Here's the last of the three Decepticon Cyberjets from 1995: Space Case, air recon specialist. A redeco of Autobot Cyberjet Strafe , Space Case turns into a Sukhoi Su-47 Berket jet.
Next in the Decepticon Cyberjet team is Skyjack, the spy of the team. It's a fitting role, given he transforms into an F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter. This makes him a duplicate of Air Raid, the Autobot Cyberjet with the same alt-mode, though their paint jobs are different. Skyjack was available in 1995 at the tail end of the Generation Two line.
Beginning a run of Decepticon Cyberjets from the 1995 Generation Two collection. The villain Cyberjets were simple repaints of the Autobot Cyberjets released that same year, so each design gets too finishes. This is Hooligan, who is a repaint of Jetfire , but with a rather bright orange tiger-stripe finish. Hoologan is a hit and run specialist, and turns into a YF-22 Raptor.
Not even the mighty Megatron could escape the 1995 Go-Bots treatment. The Decepticon leader was included in the car assortment, as a simple repaint of a design shared by Blow-Out and Frenzy . Accordingly, he turns into a Porsche 959 sports-car, with free-spinning wheels and a compact scale that lets him use Hot Wheels tracks. Unlike how I've drawn him here, Megatron's head was not unique. He had the same noggin as Blow-Out, but I couldn't imagine selling the idea that a bot who looked like that was a classic character like Megs.
The next Decepticon Go-Bot is Soundwave, communications specialist. This is the first incarnation of the classic character that is not meant to turn into or represent a tape deck. By the mid-90s, tape cassette players had run their course. Now, he's a Ford Thunderbird stock car, of the same design used by Gearhead ( seen here ). This version of Soundwave was released in 1995.
And we're back to the Go-Bots. Blessedly, only a few added to the Decepticon roster in 1995, the last year of Generation Two. These are again repeated uses of a handful of molds. In this case, Frenzy, Decepticon warrior turns into a Porsche 959, the same toy model as Blow-Out ( seen here ) and Megatron (coming soon). The Frenzy toy did not have a distinct head design, as I've drawn here, as a nod to his original character design. Artistic license, and all that.
There's one more Optimus Prime toy to round out Generation Two, and that's his "Laser Rod" incarnation that is packed with play features and gimmicks from across the line. Prime is extremely articulated, making him a superb action figure in addition to being a Transformer. He turns into a Wester Star 4964EX Constellation cab semi truck hauling an oil tank trailer. The cab turns into the robot, while the trailer becomes a battle station base with air bellows-activated missile launcher. Prime being a Laser Rod means he has built-in light features that make his headlights glow in truck mode, and pipe through his arm to make his translucent sword glow in robot mode. This version of Prime was available in 1995.
Following yesterday's Ironhide, the next of the Autobot Power Masters is Meanstreak, easily one of the ugliest Transformers toys ever produced in the run. I tried to make him a bit more presentable in this drawing, but it is an unappealing hunk of plastic. He's the Autobot street fighter, and turns into a funny car drag racer. He was available in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 1995.
Ironhide gets another release in 1995, but only in certain international territories. Europe, Australia and New Zealand exclusively had four Power Masters, a subset that reuses the "Powermaster" name from the late 80s but breaks it into two words and changes the definition. These Powermasters' main gimmick is pull back motors that build up and hold acceleration that is then unlocked by plugging in their weapons into slots. This makes for some ugly, cumbersome designs, especially given their cheap price points and simplistic construction. Ironhide turns into a Humvee jeep.
From 1995 comes Road Rocket, Autobot street defense. He's one of two "Laser Cycles" released at the tail end of the Generation Two revival, the Autobot one to counter another released on the Decepticon side. He turns into a Suzuki Katana motorcyle, and boasts a compelling transformation scheme that results in a cool robot mode. Living up to his "Laser Cycle" branding is a transparent buzzsaw weapon that glows with simulated laser power thanks to a built-in light. This drawing is new this year.
The last of the three Autobot Cyberjets is Jetfire, Autobot air guardian. According to the bio on the packaging, this 1995 release is intended to be the same character as the 1985 toy of the same name . This time around, he turns into an F-22 raptor jet.
Today's featured Cyberjet is Strafe, Autobot aerial gunner. His realistic styling as a Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut jet fighter, complex articulation in robot form, and light piping that make his visor look cool make him a standout. He was available in 1995 near the tail end of the Generation Two line.
Kicking off a series of Cyberjets, very detailed toys based on modern jet designs with complex transformations and a design that emphasized poseability and articulation. This is Air Raid, meant to be the same character from the 1986 Aerialbots (and the 1994 ones as well, as drawn here ), but he's broken out from his previous team and has a new F-117 stealth fighter mode. The Cyberjets were among the last Generation Two toys released in 1995, and their design presaged the flexibility found throughout the subsequent Beast Wars line.
The third use of the same Lamborghini Diablo toy mold for the Go-Bots subset in 1995 goes to Sideswipe. This is Sideswipe's second Generation Two release, the first being his 1993 reissue of his larger sized Lamborghini Countach design. This version is blue and yellow, a repaint of the same design used for Optimus Prime and Firecracker .
An unlikely incarnation of Optimus Prime is his Go-Bots version, released in 1995. I've taken some artistic license and given Prime his proper character head, when the toy itself made no concession to its repainted design to really look like Optimus. He's basically Firecracker with a different paint job . He turns into a Lamborghini Diablo.
The Autobot Go-Bots from 1995 continue to roll, and up next is Motormouth, backup support specialist. He's basically a repaint of Ironhide's GoBots figure, but in blue. He turns into a Ford F150 Flareside pickup truck.
Another existing character from the initial run gets a Go-Bots incarnation as part of the Generation Two's last hurrah. In this case, it's Mirage, Autobot counterintelligence agent, who turns into Lola T94 Indy Car. This toy, released in 1995, is a recolor of Double Clutch also released that year .
The classic character of Ironhide is reinvented as part of the 1995 Go-Bots series. Promoted from a security expert to a military strategist, Ironhide now turns into a silver Ford F150 Flareside pick-up truck.
This Go-Bot is a recolor of Bumblebee , but in a green and black finish. His concept car mode has never been definitively defined, though some sources say it's a Banshee-style Pontiac Firebird. He is the tracker of the Autobot Go-Bot team, released in 1995.
The next in the Go-Bots line from Generation Two is Gearhead, released in 1995. This Autobot warrior turns into a bright yellow Ford Thunderbird stock car, with "Stock Bird by Transformers" emblazoned on his hood.
Today's 1995 Go-Bot is Firecracker, Autobot rapid assault specialist. He turns into a red Lamborghini Diablo, with a translucent finish. His body design would be used twice more in this same assortment.
The next of the Generation Two Go-Bots is Double Clutch, Autobot defense specialist. He turns into a Lola T94 Indy race car, and is perfectly scaled to race down a Hot Wheels track. He was available in 1995, the last year of Generation Two.
The next in the line of Go-Bots from 1995 is the classic character Bumblebee, reformatted as an unknown type of sporty concept car. His gold finish is really the only recognizable nod to his past as Bumblebee, but aside from that the design is pretty generic -- generic enough to be reused three times in the same year as other bots.
This drawing kicks off the third and final year of Generation Two toys. It's the first of the Go-Bots, an inexpensive series of car toys perfectly scaled with Matchbox and Hot Wheels toys. These were affordable toys that leveraged a handful of molds that, with a mix of differing colors, became a host of characters. The Go-Bots boasted free-spinning wheels and transformation designs that did not impede their ability to swiftly roll. First up is Blowout, Autobot pursuit and capture specialist. He turns into a Porsche 959 sports car, finished in a smoky translucent gray plastic.
The previously posted "Hero" editions of Optimus Prime and Megatron were released in Europe in 1994, but the labels that identified them by name were stripped from the toys, and the on-package bios and names identified them as Sureshot (for Prime) and Archforce (for Megatron). These designs were otherwise not released in Europe. Why exactly they were kept from being Prime and Megs is unknown, but they technically count as unique characters. I combined them in this drawing here.
This latest drawing is of the Decepticon leader, as realized in 1994, the second series of Generation Two toys. This version of Megatron was part of a "Hero" assortment of figures, not as big as his 1993 toy , but loaded with an air-bellows activated warhead launcher and enhanced articulation. He turns into a M1A1 Abrams tank with purple and black camo patterning.
The unimaginatively named Robot-Man X is yet another reissue of the Jumpstarter Topspin (from '85, posted on Day 38 of 2017), who resurfaced in South America as Salt-Man X in 1985 ( posted on Day 14 of this year). This incarnation was unique to Argentina, is a Decepticon (at least, according to the symbol on his cardback) and was released in 1994. Like all other versions of this mold, he has a spring-loaded transformation that pops him from a winged vehicle of some sort into a standing robot.
Breakdown is the Stunticon scout, a Decepticon car team originally introduced in 1986 and intended to be recolored and re-released for the Generation Two line. That never came to pass, but in 1994, Breakdown was made available as an exclusive to attendees of the first ever BotCon convention. Produced in very small numbers (300), Breakdown is a prize collectible, and a snapshot of what Generation Two could've been had it proved to be a greater success. He turns into a Lamborghini Countach.
Here is Sparkstalker, a Decepticon Firecon Saboteur. Like yesterday's Flamefeather, Sparkstalker was a 1994 re-release of a 1988 design, released exclusively in the European market. He turns into a fire-breathing monster with friction-activated spark effects, made more visible in this incarnation thanks to a body that included translucent plastic parts.
New for this year is this drawing of Flamefeather, Decepticon raid-planner. This 1994 toy is a re-issue of a 1988 Firecon, part of a team of robots that turn into 'fire-breathing' monsters with spark-shooting action. His '94 release was a European exclusive and finished in bright translucent plastic.
Zooming into March with Smokescreen, an additional pack-in figure included with Dreadwing in the 1994 assortment of Generation Two figures. Though they share a name, this Smokescreen has nothing to do with the 1985 Autobot diversionary tactician of the same name . This Smokescreen is a Decepticon jet that docks with the larger Dreadwing stealth bomber .