Huffer was a member of the original “Ark crew,” the group of Autobots hand-picked by Optimus Prime to venture into space aboard the Ark to clear a path for Cybertron through an asteroid field (if we’re going by the G1 comic). Since Huffer was a member of the Ark crew, that meant he was among the first Autobots released at retail in 1984. Back then, the fiction followed the toys, so before there was a definitive comic/animation model to work from, all initial illustrations of Huffer as a character closely resembled the actual toy. Nowhere is this more evident than the art that was used for his blister card:
He looks pretty frightening, right? A lot of the early Transformers did. I’m not sure how many of you were around in 1984, but my mom was buying me these toys before the cartoon had premiered, so my first exposure to the actual characters was by way of the Marvel comic, and in the early issues of the comic, many of the characters did closely resemble their respective toys:
His face may be rather obscured by shadow (to emphasize the hood, perhaps?), but the general design wasn’t too far removed from the toy and card art. He has these two giant, deadly-looking claws for hands, which were kind of a stretch in design considering the toy’s much more benign hand design. The claws make him look downright vicious, and given the general disposition he’d be saddled with in the comic, he made for an unlikely Autobot warrior.
Once the cartoon debuted and a few more issues of the comic were under our belts, his appearance changed to a much friendlier-looking Autobot. Gone were the giant claws, and in there place were more “normal,” humanoid-looking hands. This design was certainly more streamlined (which was a necessity for the purposes of animation), but, as was the case with many characters, the differences between what we had on our shelves and what we saw on TV were aggravating. In some cases, the toy was much more interesting, while the TV model was simplified perhaps too much, but that’s where our imaginations came in — it helped us bridge the gap between toy and TV.
Huffer is a simple little figure. One of the first minibots, his transformation is basic and his articulation scheme is more basic still. There is barely any paint to speak of, and most of his detailing is created with stickers. Nearly every Transformer figure came with a sheet of stickers back then, which made them feel more special because you had to complete his look. He’s cast in orange and purple/blue plastic with chrome arms and just a little bit of silver paint to make his eye-visor thing.
You’ll notice there is no rub sign here. This is my original Huffer I got back in ’84, before the rub signs were implemented. It’s really not a big deal, but I like that I still have some of my original figures from back when the line was truly brand new. It’s like having GI Joes pre-swivel-arm-battle-grip, or a Han Solo without the large head. It’s not a “better” figure because of this by any means, of course; it’s just neat to have.
Huffer’s articulation is sorely limited. In robot mode, his articulation breakdown is as follows:
- Swivel shoulders
… and that’s it. He can only move his arms at the shoulders, and all they can do is spin like windmills. There is no articulation in his legs, his head can’t turn, and there is no movement to be had in his waist. The above pic is pretty much showcasing the extent of his posing abilities. But back then, articulation really wasn’t a priority the way it is now. Besides, the point of these Transformers wasn’t in posing them; it was in transforming them. And, fortunately, Huffer was capable of that.
Huffer’s truck mode is adorable. It’s based on a penny-racer design like many of the other minibots. He has four plastic wheels that can spin, his “hood” becomes the main cab of the truck, his arms magically become smokestacks, and his legs become the back of the truck. It’s very simple, but very effective (at least in terms of G1 figures).
Aside from the chrome on his arms and a little chrome paint on his grill, there is no detailing to speak of. He is simply an orange truck.
The minibots felt small back in ’84, and they’re small by today’s standards as well. The Bumblebee to his right is a figure that I had considered way too small to integrate in my collection, but having him posed next to Huffer here really puts things in perspective. The minibots were tiny, but they were a ton of fun when they came out. And since they only cost a few bucks at the time, it was easy to save up our allowances to get one every so often.
Huffer has received a surprisingly large amount of attention from third-party companies recently. Teams like iGear, Cubex, and X-Transbots have all released their own versions of Huffer, and since there was a rumored Masterpiece Huffer that was planned as a pack-in with Masterpiece Optimus Prime (MP-10), one can hope that a truly definitive take on the character will be materializing soon.
