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Non-affiliated, Non-lengthy, Non-articles about Transformers

Saturday 3 May 2014

Brazilian G1 "Blue Bumblejumper" Quickie



Brazil is now completely synonymous with minibots within the Transformers fandom, but it wasn't always that way. I still remember over a decade ago when Devvi posted his amazing photos of rainbow-coloured minibots on his Devvi.com website. It was a revelation to me and a key to another universe. The legacy of that kind of discovery carries on today, not least of all with the slew of Spanish KO minibot reveals I featured here on this blog. Today's feature is the Estrela-manufactured blue "Sedan", Brazil's answer to Bumblejumper, itself a Transformers aberration that was originally a Takara Micro Change Series MC-04 Mazda Familia 1500XG mini car.


"Blue Bumblejumper"
Unique sticker on head plate

This figure hails from Brazil's first series of licensed minibot releases under the "Robocar" title. "Sedan" was their name for Bumblejumper and he was available in blue and white, with the card artwork depicting him in white. The first series Robocar releases were more sedate than the wild colours of the infamous "Optimus vs Malignus" Brazilian series 2 minis, where "Sedan" was available in green and yellow. So maybe not that wild after all.

No markings on tyres

Unlike official Takara  versions of the mould, the tyres do not have "Dunlop" markings, instead they are plain. There should also be a MC-style circuit bar sticker on the roof. Quality is lower than Hasbro minibots, but higher than Fun4All keychains. Not a lot needs to be made of that fact, the keychains my daughter has are surviving just fine if not lobbed across a room or sat on, so a collector need not worry too much about causing undue damage to an Estrela mini. Says the guy who snapped a Joustra Diaclone Browning straight out an unused box.

Darker blue than Micro Change Series 

Shoulders are articulated and he can kinda lean

The long lost brother of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, once you get into pre-TF MC minis or South American minibots, Bumblebee and Cliffy no longer do the business as a two bot show, there will always be that feeling of a missing counterpart. Yellow Bee, red Cliffy and Blue 'Bumper make an excellent trio of tiny robots.

Sunglasses and a bruiser's nose 

Estrela stamping

The copyright stamping on Blue Sedan is unmistakable and a very easy way to identify, although the only other blue version of this mould is from the Takara Japan Micro Change Series line, but that is a much much lighter blue colour and is highly distinguishable from the Estrela Sedan.

A lovely minibot, should never have gone above $100 for value, but these days everything interesting is expensive with more people collecting, regardless of whether they are easier to find today than a decade ago.


More on Blue Sedan HERE

All the best
Maz


2 comments:

  1. Good Morning . You have this model to sell?
    If so, you can send me email to marlon.vitriol@hotmail.com, okay?
    Grateful.

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    Replies
    1. Hi there. Sorry, I do not have this figure any more, or any vintage variant South American minibots.

      All the best
      Maz

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