Red Alert

Function: Security Chief

"Caution can never be over used."

Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 8
Endurace: 5
Rank: 7
Courage: 7
Fireblast: 7
Skill: 8
 No detail, no matter how small, escapes the vigilance of RED ALERT. This edgy AUTOBOT assumes trouble is coming ant time his exceptional sensors are activated. His ability to trigger alarms in his comrades often makes him unpopular despite their respect for his skills. Extremely fast in vehicle mode, he carries a particle beam rifle and rocket launcher with a 25mile range. RED ALERT sometimes makes quick judgments that cause injury to himself and his comrades.


Before I go into the review of this toy, I want to comment on the packaging. With Commemorative Series IV, Hasbro decided to follow in the footsteps of Takara and create book-style packaging. The picture at the very top of this review shows the front of the box. The front panel has artwork of Red Alert, which was created by Dreamwave. To be honest, I really like the Dreamwave artwork over the original artwork from the 80's. The overall coloring and grid-design mimic that of the original G1 packaging. The top and bottom of the box show images of the actual toy, while the sides of the box feature the same Red Alert boxart found on the front. The back of the box features the Tech-Spec information with the same boxart picture in the right hand corner. The bottom half of the back of the box features an Autobot Group shot that was found on the cover of the Dreamwave G1 comic. The front panel of the box can swing open to reveal a large display window, as seen in the above picture. The toy and all of its accessories can be seen when the flap is opened. The flap itself features pictures of the Commemorative Series III and IV toys. Overall, I am VERY glad that Hasbro decided to go with the book-style packaging, it is perfect for collectors who want to keep the toys MISB. The only downside to this type of packaging is that the flap must be open to display the toy while it is in the box, which doubles the width of the packaging and requires a lot of shelf space.


Once you open the toy, here are the contents you will find inside:
*Red Alert *Instructions
*Decal Sheet (from the Japanese Re-Issue)
*Shoulder mounted rocket launcher
*3 rockets
*Rifle


Red Alert is a “Fire Chief” Lamborghini. The color scheme used for the toy is one that you might expect, red and white. The majority of the vehicle is white with red striping found along the bottom edges of the car as well as a large red stripe on the hood. On each door and the hood, a badge with the letters “F.D.” can be found, as well as the words “Fire Chief”. The letters “F.D” can also be found on the panels behind the side windows. Mounted atop the car are two translucent red “lights” to go with the firemen theme. The windshield and windows are all made of translucent clear plastic. The tires are rubber with “chromed” metal wheels. The headlights and taillights are detailed with decals.


A rather simple 5-step transformation will put Red Alert into robot mode. The rear of the car becomes Red Alerts legs, while the front of the car becomes the upper body. The arms fold up from the car doors, and each hand has the ability to hold the included red rifle. The hands themselves are black, but the forearms are chrome plated. The robot head is detailed in silver on the face and forehead. The feet, which fold down from within the tail end of the car, are die-cast metal. Detailing is added using the included decals. The colors used on the decals seem like an odd choice, since they don’t have the red and white theme, but they look good on the toy. The included rocket launcher can be attached to either the left or right shoulder, and one of the three missiles can be inserted. The launcher is just for show since Hasbro removed the firing mechanism.

Red Alert Rating: I didn’t own the original toy from the 80’s, so I was happy that I picked this up. The toy looks great in both modes, although I do prefer the robot mode to the car mode. The car mode just seems a little too white. I would have liked to see a little more red added to the rear of the car somewhere. That is my only real gripe with the toy. If you can find this toy, I really recommend getting it. I give the toy an A-.