Toy Review - Generations Thrust

[SharkyMcShark]

I think you missed clear Starscream

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

Love the seekers (repaints, remolds)

Hoping for generations

-Thundercracker
-Dirge
-Sunstorm
-Slipstream (TFA colours)

[GoktimusPrime]

I think you missed clear Starscream

Yeah, mail away exclusive Ghost Starscream. There's also Universe Starscream which is a pretty neat repaint. I skipped it cos I already have Classics Starscream, but I would've picked it up in a heartbeat if I didn't.

Love the seekers (repaints, remolds)

Hoping for generations

-Thundercracker
-Dirge
-Sunstorm
-Slipstream (TFA colours)

Slipstream's a neat idea. But I'd really like to see Hasbro prioritise Thundercracker and Dirge first before considering more obscure characters like Sunstorm and Slipstream. These obscure characters should be the exclusives with Thundercracker and Dirge as common store releases, not the other way around IMO.

[snazzbot 101]

He looks nifty, though I'm a little biased - Thrust was my Decepticon Plane growing up (before I knew what a "seeker" was).

But one thing: after the better part of 20 releases, how is the mold holding up?

[iceburn]

Henkei (*Gentei):
+ Starscream
+ Starscream (Ghost)*
+ Skywarp*
+ Thundercracker*
+ Ramjet
+ Thrust*
+ Dirge*

Classics (*BotCon exclusive):
+ Starscream
+ Skywarp
+ Thundercracker*
+ Ramjet
+ Thrust*
+ Dirge*

Universe 2.0
+ Starscream
+ Acid Storm

Generations:
+ Thrust

HtfD
+ Jetblade

[tinyJazz]

He looks nifty, though I'm a little biased - Thrust was my Decepticon Plane growing up (before I knew what a "seeker" was).

But one thing: after the better part of 20 releases, how is the mold holding up?

"seeker" is just a fan made term that's made its way into official usage sort of recently. :/

My Generations Thrust had some paint scraped off and rough-edged plastic in some places. But he's mostly okay.

I've now got all three versions of Thrust and the Botcon one is still my favourite, the black details are much nicer and sharper than the dirty grey and brown on the Henkei and Generations Thrust. Also his face looks much better in black, he just looks more menacing.

[SkyWarp91]

I'm a fan of Thrust too, but....

...I also have a Robots in Disguise Ramjet (which basically has most of the same mold as Generations Thrust, apart from the stabilizer packs and wing position) and when comparing the quality of the plastics, Thrust seems to have a more subtle, not-so 'strong' plastic feel to him.

I don't know if anyone else notices this too but my Thrust doesn't fit together as tightly as Ramjet, one example is where the Rear-nose of the plane pegs into the body in Alt. mode (seen looking down on the alt. mode) - both toys have the exact same transformation and parts at this region yet Thrust just feels somewhat weaker. Maybe it's because of the colour tat Thrust is, being a nice, glossy like maroon?

What are your thoughts?

[SharkyMcShark]

I'm a fan of Thrust too, but....

...I also have a Robots in Disguise Ramjet (which basically has most of the same mold as Generations Thrust, apart from the stabilizer packs and wing position) and when comparing the quality of the plastics, Thrust seems to have a more subtle, not-so 'strong' plastic feel to him.

I don't know if anyone else notices this too but my Thrust doesn't fit together as tightly as Ramjet, one example is where the Rear-nose of the plane pegs into the body in Alt. mode (seen looking down on the alt. mode) - both toys have the exact same transformation and parts at this region yet Thrust just feels somewhat weaker. Maybe it's because of the colour tat Thrust is, being a nice, glossy like maroon?

What are your thoughts?

I'm guessing by Robots in Disguise Ramjet you mean Classics Ramjet? (Same mold different wings?)

If that's the case I've got them both sitting here in front me me, and I have to disagree I'm afraid. My Ramjet (purchased in mid 2007) had really loose legs out of the box and the plastic feels a few notches more brittle and coarse than the norm for Hasbro. Thrust I've not got a complaint about really.

[SkyWarp91]

I'm guessing by Robots in Disguise Ramjet you mean Classics Ramjet? (Same mold different wings?)

If that's the case I've got them both sitting here in front me me, and I have to disagree I'm afraid. My Ramjet (purchased in mid 2007) had really loose legs out of the box and the plastic feels a few notches more brittle and coarse than the norm for Hasbro. Thrust I've not got a complaint about really.

No need to be afraid about disagreeing. Maybe our toys are different (like maybe something happened at the factory) because my Ramjet has quite tight legs and feels tougher than my Thrust lol. I did just buy my Ramjet about a month ago from eBay MISB. Nonetheless, Thrust is a great toy that makes my seeker collection almost complete. Now I'm after that cracking in the thunder above

[GoktimusPrime]

"seeker" is just a fan made term that's made its way into official usage sort of recently. :/

From TFwiki:
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Although the most well-known name for these Decepticons, the wide use of the term "Seeker" is still somewhat mysterious.

The first documented use of the term discovered by the Transformers fandom is from the 1984 J.C. Penney holiday catalog (sometimes called a "wishbook"). On the page which shows the Christmas season's available Transformers, the following entry is found: "Decepticon Silver Plane. Airplane with sensational F-15 styling scours the countryside searching for Autobots. When they're found, the Seekers set out to destroy them. Transforms to an exciting robot with hi-tech weapons and Decepticon logo." A photo of Starscream and Thundercracker is displayed.

Also on the same page in an ad for Soundwave, he's said to "send out messages to the Seekers and other Decepticons".

Another early use not discovered by the fandom until much later is from an ad by now defunct discount retail chain Zayre from November 1984, listed as "Decepticon Seeker" among "Autobot mini car", "Autobot car", "Decepticon Communicator" and "Autobot or Decepticon Leader". Depicted are Starscream and either Skywarp or Thundercracker.

These two seemingly unconnected instances back up a long-standing rumor that the term "Seeker" was used in some other early promotional materials, and has been handed down by Hasbro at some point. This would also explain why it's capitalized in both instances. Still, though, as there are only two known primary sources in which the term appears to this day, it seems strange that they could have inspired the entire fandom to use the term. "Seeker" was in wide use among internet Transfans even in the early 1990s, when the fandom was just getting off its feet. Did somebody in the days of the Transformers email list have a memory of the word from when they saw one of these catalogs at age 10 and start the trend? It is probably impossible to know at this point.

It is sometimes erroneously claimed that "Seeker" is derived from a line of dialog in the first episode of the G1 cartoon, in which these jets are referred to as "hunter-seekers". This line does not exist.

The term "hunter-seekers" is used in issue 17 of the US comic, "The Smelting Pool!". However, the Decepticons it is applied to are shown only in their flight modes, which look nothing like the "Seekers" that we are familiar with. In fact, the Conehead Seekers make their first appearance in this same issue, and their Cybertronian flight modes appear very similar to their Earth jet forms (if not completely identical), and completely different from the craft which are referred to as hunter-seekers. The only real connection between the hunter-seekers we were shown and the "Seekers" is that there's more than one of them and they fly.
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(Source)

So technically speaking the origin of the term Seeker is from those obscure catalogues, but its usage among fans was probably coincidentally coined by online fans in the early days of the internet.