In the past I've shied away from reviewing TF Collection releases. Partially it's down to feeling like everyone knows what they're like. But not this time oh no. Perceptor is on of the lost G1 toys in the UK. Given prominence in the comic, cartoon and movie UK fans were aware of him but could never buy him. Like Megatron, Soundwave & Blaster, Perceptor is a Microchange toy reused for Transformers: in this case MC20 Microscope
His primary mode is a microscope.... that works ! Complete with reflecting mirror, slide tray and adjustable magnification. How cool is that ? Most microscopes I've seen are either black - like his e-Hobby release - or silver, not red and greeny blue though.
Like most Microchange toys he has a vehicle mode - remove the fake magnification cogs on the side of him, turn the stabilising legs the other way round, pull on the green tabs to extend wheels and the rotate the stabilising legs round till they're level with the upright pieces. The slide tray acts as a seat for a Microman, and there are wheels underneath to use it as a tank. However the body bit of the microscope can be inclined upwards so that it forms an elevated cannon. Great for an added bonus mode.
From Microscope mode flip the feet up, rotate both supports so the feet point outwards and then bend the legs out to the side of the microscope. Rotate the whole leg 180 degrees so the feet and the stickers are pointing out on the same side as the lens and tray. Bend both legs down at the hip. Pull the sides of the main microscope out to form the arms, then flip them through 180 degrees, fold the tops of the shoulders down and extend the hands. Fold the lens tray and the mirror up into the chest. Swing the Microscope lens to one side - doesn't matter which and then rotate the cog on the back to raise the head.
Perceptor's is then a very well proportioned robot about 14cm high to the top of his head - 16cm to the top of his microscope. He comes with a gun and a hand held missile launcher as weapons - both with standard size pegs for his hand, but I've always likes to think of the magnification wheels on each wrist as buzzsaws :-) These remove leaving a standard size hole which can be used for either of his other weapons. Despite his missile launcher and the sides of the scope having holes in the sides of them none of them are the right size - too small - to take the weapon handles. Articulation is superb for a toy of this age - shoulders, elbows, hips to the side, rotation joint below the hip, knee and another rotational below the knee. I'm somewhat used to Perceptor's smiley cartoon/comic face as shown on the box front so his Primesque visor does look a tad odd - but that's the way it's always been.
Overall: Great toy, always nice to get something new for me out the reissue line.
Perceptor was first sold in the USA in 1985 and appeared as Perceptor in the Japanese Transformers line in the same year where he was numbered 39. As mentioned above he was not released in the UK.
He was reissued in Japan's Transformers Collection as release 19. He comes in a TF collection box with mint green panels that's twice the depth of the normal boxes. He was re-released in the USA in 2009 where his missile launcher spring was completely removed.
Magnificus comes with Ga'mede, who is a repaint of the 2004 Microman Walter figure. Using the same super-posable body found on the Japanese version of Kicker/a> he comes with multiple weapons and six pairs of interchangeable hands.
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