When you talk about Transformers variants, few are more memorable or distinct than the variants found in Mexico, manufactured and distibuted by IGA. Variants such as the black Prowl, the Hoist with the green Trailbreaker head, blue Cliffjumper, blue Huffer and the slightly less spectacular, but still popular, purple-nosed Skywarp and red-footed Grapple. The first release of the Mexican Smokescreen happens to be from the former category, that of spectacular variants. As you can see from the article title and picture above, it is a Bluestreak-mould toy but in Smokescreen colours. As well as being a jaw-dropper, it is unfortunately an immensely rare toy, the one in this article being the only one currently pictured anywhere. The second release Mexican Smokescreen however, is not quite as rare:

It's also not quite as interesting as the variant first release. There are differences between the type 2 Mexican Smokescreen and a regular Smokescreen, but those differences are shared with the type 1 release, so that's what we'll concentrate on for this article. The type 2 release for the most part is a US-like Fairlady Z Racing model, the type 1 was just the standard road car mould that should only have been used for "Bluestreak" and not "Smokescreen". So it appears that IGA corrected the mould usage for the second release, or it could just been a case of the updated retooled racing mould not being available at the time of Smokescreen's planned release in Mexico, hence the re-usage of Bluestreak's mould.

A closer look at the box front reveals all the standard Mexican-US packaging differences. The Mexican Smokescreen box (left) has the IGA logo in the bottom left-hand corner of the box, Spanish text in most places, a different assortment number and a slightly different colour, probably lighter. It is also very common for boxed Mexican G1 cars to come with a bubble intended for something completely different, for example a Wheeljack bubble for a Fairlady-mould toy.

Being a second-series G1 car, the Mexican Smokescreen box back does contain a proper tech spec, unlike the series 1 releases. This implies that Mexican Smokescreen would have come with a red decoder strip as well. However, there was still no Robot Points promotion and you can see the black IGA logo on the Mexican box (left) where the US box has the points. Spanish text is also very prominent on the box back but possibly the most interesting thing is the box copyright. It says "1985 HASBRO INC". Now, that copyright only started showing up on Transformers boxes during 1986, so the Mexican Smokescreen would have come out in 1986 at the earliest. Before that the boxes would have been copyrighted as "Hasbro Bradley" etc. The instruction booklet, pictured at the start of the article, says "Instrucciones" which is another series 2 trait as opposed to the more common "Instructivo" used for series 1. This is not a solid rule though, and there are exceptions to it. The stickersheet included with either Mexican Smokescreen release would have been a standard US stickersheet.

If you're fond of the Fairlady mould, then this variant is an absolute treat. It's a very tidy mould and in Smokescreen colours it's absolutely gorgeous. So unbelievably strange yet very very familiar. The most wonderful thing about it is that it is a very well done variant as well, it doesn't look like a knockoff and it doesn't sport an overall cheap IGA paint job. Intentional or not, this is a tremendous piece. From just about every angle there's something to marvel at and be surprised about.

When you are told of a Bluestreak in Smokescreen colours, you would think that you'd know exactly what to expect, that you would not be surprised at how it looks because you already have an accurate mental picture of such an item based on the millions of Bluestreaks and Smokescreens you've seen. Yet it doesn't prepare you, and you will still be shocked if you're ever lucky enough to see one of these Mexican Smokescreens. The fully painted RED T-bar roof, the red rear windows WITHOUT spoiler, the blue/black front bumper section WITHOUT the large front racing section of a standard Smokescreen, the slight appearance of the road-going Fairlady Z in these colours as opposed to the bulky Fairlady Racing version etc.

However, having said all that, there are still things that make this toy distinctly Mexican. The factory stickers are slightly papery and the rear windows have the slightly inferior moulding quality exhibited by Mexican Prowl and Bluestreak, plus they are a little thicker than the US versions. These are not things you would notice straight away though, and if you're seeing this for the first time there's plenty of other visual stimulus to blind you from tiny moulding details, even if you're familiar with Mexican Transformers. It's just THAT nice.

Here are a few close-ups of some of the features in vehicle mode:

To make some sense of the above, here's the Mexican Smokescreen compared in vehicle mode with a US Smokescreen:

Placing the Mexican Smokescreen next to a US version really rams home the differences, and even then I was surprised at exactly how different the two were despite the blatantly obvious. The slight vs muscular appearance of the two toys really comes across in a side-by-side comparison. It also allows you to spot the minor variations as well. First off, the "38" on the Mexican Smokescreen is smaller and doesn't take up as much of the sticker as it does on the US toy, this being a typical Mexican TF factory sticker variation. The "38" also appears to be a thicker font on the Mex toy. Another less obvious (from the pictures) factory sticker variation is apprent on the hood sticker, the one behind the robot head, and that is that the Mexican red sticker is sparkly there whereas the US one has a matte sticker. Looking at the rear of the two cars, the sticker for the rear lights on Mex Smokescreen is a little more glossy and has more rows of red lights than yellow as opposed to the more equal yellow/red balance of the US sticker. From the pictures, the US Smokescreen appears to be a shade darker in places as well. There are differences in the white lines that run across the bodies of both cars too.

That distinctly odd-yet-familiar feeling of the vehicle mode is carried over completely to the robot mode as well, and so is the stunning appearance of this toy. Smokescreen was a striking toy in robot mode regardless of any variations, so this is even more of a standout piece. This mode, also looking great from all angles, throws up yet another moulding difference though not quite in the same league as the major variations on the toy like the front and rear ends of the vehicle. The keen-eyed among you may have spotted it from the second large picture above, if not I'll address it shortly.

Here's the Mexican Smokescreen in robot mode sporting US weapons:

I could tell they were US weapons because the missiles slotted into the launchers without any hassle whatsoever. Mexican Fairlady launchers are notoriously difficult, and the missiles usually go in at a less-than-straight angle. Also, Mexican weapons fire. The above pictures do just go to show exactly how much of Smokescreen's identity is down to his moulding and not just his colours, there is such a heavy Bluestreak feel to the above pictures, more than I would have expected.

Comparing the Mexican and US Smokescreens in robot mode shows how much more black is apparent around the top half of the Mex toy as a reslut of the black Bluestreak/Prowl-style bumper. The slightly lighter red paint used on the Mexican toy is also evident from the pictures. The picture that shows the two robots from the back highlights the T-Bar roof difference very nicely as well. That same picture drives home the fact that Mexican TFs do not have rubsigns (yes eBay sellers, I'm looking at you).

Still haven't spotted the other variation in robot mode?

Granted, it's not an easy spot, but have a look at the Mexican robot's horns (top) and compare to the US version's horns. The Mexican Smokescreen has a matte yellow set of horns whereas the US toy has glossy gold horns. Also, the Mexican toy has a dull grey face whereas the US Smokescreen has a shinier silver face and that is a variation that exists between Mex/US Prowls and Bluestreaks as well. The US toy has a more defined face with the vertical lines under the eyes obvious, however the Mex toy's face has a lot less detail. The Mexican Smokescreen appears 'younger' if anything. There is also some clue as to the colour differences on the red and blue sections of the toys from the above set of pics.

The copyright on Mexican Smokescreen, unlike some Mex TFs, is NOT blocked. It is based off the later US Smokescreen copyrights:

Incredibly, having resumed collecting Transformers again in 2011, I made a quite startling yet not totally unsurprising discovery; Iga not only produced this beautiful fully-Bluestreak mould Mexican Smokescreen toy and the later fully corrected version, but they also released a short production run of transitional Mexican Smokescreens too, a kind of halfway-house:

Found in the Netherlands (a common hotbed for Mexican Transformers), this sparkling piece had all the same traits as the first release Mexican Smokescreen covered in this article; T-bar roof, no rear spolier, sparkly roof sticker, matte yellow robot horns and different factory stickers. The only major difference was it had the correct Smokescreen-mould front splitter, giving it a tiny measure of normal Smokescreen's beefy appearance:

While not quite as phenomenal as the fully Bluestreak-mould first release, it is equally as rare and really rather special indeed. Hugely significant too because it demonstrates that the correction of the moulding and release for Smokescreen in Mexico was not a one-step procedure. All that remains is to find out if any more transitional variants exist perhaps with only one Bluestreak-like feature; a Smokescreen purely with a T-bar roof or rear spolier.

The first and transitional release Mexican Smokescreens are without a doubt some of the most obscure and stylish variations I have ever come across. When I first heard about the first release I tracked the owner down on eBay and started asking questions. I then met him at UK shows a number of times where he was kind enough to bring the Smokescreen out and show it to collectors. While Mexican TFs were distributed in many European countries, the first release has only surfaced in the UK and the transitional one in the Netherlands. They are both an astonishingly rare find, and the rarity of this toy is matched nicely by its appearance.

This particular first release Smokescreen was bought back in the 80s by the owner's mother in London, England and has been in his possession ever since. It has been beautifully preserved for the most part and that is a credit to the owner and a pleasure for the fandom, as there simply aren't any other examples to be photographed or documented at this time! This Mexican variant is not as well known as the Black Prowl, Green Trailbreaker/Hoist or even some of the minibots, but in my opinion, it is more stylish than any of them and it is absolutely everything you would want a rare, obscure and special Transformers variant to be. An absolute delight to behold.

Enjoy.

I must express my absolute deepest thanks to Tim Bannerjee for offering his Mexican Smokescreen up for review and photography. Tim has always been extremely approachable and generous in his sharing of this wonderful piece of Transformer history and it couldn't belong to a nicer guy. Thank you Tim!

All the best
Maz