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"I stand my ground... I accept any challenge... I am hungry for conflict."
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A legend by nature of his existance, he emerges as a new and deadly Decepticon anti-hero. This mighty machine has the Autobots guessing. No location is too remote and no terrain too tough for this megalithic power-monger. With amazing capabilities he traverses the dimensions, his multiple functions activated by Energon mini figures in engine mode. A Tank to steamroll a path ahead and a Jet for C-SAC duty (carrier, spy and air-combatant). The colossal body houses an arms manufacturing plant, producing a multitude of sophisticated super-weapons. The ultimate conversion is to Battle Station Complex. A strategic support base ready for the arrival of the Decepticon fleet... ready for all out war!
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STRENGTH | 9
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INTELLIGENCE | 3
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SPEED | 3
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ENDURANCE | 10
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RANK | 10
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COURAGE | 9
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FIREPOWER | 8
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SKILL | 2
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OVERALL | 54
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Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) -
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) -
First/Last Cartoon Appearance -
First Toy Appearance - 1991
Click here to see Figure Details and review
Figure Details
AKA 'Gigatron'
Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Botcon
Additions/Mods:
- Added the Renderform rifle
Review
Thanks to 'Last Stand of the Wreckers', Overlord's profile has been raised somewhat. An obscure toy with pretty much no supporting fiction outside of Japan suddenly became a must-have. I remember seeing the original toy of this in a store and thinking it looked cool, and never seeing it again. Given how much the original toy sells for these days, I regret not purchasing him which I had the chance! Let's see if this Botcon version can hold a candle to the imposing original.
Appearance (Robot Mode) 7/10
First off, this Botcon exclusive represents only the tank - originally Overlord comprised of a tank and a jet, which both combined to form a massively bulky robot. Unfortunately, the Bludgeon mould used here is necessarily skeletal, which does not homage the original character well at all. The new headsculpt is very nice, but looks too big for the body. Thankfully, the colour scheme is beautifully garish, and mirrors the original brilliantly. Overlord comes with Bludgeon's 2 swords, but I don't display him with them. Overlord is too badass to need swords. At the moment, I use G1 Galvatron's gun, which I may spray purple at some point.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 9/10
I have long been a fan of the tank mode anyway, and now that this colour scheme has been applied it is near perfect. A bright blue, purple and white tank would be a little conspicuous on the battlefield, but I guess a robot of Overlord's fearsome reputation wouldn't care about being spotted. I have a major gripe with the kinky barrel though - the plastic that comprises the sword is flexible as with the original Bludgeon, but for Bludgeon I purchased the Headrobots upgrade set, so didn't have to worry. The trouble is that the sword/barrel is made from a slightly less flexible plastic than Bludgeon's parts, which means that every picture I have seen of Overlord has a wonky barrel. I have been trying to iron out the kinks in the barrel by wadding the gap between the barrel and the body of the tank while storing it, and this has helped to fix it.
Transformation 7/10
Fiddly at first but I quickly got to grips with it. The only concerning part is pulling the chest back up to revert to tank, which requires a fair amount of pressure. Because of Overlord's huge face, you have to be extra careful not to scrape the paint off his nose as I have already done.
Poseability 8/10
While the lack of wrist/waist articulation is bothersome, Overlord can still strike a lot of poses. He does look slightly pigeon-footed, unless you splay his lower legs outwards slightly.
Quality 8/10
Apart from the fact that there is not much clearance for his face, which led me to scrape some paint off his nose, this mould is solid. If you exert too much pressure, the joints pop off, so at least actual breakages are scarce. But because this is a Botcon exclusive, kids should be kept clear anyway!
Overall - 39/50
FansProject need to do their magic with this figure. The way I see it, they should start designing a large black jet, whcih can split up to become armour for Overlord to wear, which will give him the bulky and G1-accurate appearance that he needs. The Bludgeon mould works brilliantly to render his tank alt mode, but is way off the mark to depict Overlord as a robot. As a figure in its own right, Overlord is pretty cool, and the colour scheme is gloriously reflective of the original.
