Fit For Natalie Posted July 19, 2008 Posted July 19, 2008 Managed to secure a few more G1 Targetmasters today, with a couple more TMs and HMs I'll probably get... I still say either the 25th line or Universe/Classics 2 oughta move beyond the 84-6 characters and touch on the later stuff like anything -master! With Hasbro's insistence on realism-only for Universe, Hardhead would probably be the only early HM toy that could be made and not have his design significantly changed. The Decepticons are all crazy beasts and the other four Autobots turn into futuristic stuff that you guys hate. Considering their dollar is very close to ours, and their minimum wage is much lower, they have a reason to want to have some price breaks. Its not our fault they're in recession and their dollar is worth much less now so that we can catch up to near-parity
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted July 19, 2008 Posted July 19, 2008 The Decepticons are all crazy beasts and the other four Autobots turn into futuristic stuff that you guys hate. We hate? I LOVE THE HEAD MASTERS.
Alpha OTS Posted July 19, 2008 Posted July 19, 2008 Made somewhat of a haul today. Picked up the three Universe Classics Deluxes and three Animated Activators. I'm a little dissappointed with the new Classics. Out of the three, I like Octane(that's his name, deal with it) the best. That's probably because I can forgive most of the flaws because he's a triple changer. His engineering feels more like the previous Classics waves than the other two, imho. Like you guys have speculated, I too think the cannons are supposed to be smokestacks. It just looks much better that way than having them on the back of the tanker. I wish they could have done a little more with the "claw" shell so it was better integrated in all modes. Didn't the G1 Octane have an extra "tanker" part just for the tanker mode? It may be because I haven't had them long enough, but Prowl and Sunstreaker just aren't fun to transform. Prowl's door and front fender in particular are very frustrating to get into place without it popping off. QC on SS and Prowl aren't too great either because of the sloppy paint apps; Prowl moreso than SS. Unfortunately I only had a choice of one Prowl. The whites on Prowl, while looking better in person than in online pics, and the yellows on SS just look kind of cheap to me. I'm hoping Henkei does these some justice. The Animated Activators turned out far better than I expected. I picked up Bumbebee, Starscream and Bulkhead. All of them are pretty well articulated. Bee has ball joints and upper arm and thigh swivels, and I can see why some would use him in their Animated ensemble over the deluxe version. He's just a very well designed figure. Out of the three Bulkhead's the worst primarily because he's essentially a shell around an empty cavity in bot mode, and that his alt mode doesn't fit together as well as the others. Though for a three inch Bulkhead, he's not too bad. The "activator" gimmick works fairly well on all of them.
David Hingtgen Posted July 20, 2008 Author Posted July 20, 2008 G1 Octane's "top of the tanker" is done very similar to Classics Octane---G1's just doesn't split apart---it's a shield in robot mode. But has NOWHERE to go in jet mode--like seeker fists. Also, it "bent around" to cover things up from behind in tanker mode. And it was CHROME. As were the tanker sides. I think Classics sacrificed too much for "perfect" transformation--being able to ditch the tanker top (and cab) would have helped plane mode a lot. But removable parts (besides weapons) are pretty much taboo now in TF's.
JB0 Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 The Decepticons are all crazy beasts and the other four Autobots turn into futuristic stuff that you guys hate. We do? It's news to me. Its not our fault they're in recession and their dollar is worth much less now so that we can catch up to near-parity Lower tax burden. Thanks for playing, have a nice day. Blahblah, back and forth all day, eventually the thread gets locked for politics, and no one wins. Anyways, when is Classics getting a Shockwave? Voyager-class minimum, preferably larger. Light and sound are mandatory. The masses, by which I mean me, demand it! But I guess I'll be happy with a lesser toy. Also, I finally gave in and bought an Animated Prowl instead of waiting for the armor version. It seems appropriate that a robo-ninja is one of a half-dozen bots in the history of ever that can cross his arms. And I think the flasher blasters called out on the box are intended as tonfas. 'S what they look like to me. In any case, he's pretty neat.
Alpha OTS Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 But has NOWHERE to go in jet mode--like seeker fists. I'm not the only one who does this, but I like to store the seeker fists in the empty chest cavity with one fist end towards the nose and the other fist end towards the thrusters. The friction there almost seems designed to hold them.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 Anyways, when is Classics getting a Shockwave? Voyager-class minimum, preferably larger. Light and sound are mandatory. The masses, by which I mean me, demand it! But I guess I'll be happy with a lesser toy. We could get a Classics version, I hope at least a voyager, since the Animated version shares almost nothing in common except for the same voice actor and a monoeye, but even then they are different colors and designs. I'm not the only one who does this, but I like to store the seeker fists in the empty chest cavity with one fist end towards the nose and the other fist end towards the thrusters. I never thought about that, I want to try it! It may be because I haven't had them long enough, but Prowl and Sunstreaker just aren't fun to transform. Prowl's door and front fender in particular are very frustrating to get into place without it popping off. QC on SS and Prowl aren't too great either because of the sloppy paint apps; Prowl moreso than SS. Unfortunately I only had a choice of one Prowl. The whites on Prowl, while looking better in person than in online pics, and the yellows on SS just look kind of cheap to me. I'm hoping Henkei does these some justice. I had to sift through the ones I saw since most of the Prowl's had oversprays, and almost all the Sunstreaker's had scratches on the hood.
David Hingtgen Posted July 20, 2008 Author Posted July 20, 2008 Sigh---MP TC looks less cool with every new pic. He's NOT G1-toy-blue---too dull, not "blue" enough, and not metallic either. And the new face sculpt SUCKS. Sigh. Maybe he'll get a US release---but with my luck (and all of Hasbro and Takara's past Thundercracker releases) he'll probably be in cartoon colors--which are godawful baby-blue. I don't think "real" Thundercracker blue has been used in any way besides the original toy and re-issues. I swear I would buy a car in that color. (And almost did--Camaros in "medium quasar blue metallic" are pretty darn close in color---it's one of the two paint colors I've found that are closest to G1 TC) (someday I plan to make a 1/48 F-15 model--in G1 TC toy colors)
eriku Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) Finally came across some Classics 2.0 today and since I'm waiting for Silverstreak and Sideswipe repaints, that left me with Tankor. I haven't liked what I've seen of him in pics, aside from a couple pics with alternate bot modes, so I bought him against my better judgement. I wish I would have listened to my instincts and left him on the shelf because I really dislike this thing. I WANT to like it because I think he looks kind of cool in bot mode, but there's too much that bugs me. Tanker mode just looks terrible and if it weren't for the wheels and cab it wouldn't look like anything. Plane mode is tighter fortunately, although the wings do look a bit silly. The giant claw makes a terrible...anything. In bot mode his arms just don't look good in any position. Worst of all the head-reveal gimmick on mine seems to be faulty and his head stays just barely sunk into his chest in a crooked fasion with his face tilted up. I know it's an enormous challenge to design a triple-changer, and lord knows I wouldn't be able to do it, but pretty much everything about this figure screams "half-assed" to me. I'm hoping he'll grow on me and I'll learn to love him. Edited July 20, 2008 by eriku
Alpha OTS Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 After reading some others impressions of Octane, I think I was lucky enough to get a good one. I'm not having any problem with any pieces holding or locking into position, nor do I have a problem with the head transformation. He can turn his head left or right easily once the "head reveal" is locked. I figured out that you can transform from tankor to plane without having to remove the "claw" shield, which I think is pretty nifty. I also figured out that you can use the "claw" shield as a shield by clipping it into the same tab on the forearm used in tankor mode. He still is my favorite of the three. All he needs now is a Trypticon so he has a pal to hang around with.
GobotFool Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 Considering the claw thingy, needs to be removed and replaced for all 3 mods, I wish they made it rounder, so it actually looked like a legit fuel storage tank or a legitimate plane belly. I think that would have solved a lot of the problems with how this guys alt mods turned out. I could care less if the weapon it was supposed to transform into looked a little odd because of it.
Alpha OTS Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 Sigh---MP TC looks less cool with every new pic. He's NOT G1-toy-blue---too dull, not "blue" enough, and not metallic either. And the new face sculpt SUCKS. Sigh. Maybe he'll get a US release---but with my luck (and all of Hasbro and Takara's past Thundercracker releases) he'll probably be in cartoon colors--which are godawful baby-blue. I don't think "real" Thundercracker blue has been used in any way besides the original toy and re-issues. I swear I would buy a car in that color. (And almost did--Camaros in "medium quasar blue metallic" are pretty darn close in color---it's one of the two paint colors I've found that are closest to G1 TC) (someday I plan to make a 1/48 F-15 model--in G1 TC toy colors) Finally saw a pic of MP TC. Eh. Looks a little too plain. On Skywarp it works because of the whole "stealth" vibe the black gives him, but on TC, it doesn't work near as well. And what's with that one face sculpt? Is that a "I just got braces, look!" smile he has going on?
Fit For Natalie Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) I still say Hasbro should make all Thundercrackers have Armada Thundercracker's colour scheme. Dark-ass blue, big red stripes and a red face. RED FACE. YEAH. We hate? I LOVE THE HEAD MASTERS. We do? It's news to me. It's been my observation that you guys don't like unrealistic bizzarro vehicle modes, and even scifi stuff that's not realistic in the real world (like Macross mecha), still has to have a semblance of pretend realism within the rules of its own fictional universe. The early HMs (with the exception of Hardhead) were all vehicles that you took their word on were the vehicles they were advertised as. Edited July 20, 2008 by Fit For Natalie
David Hingtgen Posted July 20, 2008 Author Posted July 20, 2008 Nah, while the red face does make him distinct from Skywarp, it's also too similar to Tracks with the blue and all. But I'll agree that Armada TC is one of the best versions of the scheme. (even if it's not metallic)
Guest sh002 Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 later hms like hosehead, nightbeat, and siren could be made too
David Hingtgen Posted July 20, 2008 Author Posted July 20, 2008 Ok, anyone know what paint this guy used on his custom MP TC? http://www.actionfigurecustoms.com/blogs/2...ndercracker.php Also, this one is just as good, though has MP-style striping: http://www.tfcyberhaven.com/html/masterpie...ndercracker.htm PS--just a funny shot (and awesome custom) showing just how much kibble Movie SS has: http://i2.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/f6/24/5e67_3.JPG
Guest sh002 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) With Hasbro's insistence on realism-only for Universe, Hardhead would probably be the only early HM toy that could be made and not have his design significantly changed. isn't there going to be a universe unicron? Edited July 21, 2008 by sh002
eriku Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 isn't there going to be a universe unicron? Yep, and a Cheetor.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 It's been my observation that you guys don't like unrealistic bizzarro vehicle modes, and even scifi stuff that's not realistic in the real world (like Macross mecha), still has to have a semblance of pretend realism within the rules of its own fictional universe. The early HMs (with the exception of Hardhead) were all vehicles that you took their word on were the vehicles they were advertised as. Macross mecha are fairly realistic for what they are. There's a reason why the VF-1 is so revered.... Besides I think you have the wrong forum, most of the guys in this thread, and the TF fans on this board love a lot of the unrealistic alt mode G1 toys. Most of the guys here love the Seacons. I think the Terrorcons are bad ass. Some of the headmasters in the storyline had alien pilots/creators, so its not surprising that their alt modes were futuristic as opposed to realistic. Scorponok is one of the best headmasters yet he is a giant mechanical Scorpion.
GobotFool Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Macross mecha are fairly realistic for what they are. There's a reason why the VF-1 is so revered.... Besides I think you have the wrong forum, most of the guys in this thread, and the TF fans on this board love a lot of the unrealistic alt mode G1 toys. Most of the guys here love the Seacons. I think the Terrorcons are bad ass. Some of the headmasters in the storyline had alien pilots/creators, so its not surprising that their alt modes were futuristic as opposed to realistic. Scorponok is one of the best headmasters yet he is a giant mechanical Scorpion. I don't mind sci-fi alt modes as long as the altmode doesn't look like a robot laying down on its belly with its legs folded over its body like most of the pretenders.
JB0 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 It's been my observation that you guys don't like unrealistic bizzarro vehicle modes, and even scifi stuff that's not realistic in the real world (like Macross mecha), still has to have a semblance of pretend realism within the rules of its own fictional universe. The early HMs (with the exception of Hardhead) were all vehicles that you took their word on were the vehicles they were advertised as. I used to love Fangry. Then he broke. Then I quit loving him. He's the only Headmaster I ever owned, though, and I was admittedly a kid with questionable taste(Let's be honest here. If we took the original cartoon SERIOUSLY, something was wrong with our judgement. ). I probably wouldn't like him half as much now. He's probably the weakest of the Headmaster designs. But I think you're confusing the distaste for incoherent alt-modes with a distaste for unrealistic ones. Example: Metroplex vs Metroplex. Both transform into unrealistic vehicles. One, however, turns into a coherent vehicle(and "city"), while the other turns into a robot leaning over and sticking it's butt in the air(and a taller robot). A quick audit of the '87 Headmasters later... From my point of view, Hardhead isn't any more "realistic" than Chromedome, Brainstorm, or Highbrow. I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that he's more grounded than the rest(if I had to single one out for realism, it would be Chromedome, actually. Not that it says much). Highbrow's the only one I really mind, and that's mainly due to the weak 'bot mode. He needs legs! The Decepticon mechanimals aren't that bad, really. Well, Apeface and Snapdragon are pretty weak, but... they're triple-changers. They at least have an excuse.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Well, Apeface and Snapdragon are pretty weak, but... they're triple-changers. They at least have an excuse. I loved those 2.
misterryno Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 I ended up picking up an Animated Bumble Bee and Grimlock at Frank and Sons for retail price! They are both BAD A$$!!! Especially Grimmy!!! Pics to come laters!
promethuem5 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Just got my G1 Pointblank, and reissue Stepper... both awesome figures, only one of which is a realistic alt-moded figure... I've begun to have much more love for the later G1 stuff when Hasbro and Takara finally came into their own and started making original designs (movie and beyond). I don't see any reason for the new Classics stuff to be realistic-only, provided they continue to be as nicely engineered as the ones we've seen.
David Hingtgen Posted July 21, 2008 Author Posted July 21, 2008 Apeface and Snapdragon ROCK. Period. (I had a lot of Headmasters and Triplechangers---Decepticons only though) (In my house, Decepticons enjoyed about a 10-to-1 advantage---and that's mainly because of a half-dozen mini-bots)
eriku Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 I picked up a Snapdragon sans head from an antique store a few weeks back. I really want to get his head but I haven't seen one on Ebay yet. Do you guys know of any source other than Ebay and TF forums (which I've also tried) for a Headmaster head?
promethuem5 Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Wheeljackslab has a Snapdragon had on eBay right now... some people have had problems with him for some reason (I think they are personal problems more than business) but I've been buying from him for years and always had good luck... I'm also throwing it out there that if anyone bids on the Slapdash gun he's got listed right now, and I find out you outbid me, I will kill you, no questions asked.
eriku Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) Thanks, I've heard of this seller but I don't remember in what context. I'll check it out! :EDIT: Either someone already bought it or I'm an idiot (most likely the latter) but I don't see it. I found a complete Snapdragon he's selling, but not the head by itself. Edited July 21, 2008 by eriku
promethuem5 Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 It appears I was making it up... he's got a whole bunch of HM's, including Apeface's, which must be what I was thinking of, sorry.
eriku Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) It appears I was making it up... he's got a whole bunch of HM's, including Apeface's, which must be what I was thinking of, sorry. Quite alright, I appreciate the help. I'm going to add him to my favorites because if anyone ends up selling a Krunk it'll probably be him. Edited July 22, 2008 by eriku
misterryno Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Krunk Ummmmmmm............what??? "Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah baby!!! 3,500 POSTS!!! Edited July 22, 2008 by misterryno
mikeszekely Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Ummmmmmm............what??? "Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah baby!!! 3,500 POSTS!!! Holy cow! I'm only at 3205, and I've got a four year head start!
promethuem5 Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 I apparently broke 4300 and missed it... oh well.
Vermillion21 Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 I bought 1 TF from Wheeljackslab - it was suppose to be in C9.5 condition, but I guess my definition of near mint and his were different. I wasn't too impressed.
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