3 Changeable Astro Magnum - (Part 1) ENGLISH VERSIONS Made in Taiwan
3 Changeable Astro Magnum comes in an English language box with a gray figure. 3 Changeable Astro Magnum also comes in Spanish language box. The Spanish version boxes come with either a gray or a killer stealth black figure. (Click Here) for Part 2
ENGLISH VERSION
3 Changeable Astro Magnum (English Version) Gray figure.
3 Changeable Astro Magnum is unique in a variety of ways. Other Astro Magnum figures are "4 Changeable", meaning they have four modes of transformation. Basically manufactures tried to pitch the idea to you that you would got 4 toys inside of Astro Magnum. The 4 changeable modes are:
In the case of the 3 Changeable variants, the figures legs are one solid leg, permanently molded on the figure in the gun mode handle position. The legs do not separate or extend, so the figure can never stand upright in the full robot mode like other Astro Magnum figures.
Whatever this figure lacks in extendable legs, it makes up with by having TWO barrels, one on each arm! Both barrels function and light up, which we actually think is pretty darn cool!
Both barrels function and light up on 3 Changeable Astro Magnum. An original, buy one get the other free deal!
2 English Box Variants (V1-V2)
(V1) 3 Changeable Astro Magnum Lower left corner, photo of the figure in Gunborg mode. Photo credit: ShakiraIsabel
(V2) 3 Changeable Astro Magnum Lower left corner has the IC2 Sound logo.
If the box artwork on '3 Changeable Astro Magnum' (English version) looks familiar, we are not surprised. Taiwanese bootleg manufactures lifted and modified the artwork of fantasy/sci-fi superstar artist Frank Frazetta for this box. The artwork has similar components but it is all new KO art. Same figure composition, different laser pistols with the spaceship flipped to the other side.
Astro Magnum box artwork based on the: 1978 Battlestar Galactica - "Attack" painting by Frank Frazetta Photo Credit: Transformerland.com
(V1) Box and figure. Note: (V1) Battery cover is stamped with 'Min Young'. The same stamp found on the Argentina 3 Changeable Astro Magnum
(V2) Battery Cover = Blank no stamp
V1 Box - Astro Magnum V1 Figure - Battery cover stamped with Min Young, the same stamp as the Argentina variant in Part 2 of this blog section.
Top and bottom of the box show photographs of the original blue & black Japanese Astro Magnum prototype. Gun mode (Laser Vulcan) has two hoses to both it's barrels. 3 Changeable has deep dark red translucent pieces.
Laser Wave 激光波 HANDARM PASSES - Gun God Biography Shockwave Knockoff - "Made in China" 神奇槍神傳えて 玩家必愛させろ!
Laser Wave from the HANDARM PASSES Gun God Biography line. (Click picture to enlarge)
Introducing the Skittles colored knockoff delight, HANDARM PASSES's Laser Wave! Some of the first mentions of HANDARM PASSES began to appear online around 2007. Inside of HANDARM PASSES - Gun Gun Biography, there are two figures:
1. Laser Wave or 变形金刚激光波 (Shockwave KO) 2. The Ultimate Emperor or 究极大帝 (Megatron KO)
Laser
Wave comes from a heavily modified Astro Magnum mold lineage. The Ultimate
Emperor is a knockoff of the 2006 Voyager Class Megatron from Transformers Classics 'Robots in Disguise' RID .
Laser Wave 激光波 Purple variant. Note: Barrel cover can mount to the side of the arm via peg hole.
Close up of the new head sculpt.
Gun barrel covers have metallic lining to the barrel light. They are also decorated in gold & silver accents. The battery cover is blank but has a "Made in China" stamp above it. Unlike other Astro Magnum variants, Laser Wave does not use a 9V battery, but rather uses (3x) size 13 hearing aid batteries. The figure does not have a sound switch. When the trigger is pulled (V4) an alarm sound goes off followed by the sound of metal doors closing repeatedly. Gun barrel omits a bright blue light that actually projects beyond the barrel tip. (V1) packed figures sound included both speaking and sound effects. (see video below)
Left: Gun God Biography Laser Wave modified head. Right: the original Shockwave artwork.
FIGURE VARIANTS Laser Wave figures come in at least four color variations (F1-F4).
(F1) Orange body blue arms. (F2) Purple body gray arms. (F3) Dark Blue body gray arms. (F4) Black body blue arms.
(F1) Figure. Orange body, blue arms & orange barrel cover.
(F1) Orange Figure. Photo Credit: Napjr Legs are simply collapsed in this picture.
(F2) Purple Figure. Purple body and gray arms.
(F3) Dark Blue Figure. Dark blue body and gray arms. Dark blue barrel cover with gold accents.
(F3) Blue Figure. Dark blue body and gray arms. Dark blue barrel cover with gold accents.
(F4) Black Figure. Black body and blue arms. Photo Credit: Transformerland.com
PACKAGING HANDARM PASSES comes in at least four package variations (V1-V4).
(V1) HANDARM PASSES - Laser Wave
(V1) packing is a box style format with a clear blister around the figure. This particular picture shows a factory error. The figure is (F3) blue and gray but has been packaged with a (F2) purple gun barrel cover.
(F3) Blue figure with correct barrel cover in (V1) packaging. Photo credit: Ken Carden
Low-resolution 2009 video demonstrating the voice & sound effects that the (V1) packaged HANDARM PASSES had. Video says the sounds match the, "electronic FX from the morpher of Gogo Sentai Boukenger". The sounds effects are nothing like those of Shockwave or Galactic Man. Notice the blue light projected from the end of the barrel cover too.
(V2) Packaging. JinJiang Toys.
The (V2) packing titles says 枪神传 or
'Legend of the Gunslinger'. Features a yellow background with primarily Chinese writing. Figure has both extended legs and arms.
(V3) Gun God Biography Laser Wave has more English on the card. "Super sound and light" and then 神奇槍神健えて 玩家必愛させろ! At the very bottom on
front package it says: HANDARM PASSES. Figure's legs are collapsed and the
arms are tight to the body. We now see the introduction of the 'The Ultimate Emperor' playing card and his picture on the card front.
(V4) Packaging - Chitey Toys
(V4) 相霸&枪王 "Tyrant and Gun King". Hum... are one of these figures supposed to be the good guy and the other their enemy? Perhaps. The (V4) HANDARM PASSES comes from 智迪玩具 SHANTOU CHITEY TOYS CO., LTD INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, PENGFA RD GUANGDONG, CHINA.
Chinese instructions on the back of (V4) card. (Click picture to enlarge)
Front and back of the trading cards. Left: The Ultimate Emperor Right: Laser Wave
THE ULTIMATE EMPEROR
Megatron Ultimate Emperor. Jinjiang toys China. 槍神傳 究極大帝 Two color variants in (V3) packaging.
Galactic Man - Electronic Space Robot/Gun Cat. No. 60-1065
"Hey, I had that as a kid! I loved Shockwave!"
For many kids in the 1980s, this was Shockwave... or at least an acceptable substitute. Parents had to appreciate the fact that for half the cost of a purple G1 Shockwave Transformer, they could satisfy the wants of their kid for only $14.95. Most kids didn't care that their Shockwave was gray and even adorned their 'Shackwave' with leftover Decepticon stickers.
Radio Shack, under their UK parent company TANDY corp., produced a licensed version of a figure based on the (Astro Magnum) mold lineage. Radio Shack's silent manufacturing partner was Intecs from Korea. Some mistakenly claim this was a KO/knockoff of Shockwave, however, this is an actual licensed figure.
V1-V4
(V1) Licensed - TANDY version - Galactic Man (click picture to enlarge)
(V2) Licensed - Radio Shack version - Galactic Man (click picture to enlarge)
(V3) Licensed - TANDY & Radio Shack European tri-language version L'homme de la Galaxie, De man uit de galaxis, Der Mann aus der Galaxis.
(V4) Licensed - Radio Shack Canadian Galactic Man (front & side box) Bilingual (French & English) Le Galaxien
Following the astrological theme of "Astro" Magnum, comes this more affordable outer space defender, "Galactic" Man! The back of his box hypes buyers up by describing how they can:
- create three menacing-looking galactic weapons - keep your evil enemies from conquering the universe - lets you battle one-on-one in thrilling space duels - pulsating light for super galactic action
Wow, such excitement paired with great planetary box art. Sold, sign me up! Vulcan base, Anti-Aircraft gun, Laser gun...how could someone say 'no' to that... impossible!
(V1) TANDY - Galactic Man (TANDY waist sticker)
(V2) Radio Shack - Galactic Man (Radio Shack waist sticker)
He comes with a clear plastic fist, chest window and barrel. Noted above is the "yellowing" of the clear plastic parts on the Radio Shack version. We have a dozen examples of the (V2) Radio Shack Galactic Man and all, even newer out of the box figures show some signs of yellowing tint to the clear plastic. In contrast, the TANDY version along with other Intecs figures like: (Spark Man), Electronic Magnum and N-4-SR, do not display this yellowing and remain clear. This is sometimes helpful as you try to identify loose examples.
"Made in Korea" battery cover stamp. Small 5 ridge sound switch, two sounds.
Galactic Man is the only known figure to have 'black' lettering on the sound switch. Every other figure, if it has lettering, comes in 'red'. Galactic Man offers you 'Sound A' or 'Sound B', which are frankly boring names. Other figures named their sounds: Bulcan, Magnum, Thorp or Magnoid.
1984-1986 GALACTIC MAN ADVERTISEMENTS
Nov 22, 1984 "Holiday Sale" Galactic Man made it just in time for Christmas in 1984 Photo Credit: UCR
1985 newspaper ad "Late Santa's Sale" Photo Credit: UCR
Tandy Pre-Christmas catalog Sale ends 30 Nov 1985 Feature Galactic Man on the cover
Radio Shack 1985 Christmas Sale Catalog Photo Credit: RadioShackCatalogs Note: The feet on Galactic man are erroneously not extended/transformed in robot mode in this picture.
Video Credit: TFRaw
Radio Shack 1986 Catalog/Advertisement "Toys kids want for Christmas"
1986 Radio Shack commercial with Galactic Man
30 November 1986 Radio Shack Toys
PACKAGING
(V2) Radio Shack version Galactic Man box scan
(V2) Galactic Man - Complete Version (click picture to enlarge)
If you are trying to buy a complete Galactic Man, be sure you are getting the following items:
1. Box (bonus if the price sticker is still there) 2. White foam tray 3. Gun Barrel and small baggie 4. Figure and large baggie 5. Original black twist tie 6. Card board cover (gets placed on top of the figure and slid in the box together) 7. Instructions
European (trilingual) Galactic Man instructions
Canadian (bilingual) Galactic Man instructions
The European version of Galactic Man came with both Tandy (above) & Radio Shack (below) logos in the upper left corner.
Top of the European Galactic Man box.
(V4) Canadian Galactic Man (rear box) Le Galaxien
Top of boxes along with black & white code* sticker off the bottom of the box. (click to picture to enlarge)
The box tops don't actually display Galactic Man, rather they are images of a blue & black Astro Magnum prototype figure used on the original Japanese Astro Magnum boxes.
Galactic Man boxes came in at least three color shades. One might try to dismiss the box tops as having faded with sun exposure, however, the color differences are consistent on all sides of the box. Furthermore, upon comparing them side by side, it is clear there are in fact three different color shades.
Box 1: Tandy box (dark blue) Box 2 & 3: Radio Shack & European (purple blue) Box 4 & 5: Radio Shack (lighter blue)
(V1) TANDY figure and box that came together. Matching 8A4 code.
* What do the 'black & white codes' above mean? We don't yet know for sure. They can be found in 3 places: a sticker on the bottom of the box, printed on the instructions (lower left corner) and inside the figure's battery compartment. Quality control? The codes end in either 4, 5 or 6. Galactic Man was produced during the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Perhaps a manufacturing date? Do you know the answer to the codes? Please let us know.
Back of Galactic Man's instructions. (Click to enlarge)
Galactic Man was manufactured in Korea. As seen in the Galactic Man instructions above, it was then imported/distributed through five different countries around the world. Those five countries were the: U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Australia & Belgium. Belgium released the (V3) European tri-logo box written in French (L'homme de la galaxie), Dutch (De man uit de galaxis) & German (Der mann aus der galaxis).
As such, there should be five different leg stickers that correspond to each of those countries. For variant collectors, that means 'at least' five Galactic Man sticker variants exist.
LEG STICKERS
1. U.S.A. - Forth Worth, Texas. Note: "Galactica" vs Galactic 2. Canada - Barrie, Ontario (V4) 3. Australia - NSW (Photo Credit: Justin Masaru Twitter) 4. U.K. (Photo Credit: HDTF Blog) Tandy* was U.K. based. 5. Belgium (Note: Some TANDY figures come with the Forth Worth, Texas sticker)
In 1992 Radio Shack released a new figure and repurposed the name Galactic Man. This figure was a 9.5" scale Robocop bootleg. (Click here) to learn more about Galactic Man Robocop.
Box variants. Sticker variants. Code variants. Oh my! Purple G1 Shockwave may have had the TV cartoon spotlight, but Gray 'Shackwave' still has a galactic size place in the hearts of kids and fans from the 1980s!
