Maybang’s Collectibles are also taking pre-orders now for the Transformers G1
Reissue Soundwave & Buzzsaw #10. You can order it here.

e-hobby have announced more exclusives in their line of Gen 1 transformers. They are from the Inferno/Grapple and Starscream moulds and are called Hauler and SunStorm respectively. Hauler is a light green colour and SunStorm is orange. They are available for order now on the site until April 30th and will be released in July.

See http://www.e-hobby.co.jp/ for images

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: HEADMASTER
HUMAN COMPONENT: LOKOS

FUNCTION: SABOTEUR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 46

“Place brawn before brains and victory is yours.”

Profile: A one-robot wrecking crew, Squeezeplay rarely stops to think
as he charges into battle. He’s not stupid by any means; he simply doesn’t believe
there exists a foe or an object that can stand in his way. Terrifying and relentless,
the sight of Squeezeplay has unnerved some of the coolest Autobots. With slashing,
crushing claws and needle-sharp armor-piercing fangs, Squeezeplay has more than
enough might to back up his ‘unstoppable’ claim. He doesn’t rely on cunning
or tactics, thinking these things weak. Might is everything to Squeezeplay,
and he has no time for thinkers. Detesting weakness in any form, Squeezeplay
makes enemies within his own ranks as easily as he makes them outside. Like
his sometime battle partner Fangry, he needs no telling. If the enemy is in
sight, it is there to be crushed… and he’s just the robot to do it. His Nebulan
partner, Lokos, is a hardened criminal, specializing in smuggling and air piracy.
He revels in Squeezeplay’s power and steers it towards personal advancement.
As long as Squeezeplay gets his fill of chaos and carnage, he’s content to let
Lokos indulge himself. It doesn’t quite suit Lokos’s sneaky nature, but when
you’ve the might of Squeezeplay on tap – who cares?

Abilities: Very strong and armed with an overrider blaster that overloads
and blows out electrical circuits, Squeezeplay is a force to be reckoned with
in robot mode. But it still pales before his crab mode. Dense armor plating
and titanium-reinforced claws that can slice through almost any substance make
Squeezeplay a deadly opponent. He uses his tail as a metal-rending mace. At
home on land or deep underwater, Squeezeplay is an expert at deep-sea sabotage,
able to resist vast ocean pressures.

Weaknesses: Squeezeplay has almost no actual weaknesses, but he is by
no means indestructible. His refusal to believe anyone can harm him could be
a literally fatal flaw.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: WARRIOR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“I don’t break rules, I bend them – a lot.”

Profile: Although nearly as capable as his twin brother Sunstreaker
in the combat arts, Sideswipe is far less cold-blooded about it. He thoroughly
relishes engaging an opponent in a fight to the finish, and will use any dirty
underhanded tactic he can think of to come out on top. Back on his homeworld
of Cybertron this conduct extended itself to the rest of his lifestyle: getting
what he can out of life, enjoying it to the fullest, and cheating to get the
rest. His exile to Earth hasn’t changed his behavior, just his cause – now instead
of doing everything for himself he does it for the sake of freedom for all.
Personal safety takes a backseat to his reckless, but brave actions.

Abilities: In Autobot mode, Sideswipe’s two arms can be used as piledrivers.
Each exerts 8000 pounds of force upon impact with up to five impacts per second,
making him particularly useful in close combat and for breaking through fortifications.
A rocket back-pack can sustain him in the air for two minute spurts before refueling
is necessary. When launched, two shoulder-mounted magnesium phosphorous flares
can each be seen from a distance of 18 miles on a clear night.

Weaknesses: If it weren’t for his rash behavior, Sideswipe wouldn’t
have any serious weaknesses. But as he often acts without consideration of the
consequences and takes a special delight in plunging into extremely dangerous
situations, Sideswipe, more than any other Autobot, finds himself being patched
together by Chief Medical Officer Ratchet. Naturally, he takes his injuries
in stride.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: DEMOLITIONS
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Destroy what’s below and what’s above will follow.”

Profile: Rumble is your basic street punk. He compensates for his small
size by always acting tough. And he is tough. Cross him and he’ll punch your
optic sensors out. He has a quick temper and a mean disposition. The other Decepticons
try to keep their distance. Yet, this unpleasant, swaggering little hoodlum
is one of Megatron’s favorites. Rumble follows orders blindly and hungrily;
he always waits impatiently for Megatron’s next assignment. A good time for
Rumble is shaking a building into a heap of rubble. “I love the sight of
crumbling bricks,” he says.

Abilities: Rumble can roll the drum-like constructions in his body to
transmit through his feet intense low-frequency groundwaves that have the effect
of stimulating earthquakes. His quakes have registered as high as 5.4 on the
Richter Scale.

Weaknesses: Rumble’s small size severely limits his strength; he can
be easily beaten by most of the Autobots in any sort of physical struggle or
artillery barrage. Given his power of causing the ground to shatter, however,
the trick is to get close enough to Rumble to fight him.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: MECHANICAL ENGINEER
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Never do what your enemy expects you to do.”

Profile: “That guy can build a neutron bomb out of a wristwatch
and a rusty can,” says Bluestreak, and that’s not far from the truth. As
well as the Ark fashioned the Autobots, Wheeljack is always coming up with ways
to improve them, particularly their weaponry. His knack for creating wild new
gadgets has earned him a “mad scientist” reputation and their deadly
effectiveness has earned him the respect of friends and enemies alike. He is
also the Autobot most adept at driving while in his automobile mode and has
pulled off tricks that Hollywood stunt drivers haven’t even dreamed of yet.
He fully enjoys showing off when the opportunity presents itself.

Abilities: In addition to those mentioned above, Wheeljack, while in
Autobot mode, can use the solid-fuel rockets in his arms to fly at speeds of
320 mph with a range of 800 miles. His shoulder-mounted cannons shoot a variety
of shells: a magnetic-inducer shell, which douses its victims in a magnetic
dust that attracts ferrous objects from distances up to 4000 feet away that
adhere to and eventually disable the victim; a shrapnel-needle shell, which
explodes into millions of hair-thin filaments that can pierce even the strongest
armor and disrupt internal circuitry; and a gyro-inhibitor shell, which implants
itself upon impact and destroys the balance of its victims. Wheeljack is continually
adding new gimmicks to his shells.

Weaknesses: Wheeljack is his own worst enemy. He frequently injures
himself while experimenting with new weapons.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: GUNNER

FIRST APPEARANCE: –

“Rules are detours on the road of life.”

Profile: Outback thinks going by the book is going the long way. Confident
in his own abilities as a warrior, he feels little need to follow someone else’s
plan. And he’ll give anyone an argument who tries to tell him otherwise. In
fact, when in vehicular mode, he feels little need to even follow paved roads!
He’ll cut across parking lots, sidewalks, backyards, virtually anything to get
where he’s going. Gruff, cantankerous, a Transformer of few words, Outback has
few friends and even fewer who truly understand the reason for his anti-social
behavior. Deep down, he believes he’s destined to be another casualty in the
Autobot-Decepticon war, so he doesn’t do anything that he considers wasteful
of his time while he’s still functional. War is a serious business, and Outback
believes it requires a serious – and total – commitment.

Abilities: In vehicle mode, Outback can go up to 110 mph with a range
of 800 miles. He can travel over the roughest terrain and his 4-wheel drive
allows him to climb grades of up to 50 degrees. He carries a turret-mounted
mortar cannon that shoots armor-piercing shells up to a distance of 3 miles.
He is impervious to most artillery fire.

Weaknesses: Outback’s philosophy of self-sufficiency often results in
his being alone and outnumbered in battle situations. He’s prone to tire blowouts
due to his penchant for traveling rough terrain.