In order to fill out the Decepticon ranks of the first series of Generation 1 in 1984, Hasbro elected to include a number of Takara’s cassette designs in a variety of colors sold in two-packs. Frenzy was packed with Laserbeak, later packed with Ratbat, and he is blue.
Frenzy, like many early Transformers toys, originated in the Takara Microman: Microchange line. He was designed by Takashi Matsuda and released as MC01 MicroCassette Robo Blue Micross. This toy was also available as the Red Micross, as well as an unnamed Micross packed in with Microcassette Robo Cassette Man (who would later become Frenzy’s Transformer brother Rumble). These toys included a small, transparent tape case with a paper insert that was omitted for the Transformers release. His US Patent, titled Combined reconfigurable toy cassette and box (aka Transformers G1 Frenzy), was filed on December 18, 1982 (U.S. Patent No. USD288221 S). Frenzy transforms into a Blue Olympus Type IV “Metal” MC60 Microcassette, in a real-life scale. The front of the cassette is detailed with stickers that fairly realistically depict the printing on a Microcassette, including the edges of the two tape reels as seen through a window, with a playback time gauge included below. Stickers were also used to represent the holes for the cassette player’s pins, but actual holes (complete with a molded-in “tooth” look) are present for the player’s drive spindles. The back of the cassette mode is molded in dark blue plastic, and decorated with a large number of molded-in robot mode details. Frenzy’s transformation is fairly simple, but produces a surprisingly well-proportioned robot from the tiny rectangular form. He is decorated with a few stickers, and some of the raised details on his chest and abdomen are vacuum-metalized. He includes two chrome weapons which may be pegged into the cassette drive holes on his back, with protrusions on the guns forming “wings” on Frenzy’s shoulders. The guns may also be clipped over Frenzy’s hands, though on the opposite side from their wing usage.
Frenzy is not particularly study, due to the small nature of all his joints and pieces. His most common complaint, however, is the spring-loaded head. The spring that lifts the head into place for robot mode may be too weak, or become twisted, causing the head to sag into the chest. In other cases, the head may become too loose to stay in its track, and get lost, or at best, the spring will not be present. Furthermore, the fins on his guns used to attach them to his arms are prone to breakage. Like most of his brethren, Frenzy has copious production variations over the course of his release run. In addition to the move to rubsigns for all 1985 characters, earlier versions of Frenzy feature metal toes and elbows, and a specialized screw-like fastener for his arm joints. In mid-1985, the metal parts were replaced with black plastic, the special fasteners were replaced with normal rivets. His guns were also available in gold chrome at the beginning of 1986, when he was packaged with Ratbat, but then reverted to silver at the same time all 1986 Mini Cassettes switched from the rich gold color back to silver. Finally, during the 1987 reissue of the Frenzy/Ratbat set, Frenzy lost his long shin stickers as part of the move away from sticker decor for all Mini Cassettes. Since accessories are not precisely packed with the matching production era of the figure in the factory, notes on Frenzy’s guns are best-guess deductions. Similarly, some variant numbers may not match between factory-packed Frenzy and his partner figures.
Frenzy debuted in the US and UK in 1984, packaged with Laserbeak. Like all 1984 Decepticons, Frenzy was available again in 1985 with a rubsign placed directly below the simulated tape reel window, and omitting the foil Decepticon logo on his abdomen. He was also introduced in Japan this time, albeit packed solo and including the clear tape case omitted from his Western releases. Due to the continued popularity of the character (or absence of newly-designed replacements), he continued to be available in 1986, although packaged with Ratbat instead of Laserbeak. Frenzy was reissued in Japan as part of the Transformers Encore line in the set The Great Cassette Operation Vol. 3 with Rumble, Laserbeak, and Overkill. This version replaced almost all of the detail stickers with tampographed paint operations, and may have used repaired or re-created molds, as there are notable differences on the head and guns.
Frenzy’s mold was first used in Takara’s 1983 Microchange MC01 MicroCassette Robo Micross in two versions: Blue Micross and Red Micross. A third Micross, sold only with Cassette Man, was released in 1984 as Rumble. The mold was redecoed like the Red Micross in 2012 to make Enemy for Takara’s Transformers Encore line. A very similar mold was used to make the “Enemy” robot glued to the Nasta AM Radio & Headset which led to the fan name Enemy being later applied to the Encore redeco. FUNCTION: WARRIOR
Origins
Description
Date stamp location: None (very early 1984), bottom edge of sticker-decorated tape front (early 1984-), also top left corner (1985-)
Rubsign location: None (1984), or bottom center of sticker-decorated tape front (1985-)Collector Notes
Variants
Type 1: Japan (on bottom of center sticker), pre-rub, metal toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, screwed elbows, silver non-numbered guns (with T1 Laserbeak)
Type 2: ©Takara Japan, pre-rub, metal toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, screwed elbows, silver non-numbered guns (with T2 Laserbeak)
Type 3: ©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1983, pre-rub, metal toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, screwed elbows, silver (non-numbered?) guns (with T3 or T4 Laserbeak)
Type 4: ©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1983, with rub, metal toes and hinges, stickered shins, blue on front stickers, screwed elbows, silver guns (with T5 or T6 Laserbeak)
Type 5: ©Hasbro '83 ©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1983, with rub, metal toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, screwed elbows, silver guns (with T7 or T8 Laserbeak)
Type 6: ©Hasbro '83 ©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1983, with rub, plastic toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, screwed elbows, gold guns (with T1 Ratbat)
Type 7: ©Hasbro '83 ©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1983, with rub, plastic toes and hinges, stickered shins, purple on front stickers, riveted elbows, silver guns (with T2 Ratbat)
Type 8: ©Hasbro '83 ©Takara Co. Ltd. Macau 1983, post-rub, plastic toes and hinges, unstickered shins, blue on front stickers, riveted elbows, silver guns (with T3 Ratbat)
Availability
Case Assortments (Item#/Asst#): 1984-1985: Mini Cassettes Assortment 1 (E5732/5730), 12 per 24; 1986: Mini Cassettes Assortment 2 (G5933/5733), 6 per 24; 1987: Mini Cassettes Assortment 3 (G5933/5734), 4 per 24
MSRP: $5.99
Packaging: Blister card with instructions and Tech Spec on back
Robot Points: 1 Decepticon
Paperwork included:“Look Inside for a Special Offer!” (1985), “Inside… A Transformer not Sold in Any Store!” (1986)Redecos & Retools
Character Bio
“Sow panic and surrender will bloom.”
If FRENZY needed to breathe, war would be his oxygen. He knows no cause, only craves to spread fear and destruction. His devotion to warfare makes him hard to deal with on a personal level. Can roll his drums to produce high-pitch grating sound of 200db. Disorients and disrupts electrical flow in opponent"s circuitry which makes them malfunction. Physically weak. His manic attack can be countered with cool logic.
STRENGTH
INTELLIGENCE
SPEED
ENDURANCE
RANK
COURAGE
FIREPOWER
SKILL
3
9
5
9
6
6
1
10
