Powermaster Doubledealer and I have a long history together. Doubledealer's long been my favorite Transformer, dating back to when I got him as a child. In fact, Doubledealer was instrumental in my oldest embarrassing memory. I was but a toddler in my pediatrician's office, and I brought Doubledealer along for the ride. I transformed him into his Deceptcon Bird mode, and exclaimed to y mom, "look he has testicles!" I of course meant tentacles, and I was referring to the scrawny purple bird legs. Nevertheless, my mother quickly and shamefully corrected me in the middle of the crowded office.
Back to the toy. Doubledealer is a part of the G1 Powermasters line, whose gimmick was mini figures that transformed into engines and unlocked the transformation of the larger figure. Doubledealer is actually both an Autobot and a Decepticon, with two distinct modes to differentiate them. His alternate mode, a military missile launcher, is one of the nicest looking of the G1 era, with nice colors and a ridiculously solid build. Like I said, this toy's been with me forever, and he's still in mint shape with the exception of sticker wear. With Knok, Doubledealer's Autobot companion, locked into his abdomen, Doubledealer transforms into his Autobot robot mode. For the most part, the robot mode is a brick, with the legs only being able to bend outward at the hips and rotate at the knees, and his arms can only bend at the elbow. Doubledealer has a chest piece that can be used to hold one of the mini figures at his chest (which is the only part I've lost track of). The giant missile forms his armament by breaking into 2 and becoming his rifle and a shoulder-mounted-non-launching, missile. I've always been fond of Doubledealer's head sculpt, and while his robot mode is somewhat bricky, it's still a great design and a great display piece.
Doubledealer's Decepticon mode is essentially just his vehicle mode flipped over, with the side panels folding down to become bird legs, and a back panel opening to reveal its head and wings. While it's simple enough, the bird mode is also a great design (it could use back legs though). Again, I love the head sculpt and the colors used, and Skar makes a nice companion to this solid design.
All in all, There have been great advancements in design and poseability since this figure, and there are plenty of other classic characters, but Doubledealer will always be a favorite of mine. I'd definitely recommend seeking this toy out for any fans of the G1 lines.
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