TFG1MIKE 365 – 2024 Day 106 – Astrotrain Will Always Be My Favorite Triple Changing Transformer!!

TFWiki Rocks The ASTROTRAIN!

Hello all and welcome to my continuing Daily Blog series from me TFG1Mike. This is TFG1MIKE 365!! And it The idea here is for me to write something, anything, once a day for 365 days. From January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. It’s Day 106 features my reasoning behind why ASTROTRAIN is my NUMBAH ONE FAVORITE of the Triple Changing Transformers!!

Let’s go back shall we… The year was 1985, and I remember having the original Transformers Generation 1 Decepticon Triple Changer ASTROTRAIN! He was modeled after the JNR Class 51 Steam Train, and honestly this is what I remember as a kid of the 80s as far as train designs! I was 5 years old at the time, and I was all about trains, planes, (shuttles), and automobiles back then! 

^^ASTROTRAIN – TRAIN MODE!!

This actually isn’t the one I had as a kid, but I did buy this one from ebay back in 2006. For the last almost 20 years I’ve carried this thing around with me from apartment to apartment as I’ve moved over 75 times in the last 20 years. As you can see in the image below, he sits on my monitor stand with my Hot Wheels Super Pursuit K.I.T.T. car, and a bunch of the other little things I have setup there.

When I hear anyone use the term “Locomotive” ASTROTRAIN is who I first think of, after that it’s the Time Train from Back To The Future, but that was a completely different design. The BTTF III time train was a 1897 model Rogers 4-6-0 mixed traffic engine.

I always make sure I know where this toy is, and because it’s my number one favorite, I don’t need any other versions of him…. OK well updated versions, the G1 is the best in my opinion, and even though the dark gray version in Sixo’s photo below is more cartoon accurate, to me that purple is horrid. It’s more red than blue side of purple. IF we could have the original G1 version with that dark gray and proper Decepticon purple that would be amazing!

Here’s the Space Shuttle Orbiter mode of the toy, as a kid I loved NASA and the space program. Seeing a purple (DECEPTICON PURPLE) shuttle was amazing! It’s interesting how this design was translated from the toy to the animated for the Generation 1 cartoon series. They streamlined the animated characterization and design.

^^ASTROTRAIN – SHUTTLE MODE!! 

The shuttle mode! ahhh!! The sheer genius of this toy’s design is off the charts!!!!! The front of the train pushes in, and the nose cone of the shuttle pops out. Everything folds nicely, and then there’s the robot mode…

^^ASTROTRAIN – ROBOT MODE!! Like I said, this toy was very dusty when I took the photos, and I even dusted him off the best I could!!!

From The Toon To The Toy!!! ASTROTRAIN will always be my favorite Triple Changing Transformer! He was voiced by the late great Jack Angel. I know Astrotrain’s voice is very similar to Mr. Angel voicing King Zarkon in Voltron: Defender Of The Universe, but I just love that voice here with ASTROTRAIN!! Mr. Angel was six days shy of his 91st birthday in 2021, when he died of natural causes. Going back to a previous TFCon Video, which you can watch right HERE, Astrotrain’s voice was Jack’s voice, but they used a synthesizer to get the sound of his voice. I always thought it was a vocoder like Soundwave, but synthesizing voices sounds just as awesome! 

^^SixoTF On Twitter!

I saw the above image from SixoTF of The Triple Takeover Podcast a couple of years ago, and I wanted to include it here, because I never saw the other variants of my favorite Triple Changer. Outside of the Black and White reissue, which I did have, but I never liked it as much as the Original Purple, Black, and White version!

Check out Sixo, Maz, Liam, and Jason On The Triple Takeover Podcast!

So there ya have it. The reasons why The Purple version of Transformers Generation 1 Astrotrain is my favorite triple changer!

Join me tomorrow April 16, 2024 as I’ll be writing about something!