Convertors KO Chopper/Gazzette

The first figure up for review here is the knock-off version of the Convertors figure, Chopper. However, Chopper's got quite a bit of interesting history attached to him.

It began with an anime program called "Special Armored Battalion Dorvack" which featured a team of elite fighters who each piloted a "variable" (transforming) robot. One such robot was the Ovelon Gazzette piloted by Louise Ovelon. Takatoku released a large, 1/55 scale, transforming Gazzette figure (which was later recolored and released as the Autobot Whirl,) and a smaller one. However, Special Armored Battalion Dorvack didn't do very well, and Takatoku went under.

The molds for the Dorvack figures were bought by a company called Select and released under the Convertors toy line. The Ovelon Gazzette was sold as "Chopper," under the "Defenders" faction. His bubble-card read,

"Very clever and elusive. Converts into a helicopter. Flies low over the Earth, protected by stealth system making him invisible to radar or other sensory equipment."

In the Convertors fiction, alien robots known as Maladroids attempt to destroy/take over the world (?) but, sensing impending danger, the world's computers "converted" Earth's machines into transforming, fighting mecha dubbed "Defenders."


Now, on to the review...



As the title suggests, this version of Chopper is a knock-off. The original version is a much richer, brighter blue, and was released on a card-backed plastic bubble.



This version, as you can see, is released in a nice little box with a plastic insert. However, mine came with the wrong box. The box reads that there are three "Convertors" available: Caliber, Gazzette, and Tulcas. Whereas Gazzette and Tulcas are correct to their original Dorvack forms, the Caliber is shown as being the Orguss figure. My Chopper came in a Caliber box.






When we remove Chopper from his plastic insert, we find that he is incomplete! He should have two claws, two large guns, and one small chain gun that goes under the nose of the helicopter. However, I'm in the process of retrieving these parts, and once I do, I'll post new pictures. He's a very small figure, only a little larger than your average Gobot.

The Ovelon Gazzette/Chopper's alternate mode appears to be inspired by the AH-1 Huey Cobra helicopter, sharing a similar fuselage design, as well as nose and wing-mounted weapons, like the 3-barreled gattling gun (which I'm missing.)

Transforming Chopper is a fairly straightforward process. The underside of the helicopter flips down and extends to become the legs, the engine pods becoming the arms, and the fuselage folding in half for the body.



The quick transformation reveals a tall, lanky robot. The claws can be fitted into the holes at the tips of the arms, or replaced with the large helicopter guns. I would prefer to have claws, personally, but seeing as how I'm missing one....*ahem* anyway, as you can see in the first picture, Chopper is articulated in the shoulders, hips, ankles, and head, enabling some poses that would give most G1 Transformers a run for their money. Speaking of which....



This is a comparison shot between Chopper and the G1 Transformer, Whirl. They are actually pretty similarly articulated, only whirl has ball-joint shoulders and no head articulation. The similarity is understandable, though, since they both have the same origin.



Here you can see just how small Chopper is next to his long-lost cousin. I have a couple of Whirl's weapons somewhere, but I didn't feel like digging them up.



In short, Chopper's an excellent little figure. The articulation he has, combined with a nicely done alternate mode make him a great addition to any transforming robot collection. However, you may be hard-pressed to find one complete or with tight joints. The claws have nowhere to go in helicopter mode, making them easily misplaced, and vice-versa with the small chain gun. Also, the propeller blades can come loose.

Rating:
4/5


Thanks for reading!