The Energon Pub

I was asked a question today by my friends eight yr old son. What is it about red alert that makes people want to buy him since as he pointed out he is the same mold as prowl, silverstreak, and smokescreen. But yet everyone is excited to see him in the generations line. Is he the boba fett of the transformers universe where he only appeared a couple times in the original series and became a cult favorite, or is because he was released in japan during the last round of classic figures so everyone is happy to have an american release finally.
I would love any answer so I can tell once and for all since it completely stumped me.

He's not of the 240z mold family you mentioned, he's a Lamborghini Countach in the vein of Sideswipe.

Sideswipe is aesthetically one of the most liked G1 molds. Red Alert just piggybacks on to that, I think.

You are correct that he is not the Nissan Z-style mold. However, he is actually not based on a Lamborghini Coutach either. He is based on the current Lamborghini Gallardo model. Either way, the toy is based on a mold that is generally liked/loved across the board, so it makes since that HasTak would release different interpretations of the mold. I will pass on it though.

I can personally attest that cool rescue vehicles are always near the top of my list for autobots. Something especially fitting about human rescue vehicles being the alt mode of the altruistic good guys.

Everyone loves firefighters, especially as kids, so the team of inferno and red alert is especially appealing.

the same thing happened with the new inferno mold, everyone when crazy over it.
mix in the fact that Red Alert is a firefighting Lamborghini, a super car with sirens etc etc I would be surprised if there were kids who DIDNT like red alert.

I think it's just the lack availablity prior to this Generations release. I think most people just assumed that after Sunstreaker and Sideswipe we would no doubt get Red Alert. Then the Henkei version came out and people still assumed he would see a domestic release, but he didn't and the Classics/Universe line came to end. At that point panic set in and secondary market value for the Henkei version skyrocketed, which only fueled people's desire for him.

El Duque wrote:I think it's just the lack availablity prior to this Generations release. I think most people just assumed that after Sunstreaker and Sideswipe we would no doubt get Red Alert. Then the Henkei version came out and people still assumed he would see a domestic release, but he didn't and the Classics/Universe line came to end. At that point panic set in and secondary market value for the Henkei version skyrocketed, which only fueled people's desire for him.

It's not limited to Red Alert. Look at Thrust and Dirge. Simply put, it's more the anxiety of not being able to complete the line for cheap than actual character popularity.

Red Alert well liked? Anyway who wouldn't want a high end super car for a rescue vehicle anyway? In Europe IIRC, some of the police cars are indeed sexy beauties but a Lambo? No wonder they are all suffering budget shortfalls hehehe

If we talk about the character himself, well Red Alert was patterned after Dick Nixon.......'nuff said.

Anything bloody Takara has and Hasbro doesn't, will become popular, I guess. See, now I have Thrust and I also want Dirge badly. Red alert and MP Grimlock both fall into this category, too.

He's G1, and he has a personality.

I'm excited for him because I never got the other versions of the mold when they first came out and refuse to pay 20-30 for a deluxe.

WheelJacked wrote:I'm excited for him because I never got the other versions of the mold when they first came out and refuse to pay 20-30 for a deluxe.

Before Hasbro announced that he would be part of the Generations line-up I saw him go for as much as $75.00 on Ebay.

El Duque wrote:

WheelJacked wrote:I'm excited for him because I never got the other versions of the mold when they first came out and refuse to pay 20-30 for a deluxe.

Before Hasbro announced that he would be part of the Generations line-up I saw him go for as much as $75.00 on Ebay.

Wow, that makes the €25-€30 (or $32-$38) prices I've seen at dealers not seem so bad. I'd have to pick up the Henkei then, as I'm not into the Generations deco.

Because Red Alert is awesome. He has a distinguishable and consistent personality, even if it was being totally bonkers, unlike many of the '84 characters. Also his epic bromance with Inferno is sweet.

But I might be biased, he's my favorite Transformers character ever.

I also collect rescue/emergency vehicles, so that's a good excuse to get every Red Alert toy ever.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

El Duque wrote:

WheelJacked wrote:I'm excited for him because I never got the other versions of the mold when they first came out and refuse to pay 20-30 for a deluxe.

Before Hasbro announced that he would be part of the Generations line-up I saw him go for as much as $75.00 on Ebay.

Wow, that makes the €25-€30 (or $32-$38) prices I've seen at dealers not seem so bad. I'd have to pick up the Henkei then, as I'm not into the Generations deco.

Now keep in mind that was prior to the Generations annoucement. I already had the Henkei version that I bought from BBTS for around $30.00 when he first came out. I was in the market for a second later on to do a custom Wheeljack, but after seeing the outrageous prices I backed off and decided to just repaint a Sideswipe. I'm sure the Generations figure has taken the wind out of those sails.

He had an episode in the G1 cartoon that centered around him and his paranoid delusions. Honestly though I think people took it too literaly, like that was his whole personality. Admitedly yes, he is supposed to be a bit like that, but the episode purposely exasperated that by damaging his logic circuts.

The fact that he is an emergency vehicle is a bonus, and I would like to be able to get him just to fill out the somewhat small list of those that Classics/Universe provided.