Trans Troop

 
Knockoff toys to me have this strange appeal of hot garbage mixed in with weird colours and liberties taken on the original designs bootlegged from.

Over the years, I have come into possession of these faux figures via Christmas presents, routine purchases and carboot acquisitions. Watered-down (and some decent) renditions of Transformers, Star Wars, TMNT, Power Rangers and other lines I don’t recognise have joined my archive or fallen apart from just standing there and doing nothing.

So, here comes Trans Troop, a captivating toy title in any context you choose. Imediately, my tat radar reads this as a mash up of Transformers and Goof Troop! :)

Looking at this figure through the blistercard - Trans Troop looks like some strange mash-up of Captain Power, VR Troopers and a smidgen of Silverhawks. The chrome adorning 98% of this figure looks cool and metallic, and also has a Golden Eagle companion to clip onto his back as the card illustration (and diagrams suggest).

Here is where I am glad I took packshot photographs before opening. As soon as the exacto knife removed the front bubble, the toy inside fell apart (or rather the right arm immediately dropped off). And there’s one big issue with buying knockoff toys in that the packaging these come in is the only thing holding the toy together. It’s a gamble.

Most toy collectors know of GPS (Gold Plastic Syndrome). This isn’t just a diagnosis taken from a Doc McStuffins episode, but also is a legit thing! Any toy vacuum formed in gold plastic is known to crumble or disintegrate over time. This is why most modern plastic items will never be colored in chromed gold. Assumedly, gold plastic has a self destructive chemical agent.

Further to my not-so-surprised horror, I discover the right arm that dropped from Trans Troop wasn’t a right arm at all, but rather a manufacturing cover up. As seen in the photo, the arm has an accessory attached in a way to make it look like a right arm. Dodgy going, but that’s knockoffs for you.  

As for the future of Trans Troop. It looks like the Raggy Dolls have gained a new recruit.