Phil's
Micromaster Skystalker
and
Transformers Zone Metrobomb & Rabbicrater
Review

Skystalker

Micromaster Skystalker is an orange Porsche 959 sports car. Hmmm, Orange is an "interesting" colour choice for a Decepticon. More later .... He's one of only two Micromasters issued in the first full year of Micromasters that isn't part of a team or a repaint of a team member - the other is Countdown. He's packed with the interstellar shuttle and wasn't available separate to it.

TF: He's a Micromaster Car, what do you expect ? Fold the back of the car back to form the legs, stand, fold the bonnet down onto his back and swing the arms up.

Robot mode reveals Skystalker's real flaw. In addition to the black upper legs - matching the wheels - we get a Decepticon purple chest. Who thought that was a good idea ? Well ye, a good idea for a Decepticon, but one whose alt mode - and thus his arms and lower legs - are orange ? This is possibly *THE* worst colour clash on any Transformer toy. No, I've just had a look at the Energon pale blue and bright orange of Energon Strongarm, who still wins. But Skystalker's robot mode is right up there in the "bad for the eyes" stakes. Which is a shame as it's a great sculpt complete with Decepticon symbolesque head framed by a shoulder cannon on each side.

Decent mould spoiled by a colour clash. Perhaps a black car mode might have been better but then he'd have been similar to Blackjack from the Sports Car Patrol.

Skystalker wasn't sold in Japan, instead being available as an unnamed mail in toy packed with the Thunder Arrow spacecraft (Japanese release of the Skystalker Interstellar Shuttle)

Metrobomb

Metrobomb was included with Metrotitan, a repaint of Metroplex. Metrobomb is a simple repaint of Micromaster Skystalker with black replacing purple, resulting in a less Decepticon looking toy but one with a far superior colour balance.

Metrobomb is one of only six Destron Micromasters - The four members of the Race Track Patrol plus the above mentioned Thunder Arrow pilot.

Rabbicrater

Rabbicrater was a pack-in with a Transformers Zone video numbered C-350. Rabbicrater is also a straight colour swap of Micromaster Skystalker - orange becomes blue and purple becomes black. He acts as the pilot for the Rocket Base, which is the Japanese issue of Countdown, numbered C-330, that was sold with Rescue Patrol.

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