Mini-Cons

     

Site Features

Getting Started in the Hobby

Model Categories

 
 
Transformers.com ReproLabels.com Seibertron.com Revenge of the Fallen DVD

Other Transformers Models
G1 Optimus Prime RiD Side Burn

Energon Ironhide
G1 Ironhide
G1 Smokescreen
G1 Mirage
Robots In Disguise Prowl
G1 Jazz
Transformers Bumblebee
G1 Wheeljack
Revenge of the Fallen Bumblebee
G1 Cliffjumper
G1 Optimus Prime
Dark of the Moon Leadfoot
G1 Nightbeat
Revenge of the Fallen Skids
Armada Mini-Cons
G1 Prowl
Age of Extinction Optimus Prime
G2 Sideswipe
G1 Bumblebee
G1 Sunstreaker

I always liked the idea of "smaller" Transformers that could work with and augment the powers of their larger counterparts (with the exception of Headmasters; no character should be rendered incomplete because their partner didn't show up for work that day). So when they were announced, the concept of Mini-Cons sounded good to me. I will continue to add to this list as I fill in my 1/24 scale collection:

 

Minicon
High Wire - Not only one of the first Mini-Cons in the toy line & cartoon, High Wire was the first Mini-Con I completed. I started by carving the bike's body from heavy sheet styrene, then added the pedal housing, rear suspension, seat, and fork tube using various bits of plastic & wire. The handlebar/front fork is a highly modified unit taken from a 1/32 dirt bike toy, and the wheels are a combination of hubs from the same dirt bike and tires from an Evel Knievel toy. The pedals are about the only non-modified component here, and came from the 1/24 Schwinn that was included in AMT's '66 Buick Riviera kit. Finally, the headlight was made by taking a LEGO antenna base and cutting a headlight to fit the opening.

 

Minicon Grindor
Grindor - This rather unlikely Transformer was a pretty quick scratchbuild. The board itself is a simple piece of sheet styrene cut and shaped to represent a street longboard, with a set of trucks taken from a small skateboard toy. Grindor's markings, seams, and connector are simulated on the topside of the board with a custom made decal, while underneath there is a scan of the cover from the first mini-comic.

 


Downshift - Downshift presented my first Mini-Con dilemma. I wanted him to be the same size as the other Mini-Cons, but I didn't want him to just be a "shrunken" automobile. I decided that for figures like this, I would make them look like their prototypes as much as possible, but I would modify them enough to give them realistic Earth-based alt modes. My answer was to make Downshift a Go-Kart, modified from a Hot Wheels Riley & Scott MK III. After disassembling the car, I enlarged the driver's compartment and added a seat & padded steering wheel appropriate for a 1/24 scale Go-Kart. The new wheels & tires came from a 1/64 Indy car, and Downshift was finished using a set of custom made decals.

 

Minicon Drill Bit
Drill Bit - This was another figure where I had to do some interpretation to combine the Mini-Con's size with a practical Earth form. Drill bit is now a single operator mining/drilling machine; what was window glass is now access hatches, and the robot's head is now a fuel cap. The split tread on the prototype has now become a set of casters set behind a set of treads. Starting with a Matchbox radar truck, the drill assembly was completely scratch built from various parts box pieces, and topped with a drill from some dollar-store toy. I also weathered it a bit to make it look more like the prototype. Although the "truck" look is still there, I still like the way this one came out. Fortunately, the effect is lessened when Drill bit is put next to other 1/24 scale models.

Have a question, comment, or criticism about this model?
Send me an e-mail with your thoughts!
Content and images ©1998-2016 spencer1984.com unless otherwise noted. · Questions? Send an e-mail