Compared to the rest of the Transformers released in 1988, Browning stands out like a cranial exit wound. Which makes sense as, like the first Megatron toy, Browning is a carry over from the Japanese MicroChange line.

By 1988, realistic replicas of actual guns were outlawed in countries like the US so the timing of Browning’s release as part of the Transformers line makes him unique to the Japanese market. And for collectors not wishing to tread on (Pretender) shells and once again remind themselves of the weighty quality of the original Transformers, Browning is worth the extra effort in tracking down.

Browning’s alternate mode is a 97% faithful reproduction of the Browning 1910 semi-automatic pistol. An all-black version would make the reproduction 100% faithful. Nonetheless the detailing and build quality are fantastic. The gun mode does fire bright orange plastic bullets, so as well as a display piece, Browning does have a lot of play value as well.

A lot of comparisons between Browning and the original Megatron toy can be drawn; both, originally, from the same MicroChange range, both handheld weapons with the same general transformation structure. In many ways Browning is a vast improvement on Megatron’s design. The transformation sequence is a lot cleaner, the robot mode has better proportions and the joints are less fragile. One drawback, however, is the fact that Browning’s hands come as separate accessories. (But, uniquely amongst Transformers that have separate hands, Browning does actually come with spares!)

Browning’s robot mode is typical of the early Transformers: a nice, detailed, partly die-cast display piece but with severely limited articulation. Browning is armed with two chrome-silver rifles that can be mounted either in his hands or on his shoulders. As the front of the gun barrel becomes the robot’s right arm, the right hand can be launched with the press of a button. Cleverly, it uses the same firing mechanism as the gun mode, but the engineering of the toy means that the trigger is rendered unusable in robot mode.

Although his appearance in the Masterforce television series depicts Browning as a diminutive “actual size” six-inch robot; in the toy range he stands, somewhat ironically, head and shoulders above the rest. He is a Transformer of the highest caliber.

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Category: Masterforce
Tags: Browning | Silver | Weapon

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