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Spinister (G1)

2009-09-26T11:37:19Z

82.7.117.79: /* Trivia */

{{factions||decepticon|}}
{{disambig2|the Decepticon helicopter from Generation 1|the Decepticon helicopter from [[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]|Spinister (ROTF)}}
:''Spinister is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Spinister-boxart.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I'm terribly mysterious and I have 300 pounds of canned meat strapped to my right arm.]]
'''Spinister''' is mysterious... [[wikipedia:Mystery Men|''terribly'' mysterious. He cannot cut guns in half with his mind]], though he has been known to wield a gun that separates into two [[Nebulos|Nebulans]]. These dumb stubbies are [[Singe]] and [[Hairsplitter]], if this really matters to anyone.

This grim air warrior seems far more independent of mind than the common Decepticon, though he doesn't go in for the outright mutiny for which [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] is noted. When he spots unrecognized potential in the Decepticon ranks, however, he may well bring the would-be warrior under his tutelage without the knowledge or permission of his superior officers.

A closed book to the Decepticons, Spinister is a dark menace to his Autobot enemies. Often, the first warning of his approach is the gentle note of a detonating fusion bomb or the delightful hiss of metal boiling away under an assault of charged particles from his beam cannon. How he is so terribly sneaky is unclear, but rumor has it that he has beaten the Romulans by centuries and developed a cloaking device. However, if he has, he hasn't spoken to anybody about it.

Quiet and mysterious, that's how he likes to be and how he intends to stay. Speaking his mind would prevent the whole mysterious, shadow-warrior thing from working. One must wonder how much even his binary-bonded companions know about him.

Also, his name is cooler than [[Slayride]] and [[Sinnertwin (G1)|Sinnertwin]] combined.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:HuntingParty-Mayhem Attack Squad small.JPG|left|250px|thumb|Dammit, why does someone always have to ruin a perfectly good group shot with a wussy thought bubble??]]
''Spinister was recruited into the new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] by [[Snarler]], and placed in charge of training and grading other new recruits to the squad. During a training exercise, a fresh-new warrior named [[Needlenose]] went AWOL in the middle of a battle. Spinister went after him, knowing the desertion was punishable by death in the Decepticon Army. He saw promise in the young soldier, though, and so instead faked having difficulty against an Autobot drone he was fighting. Spinister hoped that seeing him in danger would force Needlenose to act, and he was right. Needlenose came back and fought off the drone to "save" Spinister. Because of this, Spinister ignored his temporary loss of courage in the official report, and nominated Needlenose for full membership in the Mayhems, and their mission to hunt down the traitors [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] and [[Catilla]]. {{storylink|The Hunting Party}}''

''Arriving on Earth, the Mayhems confronted Carnivac separately from his new Autobot comrades in the [[Survivors]], and ran him to ground. {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} Seeing Carnivac's newfound care for fleshlings, Spinister opened fire into a crowd, committing Carnivac to taking the fire himself in order to protect the humans. Stunned by the gunfire, Carnivac lay wounded as Spinister transformed and was about to pass sentence on him. His fellow traitor Catilla leapt out from nowhere, however, spoiling Spinister's aim. Bludgeon managed to impale the new arrival with his sword, but the Mayhems were then driven off by the Survivors before they could finish Carnivac off as well. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}''

[[Image:ThunderwingComic.jpg|left|210px|thumb|Now this is a group shot to instil fear]]
As a top-ranking member of the Mayhem Attack Squad, Spinister joined Needlenose, [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Windsweeper]] in serving their commander, [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], on his quest to possess the Autobots' [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. The Mayhems clashed with several Autobot teams on their mission, and Thunderwing's obsession became more pronounced as time went on, and Spinister became less and less willing to serve under such a madman. On the planet [[VsQs]], Thunderwing abandoned Windsweeper to his fate when the Matrix-spawn creature attacked, more focused on his prize than a fellow Decepticon. When their leader ran off chasing the creature, Spinister held back his fellow Mayhems, telling them it was their duty to look after the injured Windsweeper, and let Thunderwing deal with his own business.

[[Image:Matrix quest spinister-shot.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Few people get along with their bosses.]]
After Thunderwing captured the Matrix and arranged for his team to infiltrate the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' aboard a stolen shuttle, he quickly found the Matrix's own corrupted persona waxing control over his own mind. Spinister tried to warn him of the madness taking over, only to have Thunderwing fire on his own troop. The shock of having shot one of his loyal soldiers drove home the point for Thunderwing, but it was too late, and the Matrix completely overtook his thoughts. After the Autobots managed to drive Thunderwing out of the ship and into the vacuum of space, Spinister and the Mayhems gave up without a fight, wanting no more violence that day. {{storylink|Matrix Quest}}
{{-}}

====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[Image:Where wolf death small.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Entered the No-Spinister Zone.]]
''While Carnivac was still seeking revenge for Catilla's murder, Spinister and the others set up an island base on Earth while preparing for their next strike. The cowardly Needlenose got on everyone's nerves, though, when the waiting weighed on his circuits enough to compel him to stage a mock emergency drill and test the Mayhems' response time, just in case Carnivac came looking for him. Spinister gave Needlenose a stern rebuke after that, warning him that the next incident would cost him his life. As it turned out, Carnivac HAD infiltrated the base during the commotion, and Needlenose's next round of genuine emergency calls were left unheeded. {{storylink|Cry Wolf!}} The wolf's next strike on Bludgeon did not go as quietly, and he drew the attention of the rest of the base. Instead of risking himself in close-quarters combat, Carnivac's forte, Spinister wisely chose to blast the traitor from a distance, apparently destroying him. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} The Mayhems were then forced to defend themselves against the combined might of the Survivors and [[Earthforce]], who had come to rescue Carnivac from his insane mission of vengeance. While Bludgeon and the others charged head first into battle, Spinister saw no gain in a warrior's suicide, and attempted to slip away. Unfortunately for him, only Carnivac's shell had been destroyed earlier, and the robot within had survived to take his vengeance on the Mayhems, shooting Spinister, crushing Snarler and then assisting the Earthforce in capturing the remaining Decepticons. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}''
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics===
[[Image:WorldsCollide3 Spinister1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|WE'RE GONNA GET SENT TO THE BAD PLACE!]]
In one of many alternate realities, Spinister (or a mech matching his description) was one of the few [[Over-Run (Armada)|survivors]] of [[Unicron]]'s attack on that universe's [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and has become little more than a gibbering half-insane emotional wreck as a result. When [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] is accidentally transported into this reality, Spinister tells him about Unicron and what he did. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 2 of 4}} When Unicron returns soon after Prime's arrival, Spinister welcomes his oblivion with open arms, and is drawn into the Chaos Bringer's open maw and destroyed. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4}}

{{note|"Spinister" was never named in the "Worlds Collide" storyline, though the name is [[Easter egg|spelled in katakana]] on the character's helicopter mode kibble. It is not known if this version of the character had [[Targetmaster]] partners, but as he was never shown with weapons, they likely predeceased him if they existed in this [[micro-continuity]].}}

===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightBlaster Spinister.jpg|left|150px|thumb|How exactly am I flying?]]
Back before the war, Spinister appeared in the crowd cheering Megatron's first pit fight. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2}} It is unknown whether he joined the Decepticons at their inception or became part of the movement later on after the conquest of [[Kaon]]. Much later, Spinister was working under [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] on Cybertron, shortly after the Battle of [[Thunderhead Pass]]. He was part of the last major push for territory on the planet before it became uninhabitable. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}} In the present day, Spinister still served with the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] leader as part of the crew aboard the starship ''[[Thanatos]]''. He followed [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] and the other flying Decepticons into battle with Thunderwing on Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Spinister toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Inyuk-chuk!]]
*'''Spinister''' (Targetmaster, 1988)
**''Accessories'': Hairsplitter and Singe Targetmaster partners/guns

: Spinister transforms into a rather busily-coloured [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|AH-64 Apache attack helicopter]]. His Targetmaster partners [[Singe]] and [[Hairsplitter]] can be attached onto peg holes on the underside of his wings. The rotors spin, but the main rotor tends to fold back into its storage mode when turned.

==Trivia==
* Spinister, like all the [[Targetmaster|Double Targetmasters]], was never released in Japan.
* After more than 20 years without a re-use of the name, in 2009 Hasbro finally released a second [[Spinister (ROTF)|Spinister]] in the [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|ROTF toyline]] as part of the "War for the Skies" [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)#Store_exclusives|Kmart exclusive]] four-pack. Although the ROTF toy has a purple trim like his G1 counterpart, pink has been dropped, presumably because pink is a [[Female Transformer|girl's]] colour.

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Decepticon/Spinister/spinister.htm Spinister at TFU.info]
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Spinister Spinister's Marvel Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Mayhem Attack Squad]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]

Redeco

2009-07-31T15:25:42Z

82.7.117.79: /* Popular redeco themes */ pic

[[Image:Redeco.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It may be a surprise to some that these three toys are actually the same toy but in three different color schemes! Crafty.]]
A '''redeco''', or recolor, is a toy which uses the same [[mold]]s as a previously-released toy, but has been reproduced with different plastic colors and/or different paint applications. A redeco can either be officially marketed as the same [[character]] in different colors, or as a different character.

For example: the first three ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], are redecos.

A redeco uses exactly the same tools or molds as the original toy. If any changes have been made, even something as simple as giving the toy a different head or additional pegs for locking body parts into place, it is more properly categorized as a [[retool]].

The term "[[repaint]]" is also in wide use among fans as a synonym for "redeco". "Redeco", however, is the term used by the people on [[Hasbro]]'s ''Transformers'' team. Additionally, the term "repaint" is technically wrong in almost all instances of a same-mold-new-colors toy, as typically more than the paint applications are changed when a toy is redecoed.

==Why redecos?==
[[Image:Encoreratchetemergencygreen.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Some people just don't know when to stop]]
The single most expensive step in making a Transformers toy is making the steel-cut [[mold]]s required to hold then cool molten plastic. Add to this the salaries of the designers and engineers, and there is a very considerable expense involved in making a single new-mold toy. Many of these development expenses are not involved in making a redeco, giving the company a chance to make a larger profit on a single mold and put more product on the shelves with a smaller investment.

Another reason is that the toy market moves far, far faster today than it did when the line first started. Retailers do not like product to linger, and shipping older toys in new assortments can give the impression that some items simply do not sell. (Of course, [[Shelfwarmer|some don't anyway]], but that's beside the point.) With this much shorter sales window in mind, companies use redecos to keep molds in use longer (to help make back the money spent in development plus a worthwhile profit), and oftentimes keep popular characters still in circulation while maintaining a "fresh" look on the shelves, making the retailers happy. Retools have a much longer development lead time than redecos, even for small parts. It may not cost much more to give a reused mold a new robot mode head, but timing concerns may be the deciding factor in choosing to redeco the old one.<ref>[http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=11518 Hasbro Q&A at cybertron.ca]</ref>

Members of the [[Hasbro]] Transformers team have repeatedly pointed out that they never expected anyone to ''buy'' all the redecoes made; [[Aaron Archer]] was apparently baffled by the premise.

==Redecoes as exclusives==
Most [[exclusive]] toys, be they for conventions<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/50ee7c561e688de7/50b5edb5139f83a1?lnk=st&&rnum=7&hl=en#50b5edb5139f83a1 Tengu explains why convention toys aren't new molds, alt.toys.transformers post archived on Google]</ref> or stores, are redecos and [[Retool|retools]] of previously-released toys. (With just one exception, all exclusives that used previously-unreleased molds are toys that had been developed for normal retail but were temporarily in "limbo" when their intended toylines were ended. The one exception, [[Swerve (Chevy)|Aveo Swerve]], was a new mold produced for a gigantic multinational corporation.)

The simple reason for this is, again, cost; making the steel molds is prohibitively expensive, as well as the engineering and so forth. Because most exclusives are produced in numbers far less than a normal retail toy, there are less units to amortize what production costs ''do'' remain, which means the toys must either sell for more to cover costs and make a worthwhile profit, or the profit margin per item must be reduced, or even both at once.

While it is certainly not outside the realm of possibility that a major retail chain might get a new-mold toy as an exclusive (as they can move thousands and thousands of units nationwide over several months), the odds of a convention getting one are almost nonexistent due to these cost considerations, as the production runs of these toys rarely reach even 1000. At most, therefore, one can expect a few [[Retool|retools]] of select parts from a toy, often a new-mold robot mode head.

==Popular redeco themes==
[[Image:Bruticus redecos.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Not [[knock off]]s.....]]
Redecos can be marketed either as the same [[character]] in different colors, or as a different character. For both versions, some recurring themes have been established between Hasbro and Takara.
===Popular same-character redeco themes===
*Black redecos, particularly of [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] or [[Optimus Primal]] that are ''not'' [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] or [[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]].
*"Fire"-themed redecos.
*Metallic redecos, particularly gold or silver [[vacuum metallizing|chromed]] (often used for [[Lucky Draw figure]]s).
*''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[homage]] redecos of toys that originally sport different decos than the ''Generation 1'' characters they share a name with.
*Clear redecos, sometimes inspired by specific character abilities or plots (such as ''Generation 1'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage's]] invisibility or [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] as a ghost).
*Mostly black (color-reversed) "Stealth", "Elite Guard" or "Bolt" redecos of [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]]
*Gray, blue and black "Nightwatch" redecos of Optimus Prime.
*Gray, blue and black "Recon" or "Patrol" redecos of ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]].

===Popular redeco characters===
Some redecos of toys of a certain character are frequently designed to be one or several certain other characters. Some of those different-character redeco themes are directly rooted in ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'', while others are indirectly inspired by ''Generation 1'', and others are more recent additions to the Transformers lore. Some well-known examples include:
*[[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] into [[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnus]] and/or [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]]/[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]].
*[[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]] into [[Cliffjumper (disambiguation)|Cliffjumper]].
*[[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] into [[Ricochet (disambiguation)|Ricochet]].
*[[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (disambiguation)|Thundercracker]], [[Skywarp (disambiguation)|Skywarp]], [[Ramjet (disambiguation)|Ramjet]], [[Dirge (disambiguation)|Dirge]], [[Thrust (disambiguation)|Thrust]] and [[Sunstorm (disambiguation)|Sunstorm]] as redecos/[[retool]]s of each other.
{{Note|Usually, a new toy is first released as Starscream, and then redecoed into one or more of the other characters; however, exceptions exist. Thus far, though, the first use of a sculpt has never been released as Sunstorm.}}
*''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Bluestreak|Bluestreak/Silverstreak]] and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] as redecos/retools of each other.
*Furthermore, other [[Smokescreen (disambiguation)|Smokescreens]] as redecos of other sports car toys (''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]], ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]).
*On a similar note, [[Swerve (disambiguation)|Swerve]] as a red redeco/retool of other sports car toys (''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]], ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]]).
*[[Ironhide (disambiguation)|Ironhide]] and [[Ratchet (disambiguation)|Ratchet]] as redecos/retools of each other.
*''Generation 1'' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] as redecos/retools of each other.
{{Note|Usually comes in the combinations Sideswipe/Sunstreaker or Sideswipe/Red Alert. No Sunstreaker/Red Alert combos without Sideswipe as a connection between them exist so far. Also, Red Alert is always released as a redeco/retool of Sideswipe, never the other way round.}}
*''Generation 1'' [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] as redecos of each other.
*[[Laserbeak (disambiguation)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (disambiguation)|Buzzsaw]] as redecos of each other.
*''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] into ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]].
*[[Whirl (disambiguation)|Whirl]] as a redeco of various helicopter toys.

==See also==
*[[Repaint]]
*[[Retool]]
*[[Gang-molding]]
*[[Paint operation]]

==Notes and References==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]