Transformers Super Thread 9

[Vermillion21]

HA Skids is a great, fun toy!! Solid transformation and the toy looks good in both modes. Robot mode feels solid and has good poseability (a lot like HA Bumblebee), and it doesn't have as much back kibble as HA Sideswipe. If you liked HA Bumblebee, I recommend getting HA Skids. The Arcee bike figure that's included in the set is ok, nothing to write home about. I have Legends class figures that are better. So far, I really like the RoTF HA line, despite the $30 pricepoint. Can't wait for Barricade.

Q) Are they making Mudflap and Ratchet too?

Here are some comparison pics with Deluxe class Skids - sorry that I don't take great pics.

[VFTF1]

Looks at pictures.

Remembers why he didn't watch ROTF.

Activates Standard Complaint Mode:

I dunno. Well - no - I DO know. I know why I just can't enjoy Transformers as they are today...the reasons are so mundane that they scare even me. But...here they are: Look at Skids. The head is an easy target to pounce on - but I'm going to let even the head design slide because I understand that it was meant to be funny/comical and once in a while that kind of stuff is actually ok - independent of whether you agree with the effect - there's nothing wrong with doing it to one or two characters; giving them a little twist in the design department - face or head design. Think Unicron, whose head looks like Satan...or...well...at leas looks kind of like some imaginations of Satan (since I don't suppose Hasbro had access to the actual real image of Satan? ...) or ...or...hm. Ok...scratch that - I guess it didn't happen a lot after all. Except in Beast Wars, whee head sculpts were often tied to the beast mode.... um...but back on subject...

Aside from the head, which for the above reasons can actually be "forgiven" - I just don't like the lack of explicit...well - of Explicit...ness? Can I say that? It's too fluid. All of the parts seem to pour into one another making for this dynamic gob. But a gob or gobby gook if you will just doesn't ring the robotic bell for me. For me, Transformers are big, heavy lumbering machines. They are dynamic relative to one another, and maybe dynamic given the lower gravity on a moon-sized planet such a Cybertron - but more than anything, they're big, heavy and blocky. They wear their alt modes on their sleeves, and on their legs, and chests, and knees ... no on their backs only.

I guess it just boils down to that.

Pretty mundane.

Not really an earth shattering critique I know...

Goes back to playing with his G1ers...

Pete

[RD Blade]

I think the ROTF Skids-like designs have there place in the wide spectrum of TF designs. He sits comfortably on the opposite end from such designs as Universe Countdown.

Some of the movie designs, while to my eyes are not "real" TFs, have grown on me a bit. Enough so, at least, to make it into my collection.

[VFTF1]

I think the ROTF Skids-like designs have there place in the wide spectrum of TF designs. He sits comfortably on the opposite end from such designs as Universe Countdown.

* Looks at link to "Universe Countdown*

Sigh

This just shows how completely out of whack I am with Transformers these days. For me, Universe Countdown should be called Universal CannonFodder.

Beyond that... he's just a generic robot in my eyes...

Pete

endless TF whiny boy...

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Q) Are they making Mudflap and Ratchet too?

Mudflap yes, the images of the resin prototype with Agent Simmons were shown during summer. No Ratchet so far, just a new Ratchet for the deluxe waves, as a rival to movie Lockdown, which looks like the Animated one but is an all new mold with the movie aesthetic. Pretty neat IMHO.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Found the Hoist and Mixmaster G1 redeco set at TRU yesterday. I liked Longarm's sculpt, but I was never really compelled to buy him. What a difference a G1 reference and a repaint makes, eh? I am not a fan of Mixmaster however, even with the new colors. If anybody wants Mixmaster shoot me a PM-I haven't even touched him.

[Vermillion21]

Mudflap yes, the images of the resin prototype with Agent Simmons were shown during summer. No Ratchet so far, just a new Ratchet for the deluxe waves, as a rival to movie Lockdown, which looks like the Animated one but is an all new mold with the movie aesthetic. Pretty neat IMHO.

Thanks Shin!

[David Hingtgen]

So where's US MP Skywarp? Haven't heard anything lately, and we're close to the release date.

[Golden Arms]

During Lunch, I caved in and bought HA skids. I can't wait to display him with HA bumblebee and my Alternators.

[David Hingtgen]

While we're (or at least I am) on the topic of MP seekers, more proof that I do actually make progress sometimes:

PS---while there's been many MP-03 repaints into Thundercracker, I have yet to see an MP-07 made to look more G1-ish, except mine. Strange. Also, I can't imagine doing a full repaint, as the amount of sanding and scraping to get the parts back together with even a single thin layer of paint in small areas is insane. "Black over dark blue" covers pretty well, but even a super-quick "zap" of spray there prevented the shins from going back in. Sand sand sand, scrape scrape scrape. This mold has TIGHT clearances between parts. (plus, it relies HEAVILY on the flexibility of plastic---very evident if you watch the knees spread apart when you open the gear doors---any SLIGHT change screws things up)

Now I just have to get the nerve to hack it all apart to do the sliding-hip-kibble mod. (I was planning on hacking, then painting the fins, but the weather caused a change in plans)

[Vermillion21]

So where's US MP Skywarp? Haven't heard anything lately, and we're close to the release date.

I think he's suppose to be released in Nov, right?

Anyone know when HA Barricade and Mudflap are being released?

[David Hingtgen]

Nov 1, officially. But with no sightings/reports yet, I'm curious. "1 month early" is the defacto standard lately, and they were actually produced many weeks ago. I wonder if they're actually being held at the distribution centers for Black Friday.

[eriku]

Has anyone picked up the new WalMart exclusive Universe Powerglide repaint yet? I'm looking for opinions on the color. A lot of people have reported they don't like the shade of red, but it looks different to me on every photo and moniter I see it on.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Has anyone picked up the new WalMart exclusive Universe Powerglide repaint yet? I'm looking for opinions on the color. A lot of people have reported they don't like the shade of red, but it looks different to me on every photo and moniter I see it on.

Nope, not planning to, the mold itself was disappointing, I picked up the mass market Powerglide last year and didn't like it that much.

The red is bland, the body is molded in a red that is similar, but a bit darker than Classics Ironhide. If it was molded in red like that of Classics Sideswipe, it would look much better, but the red used here on Powerglide is bland.

Picked up Blazemaster last night. Weird shoulder joints but the dual elbows function similar to shoulder joints. The shoulders are on ball joints but forward movement is severely limited, they mainly act as swivel joints to move to the sides. The elbows provide forward motion.

Leg articulation is excellent, and transformation can be better, it is stabilize primarily through tabs on the shoulder pads that plug into the spine section, which is completely neglected in the instructions. The tail assembly ought to plug in better. Other than thought, it's worthy of a purchase, a unique autobot.

Also picked up Human Alliance Skids the other day. The surprise of this is that Arcee isn't that bad. I actually like her. The head sculpt reminds me of that ninja female Decepticon in G1. Skids does not disappoint. Articulation is good, the shoulders rely on the hinge connecting to the body for sideways motion, so in that respect it is similar to the DX VF-25. I wish he had thigh swivels and shoulder joints like Bumblebee and Sideswipe(where you don't have to rely on the hinge to move it outwards). Like Bumblebee, Skids has 3 places to put the human drivers on in robot mode. The shade of green is not as pale/bright as the deluxe version, so it doesn't look as cheap.

Skids and Mudflap have both gotten great figures in the line, and I think the Human Alliance version of Skids is the best Skids figure so far. I have no doubt that Human Alliance Mudflap will be superior to the deluxe version too. I recommend all 3 of the current Human Alliance figures, the best one being Bumblebee, followed by Skids, and then Sideswipe. Sideswipe is not bad, in fact I prefer him over the deluxe, he just isn't as good as Skids and Bumblebee.

[Golden Arms]

It was a tough decision to go with Skids over sideswipe, because I like sideswipes alt mode so much. I think skids is a better figure over all, less kibble so i went with him 1st. Do you think the HA figs will ever go on clearance?

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

It was a tough decision to go with Skids over sideswipe, because I like sideswipes alt mode so much. I think skids is a better figure over all, less kibble so i went with him 1st. Do you think the HA figs will ever go on clearance?

I doubt it, but it's hard to say. Maybe Kmart and TRU will cut prices by $5 to better match their competitors. They don't seem to be shelf warmers and they do sell, when they were 1st released they were hard to find, and stores gradually stocked more. So right now Bumblebee is in saturation with Sideswipe behind him, but next month it might be a completely different story as Xmas shopping starts. They aren't warming shelves like the wave 1-2 voyagers, Devastator or Leader Megatron.

[honkhet]

Hi TF dudes, here's my mini project on the ROTF deluxe class breakaway

loved the mold, hated hasbro's paintjob, took the matter into my own hands

hope you like the results, and thanks for viewing

Inspiration was from here:

[altermodes]

that is, awesome honkhet

Edited October 11, 2009 by altermodes

[VFTF1]

Yes, but then again what has Honkhet done that was not awesome? Everything he's shown off in the models thread has been awesome

Pete

[RD Blade]

Inspiration was from here:

Cool! I thought for sure that inspiration was from here...

Guess not.

[knoted]

Looks at pictures.

Remembers why he didn't watch ROTF.

Activates Standard Complaint Mode:

I think your fading interest in TF's is tied to 2 factors :

1. You want the whole deal : character + exciting character BIO.

2. You're somewhat stuck into 1 single aesthetic when it comes to TF's.

I'm 31...and I only started buying some TF's again with the start of the movieverse - after a hiatus of 20 years - despite the fact I think the movies are so so....I even dislike ROTF to some extent and the character

portrayal ;

BUT, I do LOVE some of the ROTF designs and their respective toy versions. They are what brought me back after 2 decades. And then I come to the TF boards and I see people of my age, complaining and talking like grandpa's, how they wish it'd be 1984 again....

So, basically, the TF world around you is changing, while you're still looking for an 'image'

of past days. So, I would advise Bruce Lee's advice : Be like the water...i.e. change & flow with the times.

Edited October 11, 2009 by knoted

[eriku]

You're totally right. Those of us who don't like the movie style transformers designs should just change our opinions and tastes so we like them. Wow, that was easy!

Snarkiness aside, I don't think there is any reason to believe the TF world is 'changing' that much, at least not in the sense that it's all going to veer towards a movie-style look leaving those of us who don't like it in the dust. I don't like the TF movie aesthetics, but I know there will be other designs coming down the pipe that I will like. That's the beauty of TFs, there's something for everyone. For the time being I just ignore what I don't like and patiently wait for what's on the horizon (as well as rediscover older toys I missed out on).

Edited October 12, 2009 by eriku

[mikeszekely]

So, I would advise Bruce Lee's advice : Be like the water...i.e. change & flow with the times.

Suppose you're visiting your parents for the holidays... only to find that your dad decided that he was always, deep down, a woman. And he's already had the operation. And he wants you to call him "Mom" now. And he's got a new dad for you to meet...

Moral of the story: not all change is good.

[honkhet]

that is, awesome honkhet

Yes, but then again what has Honkhet done that was not awesome? Everything he's shown off in the models thread has been awesome

Pete

Cool! I thought for sure that inspiration was from here...

Guess not.

thanks for the props guys! ur just too kind

yeah i never knew i was subconsciously doing a G1 skydive,

my fav G1 aerial bot, and i have forgotten him for 20 years!

loved the f-16

[knoted]

You're totally right. Those of us who don't like the movie style transformers designs should just change our opinions and tastes so we like them. Wow, that was easy!

I didn't even specifically mean the movie designs.

There's no need for snarkiness here. I just gave him some positive hints to move on either way, concerning his fading interest in TF's. He made clear, even G1 is boring him by now. Besides, can you vow to say you LOVE each TF line before movieverse as much as G1 ? I mean, each one of them ?

The positive message in Bruce Lee's idiom is to approach something from different angles. Yeah, maybe that means going 'around' something, generally waiting for the next cycle of change. Because that's what change is ; an infinite loop cycle. Next round you might indeed find a TF line more to your liking.

But, that still does not mean generalizing one TF1 line is the right thing to do. I see enough hardcore G1ers who do find at least 1 movie bot they like.

Mike, your anology about the parents is not the right one here. A person likes TF's because it's a choice. Nobody gets to choose their own parents. I mean, what would you rather have ; the dad from your example or a dad who's been beating and abusing you from the day you were born ?

[mikeszekely]

Mike, your anology about the parents is not the right one here. A person likes TF's because it's a choice. Nobody gets to choose their own parents. I mean, what would you rather have ; the dad from your example or a dad who's been beating and abusing you from the day you were born ?

Compared to what you're saying now, perhaps. But you're original post reads more like, "Change is good and everyone should learn to like to the movie designs" than "change happens and if you don't like how Transformers has changed don't collect the new ones."

And then I come to the TF boards and I see people of my age, complaining and talking like grandpa's, how they wish it'd be 1984 again....

So, basically, the TF world around you is changing, while you're still looking for an 'image'

of past days. So, I would advise Bruce Lee's advice : Be like the water...i.e. change & flow with the times.

My counter point has nothing to do with choice, because I didn't feel you're implying one here either. It really sounds like you're telling Pete to stop being a cranky G1-er and change to accept the new TF designs. To that, my analogy stands; not all change is good, and Pete or myself or anyone else who doesn't care for the movie designs doesn't need to change. We're within our rights to ignore the crap out of the movie toys and stick to buying Animated, Classics, or G1 toys.

After reading your follow-up post, I think you actually share that sentiment. But I'm sure you can understand how your first post might not have conveyed that.

[eriku]

Besides, can you vow to say you LOVE each TF line before movieverse as much as G1 ? I mean, each one of them ?

Nobody implied that, but for what it's worth I happen to enjoy Animated, Classics and Universe far more than G1, so...

The positive message in Bruce Lee's idiom is to approach something from different angles.

While I don't appreciate the presumption that people haven't approached TFs they don't like from different angles, I do think Lee's statement makes sense. Although it should be an obvious standard for any intelligent adult.

I know exactly why I don't like the TF movie aesthetics. It's because I just don't like them. Things that look like that have never appealed to me. It has nothing to do with the fact that they're Transformers or 'new'. They could be from ten years ago, 100 years ago, it wouldn't make any difference. They could have been called Spacebots from Space with no relation to TFs whatsoever and I still wouldn't like them. It's not because I haven't looked at them from different angles, but it's precisely because I have looked at them from different angles.

[VFTF1]

Don't come down too harsh on my detractor guys I actually agree with him.

I think it's worth noting here that I have not always been a G1 purist. I was totally supportive of BW and while I did find some of the criticisms of BW, particularly Raksha's amusing, sometimes insightful, and fun - I never ultimately could understand the fanatical desire to not part with the original mythos. I enjoyed BW throughout. I had my problems with BM, but still enjoyed it for th most part.

Heck - I EVEN enjoyed RID/Car Robots - even though it was quite ambiguous in terms of where this fit into the time line.

The problems all started with Armada. Then, when Energon came out, I mellowed, and finally Cybertron seemed ok too...

Then came the movie...I loved the concept, was excited about it and wasn't bothered by the designs.

In fact - I was dead set on getting each and every movie toy and focusing on the movie exclusively.

Then - I got the toys.

Holy shi!t did they suck.

They were the worst Transformers toys ever made.

I say this because I expected the Movie toys to take what was best out of all previous lines and give us this fantastic line of Transformers toys that would be worthy of the first, long long awaited live action TF movie to hit cinemas.

Instead we got arguably the worse toy line in TF history from the point of view of - well - everything - screen accuracy, paint application, poseability, materials used...everything everything everything.

But I bought the whole "because it was a rush job" argument.

I figured to myself -ok - now that the movie has made a gazillion USD and the second one is coming - I'm sure they're work extra hard on the toys.

Wrong.

Enter ROTF Devastator.

No way.

That did it. That there just did it. That was such a watershed event that I gave up on Transformers all together.

Wierd? Irrational?

Maybe.

But when it comes to Transformers, I'm like a woman. Women have a knack for being in love with a guy for years and years and years and worshiping the guy and believing the guy can do no wrong and being blind to all his faults.

Then the guy makes ONE mistake (in the eyes of the woman).

And this opens up a floodgate of 'oh my god - who have I been with all this time?'

That happened to me and TFs.

Th crap movie toys made be go back and reasses all of the other TF lines and I decided I was just being too tolerant of what Hasbro was doing. I was sticking with it out of loyalty to a brand which stopped giving me any pleasure whatsoever... all because of misplaced fanboy hopes that some spark of that early magic would be rekindled.

I do like the first TF movie.

I do appreciate it.

But I can't collect the toys and I'm totally bored by the rebooting of the mythos over and over and over again.

What I like about G1 is that there is SOOO much more to the story than just Megatron vs. Prime Autobots vs. Decepticons and there are sooo many other characters in the mythos out there.

Instead, for a decade now ALL we've gotten is just a reboot of the basic story of Transforming robots fighting and the focus being Optimus/Megatron and a bunch of secondary characters that everyone forgets once the next reboot comes along.

And th damn gimmick has become king.

I mean - the gimmick has stopped being a feature of the toy, but instead has become a motive force in plot after plot...

It's all wrong and bad and icky poo

Pete

[knoted]

It's not because I haven't looked at them from different angles, but it's precisely because I have looked at them from different angles.

What I meant with 'different angles' ; I could look at Robots X Something and come to a conclusion that it doesn't look like Robots X Vintage at all. I might even dislike it at first sight.

But then after a while I start looking at a design, and I start to notice some aspects in that design which remind me of Robots Y and Z....which I think are cool.

So, then...I look at it again and see that influence, it makes me rethink and re-appreciate Robots X Something from a new perspective. Had I stuck with looking

at it with only Robots X Vintage in mind...I wouldn't have had this new appreciation ; in other words I would have LOST interest.

I am not here to foulcall people Geewunners...but I am only saying that perhaps you might gain a new appreciation, instead of losing something. A positive approach really. So, Pete... I hope you can see that, before you regret selling it all.

But its true on the other hand ; this CAN sometimes be difficult.... for example ; i don't like some of the changes to my fav videogame franchise, so yeah, I agree changes to things we love are either HIT or MISS.

Personally I like G1, Classics and ROTF. I disliked the 2007 movie designs for about a month when they were publicised online.... then they started to grow on me....

but I still wasn't convinced to actually BUY the 2007 movie toys. Come 2008/2009 and I find the engineering of most of the ROTF to be an improvement, hence I found myself buying TF's again after 20 years.

Edited October 12, 2009 by knoted

[VFTF1]

So, Pete... I hope you can see that, before you regret selling it all.

Oh don't worry I'm not selling them all because nobody's buying them all :)

I guess my "problem" got solved. I'm stuck with my G1 collection that I've always dreamed of having.

The only thing I can do now is be happy about it.

I've even dug up some old fanfiction that I wrote when I was 14 years old. It holds up pretty well. I'm going to try to re-use some of the stories to make new Transformers adventure comics with my G1 toys.

Life is short. Might as well enjoy the silly little things.

Pete

[eriku]

What I meant with 'different angles' ; I could look at Robots X Something and come to a conclusion that it doesn't look like Robots X Vintage at all. I might even dislike it at first sight.

That's exactly what I thought you meant, and my previous response stands.

[Excillon]

I've said it once, and I'll say it again...

Nasty Bayformers look like an EVA humped a car and made ugly mutant GM babies.

And I like newer designs like Animated/Classics/Cybertron. Hell, I even liked Energon and a small amount of Armada. NO modern line comes close to RID though. Best line ever! JRX was the greatest combiner concieved, Omega Prime rocked...no complaints about that line at all except the lame Bruticus repaint. Amazes me to this day how out of place he is in that line. I'd have rather seen Predaking if they were going to recycle G1, since they were Predacons and so were the RID villians.

[Fit For Natalie]

Nice clear pics of ROTF Leader class Starscream, from the ROTF blu ray, I assume.

No jet mode pics, though.

Hi TF dudes, here's my mini project on the ROTF deluxe class breakaway

loved the mold, hated hasbro's paintjob, took the matter into my own hands

hope you like the results, and thanks for viewing

What's funny is Breakaway's original colours technically weren't even Hasbro's. Breakaway was, like several first-wave toys, a movie character concept. For some reason the character had those blue and green joints, though they weren't quite as loud as the toy's colours Edited October 14, 2009 by Fit For Natalie

[eugimon]

nice, bot mode looks very good

[Twoducks]

Leader SS has 50% awesome nailed. Now we need to see how well it does on the plane mode. Either way, I'm a bot mode first kinda guy so this baby can consider itself bought.