under UV, silver on the tops (but not sides) of his forearms, black spoiler and a transparent light blue on his chest. Paint apps are way down on this set. While some of this may be intended to let more of the clear plastic shine, the half-done job on Six-Speed's arms suggests it was a cost-cutting measure as well. Mold Changes: None, these are the same molds used for the Cybertron release of the characters. Other Comments: Japanese Mini-Con releases get this sort of treatment all the time, but it's nice to see it here once in a while. And not costing an arm and a leg, although the last-gasp-bad-distribution aspect may make these eBay exclusives in many markets. These guys need to sit on a windowsill with good sunlight. http://www.dvandom.com/images/uvreverb.JPG shows Reverb under nothing but blacklight (the other two are mostly dark). It's a bit blurry, as autofocus has trouble in the dark. http://www.dvandom.com/images/shadowreconsun.JPG shows all three in direct sunlight. Shiny. AUTOBOT: HIGHTAIL Altmode: Roadster motorcycle Planet: Earth Prior Name Use: None Prior Mold Use: Lugnutz (Cybertron) Key Gimmick: Boost engine/grenade rack Key Code: s7n5 Freedom. That's why HIGHTAIL came to Earth. Sure, he's an AUTOBOT, but that doesn't mean he has to follow OPTIMUS PRIME around like a puppy. CYBERTRON was just too small for him is all, and the wide-open spaces and long-straight stretches of pure blacktop on Earth are the perfect antidote. HIGHTAIL is happy to mind his own business, cruising the back roads and byways of America, looking for the next filling station where he can recharge and kick back with a cold can of oil. And if he meets any DECEPTICONS along the way, well, he'll send 'em crying back to GALVATRON. STR 8 INT 6 SPD 7.5 END 9 RNK 4 COUR 8.5 FRB 6 SKL 6 Avg 6.875 Key Code Info: When the Cybertron saga ended and the Autobots began to forge new trails through the Galaxy using the ancient Cybertronian ships, Hightail requested to stay on Earth. Optimus Prime granted his wish under one condition. He had to partner up with the Traffic-Light Autobot and travel every, single inch of road throughout the entire world and map it for the good of all mankind. No matter how remote, or congested, or desolate or peaceful - these two intrepid road handlers were up to the challenge. Last we heard, they were done mapping Delaware and were making their way north to begin mapping out New Jersey! (Also shows color guide for "Basic R12 Road Bike". The "B-CAT1" Ohio license plate is clearly shown here. Also, yay for Signal Lancer getting some love, even if unnamed!) The picture on the back makes it almost look like the toy is chromed, yay phototrickery. Three twist-ties hold the cycle into the blister, one more holds the unnamed rifle. A rubber band holds the front end together. I think I will call Hightail's rifle "Sandy". Oh, and on the subject of names, his comes from the phrase "hightail it outta here," meaning to depart with haste. Comes from animals like deer that raise their tails while fleeing. Planet Key: Standard Earth Key. Color Swaps: The lighter gray and orange plastics of Lugnutz become a dark red (CC0000) plastic that glows strongly under UV. The dark gray on Lugnutz becomes a lighter gray (999999), while black stays black. Paint Apps: Silver is probably the most extensively used, being on: the face, forks, spokes (both sides, not just the outside halves as on Lugnutz), panniers, gas tank striping, and license plate (which has B-CAT 1 as an Ohio plate, Cincinnati county). There's white painted in the grooves on the seat (robot abdomen). The visor and headlight are yellow (FFFF00). The right pannier has a tampographed red and white Autobot symbol, and the silver "chrome" piping below the symbol is accented with a bit of orange (FF9933), as is the taillight. The forehead area is black, and the T-shaped bits on the hips are painted dark red. The white and yellow paints glow a little under UV, the orange a lot. Mold Changes: None, but at least on mine the torso doesn't stay clipped together very well. Looseness of this variety is sometimes due to using a different type of plastic when changing colors. Other Notes: I'm told Hightail's license plate is a reference to the Cincinnati Bearcats college football team, as is the color scheme. With the closing of the Cincinnati offices of Hasbro, some of the former workers there were homesick for the Bearcats. And the school nickname has nothing to do with either the Stutz Bearcat car or the various animals called bearcats (such as the panda or binturong). http://www.uc.edu/about/History.html has the details. Dave Van Domelen, kinda disappointed that Hightail wasn't made a femme. Like, with a last gasp recolor that's already going to get spotty distribution, why not add in one more Autobot who can beat up on Thunderblast? Besides, Transformers needs a real biker babe to contrast with crotch rocket Arcee. :)