By the tail end of the first series of Generation 1 in 1984, Hasbro brought a classic marketing method to bear: mail-away exclusive toys. By mailing in $3 and two “Robot Points” cut from Transformers packaging, one could receive a random Powerdasher such as the unofficially-named Sky Dasher, a black, red, and chrome sci-fi jet.
Origins
Like so many early Autobots, Sky Dasher started life in 1982 in Takara's Diaclone, which is also the origin of his unofficial name Sky Dasher. This version featured a small die-cast and plastic driver that could sit in the open cockpit of the car mode. Sky Dasher was designed by Iwakichi Ogawa and the US Patent, titled Reconfigurable toy car (aka Transformers G1 Sky Dasher) was filed on July 29, 1983 (U.S. Patent No. USD278643 S).
Description
The jet Powerdasher transforms into a presumably Cybertronian jet of some sort. The jet is primarily black, with an open cockpit seat, and small black wheels under the nose, and yellow wheels with rubber tires in back. The jet mode is further distinguished by a chrome nose section, chrome wings, and black engines alongside the main body. Like all Powerdashers, Sky Dasher features a pull-back motor that can make the jet race forward. The transformation is very simple, and fairly obvious. The engines fold down as the legs, the nose splits to form the arms, revealing the head. The robot mode looks very like the car mode, with the addition of chrome thighs and a stickered-on face.
Collector Notes
Sky Dasher is a simple and sturdy figure, and not prone to any specific breakage. However, the large areas of chrome are very prone to wear, often revealing mismatched underlying plastic colors.
Variants
Sky Dasher does not have any notable variations.
Availability
Sky Dasher was available in the “Reinforcements from Cybertron!” flyer in 1984, and again in 1985's “The battle is far from over!” flyer.
.Redecos & Retools
Sky Dasher was originally released in 1982 in Diaclone with blue instead of black, additional stickers, and a pilot. The Diaclone version was released in the US under in Diakron as Cromar with a different pilot figure in 1984, marking the first use of the "Powerdasher" moniker.
