#24: Backstreet (1988)

As Backstreet's bio suggests, he's twitchy, nervous and jumps to the wrong conclusion. So, perfect for a robot whose main function is being one giant hair-trigger weapon, then. Seriously, the Autobot's psyche analysis sucks. That said though, the only time this was really relevant in any ficiton was a text story from the 1990 UK Transformers annual, "Trigger Happy". Backstreet messes up an ambush, and coming to the wrong conclusion about the circumstances, he goes on the run. Other than that, his G1 fiction was limited to 3 other stories from the US comic. Par for the course for the mid-run of Transformers characters. If you were toys from the cheaper end of the market, chances were that you'd not get too much of the limelight, that being reserved for your Powermasters and Optimus Primes.

That said, he still has a very strong bio, and if ever Roche and Roberts want to expand on his appearance in IDW's More Than Meets the Eye comics, then I would certainly welcome it. I think that there's a lot that could be done with ol' Backstreet here. (If only I were any good at writing...)

As I said previously, Backstreet's toy was of a cheaper pricepoint, the 'pocket money' end of things. Still, he had a great gimmick, of spring-loaded chromed weapons. My mate Andy had the toy, and I always really liked it. It's a good design, and the gimmick's pretty fun. The only real niggle I have is that it doesn't have back wheels; by virtue of necessity (the gimmick gets in the way), Backstreet's car mode doesn't have back wheels, rather one wheel underneath, and the illusion of wheels with stickers where they actually should be.

That said, it's a fun toy, with a nifty gimmick, and a good bio. There's not much to dislike with Backstreet. Now bring me more fiction, Rocherts! Or maybe not. I want to buy this guy without having to sell a kidney first.