Official Transformers Super Thread 3

[GobotFool]

I found Mirage at Wal-Mart last week. I was sooooo excited. He rocks. The only bad thing is that his chest doesn't snap into place... but he is awesome nonetheless.

I overlooked this when I 1st got Mirage, but there are two panels that lift up and lock into the hoodchest.

[Radd]

I guess it's because I'm not a real big fan of Transformers that I'm not wedded to thier traditional designs.

But the new Starscream and the movie Transformers are the best things I've seen out of this franchise in many, many years.

I'd bet good money the movie will be forgetable, but the designs are winners.

I dunno, I'm pretty open to change. If the designs looked good to me, I'd be able to accept different. I really dislike the whole design asthetic of the movie characters. Transformers characters tend to get a visual overhaul every year or so, I mean how many different variants of Prime have there been? I doubt too many TF fans are stuck on the original designs to any great extent. Some basic design aspects, possibly (Prime being a truck, Megatron having a large gun, Bumblebee being small and yellow, Starscream being a jet). Overall, though, I'm guessing most people simply hate the style and some of the design principles introduced for the new movie.

I overlooked this when I 1st got Mirage, but there are two panels that lift up and lock into the hoodchest.

Have you actually gotten them to lock into place, though? With my Mirage, the two panels will not sit at the same angle, and I cannot get either one of them to lock into the spot on the chest plate that looks like they should be able to lock into.

[Fit For Natalie]

So what do you guys think of Classics Ramjet and Jetfire? They didn't do a good job on hiding Jetfire's arms at all, given his fists can't even retract, but a nice toy otherwise.

[HoveringCheesecake]

I love them both. I don't care about Jetfire's arms, because I'm going to be keeping him in bot mode all of the time.

Unlike most however, I plan on displaying him without his battle armor on so he looks more like TV Skyfire.

[Fit For Natalie]

Classics Grimlock

[David Hingtgen]

Rmajet's good, maybe even better than SS.

Jetfire--if you're going to make him an F-14, make him an F-14. Not an F-14 with the nose of a Abrams tank. So close, yet so far. It just looks weird to me---the front half and back half look like two different planes. Kind of like Darkwing/Dreadwind, but not meshing as well.

[Limbo]

I think it is one of the most patetic redesigns ever. Sorry, but those arms are just unacceptable considering the original chucky money this thing was based on got it right 20 years ago. Things like that make me appreciate the new Yamato toys more and more.

So what do you guys think of Classics Ramjet and Jetfire? They didn't do a good job on hiding Jetfire's arms at all, given his fists can't even retract, but a nice toy otherwise.

[GobotFool]

I dunno, I'm pretty open to change. If the designs looked good to me, I'd be able to accept different. I really dislike the whole design asthetic of the movie characters. Transformers characters tend to get a visual overhaul every year or so, I mean how many different variants of Prime have there been? I doubt too many TF fans are stuck on the original designs to any great extent. Some basic design aspects, possibly (Prime being a truck, Megatron having a large gun, Bumblebee being small and yellow, Starscream being a jet). Overall, though, I'm guessing most people simply hate the style and some of the design principles introduced for the new movie.

Have you actually gotten them to lock into place, though? With my Mirage, the two panels will not sit at the same angle, and I cannot get either one of them to lock into the spot on the chest plate that looks like they should be able to lock into.

It took some fiddling but eventially I got it to stay in place.

I'm going to wait a while before judging jetfire, it looks like he's supposed to have armor. It may not look right now, but maybe it'll all come togeather one the armor is on.

Edited September 11, 2006 by GobotFool

[Eazy D]

Ramjet looks cool. If they do his colour scream correctly he could be very cool. I like the way he's got 4 exhaust nozzles at the back....makes it look as if he can really speed boost for a mid-air ram.....(maybe that's just my nerdy fanboyness talking )

Classics starscream looks a real winner.

Well proportioned robot mode

Keeps things very close to the G1 and Robot masters incarnation

Nice jet mode

My only complaint is that his boobs hang down too far in jet mode and throw the proportions off. If the boobs could swing upwards for the jet mode and point forward i'd say this shits all over MP SS.

The only other whinge with him could be the colour scheme they used.....they could've kept him more like the robot master SS.

[buddhafabio]

Rmajet's good, maybe even better than SS.

Jetfire--if you're going to make him an F-14, make him an F-14. Not an F-14 with the nose of a Abrams tank. So close, yet so far. It just looks weird to me---the front half and back half look like two different planes. Kind of like Darkwing/Dreadwind, but not meshing as well.

exactly, it looks like ramjet has the nose of jetfire.

[Fit For Natalie]

Did everybody not see my link to Classics Grimlock?

I think it is one of the most patetic redesigns ever. Sorry, but those arms are just unacceptable considering the original chucky money this thing was based on got it right 20 years ago. Things like that make me appreciate the new Yamato toys more and more.

To be fair, Jetfire is a $20US (or so) toy that sacrifices things to pay homage to two considerably different Jetfire/Skyfire designs, and I doubt Don would have had the sort of time (and plane engineering skill) Mr Kawamori would have when he designs Macross fighters. Plus as a kids-market toy its designed for durability and fun in mind. You can bash it around

Yamato's are comparitively fragile collectors items that cost well over $100US (last I checked for the 1:48s). Well look at Classics Starscream Vs Masterpiece Starscream, different target customers, different priorities.

[Chewie]

To add to the above post, Jetfire was only an "F-14" as a toy. All of his designs in the cartoon and comics have been A LOT different that the 1/55 Valkyrie he was.

The classic looks good, however I too wish the arms were somewhere else.

[baronv]

Over at TFW2005.com posts it looks like Titanium 6" Jetfire and Thundercracker have been released already, has anyone seen them out yet?

[Limbo]

Although I agree with you that they are different grade products, it still hard to justify those arms. It looks like very little effort was put on trying to conceal those things… they are just… “thereâ€â€¦ And sure, it cost only 20 bucks, but so does any Alternator. It’s hard to swallow that chucky mess when something as elegant as an alternator mirage can be found for the same price. I'm just frustrated cause I waited 20 years for a anime acurate Jetfire toy and I see so much potential on the toy to be bummed for something stupid like that... :/

Did everybody not see my link to Classics Grimlock?

To be fair, Jetfire is a $20US (or so) toy that sacrifices things to pay homage to two considerably different Jetfire/Skyfire designs, and I doubt Don would have had the sort of time (and plane engineering skill) Mr Kawamori would have when he designs Macross fighters. Plus as a kids-market toy its designed for durability and fun in mind. You can bash it around

Yamato's are comparitively fragile collectors items that cost well over $100US (last I checked for the 1:48s). Well look at Classics Starscream Vs Masterpiece Starscream, different target customers, different priorities.

[Doctor Reggae]

Seibertron and TFW 2005 both posted a pic of Classics Mirage in packaging. Nothing really new or revealing, but he does look kind of cool.

http://seibertron.com/images/toys/uploads/...e_inpackage.jpg

[DeeLux]

Over at TFW2005.com posts it looks like Titanium 6" Jetfire and Thundercracker have been released already, has anyone seen them out yet?

Not yet, all I've seen in the new wave of 3" Titanium's (Bumble Bee, Smokescreen and G1 prime)

I'm part of the San Fer Valley TF search team

[Black Valkyrie]

Overall they all look good and for the price but Jetfire is a bit a let down. Even though my main TF-Classics I wanna collect are : Optimus Prime, Starscream, Astrotrain and bumblebee.

[eriku]

While I like the new Jetfire a lot, the exposed arms are really lame and the fact that the hands don't even slide in is really quite inexcusable.

[kensei]

From the thumbnails I mistook it for a F-14, but when I get a closer look it definitely doesn't look anything like an F-14 with that nose. It's great though, thatit looks like the Jetfire from the TV series.

Where's the "FAST Pack" by the way?

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

From the thumbnails I mistook it for a F-14, but when I get a closer look it definitely doesn't look anything like an F-14 with that nose. It's great though, thatit looks like the Jetfire from the TV series.

Where's the "FAST Pack" by the way?

They comprise of 2 arm pods and 2 rocket boosters on the backpack with cannons that flip out/fold down over the shoulders in robot mode(not shown in pics but you can see the slots where they plug in). What these pics do not show is the battle helmet that folds over Jetfire's face as well(the VF-1S looking battle helmet he has in the DW g1/Stormbringer books). Also he either has 2 guns that combine or a double barreled gun that is not shown in the pics either. The arm armor kind of hides the fact that the arms are sticking out to the side, and the top of the shoulders resembles intakes(the top of the legs does not, they are hinges).

Still $20, FINALLY a jetfire after g2 that turns into a FIGHTER plane rather than a cargo plane, an homage to the original toy and an F-14 without being exactly F-14. IF kawamori decides to make a MP-06 Jetfire as an F-14, then I'd be really anal about it but for a mainline mass market $20 release, this Jetfire is great to me.

[kensei]

Masterpieces don't necessarily have to be modelled off real world vehicles right? I don't think Prime is any sort of real truck.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Masterpieces don't necessarily have to be modelled off real world vehicles right? I don't think Prime is any sort of real truck.

They don't but its always been my wish that they made jetfire into a realistic F-14 at some point. I designed one for fun 2 years back with the alt mode being the F-14B F101DFE testbed(similar color scheme, red and white, with dark blue line trim).

And plus since Jet/skyfire is Starscream's rival in the g1 comic/cartoon, it would be cool to have Jetfire as a masterpiece or alternator. Better a fighter than a cargo plane, thats how I've always felt about him.

[David Hingtgen]

Wouldn't that be kinda pointless, as well as possibly a conflict of interest/copyright issues? Jetfire the F-14 instead of Jetfire the VF-1S, yet still Kawamori's design?

Also, if you want a pure F-14---where would the arms go? The F-14's belly tunnel pretty much precludes arms, and is the main difference between a VF-1 and F-14. F-15 works much better for arm stowage--see MP SS.

[wolfx]

I looked back a few pages, but where is this picture of Classics Jetfire that you guys are looking at?

[Veritas]

I looked back a few pages, but where is this picture of Classics Jetfire that you guys are looking at?

You can follow this link to pics. of an unpainted prototype.

Classics Ramjet Prototype w/ Starscream and Jetfire Protos

i could have swore there were pics of him painted floating around as well but i'll have to do some backtracking on the TF news sites.

[kensei]

Wouldn't that be kinda pointless, as well as possibly a conflict of interest/copyright issues? Jetfire the F-14 instead of Jetfire the VF-1S, yet still Kawamori's design?

Also, if you want a pure F-14---where would the arms go? The F-14's belly tunnel pretty much precludes arms, and is the main difference between a VF-1 and F-14. F-15 works much better for arm stowage--see MP SS.

MP Starscream looks F-15 everywhere except the underside. Don't see how they could hurt an F-14 design by modifying the underbelly either.

But I don't really want to see Jetfire as an F-14, or as Jetfire either.

I'm willing to go for the Skyfire design. I like the space fighter look.

[JB0]

It’s hard to swallow that chucky mess when something as elegant as an alternator mirage can be found for the same price.

Only if you're lucky...

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Wouldn't that be kinda pointless, as well as possibly a conflict of interest/copyright issues? Jetfire the F-14 instead of Jetfire the VF-1S, yet still Kawamori's design?

Also, if you want a pure F-14---where would the arms go? The F-14's belly tunnel pretty much precludes arms, and is the main difference between a VF-1 and F-14. F-15 works much better for arm stowage--see MP SS.

Yes but in an interview(as much as I don't believe this myself) it is mentioned that Kawamori says the F-111/F/A-18 inspired the VF-1's fighter mode, not the F-14.

The main reason I'd like to see Jetfire as an F-14 is mainly because years back, when alternators/binaltech first arrived, a lot of people such as myself kept begging for a jet starscream, preferrably an F-15. I also wanted a jetfire. I think the majority of these boards wanted jet alternators. As for myself...I love F-14's which all of you know, so a transformer F-14 with a realistic alt mode and superb articulation in robot mode is pure bliss for me irregardless of which character is used(closest being jetfire and leokaizer). *BTW while I think alternators are cool I will never be fully content until I see more jets in either masterpiece or alternator line....actually as long as we get realistic jet transformers catored to collectors I will be happy....this aside from the mainline classics line and all*. But since Jetfire was a VF-1 toy in g1 and the VF-1 is like the F-14, and the F-14 is my favorite plane, and VF-1 my favorite mecha design, an F-14 Jetfire is just a mishmash of goodness to me at least. That is the most confusing sentence i have ever written online but I think you guys get the jist of what I am saying LOL.

[David Hingtgen]

Looking through the Design Works pages on the VF-1 mentions the F-14 numerous times. The only F-111-ish part of the valk IMHO is the nose. Or, it may have been inspired by, but ended up incorporating details of others. I think the best VF-1 explanation is that--after a while, he eventually saw some F-14-ish areas, then made it F-14-ish on purpose, detail-wise. May have started with another plane in mind, but it sure ended up looking like an F-14, from overall aspects to tiny little details.

Kensei---the F-14's tunnel is inherent to the design and rather unique (Flanker has it too). Basically, you can't mess with that area without making it look VERY different and changing the overall configuration/shape of the plane.

[kensei]

Ah ok. Make a Skyfire then. Problem solvered!

[David Hingtgen]

Yeah, I would have just gone for a pure G1 cartoon Skyfire mold. Why not? It's never been done, and should please about 99% of the fanbase.

[kensei]

I've never seen Jetfire in action anyway cept for a toy advert for him.

Edited September 12, 2006 by kensei