Overlord - Generation 1 - Figure


DECEPTICON: OVERLORD

FUNCTION: SELF CONTAINED NOMADIC ASSAULT MACHINE


"I stand my ground... I accept any challenge... I am hungry for conflict."

Introduction

When I returned to collecting Transformers back in 1996-1997 and discovered the online fandom, I set myself two goals for my collection. No matter what, I would someday own both Star Convoy and Overlord. Surprisingly, Star Convoy was the first of the two I bought. That was back in 1998 for anyone keeping score. Overlord, however, became more elusive. I would find him, but he would be out of my economic reach. Other times, I would have the money but couldn't find a complete one for sale. It wouldn't be until near the end of 2004 that I would find and be able to afford Overlord and it was under the condition that it be my Christmas present that holiday season. Was it worth the wait? Well, yes and no.

It seems that in the years I pined for Overlord, my appreciation of the Transformers from that era would wane. I've come to expect more from Transformers toys in the 21st Century than I did during the hay days of G1. That's not to say I dislike Overlord, quite the contrary in fact. I really do enjoy the mold and the transformation and the overall look. Perhaps it's because my Overlord is second hand, or possibly even third hand and came without a box, though it is complete so far as accessories and paperwork are concerned. Perhaps I fell victim to my own hype. Either way, Overlord is finally mine and now I will stop rambling and commence with the review.


Jet Mode

The main portion of Overlord is his jet from. This is one of the largest Transformers jets ever at almost thirteen inches in length. It's wingspan is a little lacking for the size since it's only nine inches. The colors are typical Decepticon flair. The main body and wings are black, the tail fins and cones are purple, the engines are white, and the cockpit is a clear orange. There are a lot of nice details throughout the all the parts of the jet.

In the center of the jet, between the engines is where you can attach either the gun pod, missile pod, or either of Overlord's Powermaster engines. The engines will unlock part of his transform as well, but there will be more on that later. The cockpit opens so you can place one of the Powermaster engines in their robot mode inside as the pilot. It's not the most natural looking pose, but it adds a little play value to the toy. There's a second cockpit underneath, but that comes into play in the base mode. Again, more on that later.

As part of the robot mode transformation, the front portion of the jet, where the cockpit resides, detaches to form a smaller jet. This jet is still mostly black with an off-white belly. Now for the boring part, the measurements: a little over seven inches long and a four inches wingspan. You can now make use of the small, front landing gear as it won't come close to reaching the ground when attached to the lager portion of the jet. Not like it's needed, since the larger jet has it's own landing gear wheels.


Tank Mode

At a little over eight inches long, four inches wide, and three and a half inches tall, Overlord's tank mode is second only to Generation 2 Megatron / Beast Wars II Megastorm in size. The main body is blue, the turret off-white with an orange canopy, and the treads dark gray. There is a purple section along the back of the tank that later form's Overlord's feet. The tank can roll around on four small wheels on the bottom of the treads.

The turret, due to the transformation design, doesn't rotate at all, though the turret is able to pivot up and down about 40 degrees. Like the jet mode, the tank form has a Powermaster engine port that can hold either the gun pod, missile pod, or the Powermasters in engine mode. The engines also unlock the tank's transformation, but there will be more on that later on.

In addition to the Powermaster engine port, either Powermaster can fit in the cockpit. As with the jet's cockpit, it doesn't exactly exhibit a natural look, but it's a nice way to roll both Powermasters around in the tank if need be.


Base Mode

Overlord's base mode is one of the best Transformers bases to date, better than Fortress Maximus, better than Star Convoy, and better than Metroplex, my all time favorite, in my opinion. But, I'm getting a little ahead myself.

The transformation to base mode isn't as difficult as it might appear. Place one Powermaster engine in each port on the jet and tank to unlock the transformation. The engines on the jet will slide back and the tank will split in half. Set aside the tank's gun barrel. Flip up the smaller jet and rotate the front most section around so the off-white section faces forward and separate the back panels of the jet out to the sides.

Raise the robot fists from the engine sections and attach the radar arrays to either hand. Flip down the section below the cockpit and flip out the gun barrels. Flip the tank turret halves in and then the main tank sections back out to form the ends of the base. Flip the ramps down on both, flip the cannon out on the left section and the tool arm on the right section. Attach the large robot gun to the back of the left section and the missile pod in front of that. Place the gun pod of the corresponding port on the left section.

Finally, attach the unique blue-green ramp tot the front of the jet's section of the base and connect the side sections using the other two blue-green ramps.

Now, the Decepticons have a proper base with which to plot the downfall of the Autobots. The Powermasters can attach tot he small gray car and drive up and down the ramps all day long. They can also man the middle tower cockpits, the jet cockpit, and the tank cockpit. So, there's plenty of space for Powermasters or any other Masters for that matter. Well, except Action Masters and those G2 Powermasters.

While not totally lacking in firepower with a missile pod and three gun batteries, it doesn't exactly have the best defense. But considering it can convert into one of the largest Decepticons, it should do okay if it comes under attack.


Robot Mode

And now for the part you've most likely been dying to get to since the first page, the robot mode. But before I go praising the badassedness that is Overlord, let my briefly explain how to get Overlord to robot mode from his vehicle forms...

As with the previous transform, plug the Powermaster engines into their slots. Remove the smaller jet after the engines slide back. Swing the arms up and extend the fists. Set aside the tank's gun barrel and attach the front of the tank halves to the jet's rear landing gear. The tank half with the cockpit forms the left leg and obviously the other half becomes the right leg.

Attach the two similar ramps to the front of each leg. They fit on only one way unless you want to attach them upside down, with the thicker portions on the bottom. Either way looks good in my opinion.

Standing at 13 1/2 inches, Overlord is one of the largest Decepticons ever, maybe even one of the largest Transformers ever. What he lacks in articulation, rotating shoulders and hips, he makes up for in detail and play value.

For starters, he can hold is monstrous rifle in either hand and fire missiles from it halfway across the room. The small jet can attach to either the pegs on either shoulder for use as a shield. His chest panels open to reveal two additional Powermaster engine ports that, when the engines are attached, unlock the gun pod on the right side of the torso and the missile launchers on the left.

Considering the age of the toy, there is a lot of details etched into the various portions of Overlord's body, giving him a truly robotic look. It's his head that is the only part that doesn't look truly Decepticon. I've read online rumors that Overlord was initially intended to be an Autobot and the face may be an indication of that as it has a more Autobot flavor to it. No, I didn't actually taste it either. Now, that's not to say it's a bad looking head or face. It just doesn't inspire fear and dread like the rest of him does. But, maybe that's part of his plan, to lull others into a sense of complacency.


Final Thoughts

Am I glad that I own Overlord? Heck yeah. He's huge, powerful looking, and loaded with fun gimmicks that don't interfere too much with the core of the toy. Was he worth the price I paid? Not really, especially since mine was second hand and not in the best of shape, especially sticker-wise. Still, Overlord is a fun toy and I'm glad he's finally mine.



ReviewerRichard C. Mistron  
DateJanuary 5th 2005  
Score 9 stars (9 out of 10)  
Reads13445


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