G1 Overlord

Robot Mode: Overlord is one of the tallest Transformers of all time, almost standing shoulder to shoulder with Supreme-sized figures like Primus and Unicron. His look is impressive, if a bit boxy. The two Powermaster figures in his chest activate the weapons in his belly. Additionally he carries a rifle and can add weapons from his other modes on various spots on his body. The front end of the jet mode can sit on his arm, kind of like a shield, or attach to his back, out of sight. Sadly his posability isn't all that great to start with and the panels on his chest restrict his arm movements even further. All in all, though, a pretty impressive robot mode. They could have given him bigger feet, though.

Alternate Modes: Overlord falls apart into two vehicles. The torso becomes a large fighter jet, somewhat looking like a SR-71 Blackbird. The legs combine into a tank. The jet is the more impressive of the two vehicles, featuring a cockpit where you can put one of the Powermasters, a flip-out gun under the cockpit, and just generally a cool look. The tank is pretty much that, a tank. It carries a missile launcher on the back and also features a cockpit for one of the Powermaster figures. The two Powermasters can also attach to their respective vehicles in engine mode.

The two vehicles can recombine and form Overlord's base mode. The fighter jet becomes the center of the base, a large central tower with a landing platform in front of it, while the tank splits into two platforms situated on either side of the main tower. The base holds some similarity to the base mode of Trypticon and I like it a lot. Bottom line, be it as vehicles or as base, Overlord's alternate modes are pretty good.

Partners / Add-Ons: The European edition of Overlord never gave a name to the two small Energon / Powermaster / Godmaster figures that fit into his chest. In the Masterforce cartoon they were called Giga and Mega, two humans who bonded with their respective vehicles to form the mighty Overlord. They are standard Powermaster figures, with decent posability and detailing for their size.

Missing Parts: Overlord has a lot of parts to lose. Thankfully a fellow TF fan named Cybertroner saw fit to bestow upon me the blessing of missing parts, so now my Overlord is complete except for one small radar dish. I can live with that. Thanks again, Cybertroner.

Remarks: Originally a Japanese-exklusive figure, Overlord was the main bad guy of the Japanese Masterforce TV series, often coming to blows with Cybertron leader God Ginrai. Originally just a human-driven transector, Overlord gained sentience in the end and went on to make a brief cameo in the follow-up series Victory. He was re-issued in Europe under the same name four years later and set up as the bad guy for the Motorvators (who were originally the good guys from the Victory series). As a toy Overlord is pretty nifty, even though his posability leaves a bit to be desired judged by today's standards. Still, a great figure if you can get him for a decent prize.

Rating: B+