Not all the Diaclone molds were meant to be Mechs.

This is one of the early model kits for the powered suits:

 

What, not comments? Not impressed by this? We all should be...TFs could have been like "Gundam Goddam!" For me one of the special things about Transformers is they are NOT HUMAN.

 

Seriously...even the Diaclone line had a Mech element to it. Much of the G1 line left the rider placements intact. What do you think TFs would have been like if the Mech/Powered suit concept carried over to the Transformers series?

Separate question.

 

Does anyone know if these kits were made to depict the riders themselves or something else? Drones? Troops?

 

They look humanoid, but its hard to tell really.

The Powered suits are small mecha. (And among the very few non-transforming ones in Diaclone.) I don't know anything about the models, but the toy versions can hold drivers.

 

http://www.pretf.com/encyclopedia/earlydia...lydiaclone.html

 

http://1500bc.com/pretf/pictures/diaclone_powered_suit.jpg

What about the shogun warriors. They were sentient were they not?

I buy that Powered Suit just to repaint it Army Green. :tfgrin

Sorry Wheel-Jack! I was surfing the infinite reals of TFans-subspace! Now that Im here, let me give you some of my feedback:

 

1/ The whole "pilot" thing in TFs nowadays in frowned upon by Hasbro. They dont let their TFs get "driven" by their humanoid passengers. Interesting, huh?

 

2/ I wish the Diaclone powered suits would be relaesd as a kind of "earth Force" thing. Do you remember the marvel comics "RATS" (there were even some similar toys relased as RATs, but not in the same universe).

The Powered suits are small mecha. (And among the very few non-transforming ones in Diaclone.) I don't know anything about the models, but the toy versions can hold drivers.

 

http://www.pretf.com/encyclopedia/earlydia...lydiaclone.html

 

http://1500bc.com/pretf/pictures/diaclone_powered_suit.jpg

I believe, the Powerd suits on PreTF.com are not the same as the one picured above. The one pictured here is more like an exo-suit or space suit.

 

There are loads of these BTW. I have quite a few of the old Nitto model kits, and yeah HitandRun, some of them are in camo and green. ;)