At a time when the true history of the Transformers toyline is slowly coming together with mysteries morphing into known facts with concrete explanations, and the 2007 Movie ushering in a new period of popularity for the brand, it's hard to guess where the next hidden gem of the vintage era will spring from. And so it was with great surprise that this Generation 2 unreleased mock-up of a desert-camouflage Ramjet became known to me. I have never followed G2 closely or been a fan of the toys, but the jets have always been close to my heart, especially the 'coneheads'. Therefore, the appearance of this never-before-seen toy was a really big deal.

This hand-painted mock-up of a possible G2 Ramjet variant would at one stage have been presented to the decision-makers at Hasbro in order to assess the viability of proceeding to mass-production of a desert-camo Ramjet. We can only assume that one or more details of the design were not approved and therefore this particular version of G2 Ramjet never made it to the production stage. The toy itself has made its way into collectors' hands directly from ex-Hasbro employees which speaks volumes for its authenticity. It was found alongside many other G1 and G2 prototypes, test shots and mock-ups.

Considering the fact that much of G2 contained very lurid and bright colour schemes for the toys, this desert-camo Ramjet seems a little removed from the commonly-accepted G2 Transformers theme, and that could possibly be another reason for its failure to make it to production. In fact I'd go so far as to say it was almost too sensible (and beautiful) to be considered for G2, a very uniform and consistent colour scheme yet with many striking and unique features that would have made it a standout release had it made it to the shelves. Very much a shame that it was not released.

What makes it so special is the fact that it was hand-painted from a standard purple and black production G2 Ramjet, and painstakingly so. The details are not so perfect as to be close to production standard, especially the fantastic inclusion of the teeth and eyes near the nosecone, but much effort has been made to make it as complete-looking as possible, it had to be taken seriously after all. The knowledge that this very specimen at one stage was sitting on a table being carefully assessed by those decision-makers makes this a very significant and yet almost unknown part of Transformers history.

There are still some very distinct features that signpost this specimen's G2 origins, such as the pegs on the body for the G2-exclusive voicebox, the "DC" on the vertical fins and the red painted chevrons on the main wings.

There is little doubt in my mind as to how well this colour scheme suits the Ramjet mould, the cool desert camouflage design covering the graceful and sweeping main wings, contrasting beautifully with the black nosecone, fins, engines and wheels. The gold sparkly canopy adds a lovely touch and the eyes-and-teeth do not look at all out of place. More the shame that it never saw any sort of official release, for if the paint had been applied as per a production piece, this surely would have been a mightily stunning addition to the seeker army.

It's unclear as to whether the already wonderful look of this jet mode would be improved if the camouflage markings continued across the main body instead of just the wings, maybe it would have looked a little too crowded. It is also possible that if the toy had been approved for production that may well have been carried out but for this mock-up, all the stops were not pulled out.

A quick look at the underside of the jet mode provides a glimpse of what the robot mode will look like and also where primer has been applied but the painting remains unfinished:

Let's take a closer look at some of the unique and more interesting features of this mock-up in jet mode. First of all, the nosecone:

Much of the special character afforded this piece comes from the eyes and teeth painted on to the nosecone. This aircraft means business. You can clearly see that this section was hastily painted just to give a rough idea as to what the toy would like like were it to include this feature. Later mock-ups and designs would have been more carefully painted. Again, it would have been amazing to see just how well this would have turned out had it made it to production. You can also see where stickers/masking have been used a just below and either side of the canopy.

Speaking of the canopy...

The gold sparkly canopy is not in my opinion over-the-top, and adds nicely to the overall look. It is not clear, but the canopy is the later ridged-mould variety that you would expect to have been used on production G1 and G2 Ramjets. The inside of the canopy remains unfinished as you can clearly see the primer. The body-matching painted stickers used for masking are more visible in the above pictures, as are the paint strokes used on various parts of this Ramjet.

The closer you look, the more obvious it becomes that this is a hand-painted piece. And considering the fact that it is an early mock-up and a hand-painted specimen, the fact that it looks so good from a distance is very impressive indeed. There are little hints of primer visible in places and also remnants of the original purple G2 production Ramjet underneath.

The above close-ups show clearly the purple plastic of the original G2 Ramjet underneath the desert-camo paint application. There are traces of primer, many small markings and nicks, basically showing that this was far from being a final prototypical stage for this design. Corners were cut in the production of this mock-up, but that is absolutely to be expected and is common for items of this nature. After all, it was just meant to give a good idea of how this design would turn out, it was never meant to be the finished article.

The G2 copyright is as clear as day on this piece in case there are any lingering doubts as to the time period this mock-up belongs to. The black paint on the feet is particularly uneven, indicating that it was done rather quickly.

Those details aside, let's now have a look at the robot mode for this proposed G2 desert Ramjet:

Yes there is much primer visible on the shins, and yes parts such as the outer arms and the rear of the canopy remain unpainted, but it's still an attractive robot! With only a tiny amount of effort you can imagine him without the unfinished sections looking quite sublime. As far as a collector would be concerned, things like unfinished sections and roughly hand-painted regions are a dream on a prototype or mock-up, the further it is from a finished recognisable article, the more valuable and special it becomes. The sections that are visible underneath allow us to place it chronologically compared to the immediate releases around it. It's a work-in-progress, a moment in time frozen and forever chronicled in Transformers history.

However much people argue as to how to pose a Ramjet, with or without the cone pointed upwards, the look of the teeth on either side of the head in robot mode make the decision for me nicely. The matching colour of the diecast sections and the plastic give him a very succesful uniform look a la Sunstorm.

For those who prefer the classic style of the 1st series jets, here is G2 desert-camo Ramjet with the cone pointed backwards in robot mode:

I feel that without the teeth displayed along the length of the robot's head, this mode looks a little simple and not quite as striking and unique. It's quite an asset when a Transformer prominently displays its unique features in both modes.

Here are some close-ups:

The very simple stroke of red paint on the shoulders is meant to give some idea of what the robot mode colour scheme would be on a final design. A mould stamp "A" is also visible through the paint.

Of the altered sections, the feet and shins are the least developed with only the primer visible, but from the jet mode it can be surmised that the intended colour for the feet was black.

Despite the fact that the robot head and face are clearly unfinished, the specks of brown and black paint combined with the grey of the primer give an unintentionally fantastic camoulflage appearance to this Ramjet's face. The fact that it was primered at all could imply that they were considering a different colour than black for the final version's face. This is somewhat disproved by though by something as equally beautiful and astonishing as the toy itself...

...the associated and apparently complete artwork!

What can you say about that! Breathtaking. Proof of how far along this particular design had gone before the plug was pulled or the whole thing was put on hiatus. The overall pose is heavily based on the G1/G2 Ramjet artwork, but there are some quite stunning standout features to this artwork. Look at the shoulders and the feet, missiles and other parts that are definitely not part of any previous Ramjet mould's design! The weapons on the arm and wing are repainted desert-camo G2 Ramjet weapons. But remember, the artwork for G2 Ramjet showed G1-style Ramjet weapons, not these updated ones!

The feet are indeed black, however there is no red in the shoulders and the face is black with red eyes. A clue to possible a stickersheet scheme is revealed in this artwork as well on the knees, the shoulders and on the red section of the feet. It is very possible that what the artwork depicts as extra parts/weapons on the shoulders and feet would just have ended up as graphics on the stickers.

Can you imagine what an eye-catching package this release would have been, with this superb artwork adorning the card of an already-striking jet? The canopy here seems more clear orange as opposed to solid sparkly gold. I would imagine that the artwork was completed a little while after the conception of the mock-up, so changes were inevitable. The artwork on the face is slightly more developed than that used on previous Ramjet releases as well. Further to that, the shoulder on the right no longer has the curved look of the G1/G2 Ramjet art.

The artwork for this G2 desert-camo Ramjet shows more detailed inner-leg panelling and detail than is found on the boxart for the G1 or G2 Ramjet. It is a bit of a shame that this artwork does not show the teeth on the nosecone, but then how can anybody complain about something like this!

This is, without any shadow of a doubt, an absolutely startling and groundbreaking discovery. A number of unused G2 colour schemes have shown up recently in the form of artwork or transparencies, but to actually have the prototype show up alongside its practically completed artwork is the stuff of dreams.

A much-loved mould from a much-loved sub-series shown with brand new artwork and sporting a quite spectacular and never-released colour scheme with real character, unique personality and unforgettable charisma, the Generation 2 desert-camoulflage Ramjet was a great loss to the legions of mass-produced and well-known released Transformers.

In this piece, we do however have another wonderful and very special glimpse into the powerful world of what could have been...

All the best
Maz