Review – Transformers SCF “Pewter” Cyclonus

Line: Transformers * Manufacturer: Takara * Year: 2002

While I was in New York last month I grabbed three Transformers SCF boxes, two from series three and one from series eight. I had my fingers crossed that I would open a Cyclonus, so imagine my shock when this “Pewter” Cyclonus fell out of the box. Awesome! Not as cool as a cartoon-colored Cyclonus would have been, but I’ve gotta say I’m very happy with my pull.

SCF?

See this page at Wikipedia for a look at the Transformers SCF toy series. Basically, these are roughly 3-inch tall collectible toys that were blind-packed in boxes and released across ten waves from 2000 to 2003. I’d seen some of these before, but this was the first time that I had bought any of the small toys so I wasn’t completely sure what I could expect from the toy.

A Decoy for a New Century?

The TFWiki has info on the decoy toys, but basically they were tiny M.U.S.C.L.E.-like rubbery toys that were packed in with Transformers toys for a little while back in the eighties. At the time I wasn’t all that excited by the toys, but of course today I look at photos online — X-Entertainment has several photos of the toys — and I want them. Unfortunately, decoys are kinda pricey for their size so I continue to resist buying any.

But this little toy is a little decoy-like in design, but far more detailed than the old decoys and the plastic feels more durable than I remember the decoys’ plastic. But I’ll spare you more rambling about the decoys and get back to the toy I’m supposed to be reviewing today.

A Clean, Detailed Sculpt

Slightly larger than most gaming miniatures, Cyclonus looks great and is a nice addition to the Cyclonus shelf in the living room. (Don’t ask. It’s really best not to ask.) The design is clearly inspired by the Transformers cartoon* rather than the classic toy design, but that’s okay since the older toy was a bit blocky and ugly. It’s not a spectacular sculpt, but it looks good and is posed in a suitably dynamic position . . . which is a good thing since the toy has no articulation and is more a micro-statue than anything else.

Closing Thoughts

At $10 this toy was way over-priced, but if I could find these for about $4 or $5/box I would probably buy five or six more pieces. I would have rather had the cartoon-colored Cyclonus, but this “pewter” color looks decent enough and the sculpt is good enough that I’m happy with how the toy looks in the display. It’s just large enough to be noticeable from across the room, and it’s clearly identifiable as Cyclonus.

I can’t recommend that anyone rush out and start searching for these toys — the prices online are a tad ridiculous in my opinion — but if you stumble across these in a shop it’s worth grabbing a few boxes if you can get them for $5 or less. Seriously, $10 is way too much.

And now I’m kicking myself for passing on the case of 14 that I saw while I was in Hong Kong. The $55 to $60 price tag for 14 of these toys would have been just right. Maybe the box will still be there when I make it back to Hong Kong.

Philip Reed now wonders how long it will be before some bootlegger digs out the old Transformers Decoys and starts releasing short resin runs in unusual colors.