Retro: G1 Cloudburst, first in a long line of Pretenders

Sometimes I feel like some characters in the Transformers mythos really get the short end of the stick. I mean sure, Prime, Megatron and Starscream keep getting new toys, new interpretations in shows and countless re-releases of their original figures. But what about all those characters who never really had a chance to shine in the limelight, even if for only a minute? Well, that is all about to change, starting with our good friend Cloudburst here. I wanted to start with Cloudburst because he has some special significance to me; he was the very first Pretender figure I ever received.



The pictures you see here are of the actual figure I received back in 1988 or 1989, I don't really remember the experience. Why did I choose Cloudburst over the other pretenders? Probably due to my favorite color being red, but it also could have just been a lack of other options. Apparently after the 1987 line of Headmasters and Targetmasters many G1 collectors call it quits, and I'm not really sure why. Personally I feel like everything up through the Action Masters is just as much G1 as the original 1984 line but I'm sure many would disagree. Maybe people thought the Pretender concept was just taking it too far away from what Transformers were meant to be originally. Maybe it was because of the declining popularity and lack of new cartoon episodes to support the later years, I'm not really sure myself. For me personally some of my favorite figures come from these years as I was a little older and able to appreciate them more.

At any rate it took me a long time to finish off the Pretenders, partly because there were so many and partly because they are a little harder to find now due to their lack of initial popularity, but none of it would have been possible if I hadn't formed my initial connection with 'ol Cloudburst. Without him I may even have sworn off the Pretenders like so many others tend to do now.

See also:

Generation One Pretender Monsters