G1 Red Alert

I don't remember Red Alert at all from the 80s; many of the '85 Autobots are vague in my memory. He's shown to be a paranoid freak in the show, which goes with the toy tech spec pretty much, although it was kinda overdone on TV. It is better for a Security Director to be paranoid than slacking though. The pompous voice didn't help much, I guess - but overall, his personality quirks make it much easier to remember his character now than if he'd been a generic warrior. Red Alert uses the awesome Sideswipe mold; this is one of my favourites since it transforms easily, looks the most humanoid out of the early TFs and just overall makes sense robotically. The single shoulder cannon looks great and goes well with the handgun. The headsculpt is fantastic although it might've looked better in red like the show portrays it. Guess I'm just used to this headsculpt in black being the sole domain of Sideswipe. The paint scheme works really well and although I've never seen a high-performance fire chief car like this, there's no doubt that's what it is with the red lights on the roof and the "F.D." insignia on the doors and hood/chest. The robotic electronic stickers (the things that imply Cybertronian details in robot mode) are pretty much the same as Sideswipe's with a few variations in colour and shape. Although I have no recollection of Red Alert from the 80s, I think it's an excellent toy in both modes, with great accessories. The no-frills basic North American reissue packaging is saved with a good Dreamwave pic on the front.