Well, I realise that I’ve been posting a lot of non-technical entries lately, but as we get closer to Christmas, I tend to get both nostalgic and sentimental, so it is kind of apt.
Today I was musing about toys of the 1980s era (Transformers in particular) and I wondered (for some inexplicable reason) whether the toy Optimus Prime (the red truck) was taller than the toy Megatron (the hand gun).
Luckily (or sadly, depending on your view of such things) I happen to have one of each of these outstanding 80s action figures by virtue of a desire earlier this decade to collect both (yes, both weird and fascinating at the same time).
These were really excellent lines of toys from my childhood, and thinking back I still maintain that they were the coolest of toys to come out (with the exception of Lego which is in a different class). Admittedly, they got made in larger quantities and with poorer workmanship later in the decade, and the current crop (courtesy of the recent movies) are a poor substitute.
Those of you who fondly remember the originals will recall that many were made from metal (or mostly metal parts) and held up surprisingly well against punishment from young kids.
My favourite was actually JetFire (Valkyrie fighter plane, actually part of the RoboTech range) but Prime was always a favourite (easy to transform, sturdy build).
[Poll] Who do you think was the better of the two – Megatron or Prime (as toys)?
For no reason in particular, here are some pictures of both in “vehicle” mode:
