GoBots: Prime

So for the last few years… ah hell, ever since Classics got rolling, I’ve been wanting to see Hasbro give us molds that could easily double as GoBot homages with some clever repainting and a possible remolding. So far they’ve tossed us the proverbial bone with both a subtle wink/nod (Fracture=Crasher,  Reverb=Dart) and sometimes without saying a word (HFTD Highbrow=Bolt, PCC Searchlight=Twinspin), but I want more.

More specifically, I want Leader-1! I can squint at GDO Swerve and see SmallFoot, but not a single jet TF Hasbro has produced has really worked as a decent palette swap for the Guardian leader.

Until Prime:Dreadwing came along that is.
Okay, so at first glance I didn’t give him much though, he’s the wrong color, he seemed squat in bot mode, head’s all wrong, etc. But then I got him in hand and let me tell you-with a little paint and new head this guy could very well be a good stand in for Leader-1. Dreadwing is only slightly shorter than AM Prime-which completely works as far as the way I always imagined the two leaders. He’s also a little bulky in the torso, but nowhere near as beefy as he appears in the show. Though this bothers a lot of the screen accurate crowd, it works perfectly for me, because I don’t mind Leader-1 having some heft to him.

Behold quickie Digibashing!

And of course, battle mask!

Now granted, it’d be a bit stylized to match the Prime aesthetic, but even if he’s jammed into that continuity, I really think this could pass for Leader-1. It even got my head cranking out ideas for his appearance in the show-visitor from a robotic planet that isn’t Cybertron noticing the threat the Decepticons pose and offers to help stop them before they get too out of hand. Oh the possibilities!

(Credit for base images goes to TCracker on TFW2005!)