Toys / Toy Collecting

Camshaft

By Hervé St.Louis
September 4, 2006 - 09:08

Camshaft is one of the three Transformers’ Generation One Omnibots from the 1985 that could only ordered from Hasbro through a catalogue. He never was featured in the Transformers’ cartoon series nor the old comic book series published by Marvel Comics in the 1980s. In fact, it’s only when Dreamwave published their various Transformers’ series that he made an official appearance in Transformers War and Peace mini-series, in 2003.

As such Camshaft has not had a viable existence as a Transformers and is hardly anyone’s favourite character. The quote attributed to the character on the Transformers’ Alternator packaging by Hasbro is even more cryptic. There he says “The fallen will be remembered as Cybertron’s finest.” That’s pretty negative for an Autobot. As for his rank and exact function, based on the package, it’s extremely nebulous. According to Camshaft’s profile from the 1985 toy, he is a scout.

Needless to say, when Takara and partner Hasbro wanted to produce a clone of Prowl for their Alternator’s line, they fell back on Camshaft which at this point had see little action. Bluestreak, who, traditionally is based on a sculpt similar to Prowl, has already been produced as a clone of Smokescreen called Silverstreak as a Subaru Impreza WRC 2003. Smokescreen is also a traditional clone of Prowl and therefore also unavailable. Therefore, giving Prowl, a police car, an alternate body and character was more difficult for Hasbro and Takara, the Japanese manufacturer.

Likeness

The appeal of the Alternator’s line is that the characters are based on the first generation of characters and not latter ones, although there have been some exceptions recently. Camshaft’s traditional transformation theme was to have the front hood has his legs, the cabin as his torso. Here Camshaft goes the opposite way borrows the front hood/torso, roof/back theme instead. Thus, Camshaft is totally different from his classic mode. The head colour is similar to the first Camshaft Transformer, except that the original one sported a plate in front of his mouth.

Robot Mode Sculpt

In robot mode Camshaft looks dynamic, although he is boxy. I’m always a sucker for doors being back wings, so this no different. However, theses wings get in the way. Instead of being on the back of the shoulders, they sit on top of them. That frees Camshaft’s arms’ mobility but is doesn’t look as good. I find that the legs make optimal use of all car parts which is always important fo me. However, the back windows of the car can float and open constantly. I’m not sure a warrior should have flaps constantly moving on the back of his calves.

I’m never a fan of pulled down front hoods and prefer hoods parallel to the grounds. Camshaft obviously has the front hood pointing down, which gives him a less sexy silhouette and reveals the interior construction of the hood, just before we reach the neck area. As a Transformer, it’s revealing too much of his interior mechanism next to his head, making him an easy target for Decepticons. Armour should always cover sensitive areas.

After all, that’s how Prowl got killed in the 1984 Transformers’ movie. One would think that Takara and Hasbro would avoid giving Prowl and Camshaft such easy opening to get them killed! I understand why Takara did not make his hood parallel to the ground. There are no bumps or parts of the hood that could separate from the main frame to reveal an hidden Autobot’s head.

A small detail that I enjoy about Camshaft are the pads that one can pull down on his hips to give him a slicker look. His abdominal is also well protected. The head is an exact replica of Prowl’s which I don’t like too much. Don’t get me wrong, I like Prowl’s head design. What I don’ like is seeing it repainted without any other touches to make it different for Camshaft. I know Camshaft is a throw away character for the Transformers’ universe, but I happen to like the guy, now that I own him! Perhaps a different head design could help him gain some personality and uniqueness.

Car Mode Sculpt

The car mode is one of the best thing about Camshaft. I understand why Hasbro and Takara were so desperate to make a character out of the civilian Acura RSX model, from Honda. I’m an old Transformers’ fan and the Acura RSX looks like an updated Datsun. What makes me love this car so much are the rear windows that reminds me so much of the old Bluestreak. The front hood is not as pronounced as the Datsun, but it looks good.

In car mode, Camshaft would fool anyone into thinking he’s but a 1/ 24 scaled car model, if it were not for his legs showing on the hatchback. The front wheels tend to extend too much from the car’s frame because the arms under the hood pushes them out. Still the front wheels rotate together thanks to a common transmission.

The rear splits in half completely. Even the Camshaft’ plate splits. I would have liked the plate to be a snap on piece that would not be split apart in car mode.

Transformation

Part of the reason this car is so cool is that it reuses as much as possible from the classic Prowl’s transformation theme. The waist twists, during the transformation, like the old Datsun. Yet, it took me over an hour to transform Camshaft into a robot. Granted it was my first Transformers Alternator action figure and the most recent purchase in over five years. Most of my problems were due to the arms which kept snapping off and could not rotate properly without blocking the front hood, putting the entire transformation in a stalemate.

Returning Camshaft into a car took much less time, although putting the legs exactly in place was a problem. If you don’t remember the exact sequence used to twist them, you won’t be able to fit them in properly. Of course, there is limited space too when twisting them so they fit the hatchback.

I don’t like how the arms seem to hang under the hood near the ground when the transformation back into a Transformer is done. It makes it seems like something is off. Fitting everything under the front hood is difficult.

Paint

It’s always the little touches that get to me. For example, the side mirrors have silver paint on them to mimic a mirror. Besides having a gold-coloured face and blue antennas and helmet, Camshaft has little paint application. Still the Rhode Island plate is nice looking.

Scale

Camshaft is about the same size as similar Alternators Transformers. Of course the car is scaled at 1 /24 from the real model. As an Autobot car warrior, his size in robot mode is suitable. Looking at the small Spider-man action figure, he’s about twice the size of human.

Stability

Camshaft is stable. He has feet components and heels that can pull out and secure him when in robot mode.

Articulation

Camshaft’s legs are articulated but mobility is limited. The arms are the best articulated parts of his body, especially with the car wings on top of his shoulders. His head can twist sideways. His forearms and fingers have articulations.

Plastic

Unlike the Binaltech version of Camshaft produced by Takara, the Camshaft model sold by Hasbro is made in plastic. The car is lighter, although parts are more liable to break or scratch. The tires are in rubber. Magnets hold create the front wheel drive transmission system.

Props

Camshaft comes with two weapons integrated withing his body when in car mode. He has a blue staff hidden in the rear hood and a motor that transforms into a weapon. Each of his hands has peg holes to help him carry his weapons.

Packaging

The packaging is extensive and too bulky. As there’s only a badly designed transformation guide and no extra information on Camshaft, there’s no need for all the empty space. There are no artistic interpretation of Camshaft on the package to make you wish you had a cooler toy than you really have!

Cost

Camshaft costs about $19 to $25 depending on the retailer. The Binaltech version costs more because of its metal parts and because it’s imported from Japan.

Availability

Collectors should be able to find this figure easily in most retail stores and specialized boutiques. I’m not sure if there is a Canadian variant of this figure with bilingual captions and instructions. I’m hoping that from now one, Camshaft’s future as a character will be brighter and not just as a throwaway character or a straight clone of other Transformers. After all, he started as a Deluxe Transformers’ action figure.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12