Ceji G1 "Puffer" Pipes

It's been a while, hasn't it? The longest period of time between Transformers articles from me for almost a decade, but it's taken quite a gorgeous and special vintage Generation 1 Transformers item to inspire me to write again. Since returning exclusively to collecting vintage G1 Transformers toys, I inevitably gravitated back towards my variant G1 and pre-G1 roots, but obviously with a modest budget there's only so much one can afford. Finding the above Ceji G1 Pipes - given the fan name "Puffer" - in a mixed lot of junkers was a touch of the good old days for me, and worthy of an article.

Milton Bradley G1 Ravage

I'm not exaggerating when I say the Transformers Generation 1 Milton Bradley-badged Ravage from 1985 is one of the rarest packaged regular production Transformers in the history of the line. Ravage itself is a very common G1 toy, released in many countries and in many forms, but this specific packaging from mainland European countries in 1985 stands out as not just the rarest occurrence of this figure, not just of all the known and confirmed MB-badged G1 figures, but almost ALL G1 packaged figures worldwide.

Ceji G1 Bombshell

I'm re-treading the past again here on Square One. I first featured the Ceji-manufactured 1986 G1 Insecticon variants from Europe a few years ago as a set. The article on the Ceji G1 "Orange Chested" Insecticons was basically what the title suggested, a look at the French-made Insecticons produced by Ceji on behalf of Hasbro Bradley for the 1986 wave of Transformers in mainland Europe. The deeper and richer orange plastic on the chest canopies was always the draw of these variants, making the toys more closely resemble their box artwork compared to Hasbro's vintage Insecticons with a much more yellow translucent plastic. So why revisit the Ceji Bombshell?

Joustra G1 Starscream

There's something I have missed deeply about writing vintage G1 articles, especially those that are about obscure variants, and that's the thrill of discovering something new or undocumented. I recently bought the above Starscream from a European seller, not expecting it to be anything groundbreaking; it just happened to be a good price and in highly displayable condition. Perfect for someone rebuilding their variant collection. What I found instead was a hugely significant and probably historical - yet tiny - detail. Spoiler alert, though, there may only be five of us worldwide who will care!

Turbo Magnum - The Reason We Got Japanese Transformers?

 

Could this be the most important toy in the history of Takara's Japanese Transformers? How is that even possible? Takara's rechargeable battery-operated "Turbo Magnum" is a small, old, vintage toy that requires the player to plug the main motorised unit into a recharging console, and then fire it off. The base unit comes with multiple interchangeable bodykits. This is actually a production sample bought from ex-Hasbro inventory, via a former employee. But what's that got to do with Transformers?

Ceji G1 "Orange Chested" Insecticons

Last of my posts on Ceji's Transformers variants, not because there aren't any more, I just don't have any more photos. Despite the amazing yellow G1 Devastator and the charming Ceji Seeker jets, I think the Insecticons are my favourites. The thing is, their variation is not at all spectacular, basically the chest flap on all three is translucent orange like the G1 box artwork, instead of the normal yellow of HasTak Insecticons. Thrilling, no?

Ceji G1 Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust

We've looked at the yellow G1 Ceji Devastator and the variant G1 Ceji Starscream, now it's the turn of the 1986 Ceji G1 Decepticon jet Ramjet, made in France and sold in mainland Europe and Scandinavia. We'll briefly check out Thrust and Dirge too. Like Devastator and Starscream, Ceji's Ramjet is quite different to the Hasbro and Takara Generation 1 Transformers Ramjets that most of us will have grown used to in our childhoods and adult collecting. Here comes the breakdown.

Ceji G1 Starscream Quickie

Following on from yesterday's post on the Ceji-manufactured "Yellow Devastator", here's another of the 1986 Transformers made in France by Ceji for Hasbro Bradley in 1986. While the variations on Starscream are not anywhere near as spectacular as a whole Devastator in the wrong colour, there are enough G1 Seeker and Starscream aficionados out there that when I sold both of my specimens, they were gone in an instant with no argument on price. The differences are interesting enough even for a G1 collector with just a passing interest in variants.

Ceji G1 "Yellow Devastator"

This is not Generation 2, and these are not Classic-era yellow and grey non-combining European Constructicons, which can be seen clearly in the above picture of the combined "G1 Yellow Devastator". That's right, "G1", look at the rubsigns. In 1986 before they folded, French toy company Ceji (by then Ceji Revell) agreed as part of the deal for Hasbro Bradley to take over their stock of Diaclone and licences for the mainland European region, to manufacture certain Transformers figures for release under "The Transformers" in countries such as France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Austria and parts of Scandinavia. The Constructicons were part of that arrangement, except the memo about the colour was lost.