Flame - G1 - Figure


Intro

Years ago when I was still a young kid, I used to save up money and when I had a certain amount, I would go buy myself a Transformer.

Living in Europe meant that I did not see much Transformers in shops here but we also got some exclusives. It was seeing the Motorvators (as the Brainmasters called here) in a catalogue that made me want one.

I found them in a store but only had money for one. Being very young my parents were with me and you know how they can get. They want to make sure their kid gets the most for their money. (Which I understand.) So I think that has changed my attitude and gone for the Pretender Waverider.

Yes, I know. How on Earth could I go for a Pretender over a Motorvator! I am still kicking myself for that. (Though Waverider is no bad toy.) But I obviously got him or I would not have written this review. ;-)

Just last year I saw Flame on Ebay and immediately placed a bid. I actually won this auction and this guy was soon in my collection. And now I am finally reviewing him. The link has some pictures since I am unable to provide any of my own.

Flame is a member of the Motorvator team, a group of 3 Autobots which are recolors from the Japanese Brainmaster Team. Flame is the European version of Laster.

This team had the ability to combine but poorly if you ask me. 2 would simply stay in vehicle mode as legs and the leader would form the upper body so it was no surprise that this feature was left out of the European release.

These Transformers were only seen in the Japanese Victory cartoon so I know little about them. Why they are called Brainmasters will be explained later. The name Motorvator does not make much sense so I am not sure why it was chosen. It sounds nice though.

Flame comes with a little figure and a sword. This little figure is called a Brainmaster in Japan but is referred to as an Engergon figure in Europe. So when I had never sene the toy outside a catalogue I thought he was the engine.

Vehicle Mode

In vehicle mode Flame is a yellow Lamborgini. It is a really cool vehicle mode and he is quite large. Flame measures 15 cm (5.9 inch) long and 6 (2.3) wide. It His mode is nicely done too and it even has rubber tires! There is one major "defect". The hinge where his hood flips up is quite noticable.

A shame but with such a nice mode, I do not care that much. You can open the passenger section and lift up the roof/window secton. You can then place the Brainmaster/Energon figure inside. The swords fits into a hole on top of the car on or holes in the doors. Remove the Brainmaster/Energon figure and the sword before transforming Flame.

Transformation to robot mode

Begin by making the transformation sound. If you cannot imitate it properly, play a tape or DVD of the original show or use the sound from the Armada Overload or Energon Ultra Magnus. (Ok, just kidding on that one.)

Anyways, first you need to place your handpalm on the hood while putting your fingers around the bumber. Then gently push the hood back. It takes a bit of force (more than on regular transformers, you do not need to be the Hulk or anything) and at first I was worried that he would break.

But if you are gentle it will flip up fine. Note: if you transform him back it is handy to open the roof before putting the hood in place again. Then the window will not be in the way.

Grab the back of the car and separate it into two halves and flip those over. Then you will surely notice that Flame's legs are partly metal! Why this is I do not know but it is an interesting thing to see. Flip up the arms and fold out the fists.

Then comes the coolest part. (You may want to lower the arms while doing this.) Flame has a head (more like a helmet) but no face/head. That is where the Brainmaster comes in. Open the chest and place him (in a standing postion) inside. By closing the chest you will push up an "elevator" which pushes up the legs and the inside part of the figure which is actually the robot face.

This is a very cool feature and why I love this Transformer a lot. It makes me think of the Headmasters but just different. Naturally I also wonder how this Transformer works. Is this a partnership between a Transformer and an organic being or it is simply a small robot who built an exo-suit for himself. (Like Overload.) Right now I am going for the 2nd theory.

Note: it should be possible to insert any of the Brainmaster/Energon figures into a Transformer. So based on the smaller figure Flame could have 3 different faces. Since I only own Flame I do not know for sure.

And finally to complete the robot mode, place the sword in his hand.

Robot mode

The robot mode is 16 cm (6.3 inch) tall. Articulationwise he is a typical G1 Transformer. Only his arms move (up and down) and his lower legs move a little to the sides but I hardly count that as articulation.

But I own a lot of G1 Transformers which are basically bricks so this does not bother me. What does bother me a little is that the sword is so short. I is about 5 (2) tall so that makes it more of a knife.

There is a hole in the sword as well. This was to allow the 3 swords of the Brainmaster team to combine into one large one for their combined form. The sword does have a "barrel" on it which might be a laser or something.

All things considered, it is an ok robot mode. I just wish he had been issued a real weapon or a bigger sword.

Conclusion

With vehicle mode that is really cool and a robot mode that is "so-so", I cannot really recommend him. Sure, he has got a really cool feature but as Armada taught us a feature does not have make a great Transformer.

I have wanted one of these since I was a kid so I was able to overlook the faults in this toy. But these Transformers are quite expensive so unless you are a collector or love special features you may want to pass up on this one.

I really like him so that earns him his grade but he is definetely not for everyone. Recommended but with reservations.

ReviewerFerry Rudolph  
DateFebruary 10th 2004  
Score 7 stars (7 out of 10)  
Reads9606


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