discovery of new Diaclone - black Countach LP500S (aka Sideswipe)

[heroic_decepticon]

Thought you guys might be interested to know.

Something I was investigating with the TF-1 guys on for a month and a bit.


In this day and age of vintage Transformers and Diaclone collecting, an age where websites, forums, Facebook, blogs, publications and a strong knowledgeable community have helped expose almost every secret of those venerable toy lines, we don't expect to see anything completely new any more. Maybe the odd Finnish Diaclone packaging variant, a foreign Ceji Joustra release of a favourite with exclusive box artwork or even an Italian GiG pre-Transformer with a mish-mash of Diaclone and Transformers colours or moulding that finally gets confirmed. But to find something completely unheard of and new that nobody knew existed, something that has never been seen by the wider collecting community in approximately 30 years, that is impossible to imagine nowadays, right?

Wrong.

TF-1 - Diaclone Black New Countach LP500S (Sideswipe) (http://www.tf-1.com/articles/pretf_frame.php?art=blackswipe) <- CLICK TO READ

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/16618/2235571010100811158S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2235571010100811158qmwVlU)

My deepest thanks go to my partners in crime Brandon "Heroic Decepticon" Yap, Gordon "VF1" Yip, Colin "Specimen-17" Pringle for what was one of the most exciting and enjoyable things that I have ever been a part of in this hobby.

You can read Heroic Decepticon's entry on this same item and its discovery HERE (http://heroicdecepticon.blogspot.hk/2012/08/project-vanguard-pre-transformers.html) for more backstory on the source and "Project Vanguard".

All the best
Maz

Article from my blog (http://heroicdecepticon.blogspot.hk/2012/08/project-vanguard-pre-transformers.html) on different aspects of the piece.

It's being discussed on TFW too (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/644740-tf-1-com-diaclone-black-sideswipe.html).

[Sky Shadow]

Amazing, HD. At first I thought, 'crap, someone's ripped you off' so I'm ecstatic to be convinced that it's genuine. Of course, if anyone on the planet was going to find a unique Diaclone three decades later I'd expect it to be you. :)

[heroic_decepticon]

Amazing, HD. At first I thought, 'crap, someone's ripped you off' so I'm ecstatic to be convinced that it's genuine. Of course, if anyone on the planet was going to find a unique Diaclone three decades later I'd expect it to be you. :)

Thanks Jordan!
"crap, I got ripped off" was exactly what I thought when I reached the airport after purchasing this piece...so you're not far from the mark. Good that it's resolved quite unequivocally.

[Hursticon]

Ooh! :eek:
I look forward to reading this when I get back from the Parra Fair HD! :cool:

[Skullcruncher]

Thats crazy for it not to have turned up before! It doesn't appear on any diaclone catalogues or advertising at all? A truly great find HD - maz has done an excellent job on documenting the reasearch as well. I bet you have had offers for it already! :cool:

[SuspectimusPrime]

Thanks for sharing this gripping story, heroic decepticon - it must have been like discovering life on Mars for you :) I enjoyed the Black Tracks backstory as well.

Also, poor Maz:


I’ve always said nobody really reads my articles!

[Slag]

sooooo awesome, loved all the comparison pics too.
thanks.

[GoktimusPrime]

Black Diaclone New Countach LP500S has also been documented on Diaclone.net here (http://diaclone.net/orid/dia050/index.html) - although Diaclone.net says that it came with the Powered Convoy (Ultra Magnus) Deluxe Set.

This would have also been the rationale behind e-Hobby Deep Cover; i.e. a reissue of black Diaclone New Countach LP500S but with a new concept/identity to include it into the Transformers universe (as often happens with Diaclone & Microman toys reissued through eHobby). :)

[gamblor916]

That was an amazing read. Nice find!

[Sky Shadow]

Black Diaclone New Countach LP500S has also been documented on Diaclone.net here (http://diaclone.net/orid/dia050/index.html) - although Diaclone.net says that it came with the Powered Convoy (Ultra Magnus) Deluxe Set.

This would have also been the rationale behind e-Hobby Deep Cover; i.e. a reissue of black Diaclone New Countach LP500S but with a new concept/identity to include it into the Transformers universe (as often happens with Diaclone & Microman toys reissued through eHobby). :)

Heroic Decepticon's toy has not got the blue parts of Deep Cover. And it has neither the stickers nor the blue launcher as you could see by observing the picture above. Similarly it does not have the red bits or stickers from G2 Sideswipe. This is something different, which is why it is newsworthy.

[valkyrie_76]

Man they loved that mould :D

Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA5II5AlO7w)

Sorry had to do it :D:D:D

[GoktimusPrime]

I only read post #1 and hadn't clicked on the link so I didn't get the full story. My bad.

[5FDP]

heroic_decepticon - The Indiana Jones of OTCA :D Congrats mate!

[heroic_decepticon]

Thanks guys for reading and for the kind words. :D


Ooh! :eek:
I look forward to reading this when I get back from the Parra Fair HD! :cool:

Look forward to your thoughts, as always! :p


Thats crazy for it not to have turned up before! It doesn't appear on any diaclone catalogues or advertising at all? A truly great find HD - maz has done an excellent job on documenting the reasearch as well. I bet you have had offers for it already! :cool:

That's the difficulty we had with it - why was this not in any catalogue and never documented in any way shape or form? How could no one have ever come across this before?

Actually, now that we've posted our findings, there are 1 or 2 Italian collectors that claim to have seen it on auction before but just dismissed it. (not sure how true though).

Offers are landsliding in now, more so than even for the Marlboor Wheeljack. It's insane. But I'm going to keep it, for awhile.


I only read post #1 and hadn't clicked on the link so I didn't get the full story. My bad.

Have a read Gok, I do believe it is good reading. In fact, it was exactly your thoughts that we had in mind when we first saw this - shouldn't it be a PCDX black Countach?

We did say in the article that we suspect this was meant as the intermediate release after red Countach, but was canned due to it looking "uninteresting". Then the revived the idea for PCDX giftset in 1985 but changed some colours and gave it nice gold stickers.

Molding wise, this piece is completely unique and near impossible to fake to that level (see Maz's article). It's possible to though, but someone would have had to go to a lot of trouble to do it.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I'm not sure what your Japanese is like but didn't you ask the Herogangu owner how he thinks it was released originally?

Why don't you try contacting Shogo Hasui on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Hasui_TF) to see if he can shed some light on this, since he's doing MP Sideswipe, maybe he knows something or could ask someone older at Takara Tomy?

If you need my wife to pen a tweet in Japanese, let me know :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I can't seem to find a contact/email link on Diaclone.net... otherwise I'd recommend contacting that site admin. <shrug> :confused:

[heroic_decepticon]

I'm not sure what your Japanese is like but didn't you ask the Herogangu owner how he thinks it was released originally?

Why don't you try contacting Shogo Hasui on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Hasui_TF) to see if he can shed some light on this, since he's doing MP Sideswipe, maybe he knows something or could ask someone older at Takara Tomy?

If you need my wife to pen a tweet in Japanese, let me know :)

My Japanese language are non-existent. Only talk to the guy in English. Anyway, he usually says its from old factory stock.

I'm interested to talk to someone potentially in the know, but I'm not sure what sort of short message would be appropriate for your wife to pen? Perhaps start by point him to the articles /photos?

[kurdt_the_goat]

I just tweeted him (https://twitter.com/PocketPowerToys/status/238122864941862912) so we'll see if anything comes back!

It says: "Hasui san, does anyone at Takara Tomy have information on Diaclone single-pack black LP500S that was recently discovered?" plus the link!

[heroic_decepticon]

I just tweeted him (https://twitter.com/PocketPowerToys/status/238122864941862912) so we'll see if anything comes back!

It says: "Hasui san, does anyone at Takara Tomy have information on Diaclone single-pack black LP500S that was recently discovered?" plus the link!

Any response from him? :D

[kurdt_the_goat]

Nothing i'm afraid :(

[liegeprime]

Give the man some time, he may yet be asking around the company. :):) or CBB.

[1AZRAEL1]

heroic_decepticon - The Indiana Jones of OTCA :D Congrats mate!

How true lol. Well put.

A truly unique find there HD, I'll have to read up the article le when i get home and not on my phone.

[heroic_decepticon]

Nothing i'm afraid :(

Hopefully, we hear something!


How true lol. Well put.

A truly unique find there HD, I'll have to read up the article le when i get home and not on my phone.

Look forward to your thoughts!

There are more photos on my site now too:

http://heroicdecepticon.blogspot.hk/2012/08/project-vanguard-photos-pre.html

[Verno]

Incredible stuff HD!

What amazes me is there seems to be no official record from Takara as to what was produced and when. This leads me to exciting prospect that other non-identified items are out there lurking somewhere, or perhaps under that toy shop owners desk!

30 years after the fact and new things are still being discovered. Simply incredible and Congrats to you HD!

[kup]

That is a pretty amazing discovery. I also wonder how many other 'lost' releases of Diaclone are out there?

Excellent job HD! You should open up Transformers history museum ;)

[Maz]

Thought you guys might be interested to know.

Something I was investigating with the TF-1 guys on for a month and a bit.


And what a fun and exciting month it was!! Great pictures on the blog mate, here's to the next discovery :)

All the best
Maz

[heroic_decepticon]

And what a fun and exciting month it was!! Great pictures on the blog mate, here's to the next discovery :)

All the best
Maz

Yes, it was great fun. And good to see you here buddy.

A very warm welcome to OTCA *waves* :D

PS: you already made "the next discovery" last night and we have already closed in on it. Though not as obscure, I'm sure that piece is also very seldom even seen....

[Maz]

Yes, it was great fun. And good to see you here buddy.

A very warm welcome to OTCA *waves* :D

PS: you already made "the next discovery" last night and we have already closed in on it. Though not as obscure, I'm sure that piece is also very seldom even seen....

A great pleasure to be here!

Haha I guess you'll need to alter that wants list in your sig now ;)

All the best
Maz