Convoy, Lambor,
Starscream, Bumble, Soundwave with Ravage
Takara
released a new line of miniature figures in July 2003 dubbed The
World's Smallest Transformers. The first series (AS-1)
includes 6 regular with 2 "Secret" figures. The figures are
identified as follows:
The "Secret" or chase figures are Skywarp and Cliffjumper. The
case on the right measuring approximately 12"L x 9"W x 4.25"H and
contains 12 boxes. The case has a mixture of Japanese and English
writing, and as usual, there are some misspellings. Here are a
couple of examples:
"IT IS A WORLD TRANSFORMED, WHERE THINGS ARE NOT WHAT
THEY SEEN. IT IS THE WORLD OF THE TRANSFORMERS . . .
A WORLD OF HEROIC CYBERTRONS AND EVIL DESTRONS!"
The word SEEN has been
used instead of SEEM. Another misspelling located on the top of
the case is: "TRANSFORMERS
MORE THAN MEETS TEE EYE!"
Of course TEE should actually be THE.
It's kind of funny to see these errors get past the quality control team
:)
Each box (shown above) measures 4"L x 2.25"W x 4"H and are all the same
as far as box art print. The price tag for each box is listed as
¥380. As with the PVC's, the contents of the box remains a secret
until you open it. This is Takara's way of getting the collector's
like myself to keep purchasing boxes until I have a complete set.
Each
figure is placed in a plastic shell fitted over a corrugated cardboard
that makes up the base. Also included is a two-page sheet with one
side displaying anime art and tech spec, while the other side displays
transforming instructions. I've included scans of the tech spec
and art for each figure, just for your viewing pleasure.
Back to Front
Convoy (cab)
Soundwave
Soundwave
Lambor
Bumble
Soundwave
Lambor
Bumble
Starscream
Lambor
Bumble
Starscream
Each figure is placed in a plastic shell fitted over a corrugated
cardboard that makes up the base. Also included is a two-page
sheet with one side displaying anime art and tech spec, while the
other side displays transforming instructions. I've included
scans of the tech spec and art for each figure, just for your
viewing pleasure.
I purchased this case from
BigBadToyStore in November
2003. The case breakdown is shown on the left. My case
didn't include any chase figures which has been my luck for a long
time.
I'm sure
I'll eventually get my hands on the chase figures since Takara has done
a great job producing these figures. The articulation is amazing
for something this small and the "World's Smallest Transformers" are
highly recommend!
CONVOY GTF 01A -
Truck Cab
Convoy is the first figure in the line up as expected. There
are two releases in this series: cab & trailer. The cab is
just about the same size as the Convoy TFG1 PVC figure, but this one
actually transforms.
Convoy
also has a gun attachment which clips onto his wrist as shown in the
photo.
To transform Convoy from vehicle to robot mode, rotate the rear wheel
section downward 90° then fold the ends down to create his
toes/feet. Rotate the smokestack parts outward slightly while
moving the front wheel well parts (arms) to create his shoulders/arms.
Rotate the flap on top of the cab to reveal his head. Finally,
clip his gun attachment to his wrist. Convoy now stands at
approximately 2.25" tall.
Transforming Convoy into robot mode is basically the same as the
standard sized figure which is really neat. One thing I really
like about this figure is the moveable wheels, but the only flaw that my
figure has is two left arms. This is noticeable in vehicle mode
since his fist is placed on the outside above the front wheel.
Vehicle Mode
Robot Mode
Catalog & Tech Spec
LAMBOR GTF 02 -
Lamborghini Car
Lambor
is the second figure is this series and measures lest than 2" in
length. His paint applications are decent with only a few
colors added. I'm kind of disappointed that there aren't any
moveable wheels like Convoy, but I'll get over it. There are
no weapon attachments included with Lambor.
To transform
Lambor from vehicle to robot mode, simply pull back the rear-end
of the car until it clicks. Pull out the door and front
wheel parts to create his arms. Now fold down the hood to
create his torso and reveal his head. The roof can be lifted
slightly on his back. The last step is to pull down the
Silver parts near the rear wheels to reveal his toes. Lambor
now stands a little over 1.75" tall.
Articulation is
practically non-existent. His arms can rotate upward at the
shoulder and that's about it.
Vehicle Mode
Robot Mode
Catalog & Tech Spec
STARSCREAM GTF 03 - F-15 Jet
Vehicle Mode
The third
figure in this series is Starscream. He measures approximately
3.75" in length and has two kinds of attachments; fists & launchers
(fuel tanks). The details are good and articulation is just about
the same as the original figure.
To transform Starscream
from vehicle to Robot mode, remove his main wings from the body as well
as the launchers from under the wings. Fold up the nose gear and
rotate the inner body part outward which is located in the center and
just behind the cockpit. These parts form the arms. Rotate
the nose and canopy downward and through the center opening of the body
which will become his torso and head. Once in place, fold the nose
piece back to reveal his head. Rotate the small wings downward 90°
then the rear wheels/landing gear which will form his feet.
Lastly, attach the fists to the end of the arm parts and launchers to
the outside of his arms. Starscream now stands at approximately
2.75" tall.
Robot Mode
Catalog & Tech Spec
BUMBLE GTF 04 -
VW Beetle Car
Bumble
is the fourth figure released in this series. He is definitely
the smallest of other figures released thus far and measures
approximately 1.25" in length. I really like Bumble's vehicle
mode except for the fact that his wheels do not rotate.
To transform Bumble
from vehicle to robot mode, pull the front end of the car by the
hood outward until it locks into place. Then rotate the hood
part upward 90° which creates his feet/base. Grab the wheel
parts and pull them outward to create his arms. Lastly, flip
the license plate upward to reveal his head. Bumble now stands
at approximately 1.5" tall.
Bumble is a neat
little figure, but I don't really like the way his arms have been
created. The left arm has no joint and rotates at the
shoulder, whereas the right arm is connected at the center or elbow.
When both are raised, Bumble looks like a fighter throwing a jab.
Soundwave
is the fifth and final figure released in this series. The
attachments that were included are two blaster/ gun parts and Ravage
(cassette tape). This is by far the best figure released to
date! The details, articulation and features are great.
Not only does this release include Ravage, but Soundwave's torso
opens up so that you can store it! Not only that, he can store
his weapons/batteries in his back (battery compartment) too!
Again, this is my favorite figure! Soundwave is
approximately 1.25" wide and Ravage is just 0.5" in length.
To transform
Soundwave from Cassette Recorder to Robot mode, swing the side parts
downward then rotate them 90° towards the front to create his legs.
Fold down his toes then rotate his arms to the side and front.
Next, flip his head up. Finally, attach his weapons to his
shoulder and fist. As for Ravage, just fold out 3 parts and
you're done. By the way, Soundwave now stands at 2" tall.
Cassette Recorder Mode
Robot Mode
Catalog & Tech Spec
Send E-Mail to Rik Ruff with any comments
or suggestions to improve this page.
Lambor
is the second figure is this series and measures lest than 2" in
length. His paint applications are decent with only a few
colors added. I'm kind of disappointed that there aren't any
moveable wheels like Convoy, but I'll get over it. There are
no weapon attachments included with Lambor.
Bumble
is the fourth figure released in this series. He is definitely
the smallest of other figures released thus far and measures
approximately 1.25" in length. I really like Bumble's vehicle
mode except for the fact that his wheels do not rotate.
Soundwave
is the fifth and final figure released in this series. The
attachments that were included are two blaster/ gun parts and Ravage
(cassette tape). This is by far the best figure released to
date! The details, articulation and features are great.
Not only does this release include Ravage, but Soundwave's torso
opens up so that you can store it! Not only that, he can store
his weapons/batteries in his back (battery compartment) too!
Again, this is my favorite figure! Soundwave is
approximately 1.25" wide and Ravage is just 0.5" in length.
