Posted October 3, 2012 at 10:34 pm


Somehow I have all the Primax Springer toys.  I didn't intend to.  I have the four of them, and I only purposefully bought three.  Over a decade ago (probably 2001), I bought the original Springer 'cuz it was the only game in town, and I wanted the Wreckers' leader.  Then in 2007 BotCon gave us a second Springer, a redeco of Hot Shot.  Shortly after, we got another Springer at retail.  I considered my BotCon Springer sufficient for my requirements, but this New Retail Springer came packaged with a Ratbat I wanted, so.

And now this even newer Generations Springer.  I thought myself satisfied with the BotCon one.  It was a BotCon toy, after all!  And Generations Springer was originally a China-exclusive, which meant he was gonna be $30-$40.  I can pass on that, easy.

...but then Hasbro decided he was gonna get sold over here, too (as Toys"R"Us exclusives), and so now he was suddenly domestic prices.  Impulse-buyable.  And since around that time we were getting our first good photos of him, I started to realize he had things I desired.  I mean, I already knew he had a new head and a new sword.  Those were nice.  But I didn't realize he was going to be so gray-with-yellow-and-blue-hazard-stripes in helicopter mode.  His helicopter mode gives me Original Springer Toy Feels in a way the other new Springers have not.  So, yes, for $15, I would own that.

The new sword does complicate things a little.  It can peg into helicopter mode, but only if you unpeg one of his missile launchers.  His missile launchers do have several other ways to attach several other places, but I liked them best under the helicopter wings.  The sword also is grasped pretty loosely in his hand.  Good thing it's got a hilt guard (double powerlinx ports!), 'cuz that's what keeps it from just slipping down through his palm.

Folks say that the toy is too movie-y for Springer.  I disagree!  Springer's toy is pretty large in my mind when I think of Springer, and one of the things about Springer's toys are his stickers.  They are crazy.  The front of his legs have these stickers where the detail shows all these access panels falling open and hanging open by wiring.  G1 Springer's kind of a messy dude.  And so translating that into lots of crazy movie detailing really works for me.

(Besides that toy has already been another G1 guy, so technically it was a G1 aesthetic already.)

Have I mentioned how much I like those little yellow-and-blue hazard stripes on his gray wings?  I really, really do.
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