Transformers Artifact of the Week: Generation One Coleco Power Cycle

“Only the worthy find the grail.” – Robert Langdon, The Da Vinci Code

Perhaps “worthy” might be overstating it a bit. I think “lucky beyond words” is a lot more accurate. You’ll have to forgive the overdramatic blog. Some acquisitions just need a little drama no matter how silly it sounds.

(Hasbro Catalog Photo)

The “holy grail”. The bible says it’s the cup (or bowl or dish or whatever) Jesus Christ used at the last supper. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci code says it’s the literal bloodline of Jesus Christ. (Honestly, I find the latter more logical and reasonable, and it’s, you know, fiction, but whatever.) The term however has come to mean an elusive object or goal of great significance that one wants to obtain.

If you collect…well…anything, there is probably something you either have or want that you consider a holy grail. Most serious collectors probably can tell you a story about how they found or haven’t found that one thing that either makes the years of searching feel worth it, or is a source of never ending frustration. If you’ve been reading my blog you probably read a few of the former. I try not to think about the latter. For me there have been many holy grails and I have been lucky enough to obtain some of them. For example, I consider my G1 McDonald’s Happy Meal Box, my G1 Cookie Crisp Cereal Box, and my sealed box of Transformers: The Movie Ziploc Bags all to be holy grails, just to name a few. There were many, many toys of course, most of which I’ve found, like G1 IGA (AKA Mexican) Hoist. Of course, others still elude me, like Battle Gaea, and so the hunt continues.

However, for over twenty years there has been one holy grail I’ve coveted more than any other, my grail of grails if you will. It’s one of my many eBay search emails I get every morning, one of the ones which make me sigh before opening them, knowing whatever eBay found, it won’t be what I’m looking for. While my wallet appreciates that, I do not. But there is a reason I check those messages every morning. As a wise man once said, shit happens. Every once in a while one of those searches actually hits on the right thing. And so it did. Behold! (This is where Stan Bush’s The Touch should be playing.)

The Coleco Transformers Power Cycle! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s in amazing condition except for the stickers, a number of which are missing, most notably the ones that say “Transformers” along the body. The seat sticker has seen better days and the Autobot logo on the “hood” is missing but the headlights are present.

And here is Power Cycle in “robot mode”. He is missing his fist stickers, but he has his face, which is the most important one.

Also missing are his control panel stickers and the red tips on his guns inside his arms. I need to do some research to see if anyone has created reproductions stickers.

Here you can watch the original commercial for the Power Cycle.

This is my friend Zabgoth celebrating my prize. I would have done this, but my shoulders don’t work well enough anymore, and cuddling it like a teddy bear just seemed weird. Which doesn’t mean I didn’t do that, I just didn’t photograph it. 🙂

Of course, this doesn’t end my search, I still want a mint in box one. I’m greedy that way. And of course there are other items that have achieved holy grail status for me; G1 HG Toys Soundwave Zipper Clip, G1 Optimus Prime Pepsi Can, G1 Starscream Inflatable TV Lounge Chair, and more. The hunt continues!

Only because it might be worth a chuckle, below are a series of text messages I sent my friends when I received my Power Cycle. They are appropriately ridiculous, but what the hell.

As always, you can find over 17,000 Transformers artifacts from every Transformers series and generation at TFMuseum.com.

Thanks for reading!