U.S. Name: SILVERBOLT   Jap. Name: SAME

Cartoon First Appearance: Episode #57: The Key To Vector Sigma P2, Season 2, Sept. 1985

Toy Catalog Number: C-50

A quick comment:     Back to G-1: Review A-XIV      Teletran-1

The Aerialbots/ Superion was my 1st transformers combiner and had always been my favorite gestalts of all time followed by Computron and then Defensor.  I used to have him back in the 80's but somehow just lost it.  So now, I'm utterly excited to own him again despites it cost me a fortune, $CCL, from Ebay which arrived to me on Aug. Xv, Mmix. 

R-0 Original Silverbolt's motto and tech specifications:  

Affiliate: autobots | Subgroup: aerialbots | Function: aerialbot leader | Alt. Mode: sst concorde |

| STR 6 | INTL 8 | SPD 9 | ENDN 8 | RNK 8 | CRG 8 | FRPW 8 | SKL 5 |

Original G1 Silverbolt's Motto:

"Don't look down, look straight ahead"

Original G1 Silverbolt's Bio:

Scared of heights. Brave, grimly determined warrior, but he struggles to maintain that image in order to hide his phobia. Selected by Optimus Prime to command so he'd be too busy worrying about others to worry about himself. In jet mode, speed of Mach 1.9, range 4500 miles. Carries electrostatic battery that releases electric bolt of up to 150,000 volts through his nose cone. Uses electrostatic discharger rifle in robot mode. Combines with other Aerialbots to form "Superion"

NOTE-1: This review page is meant to give you some ideas about the figure and for nostalgic or sentimental purposes.  I hold no responsibility for your action.  These images were mostly photographed and scanned by me.  If there's a section or image that owned by you and I didn't give you credit, please Email Me and I'll make the correction.  Have fun.

- Click on the Thumbnails to view them at a Larger Scale -

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R-1 Silverbolt/ Superion in its Original condition:

R-2 Pre-Applied Decals/ Stickers: 

There are 7 Pre-Applied stickers that had been applied onto Silverbolt.  The first 2 stickers are the large Autobot insignia located on either wing.  Sticker 3 and 4 are the yellow window stickers on side of the jet.  Sticker 5 and 6 locate at the waist.  Lastly, the 7th pre-applied sticker is the Autobot Rub Sign logo located at the back of the left side shoulder.

Superion Gift Set Sticker Sheet:

There are 42 registered numbering of stickers on the sticker sheet.  But in reality it's actually 60 stickers since some of the decals/ stickers are grouped or paired together and labeled it as one.  These registered numberings do not include the Pre-applied stickers.  

NOTE-3: The Superion's gift set sticker sheet is basically from the 5 individual sticker sheet of the Aerialbots but merged together by the black boundary line to form 1 large sticker sheet.  If you purchase the Individual Set, then you'll only get the sticker sheet of that particular character.

R-3 Silverbolt in Vehicle Mode:

In vehicle mode, Silverbolt is Supersonic Transport (SST) Concorde whose measurement is approximately 8 x 4 1/8 x 2 1/4 (LxWxH in inch).  Of all the Aerialbots, Silverbot is my favorite bot followed by Air Raid.  Unfortunately, for Silverbolt and his real jet brothers, the SST Concorde was retired in November 26, 2003 due to low passenger seats, high maintenance, and numerous crashes.  Overall, Silverbolt has no major flaw other than design likeliness.  His primary colors are red and white with yellow sticker.  Silverbolt cockpit canopy has a yellow paint and not transparent.  Below the nosecone, he has a retractable landing gear at the front and a non-retractable for the two landing gear at the rear.  All wheels are operational.  The tail fin is foldable from the right side only.  In term of design, Silverbolt doesn't quite match the real SST Concorde (right image) well.  Both of his shoulder and torso stick out when observing from the top view.   From the underside, it looks even worst since you see Silverbolt leg, arm, and body part.  The real SST Concorde on the hands, looks light weight, airy, and hardly have any mass from the underside. 

R-4 Silverbolt Launching Ramp Mode:

Silverbolt SST Concorde can be reconfigured into a launching ramp for his teammate to use (top right corner).  What good is a launching ramp you may ask?  The answer was revealed in the Japanese Metroplex Iinstruction Booklet (See R-12) while the U.S./ Hasbro omitted that section out. From there, we saw the launching ramp can also be linked onto Metroplex in order to make the city mode even more bigger.  The same is true for Hot Spot repair bay.  Above the SST Concorde and above the cockpit there is a post that can be flipped out (top left corner).  This post is used as a support for the jet nose cone during the launching ramp mode and also as a connector to Metroplex base.  Next, fold the legs out and rotate in a way so that hole locks with the main wing.  Lastly, put the ramp on and clip onto the metal horizon beam of the jet.

R-5 Silverbolt in Robot Mode:

To transform from jet to robot mode, first pull the legs out and then rotate to its correct position.  Flip the feet out.  Next, push to red torso down and would allow you to swing the nose cone backward.  Flip the head upward to reveal the face.  Bent the two main wing backward to give the arms their correct position.  Slide the hand out.  The last step is to put the white chest plate on and you're done with his transformation.  Silverbolt looks best in robot mode in contrast to the vehicle mode.  His overall colors are white, red, gold, and black.  Articulations include head, elbow, leg, and feet.  As Silverbolt, the leg joint doesn't become an issue.  It becomes a problem when he forms the body of Superion and with Fireflight and Slingshot also attached to form the arm, this adds additional extra weight for the leg to support.  As a result, Superion tends to be wobbling or flimsy. 

R-6 Silverbolt's Chest:

According to the U.S. Silverbolt instructional booklet, the white chest plate was omitted out of Silverbolt chest, right panel image.  By doing so, it contradicts both Silverbolt box art and the cartoon.  Also, it looks awful.  The Japanese instructional booklet, left panel image, instructed the chest plate attaches onto Silverbolt which makes it correct. 

R-7 Die Cast Metal or Plastic Version?

From the best of my knowledge, the G1 Silverbolt was always released in the metal version.  The plastic version that I am aware of are the G2 Aerialbots and the Knockoff.

R-8 G1 Silverbolt/ Superion Knockoff - Also On the Market!

The internet pictures on the left is a G1 Superion gift set Knockoff.  Depending who you purchase from, sometime the sealed box is shown without the stickers apply onto the figures.  This includes both the pre-applied and the regular stickers.  And sometime with the stickers on within the sealed box.  Since I don't have this knockoff, I can't give the full specification of the figures.    

For collectors and those that want to purchase genuine G1 Superion gift set, just know that there is a Knockoff version of G1 Superion gift set that is currently sold at many websites and sometime on Ebay.  I'm not talking about the Official Reissue Transformers released by Takara, Takara/Tomy, or Hasbro since those are authentic.  Unlike ordinary knockoffs where you can easily tell just by looking due to the differences in coloring, box, or material from the original, these latest knockoffs are an exact replica of the original from the box, to colors, to the toy itself.  What's scary is that someone could get fool by paying big buck and thinking it's the real deal when it's not.  Before you purchase or bid, just remember, if any G1 Transformers  mint in sealed box cost less than $100 and it's too good to be true it's usually not authentic.  And always ask the sellers before bid on Ebay.  On the other side of the coin, for knockoff fans and those that don't want to pay big buck for the real deal, then this is your best treat. 

Here are the lists of the G1 Transformers Reissue Knockoff that looks exactly like the original/ authentic one from the box, accessories, paper works, designs, to toy:

Autobots: Optimus Prime (3 versions: regular, clear/ transparency, and black), Sunsteaker, Wheeljack, Mirage (3 versions: regular, red, clear), Grimlock, Slag, Slug, Swoop, Snarl, Prowl, Red Alert, Sideswipe, Springer, Cosmo, Brawn, Powerglide,  Seaspray, Hubcap, Warpath, Bumblebee, Beachcomber, Cliffjumper (red, yellow).

Decepticons: Shockwave, Kickback, Bombsheell, Shrapnel, Cyclonus, Scourge, Gnaw, Octane, Reflector, Ravage/ Rumble (red), Frenzy (blue)/Laserbeak, Ratbat/Frenzy (blue).

Combiners/ Citybots: Devastator (3versions: regular,  orange, yellow gift set), Constructicons (set on card), Menasor (gift set), Superion (gift set), Defensor  (gift set), Metroplex, Metrotitan.

R-9 Additional Parts Review:

To read the additional review on the individual Aerialbots components, click on the link below.  Otherwise, continue to R-10 on Silverbolt topic.

|  Part 2 - Fireflight  |  Part 3 - Slingshot  |  Part 4 - Skydive  |  Part 5 - Air Raid  |  Part 6 - Superion  |

R-10 Rémy's Silverbolt action figure review:

Manufacturer - Hasbro/ Takara.

Line, Series/ Wave: Generation 1 Line, Series 3.

Year Issue: [1986]  

Made: [Japan]  

Scale: [N/A]

Box or Card Dimension In Inches: [LxWxD]  - 13 3/3 x 16 x 2 13/16.

Packaging Method: Mint In Sealed Box.  The Superion gift set contents were packed with the following procedure:

Rest down on the Styrofoam container: "1" SST concorde jet, "1" F-15 jet, "1" F-16 jet, "1" FRS MK2 sea harrier jet, "1" F-Phantom II jet,  "1" Superion head, "1" blast shield (chest plate), "1" blast deflector (red waist), "2" fists, "2" foot stands, "1" ramp, "1" Silverbolt electrostatic discharger rifle, "1" Fireflight photon displacer gun, "1" Slingshot neutron rifle, "1" Skydive nega gun, "1" Air Raid torque rifle,"1" Superion instruction sheet, "1" gift set sticker sheet (see R-2 for closed up), "1" red decoder sheet, "1" 1985 toy catalog poster (Autobots side and Decepticons side), "1" reinforcement from Cybertron catalog, and "1" 1984 toy catalog poster.

Box Special Note: Front Box Appearance: Superion and Aerialbots art.  Back Box Appearance: 1985 battle scene with Silverbolt, Sky Dive, Fireflght, Slingshot, Air Raid, and Superion Tech & Specs beneath that.

Box Point or Robot Point: [4]  - This number can be found on the back of Superion gift set box next to the Tech & Spec. 

Approximately Toy Dimension In Inches: - Height Up To The Head: 6 1/2  Maximum Height: 6 1/2  Width from shoulder to shoulder: 3 1/8  Maximum Width: 3 1/2 (from lower arm to lower arm).  Dept: 2 3/4.

Toy Stamp/ Fine Print: - ©HASBRO, 1985; Japanese text; ©TAKARA; CO. LTD; 1985 JAPAN

Toy Stamp/ Fine Print Location: - At the underside of the right wing.

Transformation Of Difficulty: [Easy]  

Material Durability: [A]

Toy Materials: Die Cast Metal: At the back of his back. Chrome Parts: Upper thigh and lower arm.  Rubber: None - all wheels are plastic.  Plastic: Main material.  Clear Plastic Window: None.

Stability: [-A]  

Fun Toy: [A] - Definitely fun thanks to many modes as well as a combiner.

Negative Drawback - As Silverbolt, the leg joint isn't a problem but when in Superion mode it tends to be flimsy.

Articulations:  Head: Can only bent 90 degree downard. Shoulder:  No movement.  Arm/ Elbow: Can be bent at a 90 degree upright.  Wrist/ Hand: No movement.   Hip/ Waist: No movement.  Leg: Can be bent at a 270 degree forward as well as 360 degree sideway.  Knee: Cannot be bent.  Ankle/Feet: Can only bent 90 upward.

Rub Sign Logo: [Yes] - At the back of the left shoulder.

Robot's Cartoon looks alike: [-A]  - Look pretty much like the cartoon. 

Vehicle's Cartoon looks alike: [B]

Special Notes: Here's 1 special note which I think you should know:

1 - If you purchase a loose Silverbolt, check the condition of his gold chrome at the lower arm and upper thigh.  It tends to wear out.  Also make sure this leg joints are tight.

Overall Grade: [A] - G1 Gestalts - nuffs said. 

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