 Venin
Would a Venom by Any Other Name Be Trademarked by Marvel?
Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class
Item No.: Asst. G0474 No. G1030
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Blaster, axe
Action Feature: Converts from robot to cicada
Retail: $24.99
Availability: September 2025
Other: The last Insecticon, as long as we're not going into prototypes, or Diaclone, or Beast Wars, or...
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G1 gets a lot of love. Most characters from 1984, 1985, and 1986 have been featured in comics, toys, collectibles, and cartoons... but not Venin. He's one of those guys fans ask for because he hasn't been redone yet - and Hasbro brought him back for his 40th birthday. He seems to be selling well, and this new version seems to be selling quite well. The colors match the original nicely and I assume we'll not hear demands for a redo.
He also completes the G1 Insecticons. The non-Takara molds that were brought into the Hasbro line have all been brought into the modern era, and presumably will never get another toy unless they strike a chord in a really good comic or something. I didn't have this guy as a kid.
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I was surprised how closely the new toy looks like the old one. Hasbro did some cosmetic tweaks - maybe for legal reason, who can guess - but it's remarkably true to the original design. Some big notable changes are present, like a clear belly for some reason, and also clear eyes. Sure, why not. The colors more or less match the original layout, and the figure's wing things get in the way of the arms. It's charmingly awkward, retaining some of the original toy's faults while adding new joints. "The original, with joints" is often a platonic ideal for new versions of these toys, so Hasbro did a nice job.
His accessories include an axe and a blaster, which can be combined for a single, bigger weapon. You can also mount them in 5mm sockets on his arms, which are new to this release. This figure retains much of the original toy's deco, like the black on the legs, probably making it a perfectly good stand-in if you're disinclined to get the original. An original complete Venom is around $50, and now that deluxes are $28 you might even consider the genuine article.
It's remarkable - and weird - that Hasbro and Takara-Tomy elected to keep the wing connector pieces as they were. They really do get in the way, but I guess it's true to the original toy... and why not give that experience to a generation that grew up without the toy? I mean, I never even considered it back in the 1980s, so it is kind of odd to own a new, fancy version of it today. Or a sickness. Maybe it's a sickness.
Going from bot to bug isn't too difficult, but the shoulders are a little weird. You might have to fuss with it a bit, but it's not terribly difficult.
The bug looks a lot like the original, with similar colors, and moving wings, plus a little bug head. I never had the original, so this is my first time interacting with the character in three dimensions. The robot's visor becomes the big's mouth - cute/weird - and the eyes on the side of his head are clear instead of opaque. There's no rubsign, and it seems like Hasbro just really went out of their way to make something similar to the original alt mode.
Some toys we get out of real sales potential, or fame, or the fact there's something so awesome about it that you just can't go wrong. I think we got this guy just to shut up people asking for him. He's good - it looks so much like the original that I can't imagine anybody was upset by it. I wouldn't mind if Hasbro expanded the team with new guys, too, and it's nice to see a nod made to a figure that came out 40 years prior to its release like this. They didn't have to, and goodness knows other sci-fi toy lines aren't necessarily getting the same kind of love. I admire the audacity, but like the other non-cartoon Insecticons he's probably destined to hang out in the back of the shelves.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
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