Cyclonus and his... other Cyclonus
Joining Rodimus in the “Challenge at Cybertron” set is Cyclonus! Like Rodimus, he’s supposed to be in colors that closely approximate his appearance in the television show, regardless of taste. As a result, he doesn’t actually look all that bad. He’s a bit too much of the same value, meaning he’s gonna look like he’s almost all the same color to some colorblind people, but he’s not an assault on the retinas like Takara’s attempt at the same thing.
The original American Universe Cyclonus (in the back of the photos) tried to spice things up by using a darker purple, a medium red, and some light gray. It better-balanced these colors across the body by breaking up the torso into light gray and dark purple instead of keeping the torso entirely purple. This bothered some people. Those people are in luck ‘cuz the “Challenge at Cybertron” version keeps the torso all purple. And it decorates the drab purple with some more saturated purple that you kind of have to squint to see in nonoptimum lighting. Again, most of his colors are all the same value.
Let's pretend we don't see Cyclonus's legs just hangin' out the back there.
And he comes with Nightstick again, who looks more like Nightstick since he now has silver legs.
I think I’m going to keep boy my Cyclonuses. This new one can be Cyclonus proper, and the old Universe one can be Cyclonus’s Armada. Why him and not the original? He looks more like he’s in Skywarp’s colors, particularly with the gray stripes running down his torso. And, y’know, Skywarp became Cyclonus’s Armada. So that works out!
Of course, old-Nightstick is becoming Krunix. Hell, that Nightstick was always Krunix to me. Basically, it’s nice to now have a Nightstick.
Geez, Cyclonus, you sure are a whole lotta purple.
Hey, Walky. Is Blaster in scale with Big Grimlock? Grim’s hitting stores, and Blaster’s still available on hasbrotoyshop.
Yep. http://pics.livejournal.com/shortpacked/pic/0028w83z/g1
Well, that works out pretty nicely, then!
Man, I already have Hot Rod, Cyclonus and Galvatron from their original classics run, and I really thought I could skip this three pack, but this Cyclonus is pretty damn pretty… Please tell me the Galvatron that comes in this pack has no redeaming value so I can try and hold onto the 50-60 bucks getting this is going to cost me. Please?
CHUK!
Well, you could save that old Nightstick for when they eventually make that upcoming Jazz toy repaint into Ricochet, so he has a Targetmaster?
Not that I’m arguing the point at all… but how do we know which seeker became which Unicronian? All of them, Insecticons included, looked kind of grayish-purple to me…
Yeah, we do. We watch them being recreated into the new Decepticons, so we can easily pick out who becomes whom. Though Skywarp and Thundercracker were both monotone, their color layouts are still distinguishable, since they have light and dark areas in different places on their bodies.
The question of who became Cyclonus, Skywarp or Bombshell, is in doubt, though, thanks in part to the cloning issue, and the repeated appearances of the Insecticons in Season 3-with Shrapnel even scoring a line of dialogue in “Carnage in C-Minor”.
Not just Season 3. All of the Decepticons we see turning into Galvatron’s new troops are seen in the last half of the movie. I think they’re even all at Starscream’s coronation scene directly afterwards.
I see that his lightpiping remains as kickass as ever.
Good heavens…the show-accurate colours are so…boring. I’m not saying the original deco’s colour layout should have been taken in its entirety, but at least the highlights on the vents and flaps could have been carried over…something. The bot mode isn’t horrible, as is, but the jet mode is just a big purple blob, for the most part.
I like thinking that the Bombshell used to create Cyclonus was just one of his clones. Yeah I know… I know… Unicron slightly altered all the personalities.
Yet, Bombshell is like tarantulas or Hannibal lectur for G1.
It’s a little too weird remaking a twisted scientist into an honorable samurai like warrior.
So, I always see the Insecticons as just being left over clones.
One would think it would make more sense to make Bombshell from Scourge though… Being that they both have guns on their forehead and all. Also the Sweep vehicle mode looks simalir to Bombshells Boll Weevill form.
Cyclonus looks more like he was upgraded from a seeker air warrior.
I have no idea what was intended but that is something that seemed strange to me since I was a kid.
Anyways good review Walky!
“slightly altered,” nothing. None of the New Troops are like the Old Troops personality-wise. In fact, they were all dead by the time Unicron found them. They were just spare parts.
Yeah, I know they were dead new sparks and all. I just always liked the idea of something being left over from the dead guys. In a sort of Beast Machines type of way.
Still, fare enough pretty much the only one that retained personality was Megatron. It dosen’t seem beyond Unicron to completly re-model cerebro circuits and grant new sparks.
I guess the fan in me likes the added character depth.
Also, Unicron’s abilities seemed limited to remaking something slightly based on whatever form he shifted it from when it came to Galvatron at the very least. I figure it would have added something to that idea if Cyclonus came from a seeker and Scourge from a Bombshell clone.
Although, yeah the Animators never really thought that heavily or far into it I suppose. I just always liked how Galvatron had little hints that he used to be Megatron. Simalir face, hip pads, arm mounted cannon. It would have felt more consistent if there was some of that for Cyclonus and Scourge.
The way I see it, Galvatron had plenty of Megatron-cues, because Unicron was remaking a living being… his personality remained intact, more or less. For that reason, it was most logical to give this new being, Galvatron, similar physical features as his previous incarnation had, so as to hasten the familiarity with one’s own body.
For Scourge, Cyclonus, and various minions, though, there was no need to create anything based off of a previous body… everything that Unicron used was already dead. Bombshell didn’t become Scourge… only what was left of his body did.
Of course, I do favor the theory that most of the Unicronians were made of lavender-colored Seekertroopers and surplus Insecti-clones, leaving the originals alive and kicking… but that’s just fanon, and we all know it.
Skywarp is Cyclonus, dammit!
Well, sure, if you’re blind and ignore canon!