Inferno

I should like Inferno more than I do. He featured in two of my favourite mid-to-late Furman TF:UK stories, the apocalyptic ‘Legacy of Unicron’, where he went out like a total hero, and the smaller, more intimate ‘Firebug’, a story that really struck a chord for me. He was even a Wrecker, for Heaven’s sake.

So what’s the problem?

Well, he wasn’t Grapple. I’ve written about how much Grapple meant to me. He really is one of the most important TF’s in my little world, and all because I got him as a present back in ’85 and loved him to pieces. So much so, it would seem, that I worried about my own fidelity; to enjoy Inferno was to cheat on Grapple.

Maybe it wasn’t all that. I definitely had a thing for construction vehicles as a kid, so Grapple’s crane alt mode will have won him some favours, whereas to my young mind there was something vaguely authoritarian about the fire engine. Go figure. Oh, and I liked orange better than red.

I’m not sure I ever saw a toy of Inferno back in the 80’s. I’m pretty sure I’d have remembered all the ways in that he’s so very ‘extra’ to Grapple. From the obvious change from crane to ladder, to the less obvious things like the hose that pegs into his leg, the water cannon that attaches to his helmet, to his *checks* ‘shoulder wings’ (I’ve been calling them ears. who lets me write this stuff?). All that with the touch of extra chrome at the top of his ladder actually makes Inferno feel like quite a fancy boy. There’s still a bit of me that’s pulling back, withholding compliments in case Grapple hears, but there’s no denying it. Inferno is a winner. Everything that was great about Grapple, from the stunningly handsome headsculpt, to the brilliant alt mode is present and correct on Inferno, but now with extending ladder action. It;s kind of crazy how far this ladder extends. Is this really necessary? Must we give Hotspot a complex?

Kingdom Inferno was inevitable of course. Unless you thought BW Inferno had more chance. But that would run counter to Hasbro’s general ethos on making the most out of a mold as Inferno (as if you didn’t already know) a rather sweet ‘partial’ of Grapple.

He’s actually annoyingly good. I really, really liked yer ER Grapple. He had a few glaring flaws and Inferno fixes them all. and then throws in some bells and whistles for good measure. But why would that be annoying? BECAUSE GRAPPLE WAS MY GUY AND I LOVE HIM AND THIS IMPOSTER IS GETTING ALL THE TREATS.

Yes, poor Grapple was cursed with one hell of a QC issue. A QC issue so bad that I’ve not actually transformed him more than once for fear of breaking the pegs that attach his head his crane to the base of the vehicle. He was the victim of what toy designer Scott Neitlich calls ‘first wave syndrome‘, and now Inferno is benefitting from Grapple being a ‘sacrificial lamb’. And I’m glad, I just wish Grapple wasn’t cursed.

So Inferno is very much a refinement of the Grapple figure. The dreaded pegs of doom have been done properly and are a lot more robust. Equally frustrating for me is the fact that Inferno has the handsome toy head sculpt. And, much like the G1 version, he’s much more extra than Grapple. As well as having some snazzy wee hoses and the head attaching hose, he also has the ‘shoulder wings’ (they’re really not on his shoulders) built into his head until, with a hinge that allows them to fold back in vehicle mode. I actually really admire how they’ve kept all the retooling to that head unit, with the ladder, ears, improved pegs, and new head all elegantly attached to the same housing. very efficient! If all new instances of a mold getting a second head were as classy as this.

The new paint job is nice, even though I wish it were the glossier finish of the original, and I’m not too impressed with the nice crisp whites being replaced with greys. In vehicle mode I found myself surprised that the ladder managed to be both detailed and surprisingly plain. I think part of me was just expecting to see the more old school ladder. But I do like that you can attach the hose to the end of ladder. Very smooth!

I feel I should be more enthusiastic about this guy. He’s a very good ‘bot and an improvement on the original mold. But he’s not Grapple and I resent him for getting all the goodies. Ah, quit hecklin’. You seriously think I would have got into this game if I wasn’t a sentimental slave to nostalgia?