General Information:
Release Year: July 2007
Retailer: Botcon 2007 Exclusive
Price: $329 for Botcon 2006 registration that included boxed set, $279 for members of the fan club
Accessories: Missiles launchers x 2, Missiles x 2
The name Thrust came back into use in the Transformers universe way back in 2000's "Beast Machines" series as a Vehicon. We would have to wait until later to get a Decepticon jet of the same name in the Armada series. Finally in 2007 the name finally gets reclaimed by the "conehead" Seeker who started it all. This review will focus on the changes made to the Classics Ramjet figure for this release.
Vehicle Mode:
When the Botcon crew began to plan out the Botcon 2007 set, the issue of using Seekers brought about something which had never been an issue with previous figures since 2005: retooling something other than a head. The Seekers already had the "right" heads, and we needed to find a way to make them special and the answer became obvious - wing retooling. However, this process was expensive and required a very different set of mechanics than just replacing a head. When we had to decide was whether to retool Thrust or Dirge's wings since both differed from Ramjet's (the base sculpt we were going to use). In the end, it was decided that Thrust's wings were far more distinctive than Dirge's, due in part to their unique design with fans. The decision was made to create new wings and tail fins that would replicate the look of those from the G1 figure.
When the original three G1 Seeker sculpts were reused for the second year of Transformers toys, each one received different wing and weapon sculpts to distinguish them from the 1984 Seekers and each other. Thrust was given a unique set of wings. The main wings had raised sections in the center with hoverfans built into them. On the back were wide horizontal fins with vertical fins at the ends. It was this look we aimed to replicate and the results are awesome. Just like the G1 figure, these wings have vent lines in the front of the middle sections, rows of lines on the rear of each wing, fans sculpted in the center and they even have additional details in the form of cut lines on the ends and raised tube structures near the base of the wings. The fins in the back are near duplicates of the original Thrust fins, with a beveled section at the base near the thrusters leading out to a flat, horizontal piece that ends in an eight sided vertical fin. Just as with his G1 predecessor, these wings give the figure an entirely distinctive look from its predecessors, and considering that this makes the third figure released off the same base sculpt, this was critical in making something special for the Botcon 2007 set.
Thrust is cast in black and metallic dark red plastic. The cockpit and nosecone section is partially cast in translucent grey plastic. Silver, dark red and black paint applications are used to add a splash of color. The silver is found on the rectangular sections on either side of the cockpit. The black is found on the nosecone and the raised lines on the cockpit. Finally, the dark red is used on the front section of the nosecone since it is partially cast in translucent grey plastic. Other details are painted on such as a blue rectangle with yellow circles in the middle (these are directly lifted from the G1 figure stickers). Other details come in the form of red and white lines that start at the front of each wing and draw all the way to the middle. This too is a detail lifted from the G1 figure. Similar details in a curved pattern are found on the vertical fins on the back. The newly added tube details on each wing have a red and white tampograph on the top, the fade pattern makes it look like some type of energe is emitting from them, a really nice touch.
Robot Mode:
While the wings we created for Thrust worked well to duplicate the vehicle mode look from the G1 figure, the exact look of his animated and comic book counterparts could not be replicated. In the cartoon and comic books, the second group of Seekers all wound up with their wings on their legs. However, this hybrid sculpt using the Starscream based transformation winds up with the wings folding up onto the back. In a sense, this is more true to the G1 figure which did the same. By no means does this look bad and in fact it helps reinforce that this is an upgraded form for Thrust and not just his old body.
This form brings in two shades of orange paint applications into the mix. One is a light orange while the other is more of a neon color. Silver, black and red come into play as well. The silver is used for the mid-body, waist and the insides of the feet, all color inspirations carried over from the G1 figure. The neon orange and light orange are all used for small details. The light orange are found on the eyes and the fans in his chest. The neon orange is used on the waist, knees and the feet, all details inspired by details found on the G1 Thrust's stickers. Black is used for filling in details such as the angled line on the upper arms, the vents on the lower part of the knees and the thrusters above the feet. Overall Thrust looks perfect deco-wise. Apart from adding spray ops (which not everyone is a fan of anyhow) I really can't see much of a way the paint apps could have been better (without serious cost over run).
All of Thrust's parts are still tight and the weapons fire just fine. On that note, some people mentioned to me during the convention that it would have been more accurate to swap out the missile weapons from the Starscream sculpt for this one. I admit this is correct, but at the time we were so focused on the wings that this was overlooked. This shouldn't stop you from taking Skywarp's missiles and putting them in if you just want to see how it will look!
Final Thoughts:
Thrust is in many ways the highlight of the "Games of Deception" boxed set. He helps complete the Seeker set while also being the most extensive retool of the group. If he were a carded figure I'd highly recommend him to everyone. However his exclusive nature means that there is a very limited number of these figures, and I've seen them command up to $200 on ebay, so buyer beware, you're going to spend a lot to get this guy.
