New Gallery: G2 Seaspray (Purple Variant)

Could it possibly be that this purple variant was similar to how the Transmetal Optimus and Megatron toys in Beast Wars each had blue, purple, and pink variants?

I enjoy hearing, reading & learning about these oddities, especially color variants from other international markets back in the day. Thanks for sharing.

This spot here where there's a scratch and a sprue blemish shows some blue coming through. This feels like a factory error or maybe even a test shot. Colored chrome on plastic is typically done by applying clear tint coat over silver chrome, this looks to me like a second coat may have been added to the blue turning it purple, maybe some Hubcap red?

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

This spot here where there's a scratch and a sprue blemish shows some blue coming through. This feels like a factory error or maybe even a test shot. Colored chrome on plastic is typically done by applying clear tint coat over silver chrome, this looks to me like a second coat may have been added to the blue turning it purple, maybe some Hubcap red?

Emerje

Good eye for detail!
Reminds me of the very recent Hot Wheels mainline Optimus Prime cabs in various color variant test shot samples.

megatran wrote:

Emerje wrote:

This spot here where there's a scratch and a sprue blemish shows some blue coming through. This feels like a factory error or maybe even a test shot. Colored chrome on plastic is typically done by applying clear tint coat over silver chrome, this looks to me like a second coat may have been added to the blue turning it purple, maybe some Hubcap red?

Emerje

Good eye for detail!
Reminds me of the very recent Hot Wheels mainline Optimus Prime cabs in various color variant test shot samples.

That's the blue Seaspray reflecting off the purple chrome that is out of the field of view in that shot. Purple Seaspray is a known variant.

Seibertron wrote:

megatran wrote:

Emerje wrote:

This spot here where there's a scratch and a sprue blemish shows some blue coming through. This feels like a factory error or maybe even a test shot. Colored chrome on plastic is typically done by applying clear tint coat over silver chrome, this looks to me like a second coat may have been added to the blue turning it purple, maybe some Hubcap red?

Emerje

Good eye for detail!
Reminds me of the very recent Hot Wheels mainline Optimus Prime cabs in various color variant test shot samples.

That's the blue Seaspray reflecting off the purple chrome that is out of the field of view in that shot. Purple Seaspray is a known variant.

Purple is commonly for Decepticons. I wonder if that provides any clue??? A Go-Bots perhaps? I'm drawing a long bow...

megatran wrote:Purple is commonly for Decepticons. I wonder if that provides any clue??? A Go-Bots perhaps? I'm drawing a long bow...

Like I suggested before, it could have just been a similar case to how the Transmetal Optimus and Megatron toys in Beast Wars had blue, purple, and pink variants when Optimus's chrome was supposed to only be blue and Megatron's was supposed to only be purple, but they ended up with three color variants due to inconsistent color tinting.

Robosaur Triceratops — Vintage Knock-Off Mystery

We don’t normally feature knock-offs or third-party products here on Seibertron.com, but every now and then a piece of Transformers-adjacent history shows up that’s too quirky to ignore. This vintage oddity — which we’re calling Robosaur Triceratops — definitely earns that distinction.

This toy is a poor-quality knock-off of the original G1 Dinobot Slag, sold under the product line name Robosaur, with the tagline: "A futuristic dinosaur that changes into a powerful robot."

We don’t know the manufacturer or exact origin of this item, but it was likely released sometime in the 1980s (or possibly 1990s). The packaging itself simply calls it Triceratops, while encouraging collectors to “Collect all these other exciting changing robots!” — showing off knock-off versions of Grimlock (“Tyranosaurus”) and Sludge (“Brontosaur”) on the back of the box. It may also have been marketed in some regions under the Dinosaur Robo name, but clear information is scarce.

This figure is clearly a low‑end reproduction of the Dinobot mold, sporting some unique colors and several cost‑cutting oddities — like having no face, no lower dinosaur jaw, and even no hands. We thought this vintage knock‑off was too quirky not to share, both as a curiosity and a conversation starter. If you know more about its origins — who manufactured it, where it was sold, or how it connects to other KO lines — we invite you to share your insights or speculation in the comments on the Energon Pub forums.

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Gallery:
Robosaur Triceratops Gallery — Knock-offs > Dinobots

G1 1985 Dinobot Galleries: Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Swoop

And for more G1 knock-offs over the years (but the shadier ones that look identical):
KO Transformers Galleries

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Gallery Preview:















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What do you think? Is Robosaur Triceratops just a cheap curiosity, or does it have a story waiting to be uncovered? Share your knowledge, theories, or even memories of seeing one of these in the wild in the discussion below!

That thing is so weird and I actually love it, thanks for sharing. Just weirdness all over the place, like calling it a triceratops for not giving it any of the 3 horns that make up the tri part of the name and giving it back scale/plates like a stegosaurus.

I finally registered after years of lurking just for this!

I had one, or one very similar! I was about eight, which would put it around 1987 or 88 I think? If it's not the same bot it's awfully close. The box was different though. I remember using it AS my Slag (and only Dinobot). There was also a knockoff Starscream Jet from the same people with odd stabby bits on the fins. I remember being annoyed that there was no lower jaw, though I'd put marbles in the chest compartment. The lack of fists was the most annoying, though, as the super-thin pegs that held the sword in place snapped early, but the gun lasted a long time.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:That thing is so weird and I actually love it, thanks for sharing. Just weirdness all over the place, like calling it a triceratops for not giving it any of the 3 horns that make up the tri part of the name and giving it back scale/plates like a stegosaurus.

So it's instead a "Stegoceratops".

Robosaur Bicerotops looks awesome.

I love the fact the mold allows for a lower jaw but "nope, f**k it, the kids can do without it" attitude.

I don't mind the 'face' or lack thereof. It oozes alien robot.

What is in keeping with G1 era (even today actually) is the box photography showing beige colored shoulders in alt mode but the toy is actually grey. Haha. I love it!

Seibertron wrote:Purple Seaspray is a known variant.

Oh, so this is one of those rumored Hasbro employee Christmas figures then. I remember reading about the Beachcomber one, but checking TFWiki they suggest Seaspray is the same case. But I also see some MOC purple Seasprays on eBay so I guess I'm not actually helping at all.

Emerje

I am 99% positive a kid from my neighborhood when I was a kid had that Robosaur Brontosaurus. I remember him having a knockoff Sludge that had an orange head. If that's the case, these would have been when the Dinobots came out (1985-1986).

It's hideous.