Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: CB
The Problem: It contains a Sideswipe Red Alert painted to look like Wheeljack.
What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This
CB writes:
Here’s one that really goes above and beyond. I didn’t take this photo, but it was posted on the Illinois Sightings board on tfw2005.com by user TheGame2K5 earlier this week. Apparently he found a Transformers Generations Wheeljack (an extremely hard to find Transformer that seems to have been skipped over by the stores) at a Chicago store, but it had a
Sideswipe[Red Alert – ed.] figure instead, THAT HAD BEEN PAINTED TO LOOK LIKE WHEELJACK. Talk about going the extra effort to get away with this kind of crap.
Karmic Payback: The perp’s car gets stolen and the insurance company refuses to pay for it because they don’t like his ugly face.
Nik
He should have his nice car stolen and replaced with a shitty car poorly painted to look like his old car.
George
Aww you gotta be kidding me, I found a wheel jack 3 weeks ago and I didn't buy it thinking Ill find him later. Wish I was more informed about Transformers than what I am.Oh well.
Pete
@ Megaduce Flare:
Definitely a Red Alert. The post holes for the lightbar screws are visible there.
FakeEyes22
Lotta foks would gladly pay twice the $10-$12 for a Wheeljack.
Snarf! Snarf!
He should be teabagged by Devastator
PrfktTear
OH boy… Yet another reason why I thoroughly inspect a toy prior to purchasing it. Its bad enough to have to look for factory defects and any possible paint smudges or imperfection, but also having to make sure that the toy you're buying is actually what its supposed to be is crazy on a whole new level. It would be extra infuriating if it was the only one on the shelf though and you thought you ran into a bit of luck.
Punishment: The perp has to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Motorthing
This is actually pretty unreal, and I would go with Heli's explanation as it boggles the mind that someone would have taken a figure as cool as Red-Alert and done all this to it JUST to get a refund. The less than stellar attempt to make their own Wheeljack should convince us that as much as this dickweed needs to be punished, really they deserve our pity for their piss-poor creativity.
Nevermind, I'm sure their Mama still thinks they are "special".
Heli
Or maybe the Troll in question had made a (fairly weak) Wheeljack custom, and then decided to swap it for his new factory-made version.
I just have a hard time believing somebody would take the time to repaint a figure just for a swap like this, given some of the stuff we've seen people get away with.
Megaduce Flare
I think it's more likely the perp used a Generations Red Alert figure for the swap, as that figure is mostly white and would require much less 'repainting' (as well as removing the light bar) than the '08 Universe Sideswipe.
Regardless, it's a dick move on the troll's part.
Thomas B
wow…that is a lot of effort for a theft….the worse thing is someone would buy it and not realize it was wrong until it was too late.
Crazy
I think you are giving him too much credit. That is totally marker.