Valkyrie Hunter D Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 The designer input is a nice touch, it's too bad more snippets of such trivia can't be included with all their releases. On a related note, I was able to pick up a Big Daddy-pretty cool fig. It's actually made me look back at all the other Cybertron molds I missed out on.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted March 4, 2008 Posted March 4, 2008 On a related note, I was able to pick up a Big Daddy-pretty cool fig. It's actually made me look back at all the other Cybertron molds I missed out on. Same here. I took out some of my Cybertron figures last night and still like them as much as they day I bought them. That was one overlooked toyline.
Fit For Natalie Posted March 5, 2008 Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) They kind of went above and beyond the call of duty for Downshift/Big Daddy, with his unconventional vehicle mode design (he's the only classic car in a line full of cybertronic and current model cars) and the hidden Cyber Key slot. Edited March 5, 2008 by Fit For Natalie
eriku Posted March 5, 2008 Posted March 5, 2008 Yeah, Downshift is a very nice TF toy. In fact he's the only pre-Classics TF I keep on display. His only major problems are lack of neck and waist rotation, but those can be fixed fairly easily.
Vermillion21 Posted March 6, 2008 Posted March 6, 2008 That Premium TF Movie Starscream looks tempting ... I might pick him up. And I agree, there were a lot of nice molds in the TF Cybertron line. Found the Wal-Mart exclusives tonight; picked up Big Daddy, Grindcore, & Jolt. All of 'em are nice.
Chindenathus Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 How it should have been: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail (The add-ons by themselves: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail ) And a little "Pimp, Pimp, Hooray!" for Skywarp as well: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail I have to say the price is pretty much right on these.
crasis Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 (edited) I preordered the MP Starscream crown and cape set as soon as it became available... but, for the life of me, I just can't understand why anyone would want a set for Skywarp? Edit: Whoa, the price jumped since yesterday! They were $14.99 then. Glad I got my order placed in time! Edited March 7, 2008 by crasis
mikeszekely Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 So, I'm working my way through the Japanese G1 sequels for the first time. Is it just me, or is Masterforce magnitudes better than Headmasters?
Fit For Natalie Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 I hope they have a designer provide brief explanations to the photo and documentation teams from now on too. Because really, that stuff is insane. Hasbro's caring about Transformers beyond 'making money' is uneven. The Design team are (obviously) passionate about TFs and care, but corporates and other departments don't seem to care at all. Employee: Sir, we got the photos back. The guns are missing and somehow the photographer transformed the robot into lemur. Boss: What's wrong with that? Employee: It's supposed to turn into a fire engine. Boss: But the photos still show the toy, right? Employee: Yes, sir. Boss: Then it's off to the printers! I highly suspect that Hasbro, in a Big Corporate Great Idea, farms out their photography to an exclusive, high-priced studio solely due to image: They can greatly impress their shareholders or potential clients by showing off who they do business with. Just a theory on my part. But at the very least Hasbro's TF marketing department isn't at odds with the TF design team like how it was at TakaraTomy (this was actually revealed by one of the Takara designers).
ruskiiVFaussie Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 Whats the chances of a takara version of Screamer and the cape/crown together? I might just well get the cape set and a cheap screamer US version...
JB0 Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 Hasbro's caring about Transformers beyond 'making money' is uneven. The Design team are (obviously) passionate about TFs and care, but corporates and other departments don't seem to care at all. Employee: Sir, we got the photos back. The guns are missing and somehow the photographer transformed the robot into lemur. Boss: What's wrong with that? Employee: It's supposed to turn into a fire engine. Boss: But the photos still show the toy, right? Employee: Yes, sir. Boss: Then it's off to the printers! I highly suspect that Hasbro, in a Big Corporate Great Idea, farms out their photography to an exclusive, high-priced studio solely due to image: They can greatly impress their shareholders or potential clients by showing off who they do business with. Just a theory on my part. But at the very least Hasbro's TF marketing department isn't at odds with the TF design team like how it was at TakaraTomy (this was actually revealed by one of the Takara designers). And all that is very interesting, but largely irrelevant to a wish fueled by the recent involvement of the design team on the website news posts, an area they have not traditionally had great input on.
Fit For Natalie Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 (edited) Hey, today's episode of Animated featured homages to the Pretenders: Bomb-Burst (bat guy) and Submarauder (sea creature guy)! And all that is very interesting, but largely irrelevant to a wish fueled by the recent involvement of the design team on the website news posts, an area they have not traditionally had great input on. I bet you Hasbro will forget about this 'designer input' thing in a few months, like they forget the Q&A sessions on the Energon site after they forced Aaron Archer to stop posting on fan boards, and when they forgot about the Ask Vector Prime feature on the Cybertron site. I am the first to admit Hasbro will never do a website feature as impressive as TakaraTomy's 'The World of the Transformers'. That thing was awesome, it was. But to be fair to Hasbro, the US franchise has provided it's fans with that sort of officially-sanctioned information and materials for years. As I understand it, Japanese fans have never really had much to go on other than what was in the cartoons and mangas. The information in the World of The Transformers feature was apparently compiled by Hirofumi Ichikawa, a well-known Japanese fan/Takara freelancer who prefers the US continuities, so he basically condensed the information released over the years in the US cartoons, comics, profile books ect, so that (presumably) TakaraTomy could introduce the concepts of Transformers to the new audience it hoped to recieve with the 2007 Movie. Edited March 8, 2008 by Fit For Natalie
JB0 Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 I bet you Hasbro will forget about this 'designer input' thing in a few months, like they forget the Q&A sessions on the Energon site after they forced Aaron Archer to stop posting on fan boards, and when they forgot about the Ask Vector Prime feature on the Cybertron site. Probably. That seems to be how these things usually work, regardless of company. Can't stop us from dreaming.
mikeszekely Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 Hey, today's episode of Animated featured homages to the Pretenders: Bomb-Burst (bat guy) and Submarauder (sea creature guy)! I noticed that too. Ironic, since I've been watching Masterforce. I love all the little G1 easter eggs in Animated.
BoBe-Patt Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 awww dayum!!! Grimlock baby! I'm soooo buying this! They said that the bot mode pix is mistransformed and is not suppose to look like that. So I'm waiting till they post the pix of how he's really suppose to be transformed!
Alpha OTS Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 Looks like they extended the arms in bot mode instead of collapsing them. I wonder if the weapon can be stowed inside the dino mode. I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to Animated, but, again, it may not be my bag, but there's no denying that kids are going to love this. Plus, amazingly, they have good tv fiction to accompany it. I picked up a movie Ratchet over the weekend. It's the first I've seen one in a long long time, and it's the only movie figure I didn't own. Actually, it's rare to see a normal deco in-movie figure on the pegs. He's pretty nice. Like most movie figures, the transformation is refreshingly different. The auto-morphing mechanism isn't much of anything though; kneecaps fold out and the inner calves *barely* bulge outwards.
hutch Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 He's definitely mistransformed. I got Animated Cybertron mode Megatron and Starscream in the mail today. Holy crap are these awesome figs. Full of win.
Chindenathus Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 awww dayum!!! Grimlock baby! I'm soooo buying this! They said that the bot mode pix is mistransformed and is not suppose to look like that. So I'm waiting till they post the pix of how he's really suppose to be transformed! Ask and ye shall receive...
BoBe-Patt Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 sawweet! can't wait for this figure to come out! I hope they make the other two. I'd be all over them all!
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 (edited) Grimlock looks good. Grim-lock Grim....lock Grim...lock. Edited March 11, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
Tober Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 sawweet! can't wait for this figure to come out! I hope they make the other two. I'd be all over them all! Slag/Snarl can be seen here: TF:A Deluxe Gallery
Vermillion21 Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 Grimlock looks sweet!! Can't wait for the TF Animated line to debut in June!!!
kensei Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 Man does Grimlock ever get a break in any of his incarnations? This time his mouth is his arse!
hutch Posted March 11, 2008 Posted March 11, 2008 Man does Grimlock ever get a break in any of his incarnations? This time his mouth is his arse! It's mistransformed. His head flips up onto his back when transformed correctly.
Kurisama Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 Why, why why - are Transformers ALWAYS (mostly) mistransformed? I'm assuming the ppl who transform them work for hasbro/takara - surely they get the memo on how to transform their OWN product? Sheesh.
Chindenathus Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 Why, why why - are Transformers ALWAYS (mostly) mistransformed? I'm assuming the ppl who transform them work for hasbro/takara - surely they get the memo on how to transform their OWN product? Sheesh. Well in this case, the color pictures of the TFA Grimlock on the previous page come from an illegally acquired "sample", so we can't blame Has/Tak on this one.
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) Just bought Landmine from the 2k8 movie line: review of him here: http://tformers.com/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=866 Like wreckage I like the articulation in bot mode and the details of alt mode. Best of the 2008 line in the deluxe size for me so far. I had not intended on buying any more movie TF after Cliff Jumper (a repaint of Concept Camaro Bumblebee). Those who like easy transformations and high articulation should definitely check this toy out. I also like how the gun can be stored his back and even be used as an over-the-shoulder gun in bot mode. The hands are also very interesting: it is the seats of the alt mode. But the opposable thumb and (what look like the mine sweepers on brawl) fingers can be posed with lots of freedom. The dagger-like fingers also look like perfect close quarter combat weapons to stab other robots in the eyes. heh. Overall this is 4 and a half stars for me. I'll hold off 1/2 a star in case a better repainted version comes out. If only they weathered the buggy like they did with classics grimlock that would have really suited the toy. Anyone else still buying movie line stuff? Landmine took me by surprise. Witness the power of having man hands/claws/paddles! Edited April 8, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
BoBe-Patt Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 Slag/Snarl can be seen here: TF:A Deluxe Gallery what I meant to say is I hope they end up making the real Snarl, and Sludge later.
Alpha OTS Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 Just finished watching the new Dinobot animated episode. Good stuff. I know I said I didn't really want any of the figures, but I would totally buy a Prowl if there were a Captain Fanzone aka "Cipowitz" figure to ride him. He's my favorite human character on the show, probably because I used to be a big NYPD Blue fan years ago.
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 Well there was at one point a holographic rider in one episode. So maybe they could include that?
Alpha OTS Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 Well there was at one point a holographic rider in one episode. So maybe they could include that? Nope, has to be Captain Fanzone or I ain't buying.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 Desert Brawl is amazing, one of the best leader figures I have picked up in a long time. I wish the ratchets were tighter, and that his thigh swivels were ratcheted, as they tend to swivel inwards(depending on how the toy is standing) and the toy ends up toppling over due to that. Armed to the teeth, a lot of articulation, and the epitome of how a movie Decepticon should be. I don't think any of you would hate this figure.
Fit For Natalie Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 (FFN assumes you are talking about the Leader class Movie Brawl redeco) That bright blue crap is jarring, though. And that mold's guns keep falling off.
David Hingtgen Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 Yup, bright blue just ruins it. I was looking forward to it until I saw it in person.
Alpha OTS Posted March 16, 2008 Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) Not only did I think it was cool that there was actual art displayed in the recent Animated episode(inparticular my favorite Van Gogh "Starry Night"), but there was a *blatant* and obvious Airplane: The Movie reference! I had to do a double take, because I couldn't believe it! Awesome. An allspark post by MrBlud linked the exact Airplane reference: Edited March 16, 2008 by Alpha OTS
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