Which G1 Scourge do you have? (Read before voting!)
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Which G1 Scourge do you have? (Read before voting!)
Yo!
I KNOW a lot of you probably own at least one G1 Scourge, so help me out here.
I've been looking to get a nice complete Targetmaster Scourge lately, and when Minerva and I were inspecting some feebay auctions recently, she pointed out a question of legitimacy of the originality of Targetmasters. Any variant hunters are probably aware of "Fred's Workshop", a compilation of information regarding variants on primarily G1 Figures. According to Fred, and before him, Alex Bickmore's SuperToyArchive, three main variants existed:
Non-Targetmaster, painted-top
Non-Targetmaster, sticker-top
Targetmaster.
After doing a little research of our own, including the two junker Targetmaster bodies I acquired with a collection recently, we suspect there are four variants:
V1: Non-Targetmaster, painted-top. Released contemporary to metal-toes Hot Rod and Rodimus, and metal/rubber Kup, this was in early releases of 1986 only. He is a pale blue with the raised center of his bathtub mode being painted dark blue, including the little ramp part in front of his face, and down around the edges. My middle 1986, he was superceded by:
V2: Non-Targetmaster, sticker-top. When variants went from metal to plastic in-line during '86, Scourge lost his painted blue raised portion. It was replaced by a paper-backed, glossy blue sticker that integrated the large 'Con symbol. The sticker seems to be covered in tiny white dots, where the blue ink does not cover completely, giving it an almost pixelated or newsprint look up-close. This was the most common variant, being produced until 1987 when
V3: Previously undocumented transitional variant superceded. This variant continues to be a very pale blue, but several other changes have occured. The top hole of the fists (but not the bottom!) have been bored out to accomodate the 5mm post of a Targetmaster partner. His head-hole (where the rocket accessory traditionally goes) was already 5mm, so it remains unchanged. The top sticker also receives a change: instead of being a flat blue with a glossy film coating over it, the sticker becomes a foil-backed metallic blue sticker, the same as what all the other stickers are printed on. (except, oddly, the "boomerang" shaped stickers at the front of bathtub mode). So now, instead of the newsprint-y blue with a glossy coating, the sticker looks more like a Spectraflame Hot Wheels car- metallic but not metalflake, and not quite the chrome-y look of vacuum-metalizing. Here's the other interesting twist: It seems like some (if not all) V3 Scourges have their rear engine-vent mounted wrong. the vent rides on two rings that loop around his shoulders. The vent is not centered on the rings, which allows the vent to sit over a raised portion of his back, while becoming perpendicular to his back. On the V3 transitional, the rings are upside down: the vent can't be folded down over the back, and won't fit in those notches on his wings. It therefore sits up at an odd angle behind his neck, rising up like some sort of Dracula collar. The weird thing is, this can't be fixed. I tore down one of my junkers that has this, and the arms, vent, and head are all mounted on the same axle, which can't be unstrung without cutting it, unless you're a machinist. This also means, contrary to my initial hunch, the error is not caused by aftermarket tampering. Luckily, this was soon corrected in:
V4: Standard Targetmaster Scourge. Like the old stickertop, this was an in-line change, and the more common version of Scourge. He features several notable changes. His casting remains entirely the same, though I have not seen ANY V4s with an upside-down vent. He retains the "Spectraflame" foil-backed top sticker. The biggest change is the pale blue plastic is replaced with a much deeper blueish-teal plastic. In other words, it looks closer to the plastic that Kup uses. I also suspect it yellows easier, due to the proportion of discolored teals I see compared to the pale blues. This also leads me to suspect that the V3 transitionals were built out of leftover parts from '86, in ONE plant, where the build instructions were misinterpreted by the person threading up that axle.
SO.
Check your scourge. Which do you have? If you have a V3, PLEASE tell us if your engine vent is upside down!
I KNOW a lot of you probably own at least one G1 Scourge, so help me out here.
I've been looking to get a nice complete Targetmaster Scourge lately, and when Minerva and I were inspecting some feebay auctions recently, she pointed out a question of legitimacy of the originality of Targetmasters. Any variant hunters are probably aware of "Fred's Workshop", a compilation of information regarding variants on primarily G1 Figures. According to Fred, and before him, Alex Bickmore's SuperToyArchive, three main variants existed:
Non-Targetmaster, painted-top
Non-Targetmaster, sticker-top
Targetmaster.
After doing a little research of our own, including the two junker Targetmaster bodies I acquired with a collection recently, we suspect there are four variants:
V1: Non-Targetmaster, painted-top. Released contemporary to metal-toes Hot Rod and Rodimus, and metal/rubber Kup, this was in early releases of 1986 only. He is a pale blue with the raised center of his bathtub mode being painted dark blue, including the little ramp part in front of his face, and down around the edges. My middle 1986, he was superceded by:
V2: Non-Targetmaster, sticker-top. When variants went from metal to plastic in-line during '86, Scourge lost his painted blue raised portion. It was replaced by a paper-backed, glossy blue sticker that integrated the large 'Con symbol. The sticker seems to be covered in tiny white dots, where the blue ink does not cover completely, giving it an almost pixelated or newsprint look up-close. This was the most common variant, being produced until 1987 when
V3: Previously undocumented transitional variant superceded. This variant continues to be a very pale blue, but several other changes have occured. The top hole of the fists (but not the bottom!) have been bored out to accomodate the 5mm post of a Targetmaster partner. His head-hole (where the rocket accessory traditionally goes) was already 5mm, so it remains unchanged. The top sticker also receives a change: instead of being a flat blue with a glossy film coating over it, the sticker becomes a foil-backed metallic blue sticker, the same as what all the other stickers are printed on. (except, oddly, the "boomerang" shaped stickers at the front of bathtub mode). So now, instead of the newsprint-y blue with a glossy coating, the sticker looks more like a Spectraflame Hot Wheels car- metallic but not metalflake, and not quite the chrome-y look of vacuum-metalizing. Here's the other interesting twist: It seems like some (if not all) V3 Scourges have their rear engine-vent mounted wrong. the vent rides on two rings that loop around his shoulders. The vent is not centered on the rings, which allows the vent to sit over a raised portion of his back, while becoming perpendicular to his back. On the V3 transitional, the rings are upside down: the vent can't be folded down over the back, and won't fit in those notches on his wings. It therefore sits up at an odd angle behind his neck, rising up like some sort of Dracula collar. The weird thing is, this can't be fixed. I tore down one of my junkers that has this, and the arms, vent, and head are all mounted on the same axle, which can't be unstrung without cutting it, unless you're a machinist. This also means, contrary to my initial hunch, the error is not caused by aftermarket tampering. Luckily, this was soon corrected in:
V4: Standard Targetmaster Scourge. Like the old stickertop, this was an in-line change, and the more common version of Scourge. He features several notable changes. His casting remains entirely the same, though I have not seen ANY V4s with an upside-down vent. He retains the "Spectraflame" foil-backed top sticker. The biggest change is the pale blue plastic is replaced with a much deeper blueish-teal plastic. In other words, it looks closer to the plastic that Kup uses. I also suspect it yellows easier, due to the proportion of discolored teals I see compared to the pale blues. This also leads me to suspect that the V3 transitionals were built out of leftover parts from '86, in ONE plant, where the build instructions were misinterpreted by the person threading up that axle.
SO.
Check your scourge. Which do you have? If you have a V3, PLEASE tell us if your engine vent is upside down!
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Don't get me wrong, even the most common (V2) Scourges are a hard piece to scare up, and we all know that he and his TM counterparts are more expensive than their contemporaries (like Cyclonus, another variant whore!)
By the by, I just tonight won a V4 Scourge, and he should be on his way shortly. I intend to picture the absolute slag out of both of them for purposes of this thread! Keep the responses coming, I'm dying to know whether all the V3s were misassembled, and to find out if anything else differs between versions or within versions.
By the by, I just tonight won a V4 Scourge, and he should be on his way shortly. I intend to picture the absolute slag out of both of them for purposes of this thread! Keep the responses coming, I'm dying to know whether all the V3s were misassembled, and to find out if anything else differs between versions or within versions.
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I have the rare(er) blue eared version of him.Time Traveller wrote:we all know that he and his TM counterparts are more expensive than their contemporaries (like Cyclonus, another variant whore!)
Congratulations! Can't wait to see him! Hopefully, one day...in the distant future, after I have acquired all 6 of the '87 Targetmasters previously unreleased within the brand, I can explore the option of getting the rest of the '87 Targetmasters that appeared in Season 4.Time Traveller wrote:By the by, I just tonight won a V4 Scourge, and he should be on his way shortly. I intend to picture the absolute slag out of both of them for purposes of this thread!
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