#356 TRANSFORMERS – SPARKABOTS SIZZLE, FIZZLE and GUZZLE (1988)

SPARKABOTS

How difficult is to find complete Transformers! Most of the times, they’re missing their accessories, some part, maybe a small bit… The Sparkabots (Autobots subgroup), however, came with no accessories, so they’re easy and cheap to get. I have two of them, and I am missing one. I now have all three.

The models in the pictures are:
Sizzle – Black dragster
Fizzle – Blue buggy

The model missing is:
Guzzle – Green Tank

The main feature of this subgroup is provided by a small friction motor that propel the toy forward and at the same time produces “cold” sparks on the rear of the vehicle (pretty much like Saurod from the Masters of the Universe).

They robots are small and easy to transform, maybe for this reason they never got really popular among collectors.

 

In the G2 (1994), there was a second “wave” of Sparkabots. As all G2, these are European exclusives and therefore rarer and more expensive. They are made of transparent coloured plastic. This wave consisted of four robots: two of them were recoloured models: Sizzle and Fizzle (Fizzle was renamed Blaze) and two more “new” models: Sparkstalker and Firefeather, which were not originally Sparkabots, but Firecons (Decepticons subgroup). The Firecons are beasts with the same “cold” sparking feature than the Sparkabots. Flamefeather resembles an eagle, while Sparkstalker is some undetermined insect.

Guzzle seems to be very fragile, the turret of the tank is usually broken. In my case it is also broken, but it was repaired with much care, so it still looks great.

Last, here are the filecards of both robots:


SIZZLE

• Faction: Autobot
• Subgroup: Sparkabots
• Function: Interceptor
• Motto: “Life in the fast lane is the only life worth living”
• Bio: Exceeds the speed limit and every other limit. Drives faster, uses more energy and gets into more fights than any other Autobot. A thrill-seeker. Enjoys life only when he's in danger. If he's not burning rubber, he's scorching Decepticons with his flamethrower exhaust. Maximum speed: 220mph. Range: 550 miles.
• Tech Specs for Sizzle:
• Strength: 4
• Intelligence: 7
• Speed: 6
• Endurance: 7
• Rank: 5
• Courage: 7
• Firepower: 6
• Skill: 5

FIZZLE

• Faction: Autobot
• Subgroup: Sparkabots
• Function: Military Stategist
• Motto: “Planning a battle is ten times more important than fighting it”
• Bio: Overloads his circuits with grandiose schemes and cheap fuel. Acts as if his true worth is measured not by what he does, but how much he talks about doing it. If he could run on his own hot air, he'd go forever. In car Mode, leaves trails of flame in his path. Capable of going from 0 to 200 mph in 8 seconds. Prone to stalling on left turns. Possesses superior logistics and geographical data banks.
• Tech Specs for Fizzle:
• Strength: 6
• Intelligence: 7
• Speed: 6
• Endurance: 2
• Rank: 6
• Courage: 6
• Firepower: 1
• Skill: 8

GUZZLE

• Faction: Autobot
• Subgroup: Sparkabots
• Function: Espionage
• Motto: "It's better to have fought and lost than never to have fought at all"
• Bio: A battle-hardened survivor of the software wars of Polyhex. His hunger for combat is only equalled by his hunger for fuel. Tough, no nonsense, has few enemies and even fewer friends. He can thread a washer from 2.5 miles with a blast from his plasma cannon. Flame exhaust in tank Mode incinerates on contact. Requires considerable fuel consumption.
• Tech Specs for Fizzle:
• Strength: 7
• Intelligence: 6
• Speed: 2
• Endurance: 7
• Rank: 5
• Courage: 8
• Firepower: 7
• Skill: 4

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SIZZLE and FIZZLE
• Toy Line: Transformers – Sparkabots
• Year: 1988
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.) / Takara (Japan)
• Size of the figures: Around 7 cms

#355 MAJORETTE COLOUR PACKS – CHEVROLET CORVETTE (Nr. 215/268) and F1 RACING (Nr. 238) (1989)

Majorette Catalogue 1990

These two Majorette cars are quite common ones, you’ve probably seen them many times, but surely not in these versions. They belong to a short and rare series from 1989 called the “Colour Packs”, with reference numbers 2250. In the catalogue from that year only 6 models appear, in 1990’s catalogue 6 more models (from which 5 were already available the previous year, and 1 is new). In 1991 catalogue and on, the series disappeared completely.

Majorette Catalogue 1989

The first 6 models (1989) were:
-Porsche
-Lamborghini
-Corvette
-F1 Racing
-Transam
-Fiero

In 1990,
-Porsche was replaced by Golf GTI

As you can figure out from the catalogues and the name of the series, these cars had the feature to change its colour when put in cold water. This feature is common to many vehicles back then, and had one terrible consequence. Most cars of this type, when played, got very dirty, and nowadays are difficult to find in good shape. In this case, I have had luck mine. They are not mint, but in good condition, with a few chips.

The colour change feature doesn’t work anymore, since this kind of colour after some years lose its properties.

I’m glad I found them, I’ll keep looking to find the other 5.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CHEVROLET CORVETTE (Nr. 215/268) and F1 RACING (Nr. 238)
• Scale: 1:57 AND 1:55
• Year: 1989
• Company: Majorette (France)
• Size: 7 cms

#354 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE – RATTLOR vs. EXTENDAR (1986)

These are two more figures from wave 5. In the entry dedicated to Rokkon and Stonedar, we already mentioned, that wave 5 characterizes for having many different casts for figures. Unlike previous waves, there are not so many He-Man-casted figures as in other waves. These are two further examples, figures without reused body parts.

The first pictures show a small diorama with both figures performing their special features.

EXTENDAR

Extendar is quite a singular figure in the whole collection, since it is made of a different kind of plastic than the rest of the figures. The plastic is thinner than it is for example in Battle Cat, and has that shiny pearl effect from some She-Ra creatures. It is one of the most fragile figures in the collection, since it suffers from sun damage and it is prone to break if it falls. It is also one of the most complicated figures to open, so if you have a broken figure, it is much easier to look for a new one than repairing your own.

The figure’s feature is to “grow” by extending his neck, torso, legs and arms. It came with a red shield that also has a “growing” feature.

For me, it might be inspired by the Golem, the Jewish creature brought to life in Prague. The figure represents a robot. In the comic book it is depicted as not being very intelligent, it is fooled by Hordak by the promise of making him as strong as He-Man.

The hands of this figure usually present some kind of decolouration/oxidation and turn green, similarly to the “pink boots” of Roboto.

RATTLOR

The second character today is Rattlor from the Snake Men. The figure is also made from a brand new, never used again cast. The figure main characteristics are a plastic tail (very similar to Whiplash’s) and a long neck, which is also it’s special feature. By pushing a button on its back, the neck grows as if attacking other character. It’s name Rattlor comes from the rattlesnake, which produces a rattling sound with the tip of the tail as a warning to enemies and predators. The figure also produces a similar sound when shaken… a lot of cool features in one single figure!

The figure came with only one accessory, the stab which is shared by all Snake Men in dark red colour.

I have this figure twice. The first one belongs to my childhood collection, and the second one was acquired recently. When comparing them, I noticed that they’re slightly different. I took pictures so that you can also notice this. One of them was made in Spain, the second one in Malaysia. The Spanish-made figure is made of a lighter red and also the belt is painted in a lighter shade of brown. These variants are quite common throughout the collection, since some figures were made in different countries simultaneously. This is just an example.

There is a variant of this figure with red neck instead of yellow. Some experts say the last figures made had this difference. This variant is quite rare to find, and also very expensive.

The bonus this time are two mini-comic adventures. The first one is called “Snake Attack”, where both characters appear and have great importance in the story. The second one is called “The Warrior Machine”, and Extendar appears again fighting the Evil Horde.

SNAKE ATTACK:

THE WARRIOR MACHINE:

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: RATTLOR and EXTENDAR
• Alternate Names: REPTICOR and EXTENSOR (France)
• Toy Line: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (Wave 5)
• Year: 1986
• Company: Mattel (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 10 cm