Transformers Super Thread 4: The Return

[mpchi]

Alternator Nemesis Prime impression

Gallery from seibertron.com:

http://www.seibertron.com/toys/gallery.php...e=0&start=0

Sorry without any pics, due to not having my camera with me at the moment.

Just got this this weekend. While the unpainted car polish still need sometime to get used to (since I mainly only buy Binaltech), this San Diego Comic Con limited version does look great. Thanks to the color scheme being all black with metalic blue and silver accents, the body look much less plasticy than other lighter colors Alternator. While I like the Alt Prime sculpt, it was kind of pointless for me to get a smaller, inferior quality Prime when my BTs already have a nice Masterpiece Prime as the leader. Though this Nemesis Prime gave me a very good reason to it now, as I always wanted to own an Evil Prime. This one fits right into the slot.

The Goods? It looks great in both mode, especially truck mode. There are less seams found in this car mode than a lot of other BTs, while the black body with red windows just blend in very nicely. Robot mode looks great and pose well. The paint scheme just look menacing and quite an improvement on the original red and blue. Transformation also somewhat simpler than other BTs, which is also a welcome if you don't like reading the instructions all the time. Joints on the upper body is all tight and sturdy, with very good moving range.

The Bads? The lower body. Loose leg joints on hip, thigh swivel, knee, and feet (pretty much all of them o_O). While the figure was designed to be well balanced in terms of weight, the loose joints on the legs really kill its stability. While the hips can be fixed by disassembling it and add some tape to add friction, the knee is really troublesome. The lower legs can't be easily taken apart, making the surgery a lot harder. Turn out need to be really creative (slip in hard foil strips [from over the counter pills package] in knee hinge and re-enforce it with super strong double side tape) and took a couple hours to finally get the knee tight and sturdy. Aside from the leg joints, the front wheel steeling also don't seem to work that well. Not smooth like my other BTs.

So overall, its a hit & miss. I like the design quite a bit, and this color scheme definitely put Nemesis Prime as one of my favorite looking Alt, right behind Hot Rod. However, the execution is not quite there in terms of all the leg joints. I doubted I got a lemon as both the left and right legs have the exact degree of looseness on the same joint. So its more likely the mold. And with the high price places are going, due to its exclusiveness, its not a very good buy. But also like Hot Rod, its one of those coolest bot in the BT/ALT line that you just have to bite the bullet if you wanna own one. But now that I fixed the looseness, its awesome!

Edited December 18, 2006 by mpchi

[mpchi]

Added a few not so pretty quick snap, with my quick and dirty version of Sword of Fury.

[Veritas]

Man you got a lot going on in those pics. haha, anyways thanks for the review.

[mpchi]

Sorry . No time to clean off that table to do a nicer photo shoot, as you can see my usual photo shooting space there is now pretty...crowded.

[JB0]

Sorry . No time to clean off that table to do a nicer photo shoot, as you can see my usual photo shooting space there is now pretty...crowded.

Yeah...

So who wins when the Rocketeer and Genesic Gaogaigar get mad at each other?

[UN Spacy]

NEW TRAILER UP!

http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/transformers/

Go to trailer. NOT the full screen one.

[Doctor Reggae]

As of right now, I'm even more sold on it than I already was.

[promethuem5]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Southpaw Samurai]

I'm going to break G1 Transformer fan rank and file here and say it isn't the worst thing that could've been done with the franchise. The trailer sold me that Bayformer movie woud've been a pretty fun and interesting movie had we never had the Transformers to compare it to, much less be aware its a license of. The trailer has its moments (the Autobots driving up to a transforming Optimus, the Autobots driving down the road together... and, to some extent, Blackout transforming and thrashing the base... still wish they'd incorporate the old Transforming sound into the new one... even just a quiet undertone of it).

Given the emphasis on the humans and Bay's style in general, if I do go see this at first run, it'll be with little anticipation, but I'm definitely starting to come around to the whole 'if you try to ignore its relationship to Transformers past, it'll be okay' mindset.

[wolfx]

I can't see much...i have my reservations.

[cube]

yea, it definitely looks better than expected, but it's still not the way it should have been done.

it was pretty cool seeing optimus transform though

[gerwalk25]

The TF's in bot mode look more like General Grevious and crumpled scrap metal than their G1 counterparts.

[JB0]

I'm going to break G1 Transformer fan rank and file here and say it isn't the worst thing that could've been done with the franchise.

Well, yeah. Only a fool would say that, especially with Transformers porn floating around out there...

But that doesn't really make it a good thing to happen.

The trailer sold me that Bayformer movie woud've been a pretty fun and interesting movie had we never had the Transformers to compare it to, much less be aware its a license of. The trailer has its moments (the Autobots driving up to a transforming Optimus, the Autobots driving down the road together... and, to some extent, Blackout transforming and thrashing the base... still wish they'd incorporate the old Transforming sound into the new one... even just a quiet undertone of it).

Given the emphasis on the humans and Bay's style in general, if I do go see this at first run, it'll be with little anticipation, but I'm definitely starting to come around to the whole 'if you try to ignore its relationship to Transformers past, it'll be okay' mindset.

It would be okay if it wasn't a Transformers movie. Possibly even good. Bay can turn out some good work when he's not busy looking for an excuse to blow something up.

But it this ISN'T just a movie about cars and trucks and things that go turning into robots smashing stuff.

It's a Transformers movie. And in that context it fails miserably.

Maybe I'll wait for someone to do a fandub that replaces all the names with GoBots.

Prime's transformation was lame. All those sliding panels are just annoying.

Someone should've stopped them somewhere and said "Look, this has crossed out of cool and into distracting. Can we scale this back a little?"

It's a neat idea, just... excessively elaborate.

...

I wonder if they're gonna do that thing where they jump the car into the air and transform at any point...

Edited December 21, 2006 by JB0

[eriku]

I'm sure the film will be entertaining, but I have not liked the designs for the bots from the very beginning. It has NOTHING to do with them not being "G1" enough. I dislike their designs for the same reasons I disliked General Grevious in Revenge of the Sith and why I constantly wonder what the appeal of Bionicles is. It's just not an aesthetically pleasing look to me. I'm not going to actively campaign against it like a lot of people, I just don't like it. Other people do, it's all a matter of taste.

Because of the fact that I dislike the look of the Transformers themselves will probably make it difficult for me to get into the film, but I'll at least give it a shot and check it out in the theater.

[Roy's Blues]

Some comparision shots of the YF-19 & MP-03

linky

[Veritas]

Well it looks like there's going to be alot of action... and... yeah.

[Fit For Natalie]

But it this ISN'T just a movie about cars and trucks and things that go turning into robots smashing stuff.

It's a Transformers movie. And in that context it fails miserably.

But... isn't that what TF (more or less) is? Alien robots who can turn into vehicles or animals that go around blowing crap up (either on purpose with the Decepticons, or as collateral damage with the Autobots) in their never-ending civil war with humans caught in the middle and with the viewer experiencing it through the eyes of the human characters?

That's pretty Transformers right there, mate.

I wonder if they're gonna do that thing where they jump the car into the air and transform at any point...

They should - its happened enough times in various TF series.

[JB0]

But... isn't that what TF (more or less) is? Alien robots who can turn into vehicles or animals that go around blowing crap up (either on purpose with the Decepticons, or as collateral damage with the Autobots) in their never-ending civil war with humans caught in the middle and with the viewer experiencing it through the eyes of the human characters?

That's pretty Transformers right there, mate.

You missed my point.

Just because Transformers = alien robots that turn into cars and junk does not mean that alien robots that turn into cars and junk = Transformers.

I thought the GoBots crack made that clear enough.

The Transformers name carries with it a significant amount of built-in expectations beyond transforming robots.

They should - its happened enough times in various TF series.

But this movie doesn't exactly look like it cares a lot for tradition.

On the other hand, it's the sort of stunt that appeals to Bay.

So who knows?

[eugimon]

G1 transformers was all about megs and crew hatching nefarious plans to steal energon and optimus and crew stopping them. violence ensues... how is this not prime Bay material? The plot is paper thin, the story centers around violence and giant robots shooting lasers at each other means things go boom which bay also does well.

Though beast wars and beast machines introduced more "sci-fi" elements coupled with mysticism, lets not kid ourselves into thinking that transformers was somehoe some great example of science fiction. Better than gobots? yes, worthy of this pedestal we're putting it on? no.

[myk]

Better than gobots? yes, worthy of this pedestal we're putting it on? no.

Psh. Cy-Kill could own all of your asses...

Edited December 22, 2006 by myk

[Fit For Natalie]

You missed my point.

Just because Transformers = alien robots that turn into cars and junk does not mean that alien robots that turn into cars and junk = Transformers.

I thought the GoBots crack made that clear enough.

The Transformers name carries with it a significant amount of built-in expectations beyond transforming robots.

Yeah but Transformers' basic concept in itself is fairly unoriginal. TF suceeded over Gobots because it had a better product range and a more entertaining fiction.

But this movie doesn't exactly look like it cares a lot for tradition.

On the other hand, it's the sort of stunt that appeals to Bay.

So who knows?

I mean the car jumping-transform thing looks cool enough to do again.

[VF-2SS-BloodPhoenix]

The TF's in bot mode look more like General Grevious and crumpled scrap metal than their G1 counterparts.

The new movie TFs are being designed by the same people who worked on the new Star Wars movies, ILM.

[Southpaw Samurai]

I don't mind that they look like Grievious or a Bionicle on its own merit. In fact, all that 'skinless human, sculpted in metal' look just adds to the 'alieness' of the Bayformers. And it does make sense that you'd design yourself for maximum agility and ease of repairs.

Where my main balking point is with the designs is that it doesn't make a lot of sense from the standpoint of robots that know they're in for combat.

Sure big, bulky robots like the G1 designs or even the Alternators/BTs look a little less 'cool' than what they went with (I guess), but in many ways its makes sense that combat machines would go for bulk... for armor if nothing else. Look at most civilians machinery compared to military hardware. The military stuff invariably has an extra piece of plate, a skirt, a cowling, etc covering delicate parts like joints. Heck, civilian stuff often tries to protech parts from the environment. The Bayformers are exposed left and right and while you can make excuses like 'their interior parts are tough enough', you start going down a path of logic where inevitably you'll question why they bother fighting if they can't hurt each other 'naked'. You can convince me that what looks like the fiberglass shell of a race car is actually a highly durable piece of armor... it's harder to convince me that the completely exposed lower arm workings will survive human explosives or even dirt and grime, much less a shot from Cybertronian weaponry.

It would've been cool had the Bayformer designs been their original designs (particularly the Autobots if you start them out as non-war machines) and once they got to earth, part of their transformation would be to add some protection. Many of the G1 (and even BT/Alt) designs wouldn't work because of gaps, spaces, and the lack of necessity to have actual parts to allow articulation and movement, but more solid designs would both have harkened back to them better and also would've made more sense. And if knights can look cool in a movie wearing full plate, more solid, armored Transformers could've too.

[UN Spacy]

LATEST pics of Masterpiece Megs.

I'm glad I preordered.

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6595.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6596.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6602.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6604.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6605.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6606.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6607.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6608.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6609.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6610.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6611.JPG

http://tformers.net/g/albums/6907/CIMG6613.JPG

[Majestic]

I preordered MP Megatron through BigBadToyStore, who plans to add an orange safety tip to the barrel.

Any more specifics on the orange tip? Will it be easily removable or a more permanent fixture?

[Guvava]

Wondering if the silencer and the stock will be offered later as new package like they did with prime and his trailer.

[Doctor Reggae]

I was wondering about his extra extensions too. I'm sure I'll get him regardless, but I always liked the barrel extension on the original Megs.

[Roy's Blues]

I preordered MP Megatron through BigBadToyStore, who plans to add an orange safety tip to the barrel.

Any more specifics on the orange tip? Will it be easily removable or a more permanent fixture?

Cancel your order, and order from Lostandfoundtoys.com

No safety tip.

link

Edited December 22, 2006 by Roy's Blues

[eriku]

Cancel your order, and order from Lostandfoundtoys.com

No safety tip.

link

That's a great idea (LAFtoys is fantastic) but their preorder is sold out.

[UN Spacy]

That's a great idea (LAFtoys is fantastic) but their preorder is sold out.

You can always try www.hlj.com

[VF-2SS-BloodPhoenix]

Wondering if the silencer and the stock will be offered later as new package like they did with prime and his trailer.

Yeah, the silencer and shoulder stock are invariably iconic pieces to the alt mode. Takara probably rushed to get the product out, so they opted for the tiny gimmicks (Kremzeek, gun that killed OP) and will surely release another 'complete' version of Megatron in 1-1 1/2 years down the line.

[Fit For Natalie]

Hmm... I'm not familiar with the real P38 - where is the socket (or whatever) to attach a hypothetical stock to?

Edited December 23, 2006 by Fit For Natalie

[chowyunskinny]

Hmm... I'm not familiar with the real P38 - where is the socket (or whatever) to attach a hypothetical stock to?

I wasn't familiar either so did a little looking up

Megs is basically the Microman/Microchange Walther P-38 U.N.C.L.E. version.

I believe it was supposed to emulate the way the P-38's were dressed with add ons from the 60's show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

[attachmentid=39227]

the stock looks a lot thinner and is cylindrical compared to Megatrons polygonal stock and seems mounted higher on the grip.

Seems like Takara took some liberties to make the stock transform into a base/tripod. Also the barrel extension/silencer looks a little different and Megs doesn't have the extended ammo clip.

so this makes me wonder...in the first episode of Transformers, when the Volcano awakens the scanning droid thing, you see him scan a Semi for Prime, an F-15 for Skwarp, but do we ever see what it scanned for Megatron? I guess it must have scanned a TV that had old re-runs of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. playing

Edited December 24, 2006 by chowyunskinny

[JB0]

I finally found a Jetfire!

Needs a bit of Viagra for one of his head lasers. It's floppy and doesn't like to stay up. Still a spiffy toy.

[Matt Random]

Hmm... I'm not familiar with the real P38 - where is the socket (or whatever) to attach a hypothetical stock to?

Found this...

The TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. featured a Walther P38 modified with a stock, suppressor, and scope. This was released as a toy, and the design formed the basis of the popular Transformers character Megatron (see below). A latera, silver Microman toy edition was branded the MC-13 U.N.C.L.E., likely a reference to the show.

Here...

http://www.answers.com/topic/walther-p-38