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GoBots Combiner Puzzler

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26 comments posted
This was one of my favorite

This was one of my favorite GoBots when I was a kid. I liked it better than the combiners of the time that the Transformers line had. Good review of what I think is an over-looked and under-rated toy from the era.

seraph2011's picture
Posted by seraph2011 on 7 February, 2010 - 23:13
Puzzler

Puzzler was my 1st combiner ever when I was 7. I've played with that toy for hours. I had so much fun playing with it, so fun that it distracted me from watching family sitcoms like 'Mama's Family' or 'Gimme A Break!' on NBC primetime on Saturday night with my family.

It was way better than G1 Menasor, Devastator, & the rest of the gestalt teams from TFs.

Of course G1 Predaking's a marvel of epic porportions, but not as phenomenal as Go-Bots Puzzler.

What am I talking about here? Puzzler's phenomenal, but not as astronomically awesome as the Go-Bots Power Warrior.

-R78

Rodimus78's picture
Posted by Rodimus78 on 8 February, 2010 - 01:31
Aren't the car molds same as....

.... G1 Transformers, at least in car mode? In the car mode picture
the right side looks like sunstreaker, camshaft and smokescreen. The
far right red camaro could be tracks. Maybe Tonka borrowed the outer
car molds from takara?

dsoonshi's picture
Posted by dsoonshi on 8 February, 2010 - 02:53
No.

Don't be ridiculous. No, it is not sharing the "outer mold" from some Transformers. Those were just the popular cars in the '80s. These are different (BETTER) designs than the Stunticons (which came out later, by the way), and the GoBots were designed by Bandai. Tonka just repackaged them for the US.

Ginrai's picture
Posted by Ginrai on 8 February, 2010 - 03:12
It's not ridiculous.

It's not ridiculous to think that. Not everyone is a gobots "expert"...

Bandai manufactured these for Tonka who re-did some stickers, paint etc. from the japanese originals.
Overall, I prefer the vintage TF and do not own any gobots. Even the box packaging of the japanese MR ones kills the US Tonka carded figures. I just dig the chunky designs of the Stunticons far more than these gobots.

The Big R's picture
Posted by The Big R on 8 February, 2010 - 15:47
No no.

No, I mean it's ridiculous to think Bandai would copy the outside of a toy and then somehow completely re-engineer the inside to be a toy that is totally different. These aren't even close to the shape or proportions of the Transformers with the same car mode. These cars are not even half as big as Transformers like Sideswipe.

Ginrai's picture
Posted by Ginrai on 8 February, 2010 - 16:20
That's great...

...but there's no way for someone who isn't intimately familiar with this toy already to guage the size of these from your article/photos.

Not everyone is as up on their gobots as you, friend...

The Big R's picture
Posted by The Big R on 9 February, 2010 - 00:11
What are the chances that

What are the chances that any legitimate toy company anywhere would cast a new transforming robot toy from the same mold as a competitor,but change everything inside in both form and function?
Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just resculpt the wole thing?

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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 9 February, 2010 - 07:23
I actually have two of these

I actually have two of these guys now, the red and the white. Picked them up in a huge lot of Transformers. They are missing their tires, but pretty tight otherwise. I agree that these are way better than the TF combiners of the time. No extra fiddly bits to lose! I'll definitely be looking for the others.

djinniman37's picture
Posted by djinniman37 on 8 February, 2010 - 09:06
I think the car modes are

I think the car modes are better than Menasors combiners, but the robot mode still looks kinda goofy... like someone hot glued a bunch of cars together. :P Would've been nice if Puzzler mode had some more distinct looking limbs.

But hey, transforming robots! What's not to love? :P

Dre2Dee2's picture
Posted by Dre2Dee2 on 8 February, 2010 - 09:41
Menasor

Allow me to humbly submit that if you think Menasor looks better than Puzzler, you probably haven't seen Menasor in a while. Here's a website that has comparison pics: http://www.mechaworx.com/toyreviews/results1.asp?strToyName=Gobots+vs+Transformers

Ginrai's picture
Posted by Ginrai on 8 February, 2010 - 13:31
A couple weeks ago,I watched

A couple weeks ago,I watched the episode that introduces these guys,and they're integrated into Earth culture as normal cars (like Bumblebee in the TF movie) waiting to make their move. Anyway,TicTac is at a car lot or something,and the one guy goes,"This one's a real Tic Tac!" What the hell does that even mean? I thought Tic Tac was a candy brand.
Later,when they all merge,the other GoBots keep referring to it as "that big puzzler," and similar comments. It was like they worked so hard to reason their names. It doesn't make any sense because noone else is named that way. Noone was like,"wow that plane is a real leader-1,amirite?" or "hey,that's a real smallfoot of a truck."
Stone Cold Steve Austin isn't from Antartica.

On to the toy,I don't think I ever had it,which was weird since I certainly had several of the Gobots,but I guess I just liked the other characters more at the time,or maybe they were harder to find where I lived. Without having it here in front of me,and relying on pictures and descriptions,I'd say this guy's the best of the eighties combiners. I've read other reviews where people have the same concerns over the lightbar,but like you,they've never actually broken it.

Obviously nowadays Jetfire is seen as more valuable and desirable to collectors,but as a kid I'm sure Stacks and these guys were more fun.

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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 8 February, 2010 - 10:56
Stacks, Leader-One & Co. More...Much More

"Obviously nowadays Jetfire is seen as more valuable and desirable to collectors,but as a kid I'm sure Stacks and these guys were more fun."

Stacks, Leader-One, Cy-Kill & Co.

More...much more fun and valubable than you could possibly imagine. Just don't reimagine them and it'll be possibly more...much more imaginative than meets the ego's eye.

-R78

Rodimus78's picture
Posted by Rodimus78 on 8 February, 2010 - 11:42
I don't understand any of

I don't understand any of what you just said.
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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 8 February, 2010 - 12:00
GoBots Cartoon

The GoBots cartoon is terribly corny and badly written, but the robots are all named after different kinds of puzzles or games. Tic Tac is named after the game of tic tac toe.

If you think that's bad, read the first issue of the original Transformers comic where each character says things like, "Ironhide will use his magic juices on you!" "Frenzy will get you in a frenzy!" Ugh.

Ginrai's picture
Posted by Ginrai on 8 February, 2010 - 13:53
"Ironhide will use his magic

"Ironhide will use his magic juices on you". uh huh.

And yes, the Go-Bots toys rocked. The cartoon sucked nuts. I'd take Machine Robo anyday, despite the incest in it

mrtrainfreak12's picture
Posted by mrtrainfreak12 on 22 August, 2013 - 07:51
I understood part of it.

I understood part of it. I'm not sure whether to be proud of that fact or not!

djinniman37's picture
Posted by djinniman37 on 8 February, 2010 - 12:20
Great review, Jeremy. I

Great review, Jeremy. I never had this guy. Always wanted the power suits, the Command Base (or Thruster, the Regenegade base/ship)...or even Zod. I guess Puzzler was just never on my radar. When I was little, I just figured this was too much like a TF toy...and in my mind, TFs were superior.

After reading this review, I'd certainly say this toy's much better than I thought. Still, there are a few beefs with it. The colors are atrocious. There's no uniformity and each car has a fugly off-primary shade. Yeesh. Menasor may have been boring, but at least the combined robot had some uniformity. He was mostly black and dark grey...with purple accents. VERY Decepticon.

The other major issue I have with the design is Jig Saw. See how the front of the car is kinda long and pointy? Well, uh, wonder why there're no side shots of the combined mode??? ;)

Anyway, this thing's clearly a lot sweeter than than I thought. Still, I just cannot see it holding a candle to Predaking. That thing's probably the greatest 80's gestault.

--
Sanjeev

Sanjeev's picture
Posted by Sanjeev on 8 February, 2010 - 14:49
IMO gestalts are cooler when

IMO gestalts are cooler when the colors don't match. It makes it more obvious that it's several smaller machines making up one big one.
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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 8 February, 2010 - 17:19
Hey, it works for Voltron! I

Hey, it works for Voltron!

I guess it's different for each case...

--
Sanjeev

Sanjeev's picture
Posted by Sanjeev on 8 February, 2010 - 17:45
I... want

I... want Go-Bots?

O.o?

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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 8 February, 2010 - 16:42
this one gobot i want

No evil can stand up to my "Henshin"
out of the gobots i have seen this is one of the few i want, good review btw

armorhide's picture
Posted by armorhide on 8 February, 2010 - 19:38
I had Puzzler as a kid. He

I had Puzzler as a kid. He was damn cool. Got him MISCed as an adult (from a seller who wasn't on Ebay who I also got 6 MISC Gobot Renegades AND the Grungy Powersuit combiner!) and he impresses me more NOW than he did then.

No parts forming whatsoever. Decent amount of posing. Looks good combined. Die Cast Metal. Rubber Tires. Put it this way. I have the TF Car Robots version of Bruticus. I put them back in the box and will probably sell them off unless I keep them as an example of G1 combiner teams.

Puzzler is just that GOOD.

Some of the robot modes are meh, but have you looked at G1 Scramble City combiner figures? Most of them look WORSE than Puzzler's bits do. And they have tons of stickers. (Puzzler is mostly paint apps, another big plus.)

Comparing them to Predaking is unfair. They were slightly bigger than minicar (modern day TF Legends class) figures while Predaking is made up of Voyagers or Beast Wars era Mega Class figures. And its STILL a partsformer, though one that seems to use the parts on the individual toys. The big feet become big ugly gun mounts and so on.

(That being said if the rerererelease of Predaking is sub 100 bucks or I can buy each figure in a bot of the month club thing I would still get it. And I be BROOOOOKE.)

Now Puzzler isn't as good as Rail Racer or Build King, but I think his combined mode is still superior to the modern TF Energon combiners, though they have way better individual modes. (Sold my Classics Devastator. Only 2 different limb types is CHEATING.)

If I actually see Legends Movie Devastator in my local Wal Mart I may revise my opinions on what wee toys can do combining though.

Typhus's picture
Posted by Typhus on 8 February, 2010 - 21:14
hey i got those

odd i got these this past weekend at my local fleamarket carded too! not much to look at in pictures but damn fun in person

jzorn's picture
Posted by jzorn on 9 February, 2010 - 16:37
I have had puzzler for a few

I have had puzzler for a few decades and thought he was a much better combiner than any of the 80s combiners. The only combiner I thought was cool as puzzler was when Predaking came out and he was still very limited.

Lio_Convoy's picture
Posted by Lio_Convoy on 17 February, 2010 - 20:01
I got these for either my

I got these for either my 10th or 11th birthday (carded versions). I had recieved one for xmas, then I recieved the rest as birthday presents a couple weeks later. I had to trade in one though because I had gotten 2 copies of the one leg (the blue one, IIRC). It was my first (and for a long time, only) combiner, and I thought it was great. Amazingly, I still have 5/6s of him, I'm just missing one of the arms.
The weakest part of the whole thing is the heads of the leg robots. The button that you slide broke off of the one many years ago, now it's difficult to get up (I guess it needs robo-viagra) and tends to fall all the way out.

Drahken's picture
Posted by Drahken on 1 October, 2012 - 05:47