I picked this up on ebay recently.  I have no idea how rare it is.  I’ve never seen another, but that doesn’t really mean very much.  I’m going to go through everything in the kit.  Most of it is self explanatory, so I won’t say too much.  Keep in mind, I am guessing at a lot of this.

It seems that this backpack, containing the sales kit, would be given to clients by the salesman, sort of a free gift to entice them to buy more Ziploc bags.  I would guess these would be purchasers for large chain retailers or smaller stores.  I’ve never seen another backpack just like this one, so it is entirely possible this was something made just for this purpose.

The sales information is contained in this custom made folder.  It uses the standard animation art for movie characters (and also on the inside art for Silverbolt, Powerdasher, and Snarl).  The information inside pertains to the Ziploc/Transformers Promotion.  There is a pocket in back that contains all the other items below.

These are the first two sheets of a four sheet stapled packet with marketing information trying to sell prospective buyers on the promotion.

The third sheet in the packet actually has some really interesting information on it (or at least, interesting to me.  It talks about the Transformers brand expecting to make $300 million in 1986.  It also states that Transformers made $100 million in 1984, the most for any first year series ever at that time.  I’m sure that record has probably been broken, but I’d love to know how that stacks up all time.

It says that there would be $20 million spent on advertising, and an additional $3 million spent promoting the movie.  Maybe I’m thinking about it by today’s standards, but $3 million to promote a movie doesn’t seem like a lot, even in 1986.

The information claims that Powerdasher is exclusive to the Ziploc promotion.  That was of course not true.  He was available in 1984 and 1985 as a mail in exclusivealong with others like Reflector and the Omnibots.  I don’t have any mail order toy catalogs from 1986 onward that have Powerdasher available for ordering, so I guess it is true that he was exclusive to Ziploc in 1986 and not available thereafter.  Still, calling a toy exclusive to Ziploc when it had been available for two years seems to be at best misleading.

Also explained, is that the larger Rodimus Prime (though they don’t mention it by name) iron-on is included in the store display and comes free with the purchase of two boxes of Ziploc bags.

There’s a lot of other marketing information here too, but my eyes are starting to glaze over.

The final sheet in the stapled packet contains more marketing information, but more importantly is has a list of everything that is supposed to be included in the sales kit.  It seems my kit is missing the thermos and Powerdasher.  Powerdasher is no big deal as I have one already, but I have no idea what the thermos even looks like, so I can’t even look for one.  It seems everything else is present.

I’m not exactly sure what this is.  It appears to be a sample of the top of the lean back display box, but it’s much smaller than the described dimensions (more on that later).  The scored back flap isn’t long enough to stand it up as a table top display, but perhaps it was meant to attach to a shelf and hang off the end.  I’m really just guessing.

This is one of my favorite items in the kit.  It is a flat line art sample of the 50 bag box.  I don’t have an original Transformers Ziploc bag box, so this is really neat to have.

This is interesting.  It’s an example of a coupon and a list of all the newspapers where it would be distributed.

The above are two sides of the same sheet.  It’s also a sample coupon and a list of newspapers that will distribute it.

This appears to be examples of adds that will be run as part of the promotion.

A Q&A regarding near-packs.  Since I have no idea what those are, I’ve got nothing else to say about it.

This sheet details some other related promotions that are not tied directly to Transformers (accept that they appear to be happening simultaneously).  There are two other sheets in the kit that seem to be referred to here, but they don’t reference or picture anything Transformers related, so I didn’t scan them.

The first of the two sheets shown above is on heavier glossy paper.  It appears to be an order form, but I don’t understand what it’s talking about.  The great thing about this is that it shows what the stand up display looks like.  The second sheet is plain paper like most of the kit, and seems to just be the same sheet without the order form portion.

There was a blank sheet with the Transformers header.  Not sure if it was included on purpose or maybe was stuck to another sheet.  Could be for note taking.  Who knows?

Above on the left is the Rodimus Prime large iron-on from the salesman kit.  On the right is an actual one that you could get in store for buying two boxes of Ziploc bags.  You’ll note a few differences between the two.

The salesman sample has the Ziploc copyright information printed over Rodimus Prime’s yellow wing.  The finals released version has it moved off the art.

The trademark and registered trademark symbols are missing next to Rodimus Prime’s name and the Transformers Logo

Lastly, the Hasbro copyright info has been added between the art and Rodimus Prime’s name as part of the iron-on itself on the general release version.

Above are four (of eight total in the set) smaller iron-ons were packed in the boxes of Ziploc bags.  As with the Rodimus Prime iron-on, the versions on the left that came in the kit are missing the trademark symbols and the Hasbro copyright between the name and the art.

And finally, above are the other four iron-ons from the kit.  I unfortunately don’t have regular versions of these for comparison, but I assume they have the same differences as the other four.

Well, that’s about it.  I really wish I knew how rare this is.  For all I know there are plenty of them floating around, but I’ve never seen another.  If you have any more information on this kit please contact me.  I’m also looking for the thermos from the kits as well as an original Transformers Ziploc bag box and the Galvatron, Cyclonus, Kup and Springer Iron-ons.  If you have any of these items for sale, please contact me.

I just got this in, so it’s not up yet, but you can find 8500+ other Transformers non toys items at TFMuseum.com.

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Before I get to the specifics, you can read my thoughts on the Bot Shots concept here, the online video game here, and the new Flip Shot, Spin Shot, and Jump Shot designs for 2013 here.

Launchers: Unlike the original launchers that had the launcher transforming into a trailer, these are just launchers that don’t actually do anything else.  Feels like Hasbro got lazy again.  What else is new.  Warpath’s launcher is repainted from Bumblebee’s, while Cryo Scourge’s is a new mold.  Scourge comes with repainted energon cubes from the Optimus Prime launcher.  Warpath has a target which falls into three pieces either if you send a Bot Shot towards it or if you look at it funny.

Cryo Scourge: He’s another repaint of the single pack Scourge Spin Shot (the second repaint was in a 3-pack).  I like the coloring and that he is an homage to Cybertron Cryo Scourge.

Warpath: Flip Shot Brawl has been given a new head and a new paint job to make Warpath.  He looks really great in these colors.

Overall: While the original launcher toys were far from perfect, they were considerably better than these, though I do like the Bot Shots themselves.

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Transformers Bot Shots 5-Pack Autobot Air Force (Quickslinger, Firestrike, Silverbolt, Air Raid, Skydive)

The obvious question is, why didn’t they just call them Aerialbots?  I don’t recall them not having that name available to them.  All are repaints, no remolds here.  This is a decent set, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how they screwed up the colors.  Firestrike (AKA Flireflight) is the red jet and Quickslinger (AKA Slingshot) is white.  They are fine, but the rest all have the color switched around.  Silverbolt is gray, Skydive is black, Air Raid is Black and White.  All they had to do is swap the names, they didn’t even have to alter the toys.  Make the Gray one Skydive and the black one Air Raid.  Sure, that leaves Silverbolt with black and white instead of the an off-white cream color.  I could have lived with that if they didn’t want to use the right color for Silverbolt.  Four out of Five in the right colors and I could have forgiven the fifth.  They didn’t want him to be white since they already had a white one, so okay.  I’m good with that.  It would have taken so little effort to get it right.  It seems that lately sometimes Hasbro is making some really good decisions, and then the go and screw up something simple.  Sigh…

Transformers Bot Shots 5-Pack Decepticon Fire Assault Team (Megatron, Shockwave, Starscream, Barricade, Lockdown)

I absolutely LOVE this set, or at least I almost do.  They screwed it up by making Lockdown black.  Why in a set where all the other toys are red and orange would you make the fifth member of the team black?  If they had made him red with orange highlights, or something like that, this would be my favorite Bot Shots set.  As with the above, so close.

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Before I get to the specifics, you can read my thoughts on the Bot Shots concept here, the online video game here, and the new Flip Shot, Spin Shot, and Jump Shot designs for 2013 here.

Optimus Prime: A repaint of the single pack Jump Shot Optimus Prime, I don’t like the paint job as much as the single pack version.  That one has chrome parts which really looks nice.  Still, it’s not bad looking.  I’m still trying to get a Jump Shot to land on it’s feet.

Cindersaur: I believe this is the first use of this mold.  It’s decent, but again it’s a Jump Shot, so it doesn’t land on it’s feet.  I like the coloring.

Jazz: Super Bot Jazz is a repaint of the original design (now referred to as Blitz Bots) Jazz.  He’s okay, but I’d have liked to see a translucent color rather than clear.  Not bad though.

Scourge: Scourge is a reverse color (more or less) repaint of the single pack Scourge.  The newer Spin Shots seem to be doing a better job of staying in vehicle mode.  The first ones were really hard to make stay transformed.

Kup: He’s repainted from Spin Shot Ironhide.  Not bad.  I can’t tell from the picture if he has a new head, but I suspect he’s a straight repaint.

Blitzwing: He’s a translucent purple repaint of Blitz Bot Brawl.  I wish he were a few shades lighter in color.

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Fans Toys (Third Party) Transformers Quakewave (AKA Shockwave)

Let me start by saying that if a Transformer can be considered art (and I certainly think some can be) then Quakewave is the Sistine Chapel of the toy world.  No, I’m not exaggerating.  If Takara-Tomy ever had an intent of doing a Masterpiece Shockwave, they’re too late.  It’s already been done and I seriously doubt the can do it this well.

Gun Mode: Then gun mode is stunning, absolutely incredible.  There are a couple of nitpicky issues.  He has no trigger and no sound effects.  There is a switch on the underside of the barrel to turn on a light in the muzzle, though I can’t say how that looks yet (more on that later).  He is very purple, much brighter than the original Shockwave, but I think it’s closer to his cartoon coloring.  The sides of his handle are actually die cast metal.  It’s heavy for a Transformer.

Robot Mode: He’s perfect.  He looks like he stepped right out of the cartoon.  There is a switch on the back of his head to turn on the light in his eye, and another in his wrist for the gun hand.  In addition to the sides of his legs, his feet are also die cast metal.  He stands up well, with just enough articulation, without having too much.  I absolutely love this toy.

The second run of Quakewave figures included an opaque hand and gun to replace the translucent ones that come preinstalled.  I’m not sure exactly why they did this, it might have just been fan requests.  Not sure if there was any other reason.

There is one issue.  The first time I tried to put him in gun mode, the electronics in his arm stopped working.  (This is why I don’t have a picture with the muzzle lit up).  The installed wires were two short and transforming him ripped one of the wires right off the battery holder.  I attempted to make repairs, but I had to strip the wires, which just made it worse.  HOWEVER, I contacted Fans Toys online.  They asked me where I purchased it and I told them.  Then they replied asking for my address so they could send replacement parts.  I wish Hasbro has customer service that was that easy to deal with.

Overall: He fits in so perfectly among Masterpiece toys that someone who doesn’t know it is a third party toy would never guess it.  He is expensive.  The first run sold out at $150, and the second run sold out at $190.  The third one will likely be more as well.  It’s a bit pricey I admit, but the toy is completely worth it, and if you do have any problems with the electronics, the company is very helpful.

The only negative thing is that as they do new runs of the figure, they start making changes.  They added the extra set of hands for the second run.  With the third run they will be making a new arm assembly available that has his hose connecting on the underside of his forearm (like the G1 animation model, the G1 toy had it connect on top) rather than the top.  Not sure if anyone with a first or second run figure will be able to obtain that or not.  Not the end of the world, but if you’re buying a Quakewave, be aware that it could come with different add on parts.

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Perfect Effect Scouting Force X & Assault Force X came out I believe in 2011.  Both are based on G1 Reflector, with Scouting Force X being in his animation colors/mold and Assault Force X being based on the toy.  These are impressive toys with loads of accessories, all of which (amazingly) have a use or place for storage in camera mode.

Robot Mode: I’m honestly not certain which name corresponds to which toy.  It might be on the instruction sheet, but I don’t have that in front of me, so I’m just going to start on the left in the photos above and call them #1, #2, and #3.

The two sets have identically molded accessories (though they may have made minor adjustments to Assault Force X’s knife accessories to make them fit a little bit better into their holders).  The robot heads are different on all three, and the chests are changed on two of the toys.  They also have not just different paint schemes, but differently placed paint apps making them look very different.

Each robot has a knife with a holder that clips onto their back.  A knife and it’s holder can also be stored in the back of the shield.  The other guns, shoulder shields, shoulder launchers, arm shields, and jetpack are all pretty clearly seen in the pictures.

They look absolutely amazing in robot mode.  Clearly a lot of design work went into this.  They are rather small, a little shorter than the average Legends/Legion figure.

Camera Mode: I’m going to try to explain where all the accessories go in camera mode.  The jetpack from robot #3 above becomes the bulk of the lens.  The two guns from robot #1 and the gun from robot #2 (without the barrel extension and scope) go inside the lens.  The arm shields on #1 form the sides on the lens, and two of the knives and knife holders go on the inside of the shields.  If you’re counting, that’s a total of ten accessories that are stored and comprise the lens.  This is masterfully designed.

Robot #2’s barrel extension, scope, and the third knife and holder connect onto the back of the shield, which forms the bottom of the camera.  This is a great design, as it helps to hold the whole thing together.

#1’s shoulder pads form the top of the camera, while #2’s shoulder pads and the handle of #3’s gun becomes the flash.  That leaves just the barrel from #3’s gun to form the camera stand.

The cameras look just amazing.  Can’t say enough about the design.

Overall: I got a good deal on these, $60 each.  They seem to go for a little more than that online.  If you only want one, I guess it’s up to you if you prefer the cartoon or toy design, both look great, you really can’t go wrong with either.

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Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Voyager Shockwave

Vehicle Mode: I like Shockwave’s vehicle mode for the most part.  I kind of wish the arms folded along the side of the vehicle instead of sticking out like that.  I also wish his robot shoulder on the other side of his vehicle was up beside the gun.  You can’t see it, but it’s actually sticking down underneath the vehicle.  I guess I’d just prefer he be more symmetrical.  Still, he’s decent looking, and I love the colors and paint apps.  The Beast Hunters armor actually looks pretty good on him.  Kudos to Hasbro for giving him removable armor.

Robot Mode: He looks really awesome in robot mode, though having gotten him just a day before I picked up Quakewave, he does suffer badly by comparison.  He has the G1 style chest and single eye.  His cannon arm has a button that makes it spin and open.  It looks pretty cool.  The armor looks really great and he has nice paint apps.

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TFC Toys (Third Party) Transformers Primars (Optimus Prime)

I picked this up at Dairycon 2013.  As it was explained to me, Primars was an attempt by TFC Toys to market third party toys to children.  I suppose it’s not a bad idea, but the price was $50-$60 when it came out, and even I didn’t buy one at that price even though it did look incredibly cool.  I paid $30 for this one.

This is a very well designed toy with some neat features and accessories.  As you can see from the photo above, he is very much a mix of G1 and movie Optimus Prime.  His chest looking more like the movie version.

His mouth plate is removable to give him a more movie style face.

His eyes and forehead light up.  I couldn’t get a good picture of it, but you can see two gray pieces sticking up on each side of his forehead.  These move a plate back and fourth over his eyes to change his expression.

He has two different weapons.  His fuel tanks (are those fuel tanks?) and  smokestacks become guns.  He also has a set of movie style short swords to attach to the outside of his hands.

His vehicle mode has almost a super deformed look about it with the large cab and very small flatbed.

Overall: For $30 this is a very cool toy.  The plastic is very high quality and it is very sturdy, but I’m not sure I’d pay more than that for it.

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Xtransbots (Third Party) Transformers Glider (Powerglide)

Glider (AKA Powerglide) is one of the most faithful to G1 Third Party Toys I’ve seen yet.

Vehicle Mode: Powerglide’s A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” mode is perfect.  He doesn’t have a lot of painted details, but he really doesn’t need many.  At a distance, I’d find it hard to tell Glider apart from a G1 Powerglide unless they were sitting next to each other.  He has retractable landing gear, which the G1 didn’t.

Robot Mode: In robot mode Powerglide looks like he stepped right out of the cartoon.  He’s got weapons, two different guns and a knife (not pictured).  Like the Demolition Crue Apex and Gemini, he has just enough articulation without going overboard.

They even molded a heart in his chest, a reference to the G1 episode “The Girl who Loved Powerglide.”

Overall: I paid $40 for him, and at that price, no G1 Minibot or Powerglide fan should be without him.  Having said that, he does seem to be a bit more expensive on ebay, $50-$60, but I think he is still worth it at that price.

“Why does everything always happen to me?” – Powerglide, The Transformers, “The Girl who Love Powerglide.”

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Perfect Effect Warrior Type-F and Warrior Type-R came out in (I believe) 2010.  I picked them us just recently, and I’m incredibly impressed.

In robot mode, Frenzy and Rumble are wonderful updates of their G1 toys.  (Though of course, they have the names reversed, but what else is new?)  The plastic is of excellent quality and the toys feel very sturdy.

Like the original G1 toys, they can hold their weapons or store them on their back.  These seem to have come down quite a bit in price, I paid $45 for the pair, and I thought they were that each when they came out (though I could be wrong).  Not sure if I got a great deal, or if the release of Masterpiece Frenzy and Rumble has driven down the price.

Unlike the original toys, these do not transform into cassettes, but into weapons.  That’s the main reason I bought them, I’m a big fan of Targetmasters.  The cannon modes look great, and they have an accessory that gives them a different size peg so they can be used with many different toys.

In robot mode the cannons can be used as their iconic pile drivers.  I’m not sure the pile drivers really look that great, especially with the ultra accurate versions that come with the Masterpiece toys, but they are passable.

Overall: At $45 for the pair, they are absolutely worth it, but I probably wouldn’t have bought them if they were more than that.

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