Review – Convertors Maladroid Meeshak (1984)

We have to go all of the way back to 2009 for the first time that I posted a review of a Convertors Maladroid toy. That review, posted here, took a look at the red Volcan and shared my childhood experience with the line. That older review is well worth looking at if you want to see some pics, but please keep in mind that battlegrip.com was only a few months old when the review was new. My pics have, I think, improved since that post.

A Little Jetfire

I know that technically the design is a Veritech fighter, but to me this form will always be that of the 1985 Transformers Jetfire toy. Way to dominate that part of my brain, Hasbro! Anyway, this is a stubby and cute take on the Veritech design, about 2.5-inches long and as undignified a take on the design as they come. From sleek to beefy, this Convertors Maladroid is designed with cute in mind and not aerodynamic excitement. And hey, the cute design works. Awww. Look at the little jet.

Transformation Design

Nothing complicated or unusual here. Fold the legs forward, extend the feet, pop the arms straight out, and fold the jet along the mid-point and BAM, robot. Meeshak was designed to be an inexpensive plaything for children and that’s exactly what we get when we pull the toy from its packaging. I’m gonna say that the toy does the job it was designed for perfectly, and the simplistic transformation is perfect for the toy.

Closing Thoughts

This Convertors Maladroid Meeshak toy from 1984 was probably never intended to survive beyond a year or two of intense play, and the fact that it’s not a GoBots or Transformers-branded toy makes it even more impressive that it is in my hands three decades after it was created. The cheap transforming robot toys of the eighties will never win any awards or new fans, but for those of us who can remember playing with these as kids there’s something special about the toys. I like it, but I believe that to appreciate the design you had to have been there.