Spy Changers

Spy Changers are a sub-line of toys/characters which first appeared in the 2000-2001 Transformers Robots in Disguise (RiD) toy line. All 6 molds were originally produced as the Transformers: Generation 2 line's Go-Bots in 1995. (The GoBots name had by then been transferred to a pre-school line of Transformers produced by Hasbro subsidiary Playskool.) Despite being retooled versions of the GoBot line, the Japanese (2000) and American (2001) versions proved to be so popular that Hasbro commissioned four unreleased molds from 1995 be added to the Spy Changers line. Later, 4 new molds were based on larger characters from RiD.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise

The Spy Changers are a team of six Autobot espionage specialists, consisting of the powerful but caring Ironhide (Ox), the speedy sniper Mirage (Counter Arrow), the eager-for-combat trooper W.A.R.S. (Wicked Attack Recon Sportscar) (Wars), science officer Crosswise (X-Car), tactician R.E.V. (Race Exercion Vehicle) (Eagle Killer) and their flame-manipulating leader, Hot Shot (Artfire). The team can drive over any surface, even water, in defiance of gravity, and have optical camouflage powers that render them invisible.^[1]

Members

Crosswise

Hot Shot

Ironhide

Mirage

R.E.V.

R.E.V. is described as the tactical officer of the Spy Changers and Hot Shot's close advisor, as smart as he is fast and extremely observant. R.E.V. can leap from building to building with such skill that he appears to be flying, and his main weapon is a shotgun.^[3]

R.E.V. appears among the characters in Re-Unification, the 2010 TFcon voice actor play prelude comic.^[4]

W.A.R.S.

W.A.R.S. (Wars in Japan) is based on the mold first used for Generation 2 Autobot Gearhead and then on Soundwave. He was packaged with fellow Spy Changer Crosswise, and later with a Tiny Tin. W.A.R.S was recolored in 2 variants of transparent plastic, the second one was repackaged in 2006 as Transformers: Universe Camshaft.

W.A.R.S. was the name of one of the Autobot Spy Changers. The Spy Changers are a team of six Autobot espionage specialists. The team can drive over any surface, even water, in defiance of gravity, and have optical camouflage powers that render them invisible at will. Despite their radically different personalities, the Spy Changers are a perfectly functioning unit, often relying heavily on teamwork tactics.

His tech spec described him as an aggressive and battle hungry warrior. Heavily armoured, he is a good fighter, but his violent actions unnerve even his fellow Autobots. His Takara tech spec even described him as one of the few pro-war Autobot.

In the television series, the Spy Changers received little characterization - usually acting in a group to attack or perform whatever mission they had been assigned. W.A.R.S. first appeared in episode #4 "Spy Changers to the Rescue".

Toys

The initial six molds of the Spy Changers are based on those created for the Go-Bots line of Transformers seen in Generation 2. Later Spy Changers were based on ununused molds from Generation 2, and a few original molds. The second series of Spy Changers (based on the unused G2 Go-Bots) were Prowl 2 (a 1994 Chevrolet Impala SS police interceptor), Side Swipe (a Camaro pro-stock top fuel racer), Side Burn (an earlier model Dodge Viper than the larger Side Burn), and the improperly-named Daytonus (a Porsche 962 racing car).

The third series of Spy Changers featured X-Brawn (Wild Ride; the third of the "Autobot (Cybertron) brothers" remade as a Spy Changer), Optimus Prime's Decepticon clone Scourge (Black Convoy; ironically a G2 version of Optimus from 1994–95), and individually packaged versions of RiD's Optimus Prime (Fire Convoy) and Ultra Magnus (God Magnus).

The initial six Spy Changers were reproduced in translucent colors as a Kay-Bee exclusive, mirroring a similar exclusive release by Takara. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, the Kay-Bee Spy Changers were in translucent versions of their original colors (e.g., W.A.R.S. is sold in translucent red, orange-yellow, and black.). These also marked the first release to get file card bios, translated from the file cards of the Japanese Spy Changers.

Transformers: Universe

The Spy Changers would see a come-back as members of the Transformers: Universe line, with repaints of the Robots in Disguise toys as classic characters. Initially, the Generation 1 characters of Optimus Prime, Jazz, Silverstreak (Bluestreak), Wheeljack, Hoist and Prowl were re-imagined as Spy Changers. Then redecos of RiD Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Ironhide and Prowl 2 were released. While RiD Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime were made to resemble their larger Transformers: Universe incarnations, Ironhide and Prowl 2 were made to look like Generation 1 Autobots Trailbreaker and Red Alert. A third set of recolored Spy Changers was released for Universe, but some were packaged under both RiD and Generation 1 based names. New translucent-colored versions of W.A.R.S. (resold as Camshaft), Mirage, Ironhide (resold as Hoist; redundant due to Hoist's earlier Spychanger release using the X-Brawn mold) were sold alongside re-packaged releases of Optimus Prime, Prowl and Jazz. The translucent versions of Hot Shot, R.E.V., and Crosswise did not receive name changes.

Although a line of Decepticon Spy Changers based on the Stunticons was announced at one point, it was never released.

Although Hot Shot's Japanese name is Artfire, his colors are inspired by the Japanese Targetmaster Stepper (a repaint of Generation 1's Jazz, later released as Ricochet in the U.S.). The name Artfire comes from his fellow Japanese Targetmaster, a retooling of Generation 1's Inferno.

References