Blaster (G1)/toys
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Blaster doesn't share as many toys with Soundwave as you might think.
Toys
The Transformers
- Blaster (Autobot, 1985/1986/1990)
- Takara ID number: 38
- Accessories: Electro-scrambler gun
- Rather huge by the typical standards of Generation 1 Transformers, Blaster transforms into a miniature "ghetto blaster" boombox. He features spring-loaded buttons: when pressed, his "start" button stays in the depressed position until his "stop" button is pressed, while pressing the "eject" button pops open his tape door, which can store a single Mini-Cassette Transformer. Due to what was presumably a common internal misassembly issue, many original Blasters had doors which would not open when the eject button is pressed, nor would the other buttons work. Blaster has rather limited useful articulation, located in his neck and shoulders.
- Early versions of Blaster have a back panel that can be removed (with great difficulty) to reveal an empty compartment that originally stored the tape on his Microman source, as the chest door contained the radio. Many reissues retain this while some have omitted it.
- Blaster was reissued in his original packaging in Australia in 1990. Other reissues with different packaging would follow, and are listed below.
- Twincast (Autobot, 1987)
- ID number: C-116
- Accessories: Steeljaw, Electro-Scrambler Gun
- For this Japanese-exclusive release, Blaster was redecoed into a new blue, yellow, and red color scheme vaguely remincient of the mold's original Microman release (see "Notes" below). Like his contemporary redeco Soundblaster, his chest door was retooled in order to accommodate two cassettes at once, and changed from colorless clear plastic to translucent red as part of a gimmick with his pack-in partner, Steeljaw. This version of Steeljaw sports a new decal depicting Scorponok, which reveals the Decepticon's weak spot when placed behind Twincast's red door, working in the same manner as a Tech Specs decoder.
- Blaster with Flight-Pack (Action Master, 1990)
- Accessories: "Flight-Pack" backpack, "tractor beam electron gun"
- Part of the second wave of individually-carded Action Masters, Action Master Blaster (not to be confused with the "Action Master Blasters" price-point) is a 3 3/4-inch non-transforming action figure compatible with any other Action Master vehicle or accessory. His design is based largely on his cartoon model, with elements from the toy added (most notably his eyeguard).
- He came with the "Flight-Pack" accessory, which converts from a winged jetpack to a massive "electro-scrambler" cannon.
Binaltech Asterisk
- Broadblast meets Lumina (Binaltech, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: BTA03
- Accessories: Engine/gun, Lumina Hoshi with stand, driving arms and driving legs
- A redeco of Alternators Skids (using his frequent redeco Crosscut's colors), Broadblast transforms into a 1:24 scale Toyota bB, aka the Scion xB. He has working doors, hood, and trunk, plus his engine becomes a non-firing weapon. He also comes with an extra decal sheet, which includes signs for "TBN" which possibly stands for "Transformers Broadcast Network" or some such; there is Japanese text on the labels as well, but it's really tiny and hard to make out.
- He came with a PVC-plastic figurine of the human newsgirl Lumina Hoshi.
The Transformers Collection
- Broadcast (reissue, 2006)
- ID number: 21
- Accessories: Steeljaw, Electro-scrambler gun, cassette case
- Blaster's first reissue was the final instalment in Takara's The Transformers Collection line of re-released Generation 1 toys. He features no notable changes from his original release, save for the fact that he comes packaged with Steeljaw, where his original release had gone without any pack-in partners.
Collector's Edition
- Twincast (2006)
- ID number: C-116
- Accessories: Flip Sides, Electro-scrambler gun, cassette case
- Twincast's first reissue was available as part of the Collector's Edition line exclusively through online retailer e-HOBBY, designed, as most e-HOBBY exclusives were at the time, to accompany the mass-release of the standard reissue of the original Blaster. Though Twincast was unusual in that he was a pre-existing character, where the previous few years' worth of e-HOBBY exclusive redecos had been new characters, he did come packaged with a new partner: a redeco of the Eject/Rewind mold named Flip Sides. The notable difference from the original Twincast was the absence of an Autobot sigil on his left upper arm. At the time, rather than feature unique packaging, all e-HOBBY exclusives came in a generic box in Autobot red or Decepticon purple; oddly, Twincast came in a Decepticon box, but since Flip Sides was characterized as a Decepticon sleeper agent, it just about made sense.
Universe (2008)
- Autobot Blaster with Blockrock Mini-Con! (Voyager, 2008)
- Series: Classic Series
- Accessories: Tri-barrel "particle feedback blaster"/bomb, double-barrel "harmonic wave cannon"/bomb, Cybertron Autobot Cyber Key
- Blaster is a redeco of Cybertron Soundwave, transforming into a Cybertronic stealth bomber vaguely like an F-117A Nighthawk prototype, the Have Blue. He comes with three hexagonal prism "bombs"; one converts into his partner Blockrock, the other two unfold into non-firing blaster weapons. Any one of these "bombs" can be stored in his robot mode chest, which opens by plugging a Cyber Key into him; Blaster comes with a translucent black, gunmetal-bordered Cybertron-style Autobot key, in contrast to the Planet X key that came with Soundwave. The other two bombs store in indents on the underside of his wings.
- His packaging art shows him with only half of his chest-door as clear-blue, emulating the original toy design's tape-window, but the final product (and stock photography) show the blue all the way across. However, his visor does have red paint to simulate the "goggle visor" look of the original toy and Marvel comics model.
- This mold was also used to make Galaxy Force Soundblaster.
- Autobot Blaster (2010)
- Series: G1 Series
- Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun
- This reissue of Blaster comes with Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and Eject. Released as part of the 2008 Universe toyline, the packaging also has a special foil-detailed outer slip case. Blaster is technically a slight redeco, having metal-flake beige legs instead of metallic-swirl silver.
- This set was officially a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive and was, in typical tradition, first made available at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 and subsequently also sold via the Hasbro Toy Shop website. In addition, it was also made available at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong Fair 2010, and was later released at FanExpo Canada 2010.
Device Label
- Broad Blast (7/24/2010)
- Accessories: USB cable
- Device Label "Broad Blast" (renamed for reasons unknown) transforms into a replica Toshiba Qosmio laptop computer, complete with flip-up screen. In both modes(!) he is a fully functional USB hub (USB 1.1-2.0 compatible), with four "Type A" ports, and a single "Mini A" port. He comes with an exceedingly short Mini-A-to-Type-A cable, which you're probably gonna want to replace if you're gonna use him with a desktop computer setup.
- In robot mode, his chest is designed to accommodate the original Mini-Cassette toys, though they cannot stay in there in laptop mode, due to Broad Blast's head being inside his chest in this form. He has 5 mm fist holes, which means he can use the original Blaster toy's rifle if you so wish.
- Early stock imagery showed him with a Windows XP home screen on his monitor portion, but the final toy instead uses a red screen with the Autobot symbol.
- Originally scheduled for release in late 2009, Broad Blast was delayed until July 2010. According to a report from getnews.jp at the Tokyo Toy Show 2010, the delay was due to the discovery of a connection cut-off problem after the toy/USB hub is transformed into robot mode. TakaraTomy redesigned the entire lower body to fix this problem.[1]
Encore
- Twincast (2012)
- Japanese ID number: 22
- Accessories: Nightstalker, Stripes, electro-scrambler, two mini-cassette cases
- Twincast was available again as part of TakaraTomy's Transformers Encore series of reissues. For this release of Twincast, the techno detailing of his door is smoothed over for cartoon accuracy. Also to add to cartoon accuracy, his face is colored in a metallic yellow with metallic light blue eyes instead of silver with gold eyes. All of the original Twincast's stickers have been replaced with tampographed detailing for this release, including a large Autobot symbol on his chest (where the techno detail was present on previous releases). Twincast also features a darker blue from the previous releases as well as a different shade of yellow for his tape deck door.
- Twincast came with Nightstalker and Stripes.
- This toy was redecoed into Shattered Glass Blaster.
Generations
Fall of Cybertron
- Autobot Blaster (Voyager Class, 2012)
- Series / Number: 1 / 004
- Japanese ID number: TG17
- Accessories: Steeljaw/data disc, rifle
Fall of Cybertron Blaster was repurposed as Cloud Blaster.
- Part of the second wave of 2012 Voyager Class Generations Fall of Cybertron toys, "Autobot Blaster" is a redeco and retool of Fall of Cybertron Soundwave, with a new, grinning head, as well as a new chest, wheels, and weapon. He transforms into an SUV-style "communications truck", and comes with a rifle which is based on Generation 1 Blaster's electro-scrambler. The rifle can peg (via 5 mm post) into his hands, right shoulder, and roof/back, and the rifle itself features a peg-hole on each side.
- He also comes with Legends Class Steeljaw, who is a redeco/retool of Ravage, and utilizes Blaster's main gimmick, which is that he is capable of storing and launching Steeljaw and other "data disc" minions. When a button to the left of his head is pressed, his spring-loaded chest compartment is opened, allowing up to three data discs to be stored inside. When the disc/s is/are stored, his back panel/roof now acts as a plunger, and pushing/sliding on this plunger in either mode launches the disc/s out of his chest compartment, wherein they will land on and depress the buttons on their undersides, thus triggering their spring-loaded transformation mechanisms and springing them into action! ...Hopefully.
- As an undocumented feature, the seat on his vehicle roof holds Diaclone drivers (and by virtue of similar sizes, Star Wars Transformers pilots). Additionally, Blaster's trigger finger is molded into his left hand, presumably so he can push his own eject button.
- His chest insignia is the live-action film series "angry eyes" Autobot symbol. Also, his stock photography depicts him with black antennae that are red on the final product, while his instructions reuse Soundwave's image for the "completed" robot mode.
Platinum Edition
- Autobot Intel Ops (2015)
- Accessories: Concussion rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles, 6 slides, slide holder
- Hasbro again released Blaster in 2015 as part of the Platinum Edition toyline. He was co-packed with Perceptor, Eject, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw in a box with an opening front cover. Like the Universe reissue, Blaster features metal-flake beige legs.
- In the United States, this set was officially a Target exclusive, though it was initially only ever found at a single Target store, otherwise only available via the company's website. It was later revealed that multiple Target stores had kept it in their stockroom and eventually put it out on instant clearance many months later. However, it was also stocked by US-based online retailers BigBadToyStore and TFSource, who supposedly obtained it as an import from Asia. It was available in several of Hasbro's Asian markets (namely Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore; it's currently unknown whether it was exclusive to any particular stores there or not). In Australia, it was sold at Toys"R"Us stores.
- In the United Kingdom, it was both sold at Toys"R"Us stores and officially available via the UK division of Amazon, making this the first official UK release of all the toys contained within! In Spain, it was officially available via the Spanish division of Amazon. In Germany, it was originally available via Bankroft, an online retailer that otherwise specializes in Nerf blasters and accessories, as part of a special "Fan Edition" arrangement through Hasbro Germany, with the help of several German fan sites. Due to low sales, the unsold stock was later sold to Actionfiguren24, a German online retailer that specializes in imported toys, who was able to lower its price for its existing stock of imported Autobot Intel Ops sets as a result.
Titans Return
- Twin Cast & Autobot Blaster (Leader Class, 2016)
- Accessories: Twin Cast Titan Master partner, rifle, "rocket-sled"/remote control
- Blaster is part of the first wave of Leader Class Titans Return figures, and comes with his Titan Master partner, Twin Cast, who transforms into his head. In addition to his classic robot and boombox alternate modes, he can also transform into a base mode that can link up to the other base modes in the toyline, and features numerous 5 mm mounting points for weapons and Titan Master vehicles and turrents, as well as tiny pegs to accommodate many other Titan Master figures. He includes a "rocket-sled" that is stylized to look like a remote for when Blaster is in boombox mode; it comes with a seat for a Titan Master pilot which forms the topmost turret of his base mode. The sled stores inside Blaster's chest compartment in other modes; a notch is cut into its underside to store Twin Cast while Blaster is in boombox mode. Blaster's chest compartment is also capable of holding Legends Class 'spy-tablet' figures, although this negates the ability to store Twin Cast in Boombox mode. He has several (non-functional) ports molded into his back and legs capable of accommodating real-life USB cables, headphone jacks, and power cables.
- Blaster's helmet, modeled after the Marvel comics design, is made of translucent plastic, which is painted everywhere except the visor. Despite this, the visor's placement does not vertically align with Twin Cast's eyes in head mode, leaving his brow the only thing visible. This was apparently done to evoke the appearance of black "shades".
- He was later redecoed and retooled into Titans Return Soundwave and Bumblebee Soundwave. He is mis-transformed in both his stock photography and in-package: his radio handle isn't collapsed down.
- Hilariously, one of the Chinese-English bilingual instructions showcasing Nemesis Command had Blaster's name written as "汽车人的枪“, which literally translates as "Autobot's Gun".
Masterpiece
- Tracks (2015)
- Japanese ID number: MP-25
- Masterpiece Tracks comes with a non-transforming Blaster boombox accessory in homage to the two Autobots' team-up in "Auto-Bop".
- This mold was also used to make Masterpiece Loudpedal's Sound Warrior.
- Road Rage (2015)
- Japanese ID number: MP-26
- Masterpiece Road Rage, a retool of Tracks, comes with a blue Twincast redeco of the boombox accessory.
Kre-O
- Kreon Class of '85 (Kreon figure set, 2015)
- Set number: B5152
- Voted: Most Popular
- Accessories: Large rifle
- Kre-O Blaster is a small brick-built Kreon figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body tampographs are heavily toy-based, but he has a cartoon-based face design.
- He was only available as part of the San Diego Comic-Con-exclusive "Kreon Class of '85" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through Hasbro Toy Shop after the show.
Legends
- Broadcast (Blaster)[2] (2016-09-24)
- ID number: LG27
- Accessories: Headmaster, rifle, spotlight/rocket-sled
- Legends Broadcast is a redeco of Titans Return Leader Class Blaster, and features a deco based on both his toy and cartoon appearances. Notably, his small Headmaster form's colors are based on Twincast, his rebuilt form, which results in a blue visor in robot mode.
Vintage G1
- Blaster (October 2020)
- Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun #2
- Vintage G1 Blaster is a cassette-less reissue of the Generation 1 toy, packaged in a nostalgic Generation 1-styled box. Unique to this release, the box better reflects traditional Vintage G1 boxes vs. more modern, thicker cardboard & features a plastic tray. This release appears to use bronze/beige coloring to the legs, as seen in the previous Universe (2008) and Platinum Edition releases. Unlike Vintage G1 Soundwave, Blaster includes a rubsign, which -as per usual with the line- has a mirror-like silver border and solid red symbol. This release also reflects production in Vietnam with a new mold reflecting this in addition to modern black ink markings. The included Electro-Scrambler Gun is a reuse of the #2 mold, and is difficult to tell apart from its vintage counterpart.
- Blaster prevailed over Skywarp in a Hasbro poll to choose a second Vintage G1 release to follow after Astrotrain, winning with 56% of the vote.
- In the United States and Canada, this figure, like all Vintage G1 releases, is exclusive to Walmart.
Merchandise
Transformers Gum
- Broadcast (model kit, 1986)
- Accessories: Electro-scrambler gun
- A snap-together model kit of Blaster was released by Kabaya as part of their Transformers Gum line of candy toys. Released in the third wave of the line and sculpted from red, grey and black plastic with a few stickers for detail, Blaster is broadly identical to his larger figure, right down to the moulded-in left-over details from his MicroChange release like his power switch and dials . There is one major difference: his chest does not open, so he can't store any of the tapes from Kabaya's smaller Transformers Choco line the way the Transformers Gum Soundwave can.
Decoy
- Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (multi-pack, 1986)
- Blaster was among the many characters rendered by Takara as part of their series of 1.5" keshigomu figurines. Like all the Autobots in the series, Blaster was molded in soft red rubber, and featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his Tech Specs, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines.
- Blaster was available as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in a variety of colours through "gachapon" capsule machines, and later, in a peach coloration randomly packed as part of various other box sets distributed by Seven.
- Blaster (Decoy, 1987)
- Decoy number: 29
- The figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots, and Technobots
Attacktix
- Blaster (Booster,
2007)
- Blaster was likely to have been one of several Transformers Attacktix Booster pieces, using a powerful spring-loaded "blaster" missile launcher attack. Though displayed as part of the Attacktix display at the Star Wars "Celebration IV" convention, he —and all the other pieces revealed at the show— were ultimately never released.
 Game over. |
Robot Heroes
- Blaster and Thrust (2008)
- Part of the third wave of Universe Robot Heroes, "Generation 1 Series" Blaster comes packaged with Thrust. He has the standard shoulders-and-neck articulation. His headsculpt is more toy-based than cartoon-based, featuring his "goggles" (even though his eyes kind of pop out from them).
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
- The Epic Conclusion! box set (2013)
- An exclusive release for San Diego Comic-Con 2013, this is a non-transforming Blaster boombox with cassette pieces representing Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and Eject. The set also comes with a retooled Skystriker representing Jetfire, a G.I. Joe VAMP redecoed into Hound, a new Snake-Eyes figure bearing an Autobot symbol, a Baroness figure with Ravage on a leash, and a "samurai robot warrior" based on Bludgeon.
- The box set was announced via a USA Today article on June 5, 2013, along with Hasbro's other Comic-Con exclusives.
Tiny Titans
- Autobot Blaster (Tiny Titans, 2016)
- Series: 5
- Number: 2/12
- Part of the fifth assortment of Tiny Titans blindpacks, this version of Blaster is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in robot mode.
- He includes a collectible card that renders him in the 2015 Robots in Disguise styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the Robots in Disguise mobile game, which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.
Transformers Trading Card Game
- Blaster, Communications (2019)
- Blaster vs. Soundwave: 35th Anniversary Edition
- Rarity: SRT
- Card Number: T01/T08
- Stars: 10
- Blaster, Communications was released in the Transformers Trading Card Game Blaster vs. Soundwave box set. The box also includes the character cards Soundwave, Communications, Eject, Electronic Surveillance, Ramhorn, Warrior, Steeljaw, Tracker, Buzzsaw, Spy, Frenzy, Warrior, and Ravage, Saboteur, along with two ready to play 40 card battle decks themed around both Blaster and Soundwave.
- The first release of this set was a 35th Anniversary Edition was initially released at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 alongside the TCG's Omnibot Convention Pack, and later available online on Hasbro Pulse. The 35th Anniversary Edition features throwback artwork, with the original G1 Blaster packaging art on the Bot Mode side, and original artwork matching the G1 packaging art aesthetic for Alt Mode. This original Alt Mode artwork was drawn by Marcelo Matere and colored by Brian Valeza.
- Blaster, Communications (2019)
- Blaster vs. Soundwave
- Rarity: SRT
- Card Number: T01/T08
- Stars: 10
- This version of Blaster, Communications was released as part of the general retail version of the Transformers Trading Card Game Blaster vs. Soundwave box set.
- Gameplay-wise the card is identical to the 35th Anniversary Edition of the set, and features different artwork reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game. The line-art for this version was drawn by Guido Guidi.
Notes
- Blaster began life as the Micro Change "Radi-Casse Robo" ("radio-cassette", you see), which was actually a functional AM radio. Though this feature was gutted from Blaster when he was released as part of the Transformers toyline, the original toy's power switch (on his right leg), earphone jack (on the back of his left leg) and tuning dial (on his chest) still remain, now as moulded, non-moving details. Even the toy's electro-scrambler gun is designed to serve as storage for the mono earphone which came with the toy, with the plug inserting into the stock, the cord winding around it, and the earphone itself tucking into the hole in the gun's main body. It was not the toy itself which was the radio; rather, the radio was a small "micro-cassette" which plugged into the toy's internal wiring when inserted into its chest, allowing it to play through the speakers in its legs in either mode. As the electronic equipment in the chest meant that the figure could not hold normal Micro Change cassettes there, it featured a compartment on its back which could hold a single tape instead. This compartment could still be found on some early releases of Blaster, though it was often mistaken by fans as a vestigial battery compartment, which was actually originally located in the toy's right leg.
References
- ↑ Get News.jp report on Device Label Broadblast
- ↑ The packaging says "ブロードキャスト" (Broadcast) in Japanese, but the accompanying English subtitle is "Blaster".
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- Unreleased Attacktix
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- Universe (2008)
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