General Information: Images:
Text from Hasbrotoyshop.com:
Tread Bolt may be a name that doesn't ring any bells. If it doesn't sound familiar to you I can't say I'm surprised. However unfamiliar it may sound to you, he was indeed part of Generation One. Tread Bolt was a member of the Autobot Micromaster Air Patrol, a team of four aerial vehicles released towards the end of the G1 line. He transformed into a stealth bomber type plane. Of the four Air Patrol members, his strong blue color made him the most visually striking, which may have been part of the rationale behind using him for this redeco since any of the characters would have fit the plane form. The name would later be reassigned to an Energon character with no relation to the G1 plane.
Vehicle Mode: The paint decos add some distinct character to this form. The most prominant designs are angled designs on the front and middle of the jet. The same yellow can be found on the edges of his wings and stabilizers. If you look at the jet from the top, you'll find two "Air Defense" logos with wings on the end in silver. These colors and these military-esque logos are very reminscent of the color design of the famous Blue Angels jets. Behind the cockpit is a silver Autobot symbol that manages to look prominant but not obtrusive all at the same time. All these colors work together well, but I was very surprised by two applications of bright orange on the boosters, towards the back. This gives the feel of energy coursing through the boosters which looks fantastic against the dark colors that make up so much of this figure. What's fantastic about this color scheme is how it takes G1 Tread Bolt's basic colors (the blue and brown) and it adds just enough elements to give it a modern, "real world" feel. I've always found the "Blue Angels" color scheme very striking, and to see it applied to a Transformer while having it remain to its "source" is a wonderful combination. The two primary action features of this mode work great. The missiles still fire a respectful distance (at least six inches or so) and the boosters still slide back to allow his cannons to flip out.
Robot Mode: Paint applications are done in colors you would expect, yellow being the primary one. What I love is the way the designers used the transformation scheme to bring several yellow stripe patterns together on the torso, forming a new pattern that looks fantastic. His head and waist have yellow paint as well, continuing the theme. His face is painted blue, which looks odd yet appropriate at the same time. Often, Transformers faces are brighter colors, or more sharply contrasting colors to the "helmet" portions so it's weird to see a dark color on a dark color. The helmet is cast in translucent amber while the guns on the sides are black. It is mostly painted silver excet fo the visor eyes and the crest, which is painted black. The four small circles on the front edges of the helmet are yellow, continuing the color scheme from the main figure. All of Tread Bolt's joints are still super tight. However, there is one bit of sadness in this sea of joy. When you transform the figure and flip the cockpit piece open, it has a tendency to pop off unless you do it slowly. This is primarily due to the hinge piece being a bit worn, but I'm not sure if this is just mine or a result of the tooling wearing down. I'd be surprised if the tools were wearing down already since they've only been used in four production runs so far: Classics, Henkei!, Botcon 2007 and now this release.
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The updated "Universe" line has used many redecos of figures from other lines to represent G1 characters. 
