Up close with Brawn

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:18 pm

Hi all,

Since Brawn is the figure I have most of, I decided to start a review about it. I'm still missing many variations of this one though.

If I go to the major variants, let's say you should expect to find Brawn in the following colors: Olive green, tan (Outback included), black, beige, cream, blue and black.

So far, I have five Land Rovers now:

Front, right to left: No-rubsign Brawn, Brawn with rubsign. Back row: Black F4A keychain, Outback and Brazilian beige Brawn (Jipe).

You may notice I have two green ones and one doesn't have its arms. However, it turned out to be different from the other green, so I decided to keep it. This is what I call a "minor variation" which needs close inspection to be noticed.

The first you can say about it is that the armless Brawn has a rubsign and the other doesn't. Yes, but since a rubsign can be reassigned, or added later as a reproduction label, I never make a big deal of it. However, you may notice they have different copyright stamps.

This allows to you immediately to tell which is older - the cast with less things. In this case, it could be the one which says just "Takara Japan".

You also have to apply the cost reduction logic. If you look again, you'll see that Brawn can have two faces:

One has silver paint in two sectors, and the "temple" is a separate part. I have seen this variation called as "removable face". The other has all the whole face in-cast in the chassis. This one is called "removable eyes", as the eyes are not painted, but a black part which is inside Brawn.

If you still don't have enough, there's more:

The pre-rub Brawn has a ridge on the roof, while the later variant has it replaced by a square cast next to the spare wheel. I find curious this spot measures the same as a rubsign, but all Brawns I have seen have the rubsign on the side door.

Outback, which was meant to have a rubsign, also has a square cast on its roof, but has it on its door as well and there has its rubsign.

Outback has also more inscriptions on the back... And the hole is wider in the spare wheel to house the gun, by the way.

You can never have enough fun with these.... The grooves which fit the legs when it's transformed in vehicle, are also different. The later release (rear) has them shorter.

The keychain version confirms which cast is later. The Brazilian variant has all the older features.

Ridge on roof for the Brazil Landy, square cast on roof for the keychain reissue.

Leg grooves...

When you get into the minor details, it can be quite fascinating. Pricey too, by the way. If you want to make a complete Brawn set, you may have to find 17 Land Rovers...

Further read on Brawn here: http://minitropolis.piranho.de/mc05c.html

I have never seen a Greek Brawn in the flesh, so I can't tell how different it is.

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:40 am

Very interesting Jose, and there is 17 of them you say?

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:47 am

At least that's what that page reports. However, the difference between the early Microchange Brawn and the first pre-rubsign issue has to be reduced to only the copyright stamp. You have to put the limits where you want to go, depending on your patience, time, and, of course, budget...

The only time I saw a Greek Brawn for sale it was apparently sealed and for more than USD 50; can't remember how much it was exactly, but I considered I could use that money for a figure I didn't have at all.

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 4:59 pm

You and Ben are the toy experts here, why so many different variants? Why not just one and that is the end of it. Also while we are on the subject why does the face look soi different to the one in the comic and the cartoons? I know that it matches the early comics but why change it?

SoundWave · Post by **SoundWave** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:17 pm

WOW!! Jose, thats alot of detail!!

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:11 pm

First, thanks to you all for reading this thread.

Second, you may know the early figures (1985 and earlier, plus Ultra Magnus) are taken from previous series. They are widely known as Diaclone, but the fact is, that Diaclone are just some of them: All cars, jets, Powerdashers, Jumpstarters, Dinobots, Omnibots, Insecticons, Constructicons and Blitzwing. The objects (Megatron, Soundwave, Cassettes, early Minicars, Perceptor and Reflector) are from the Microman series. Others, like the Deluxe figures, Jetfire, Omega and Shockwave come from multiple other series... None is an original creation here, just older toys with Decepticon/Autobot labels.

When the people behind the Transformers were creating the show, they took some creative licenses to make them more attractive. You may notice that no Autobot has yellow eyes, nor any Decepticon (except Thrust, but...).

During 1985 though, the Transformers sucess was evident, so Takara dumped Diaclone (and hence, Astrotrain was a Transformer from the beginning, unlike Blitzwing), but Microman, as far as I know, remained. I have seen sets from that line made in 1987 or so.

Another interesting thing about Microman (it started in the mid. 70s, as you may notice such years marked on Megatron, Soundwave or Perceptor) is that they introduced action figures of the bad guys. The only way you can find an evil character of Mazinger, for example, is by getting a new release, because there were no toys of them in the 70s.

There's a lot to say about pre-TFs (I'll try to sum up a good story and post it here, but I'll do so in a different thread as it requires other pictures).

Going to variations: These arise for the following reasons, from what I have observed: Production costs (the lesser the better), safety regulations (the older the toy the more fun, and the more fun which has more ways to pop out an eye from a child!), structure (they either have to be tougher, or drive the possible breakage to a safe way) and marketing research. I'm sure there has to be more, but those are the most common reasons I have seen.

The two faces of Brawn - the earlier means two parts with silver paint, the second mold needs paint in only one of them and the other comes already in the desired color - I reckon it can be part of the window piece, albeit I'm not sure as I haven't dissasembled one yet.

The different spare wheels for Brawn and Outback - somehow they thought the toy, by having a gun could be more attractive.

The different copy stamps - the company had several changes during that period. And so on.

Currently you will see lots of repaints made by e-Hobby. That's again, marketing. They know the hardcore fans will want to get all of them, and so they can keep using an old, yet known to be succesful, tool. They also reduce costs as they don't need to hire a designer to create a new mold.

Regarding the comics: I have only one of the UK comics and there the drawings are exactly like the figures. That's again, a license taken by the artist. A purely personal choice.

By the way, this is a great page to get into pre Transformers as it's in English: http://1500bc.com/pretf/

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:24 pm

Very interesting and informative Jose. You have spent a lot of time and done a lot of homework on this. My hat is off to you and I trust you will be doing a thread about someone else in the near future? May I suggest, well guess!! Anyhow, respect Jose, on a job well done.

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:21 pm

Thanks Mark. I would gladly start a thread about Megatron, but I only have one variant and I haven't inspected in person the tiny details on the other releases - other fellow collectors have reissues and probably they may have a different year than mine's vintage. I reckon my Megatron is the very first from 1984, but I'm still not sure.

Anyway, the early figures are amazing and all deserve a review. Whatever I come up with, will be just a temporary state of advance, as I have never stopped from finding new things which I have overlooked before.

Post by **Time Traveller** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:22 am

you never fail to amaze me. one thing though, astrotrain was likewise diaclone. there were no toys original to the transformers line until 1986, adn even so, it featured characters from older series (ultra magnus, reflector) rumor has it that metroplex was designed from a scratched diaclone plan!

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:27 am

So would we have to go as far as 1986 before we get an original transformer made for the series? As in it doesn't have a clone and is an original.

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:51 am

Time Traveller wrote:you never fail to amaze me. one thing though, astrotrain was likewise diaclone. there were no toys original to the transformers line until 1986, adn even so, it featured characters from older series (ultra magnus, reflector) rumor has it that metroplex was designed from a scratched diaclone plan!

As far as I know, the second year of minivehicles are all Transformers originals. The Microchange vehicles were just seven: MC-01 Cliffjumper, Mc-02 Bumblejumper, MC-03 Bumblebee, MC-04 Gears, MC-05 Brawn, MC-06 Windcharger and MC-07 Huffer.

I didn't know that about Metroplex... Will have to look further on it.

You are correct about Astrotrain. It was going to be a Diaclone toy, but moved immediately to Transformers as they were doing good enough.

However, Sky Lynx was a pre TF originally which also was cancelled and driven directly into the Transformers line.

All of the block-head gestalts are 100% Transformers, too. You may notice in the earlier figures, there was scale consistence (between all Diaclone figures and between all Microman figures). Optimus is a bit smaller than the cars (Prime may be 1:58 or so, the cars are roughly 1:38), but if you see Menasor, for example, the scales are all fitting a standard size (Motormaster is H0 scale while the cars are around 1:50).

Yes, if you don't count recolors, the creative guys at Hasbro were just copying with no remorse the two first years...

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:29 pm

Ah, I understand it know. I have to admit Ben,Jose you 2 boys are an instituition!

SoundWave · Post by **SoundWave** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:10 am

Walking Transformer Encyclopedias!!!

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:29 pm

When it comes to the toys they certainly are!

SoundWave · Post by **SoundWave** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:34 pm

Yes, Bagales helps me with lots of G1 questions!!

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:50 am

He has helped me to, God bless Jose.

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:45 am

Aw, come on... what comes next? A group hug? You both are breaking character a lot...

I have a lot of fun with robots and if what I discover can be of use for you it's great. I don't want this hobby to become antisocial. Growing old surrounded by a lot of plastic and alone doesn't sound right to me.

Besides you guys are great.

SoundWave · Post by **SoundWave** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:05 am

Oh, lets put the war on pause a minute. We're all goin to the energon bar, on me!!!

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:06 pm

Ohh, I accept the invitation, but I'll have low octane energon. Last week I fueled myself up and my stomach took the toll.

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 3:31 pm

Get your arm in while you can, Soundwave doesn't splash out to often! However it does no harm to be out of character now and again. Especially for you.