G1 Blaster Walmart Reissue Found in Stores

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just a thought, maybe Blaster doesn't come with tapes because, if I remember correctly, there were only four Autobot tapes originally. This way they can do two, two packs.

It's because Blaster was only ever sold by himself in 1985-1986. This line recreates the original G1 packaging (sans the new packaging created for Optimus Prime, but which was still heavily based on his original box).

william-james88 wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just a thought, maybe Blaster doesn't come with tapes because, if I remember correctly, there were only four Autobot tapes originally. This way they can do two, two packs.

It's because they are replicating how he was released initially.

I wonder why the original toy didn't come with a tape. Perhaps it was due to size or as I mentioned initially, there were going to be fewer Autobot cassettes. Fascinating.

I wonder what the point of Preordering anything from WalMart is when they show up in the stores before they ship the preorders.

i hope they reissue his tapes as well

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:I wonder why the original toy didn't come with a tape.

Because all of the preexisting Micro Change cassette toys had already been used as Decepticons. The Autobot cassettes were new molds that didn't see release until 1986, where Blaster was an existing Micro Change mold who first got released a year earlier in 1985. When Blaster's toy first came into existence in the Transformers toyline, there were no Autobot cassettes that existed (yet).

So basically you were supposed to use and swap cassettes if you were a Micro Change fan.

Right, there were no warring factions of cassettes in the Micro Change toyline, all of them were on the same side and interacted with both Cassette Man (pre-Soundwave) and Radi-Cassette Robo (pre-Blaster). Though, Radi-Cassette Robo was itself released in 1984 a year after Cassette Man and the three micro-cassette molds Micross (pre-Frenzy/Rumble), Jaguar (pre-Ravage), and Condor (pre-Laserbeak/Buzzsaw) were released on 1983, so the disconnect was also present in that line. Though, Radi-Cassette Man also came with its own little AM radio accessory that could fit into its tape door since it was the size of a micro-cassette itself (this little AM radio was not carried over for Blaster's release in Transformers).

As for why Hasbro didn't just use the existing Micro Change cassette molds to make Autobot cassettes for Blaster in 1985, at the time Hasbro wasn't yet in the habit of sharing molds between Autobots and Decepticons (minus the Mini-Spies since their whole gimmick was their belonging to either faction, but I digress), so they kept all of the Micro Change cassette molds on the Decepticon side at the time of Blaster's initial release, leaving him with no cassette minions of his own until Hasbro started releasing all new molds made specifically for Transformers the following year in 1986. Of course, his original packaging didn't even advertise his chest door gimmick anyway, with his interactivity with the cassettes given only a passing mention in his instructions.

Finally got Blaster in at my Wal-Mart in Albany, GA. His legs have a brownish tint to them, and IIRC originally his legs were gray.

The brownish tint is accurate to his Marvel colors (though I'm sure it's an accident). I don't own G1 Blaster because he's grossly out of scale with not only Soundwave but pretty much every other figure from G1, and when I did own him he spent all his time in boombox mode on Fort Max's shoulder.

Since we're on the subject of this character, what do you guys think are the chances of a MP Blaster any time soon?

Hasbro/Takara Tomy have used that brownish gray on all of their reissues. It's a slight exaggeration of the dirty gray of the original.



Hasbro also used it on Fall of Cybertron and Titans Return versions.





Hasbro just really likes to use that shade on Blaster. They also like it on Powermaster Prime.

Sabrblade wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Since we're on the subject of this character, what do you guys think are the chances of a MP Blaster any time soon?

We've all been waiting for one ever since an all-new MP mold for Steeljaw was made for MP Nightstalker.

I think if they ever get around to doing MP Blaster they'll make a new mold for Steeljaw. For starters MP Nightstalker is TINY!




Second I think it would be hard to incorporate his proper weapons into the mold and still have them look right.
Third, it just isn't a very good figure, it feels sub par compared to all of the other MP tapes. I think it was just something they quickly rushed out to finish the set. They've had a few years to work on it so I hope when they do make Blaster they give us a much improved Steeljaw.

Emerje

Anyone hear if there will be another G1 Walmart reissue after Blaster? Last I saw him at my Walmart, he was on clearance, so it seems like we should be due for at least an announcement any time now...