The Insecticons are one of my favourite original Transformers subgroups from the G1 (Generation 1) series. I loved all the episodes from the Sunbow cartoon where the Insecticons took center stage. Just dig those cool voice processing effects!

I was thrilled to recently be able to add the first Insecticon to my ever growing MB (Milton Bradley) collection of Transformers! Here are some snapshots of Kickback in his box. Kickback is still sealed on his card and the accessories and instructions are also still sealed inside the plastic baggy. I took some photographs of Kickback which you can check below. Enjoy!

The original G1 (Generation 1) Optimus Prime is the grand daddy of them all. I remember trekking the 3 kilometer walk from my parents house to the Intertoys store in the center of town to buy Optimus Prime with my freshly accumulated birthday money in 1986. My little sister accompanied me in the long walk into town and I was as high as an 11 year old could legally and naturally get when I grabbed the box on top of the pyramid of Optimus Primes that was on display in the toy store.

For reasons still not 100% entirely clear, Optimus Prime was not part of the initial batch of Transformers that were for sale in the Netherlands, and most likely the rest of mainland Europe. It is often suggested this was because of trademark issues with the name “Optimus” belonging to a stove manufacturer, although this has never been substantiated or proven. Whatever the case may be, Optimus was only available about a year after the Transformers line launched in mainland Europe (the UK, as usual, might be a different story).

Not only because I bought the toy back in 1986 and felt like a million bucks when I did, but also because I simply adored Optimus Prime as a character, this was one of the coolest toys I ever owned. I know a G1 Optimus Prime is pretty easy to find in good condition and it’s nothing special to a lot of collectors, but to me it is still one of the finest looking and most memorable toys of the 1980’s.

I’m preparing an in-depth article on Optimus Prime for future publication on this website. But for now, please enjoy a couple of close up photographs of this fantastic toy from my personal collection!

Phew! A slew of goodies have been added to the collection. There’s a hint of alliteration in the air with the culprits being Majokit sets, a Mobile Suit Gundam model kit and a dedicated page for my recently acquired MIB (mint-in-box) Milton Bradley Megatron!

Majokit was created around 1983 by well-known French die-cast car toy manufacturer Majorette. It was basically a kit playset that allowed you to build a traffic environment with street crossings, street signs, traffic lights and much more. It was more or less intended as an add-on to their popular die-cast car toys, although it wasn’t exactly up to scale with their own toy cars! However that may be, the Majokit system was a delight to play with. I had loads of Majorette cars when I was a little kid and I went nuts when I first saw the Majokit sets in my local toy store. I recently added a couple of Majokit sets to my collection, most of which still MISB (mint-in-sealed-box). Look out for an in-depth article on Majokit in the near future!

A couple of weeks ago I took up watching the first Japanese series of Mobile Suit Gundam. It’s a cartoon with giant battling robots in it and that is the only justification I need. Ofcourse I could not reject the temptation to part with even more of my hard earned money this month in exchange for a nice, special edition Mobile Suit Gundam RX-78-2 model kit. It was made for Gundam’s 30th anniversary last year and has special 7-Eleven colours. Now only to find the time to put the model together in the next couple of decennia…

And as you can see from the picture above, the Milton Bradley (MB) Megatron that I recently reported on obtaining has found its way into my collection room. I took the time to add a dedicated collection page on Megatron, which you can find on the Collection menu to the right or simply by clicking here. You’re welcome. But that’s not the only Milton Bradley madness, because I also added a whopping total of four other MB Transformers to my collection recently with one more to follow shortly. Stay tuned!!

This week another rather special item was added to my collection. It’s the Joustra Diaclone version of Optimus Prime, simply called ‘Diaclone Truck’. As most Transformers G1 collectors will know, most of the early G1 Transformers are actually based on an earlier Japanese toyline called Diaclone. Although Diaclone toys never achieved the same level of popularity as Transformers, they were succesfully exported out of Japan before the Transformers onslaught of the second half of the 1980s. In most parts of Europe, a company called Ceji Joustra was responsible for the European import of Diaclone toys. What sets the Joustra Diaclones apart from all the other Diaclone toys is the custom packaging artwork. Where as companies like the Italian GiG  mostly copied the packaging from the original Japanese releases, Joustra totally redesigned the packaging and added a mini comic book. This truely eyecatching box art is what sets these Joustra Diaclone releases apart and makes them highly sought pre-Transformers collection items!

Although they’re pretty rare, Joustra Diaclones do pop up on the collector’s market every now and again. The (pre-Optimus Prime) Diaclone Truck, though, is so hard to find it’s unreal! Lucky for me I finally managed to find one for sale from a private collector whom I bought from before in the past and always got great deals from. I bought this Diaclone Truck together with a Joustra Diaclone F-15 (pre-Starscream) for a very good price. The box is in very nice condition for its age with some wear, but still displays beautifully. The toy itself though is in pristine condition. Stickers are unapplied and the joints are nice and tight. Even the smoke stacks move stiffly as though this toy was just recently bought from a toy store! Good times!

I now have nearly all of the first series of Joustra Diaclone releases in my collection and will be adding special Joustra Diaclone pages to this website soon. There was a second wave of Joustra Diaclone toys planned and some of those seem to have been released, but they’re virtually impossible to find, most likely due to the bankruptcy of Joustra’s parent company Ceji in 1985. A collector’s work is never done… :-)

It’s quite a joyous occasion for me whenever I manage to add another Milton Bradley G1 Transformer to my collection. Recently I tracked down a shiny, minty Milton Bradley Megatron from a French vintage toy store. The box is in very good shape with just minor scuff marks and a slightly scratched window. The toy itself though, shines as if it were new. The styro insert is in extremely good condition and the unapplied stickers and MB catalog are still sealed in a plastic bag!

MB branded Transformers were the first official Transformers to appear on store shelves for most of mainland Europe and as such are very rare and highly desired by collectors. It wasn’t until somewhere around 1986 that Transformers were released in Europe under the Hasbro brand.

Of all the vintage toys I collect, the European G1 Milton Bradley Transformers are my absolute favourite! They remind me most of my childhood. I remember the exact spot where they used to be displayed in my local Intertoys store in the 1980s. It was like a shrine that I visited on a near daily basis. So yes, I’m fairly hardcore when it comes to trying to complete my MB collection. And what’s a G1 MB collection without a Megatron, ruthless leader of the Decepticons? Nothing! That’s what! :-)

I’m currently adding the last touches to a more in-depth article about the MB Megatron and the toy in general, which should be up here shortly with way more photographs. For now, I’m off to do my dance of joy! Mwoohahahahahaaaaa… “Excellent!”