 Outback
Jeep Thrills, Up and Down My Spine
Transformers Generation One Reissue Minibots
Item No.: Asst. E2046 No. E2797
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Tech Specs
Action Feature: Transforms from Robot to Jeep
Retail: $7.99
Availability: December 2018
Other: Blue visor USA debut
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$8 for Outback felt like a lot back in 2018, but in hindsight I was probably complaining too much. We were getting pretty good 4-inch "Legends" class figures for $10, and those were pretty swell fully-articulated robots. But remakes are a special thing, appealing to older fans, and those fans tend to have money. Today I'd probably be pretty stoked to get this toy for $15.
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It's a simple toy. I never had Outback as a kit but I did have Brawn, so folding down the legs and pulling out the arms was easy. The removable blaster on his back was new, but it's pretty easy to take this robot and move his arms and legs. The detailing seems crisp and looked more or less like a well-maintained old mold, if not a new mold. As I have no original, I'm not sure - I can just say it looks and feels right.
I am precious about my old toys, but not so precious that I can't appreciate a change for the better. While the chrome hands, silver face, and foil stickers all feel like an old toy, they tweaked the face a bit. The silver looks a bit smoother, and makes the smirk pop nicely. The stickers seem close enough to the originals where I have no complaints. But what I really liked was the visor, now painted blue. (They did this for the Takara Encore reissue in 2008, too.) I appreciate a minor change that lets you know what you're getting isn't an authentic original, but doesn't diminish the old toy or the new one. It's just different, and is probably something even older fans might want to get. (I did!)
These old robots are very simple and there's not much to them. You got a little robot, and you had a little fun. Today's Transformers are more or less full-blown action figures with exceptional articulation and detailing, while these guys were meant to be around $4-$5 in the 1980s and were some of the more expensive toys for the size class. Typical action figures had more gimmicks, more gear, and were larger for roughly the same price. During this era, the fact that you had a toy that was both figure and vehicle was in and of itself special and worth an extra few bucks in some cases.
Transformations is a snap. Rotate up the arms and doors, and push them in. Rotate up the legs. And now you have a little vehicle, and can have a little fun.
The deformed car mode also has a few changes from the original. The colors seem to be a smidgen different, but so are the added painted Autobot symbol - that replaces an old foil sticker. The rubsign is no longer the multi-color mood ring affair, but instead goes from a black shield to a red Autobot symbol. You won't confuse it for an original - it's new enough to set itself apart without incurring the wrath of fans wanting something authentic. There's nothing here Hasbro couldn't have done in 1986.
The Jeep is simple, with a similar retro grille and the familiar M on the hood. The cannon sits atop the vehicle nicely, and hte chrome pins look good. I'd say everything looks as expected, as the old toys tended to not have the cornucopia of sculpted special features that we take for granted in 2026. There are a lot of flat, plain surfaces here - and that's the way they were in 1986.
With Missing Link, Takara-Tomy are making toys that look like 1980s releases but have the articulation (and prices) of their Masterpiece editions. Reissues like this one scratched the itch at a fraction of the price and effort, making it easy (and dare I say, enjoyable) to impulse-buy your way to a small collection. Given that Hasbro doesn't offer any fan/collector items under $28 for Transformers anymore, that seems unlikely to happen again unless you want to collect the kid lines.
As of last month you could get some of these minicars fairly cheaply, particularly if you bought them in a small lot or collection on eBay. If you can get these old toys for $10 or less, buy as many as you can. Even at $15 or so each, I think they're charming and fun fidget toys that don't require a road atlas to convert from a sort of silly robot to a fairly authentic vehicle. I miss that kind of thing.
--Adam Pawlus
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