Generations Platinum Edition Trypticon

Back in the 80s, the idea of a giant alien robot that transformed into a city seemed quite cool, even moreso after the bit in the 1986 animated movie where Ultra Magnus orders Springer and Arcee to "transform Autobot city" (even though that didn't actually involve Omega Supreme, Metroplex or Fortress Maximus, all of whom had appeared in the Marvel comics by that point) because that was a pretty exciting sequence early on in the story, and showcased some of the most impressive, intricate animation in the entire movie, surpassed only by Unicron's transformation toward the end of the movie.

Sadly, the UK tended not to get the larger, more complicated TransFormers toys in those days so, while Metroplex got released on this sceptred isle (and made his way into my collection), we didn't get Trypticon (similarly, we later got Scorponok but not Fortress Maximus).

At least, we didn't get Trypticon back in 1986. For whatever reason, Hasbro have seen fit to grant him a re-release as part of their 2015 'Platinum Edition' line... I thought I'd given up on buying Generation 1 toys after completing my G1 Seacons by finding a Snaptrap in reasonable condition on eBay... But when I found Trypticon on Amazon at a vastly reduced price, I ended up taking the opportunity to grab one of my few remaining 'Holy Grail' G1 toys.

But how does a nearly 30-year-old model stand up against today's TransFormers toylines, and does it really have a place on the shelves of a 40-something collector?

I don't really 'do' G1 anymore, but...

...Has everyone else seen the news that G1 Trypticon is getting re-released, in all his battery-powered, walky glory?

I haven't bought any actual Generation 1 toys since... let me see... it must have been Broadcast (Blaster), in his Takara TransFormers Collection form, back in 2006 (or possibly something second hand, from eBay, like Snaptrap), and I really don't have the space for a Generation 1 behemoth like Trypticon, but I do already own an original G1 Metroplex, so it's extremely tempting.

Trypticon is also just the kind of toy I'd like to share with my neice... when she's a bit older and less likely to break stuff in a fit of pique... because all the battery-operated features sound neat. Plus, it's a city (meh) that turns into a giant robot dinosaur (yay!) that walks on its own (wow!).

Many years ago, I had a plan/dream of creating a space for all my G1 TransFormers toys, in which I would build some kind of diorama. Since I don't actually have that many G1 TransFormers (compared to some collectors, anyway), it wouldn't even need a huge amount of space... but certainly more than a single shelf in an Ikea 'Billy' cabinet. If this dream ever comes about, having both Metroplex and Trypticon would be ideal... Sure, I have Scorponok, but his city form is a bit disappointing. It'd also be cool to have Omega Supreme - another battery-operated, walking toy from the 80s - but I'm happy to skip Fortress Maximus because, size aside, there's nothing that great about him.

It'll probably come down to whether or not I impulse buy it, based largely on its price, and if it even gets released in the UK.