TRANSFORMERS: Revisiting the Characters of Generation 1 - SILVERBOLT

 TRANSFORMERS:  Revisiting the Characters of Generation 1

"Don't look down, look straight ahead!" - Silverbolt, 1986.

AUTOBOT

Name - SILVERBOLT

Function - Aerialbot Leader

Series Debut - 1986 / Wave 3

Sub-Group - Aerialbot

BACKGROUND...

    The Aerialbots were created on Cybertron from some old, abandoned shuttleships.  They were built by several Autobots including Wheeljack, Ratchet, Hoist and then given personalities by the supercomputer - Vector Sigma.  Optimus Prime's plan was to use these jets in the sky to combat Megatron's new Stunticon team on the road.

    Optimus Prime chose Silverbolt to lead this new team.  Silverbolt is a courageous and dedicated Autobot soldier, unfortunately, he is plagued by a fear of heights.  Long ago on Cybertron, his original Cybertronic alt-mode was that of a low-level cargo transport and he was never that high off the ground.  Optimus Prime personally assigned Silverbolt command of the Aerialbots to put his focus on others instead of his fears.  

    As the Aerialbots were introduced to Earth, most of the team were arrogant and unwilling to cooperate with their Autobot brothers.  It was Silverbolt who often had to be the voice of reason.  Eventually, the others came to understand what the Autobots were fighting for and became team players.

    Silverbolt's Earth alt-mode is a Concorde jet.  He is extremely fast and can reach speeds up to Mach 1.9.  In his nose cone, Silverbolt carries an electrostatic battery that he can use to release an electric bolt of 150,000 volts.  Silverbolt can also combine with his Aerialbot brothers to form Superion.

MY THOUGHTS...

    My original introduction to the Aerialbots was a bit strange!  The Aerialbots were a part of the 1986 line-up, yet they were released as a giftset for Christmas 1985.  Back then, without internet, no one knew this and hardly anyone knew they even existed.  My buddy, Bobby (aka Deathwish - with One Word Reviews), came to school one day after our holiday break telling all of us at the lunch table he was trading his cousin for the "Autobot Jets".  The conversation at the lunch table went something like this...

Autobot jets???  You mean the Decepticon jets? 

No, the Autobot jets!

Dude, there is no such thing.

Yeah, there is 5 of them, and they combine like Devastator.  My cousin got them for Christmas and he doesn't want them.

If this is real then what are their names?

I don't know.  My cousin threw away the box.

    We had NO idea what he was talking about.  It was just really bizarre, but Deathwish was convinced of what he saw.  I thought he was confused or the cousin had some knock-offs that weren't really Transformers.  A few days later, however, here comes Deathwish to the lunch table with these 5 jets with Autobot symbols.  We were totally astounded!  What are these?  Where did they come from?  An Autobot combiner?  It took a few months, but eventually the cartoon debuted the characters in the second half of the Season 2 cartoons.

    To me, Silverbolt always came off as a loyal soldier to the Autobots.  He put his concern of others over his fear of heights, which would help him keep his phobia at bay.  I liked the way his level-headed personality contrasted with the rebellious spirit that those under his command had.  Silverbolt was a great addition to the characters of Generation 1!

    The original figure for Silverbolt seemed a little flimsy to me though - especially in the legs.  He had trouble standing in robot mode and in jet mode, his legs would sometimes fall out of the bottom.  He looked cool though, and he had a cool gun.

    Silverbolt in this write-up is represented by the Combiner Wars Silverbolt released in 2015.  This is definitely a cool version of the figure though still not perfect.  This one is more solid, and not all loosey-goosey like the original.  He's just a little blocky in jet mode.  Still and improvement though and I like it!

Aerialbot pic from the cardback of one of my figures!

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