Phil's
Operation Combination Treader,
Micromaster Collection Treader,
Micromaster Collection Destron Treader
and
Universe Longhaul
Review

Operation Combination Treader

Treader is the tipper lorry in the SixBuilder team - their equivalent of Longhaul in the Constructicons. Treader's bodywork in this original version is black, moulded on the same parts sprue as the hands & head of the combined robot. You can't tell this just from this version - all the wheels and the legs of Crush-Bull & Gran Arm are black too - but if you look at the reissue version as well you'll see that the head & Hands change moulded colour along with Treader's bodywork. This will cause problems later..... Sadly Treader is one of two members of the SixBuilder team with no moving vehicle parts so the truck bed doesn't tip back. Boo !

TF: stand with the underside of the vehicle facing you. Fold the arms up. Fold the front of the vehicle down to form the robot's chest. Fold the robot chest back and up. Fold the head up.

The Transformation gives you a Micromaster who's body at least looks very much like Constructicon Long Haul - both have a similar chest. It's not common for a Micromaster to have a piece of vehicle bodywork on their chest - many are just a plain robot chest complete with screw hole in the middle ! Treader's robot mode reveals an orange head, body & upper legs - plastic shared with Digger vehicle mode & Iron Lift's robot parts too. Standard Micromaster articulation is again, like Gran Arm, marred by the chest getting in the way of the arms and preventing them from raising properly.

Treader forms either leg of SixBuilder: plug the back of the vehicle into the appropriate foot and attach to the knee. His Constructicon counterpart was the body & back of Devastator.

OK Vehicle mode, better than average looking Micromaster robot, but minus points for the limit on the articulation.

Treader was sold in Japan in 1992 in the Operation Combination TF-01 SixBuilder set.

Micromaster Collection Treader

Treader returns as toy number 5 in the Micromaster Collection release of SixBuilder. Black becomes orange - as do the moulded colour of the head & hands of SixBuilder (not included with Treader) while his orange body colour becomes yellow.

Micromaster Collection Treader comes with SixBuilder's right foot, cast in blue plastic.

Micromaster Collection Destron Treader

Treader's Destron chase repaint *finally* puts him in colours resembling the G1 Constructicons. The green used here for most parts is a brighter shade than that used on the original Constructicons, while purple is used for the windows & Decepticon symbol. Chase Destron SixBuilder pieces were packed between 1 and 2 piece per box of 12 SixBuilder pieces - 2 complete sets in each. However due to the Constructicon homage this chase set was in demand more than the others for a long time.

Destron Treader comes with the chase version of the combined robot's right foot that his Cybertron counterpart has.

Universe Longhaul

Treader gets the Longhaul name for his Universe release adopting a colour scheme closer the original Constructicon release with a paler green and more purple detailing on the windows, vehicle front and robot head which then gets a silver faceplate.

Although the hands and head of the combined version aren't included with this toy they once again change colour in relation to the colour of the vehicle mode for the toy, both becomes the same pale green colour, but both are heavily painted. The head is black with a silver face - quite right - but the hands are purple with black forearms. Why not paint those black too to match the forearms/missile launchers on original Devastator ?

Longhaul is sold with the right foot of Devastator.

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