The Transformers thread

[mikeszekely]

When does TF Prime Season 2 come out?

February.

[JB0]

I wasn't aware of the blu-ray, but I have the 20th anniversary DVD. It's pretty good. As you've likely heard by now, it's remastered, with a widescreen version and the theatrical version, which was apparently 4:3. The colors are a little over-saturated at times, but on the whole it looks pretty good.

Actually, the box calls them "full screen version" and "theatrical widescreen version"

Odds that the theatrical presentation was actually 16:9 are low, but... it was probably A widescreen format.

I think the confusion is because .... while Transformers was SHOWN in widescreen, it was PRODUCED in 4:3, then matted to the widescreen aspect. The 4:3 version is a full-frame transfer, and actually shows MORE than you would have seen in theaters.

This is not an uncommon practice, actually. MOST movies are shot using 4:3 film frames.

An open-matte release may not be technically feasable on many films, due to "garbage" in the matte area or special effects that were never rendered into the matte area. Or, of course, anamorphic lenses being used, therefore making a widescreen image the one originally comitted to the 4:3 film frame.

Given the nature of the franchise, I imagine Transformers: The Movie was explicitly intended to be viable for TV broadcast and home video sales, thus the full frame had to be up to release quality regardless of theatrical presentation.

[Oihan]

Actually, the box calls them "full screen version" and "theatrical widescreen version"

Odds that the theatrical presentation was actually 16:9 are low, but... it was probably A widescreen format.

I think the confusion is because .... while Transformers was SHOWN in widescreen, it was PRODUCED in 4:3, then matted to the widescreen aspect. The 4:3 version is a full-frame transfer, and actually shows MORE than you would have seen in theaters.

This is not an uncommon practice, actually. MOST movies are shot using 4:3 film frames.

An open-matte release may not be technically feasable on many films, due to "garbage" in the matte area or special effects that were never rendered into the matte area. Or, of course, anamorphic lenses being used, therefore making a widescreen image the one originally comitted to the 4:3 film frame.

Given the nature of the franchise, I imagine Transformers: The Movie was explicitly intended to be viable for TV broadcast and home video sales, thus the full frame had to be up to release quality regardless of theatrical presentation.

So there's no sense in spending so much effort in finding a widescreen version of this movie then.... If only I can find a copy of the movie remastered on DVD or bluray.

Btw, here's a review of the bluray I stumbled upon while googling the movie.

http://forum.blu-ray...ray-review.html

I hate how it shortens it.... Just in case...

forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-movies-north-america/21416-tf-movie-1986-blu-ray-review.html

Edited December 24, 2011 by Oihan

[mikeszekely]

I'd say just try and get a copy of the 20th anniversary DVD. Most reviewers though the remastering was a huge improvement (although it does tend to pinken some of the reds), it's got full screen and widescreen, it's got 2.0 and 5.1 audio, and tons of bonus content.

[RD Blade]

Listen to Mikeszekely. He knows of what he speaks.

Luckily, the BluRay doesn't seem to offer anything new so it's an easy pass for me.

Anyway, I picked up a set of CrazyDevy Devastator legs. But refusing to pay the steep price attached to them, I bought the orange set on clearance. Perfect opportunity to put my new airbrush to use.

The green is not a perfect match, but it works just fine for me.

[mikeszekely]

Try the Marshalls (or is it TJ Maxx?) behind Westmoreland mall. They had 3 Perceptors less than a week ago.

I finally got a chance to follow up on this lead. Even though I work right by the Marshalls in Greensburg, I've just been too busy/tired to go until today. Sure enough, I walk in, and they have a small rack in the main isle in front of the toy section with seemingly random toys thrown on... inlcuding a peghook with two Perceptors.

I wonder what Hasbro's issue was with Reveal the Shield? While all of the Generations figures eventually found their way to my local Target(s), I never found a single RTS figure at a regular store. I found Jazz at Kohl's, Perceptor at Marshalls, and G2 Prime at that weird toy store in the Westmoreland Mall that turns into a Halloween Adventure or whatever in October.

[CoryHolmes]

My local TRUs were having a Christmas sale: All Transformers 40%. All sizes, all scales, all makes; so I very quickly went "Yoink!" and nabbed myself a 25th Aniv. Unicron.

First impressions: size. Holy crap, he is HUGE! His feet alone are bigger than my RTS Hot Rod!

Second impression: Tightness. His joints are absurdly tight, the ratches seem almost welded into place and I'm honestly frightened by the amount of torque I'm having to put in just to get his arms to move. Yes, it's not the same as a ridiculously over-engineered MP Hot Rod where 0.00002% over-torque will pop off panels and bits, but still!

Third Impression: size. He's so huge in robot mode that I had to clear off the top shelf of my bookcase to give him the breathing room he needs. Plus, now he looks all god-like and domineering the lesser transformers beneath him

Four impression: size. I just cannot get over how big this toy is. Makes me wonder how Fort. Max would work out...

[mikeszekely]

My local TRUs were having a Christmas sale: All Transformers 40%. All sizes, all scales, all makes

I may have to swing by and check it out. I kind of want Ultimate Optimus Prime, but I don't want him for the $60 Target is asking, let alone the $80 that TRU seems to think he's worth.

Then again, 40% off of TRU's ridiculous price is still $47.99...

[s001]

So, I just started collecting transformers figures (movie ones) and I have to say, they far more decent than I expected. I passed on them when the first 2 movies came out because they looked a little cheap to me back then. I don't know why.

I got interrogator barricade and sideswipe (both deluxes) and I like them a lot. I'm expecting Stealth bumblebee on the mail now.

I buyed them online so, a little overpriced, but I don't regret it, they look great next to my macross GN-U's. I'm probably not getting more unless I find them for a lot less, but just movie 1 and ROTF deluxes, the dark of the moon ones look like McDonalds toys in my opinion.

Not a huge fan of the movies but I finally see why all the fuss about this toys.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

So, I just started collecting transformers figures (movie ones) and I have to say, they far more decent than I expected. I passed on them when the first 2 movies came out because they looked a little cheap to me back then. I don't know why.

I got interrogator barricade and sideswipe (both deluxes) and I like them a lot. I'm expecting Stealth bumblebee on the mail now.

I buyed them online so, a little overpriced, but I don't regret it, they look great next to my macross GN-U's. I'm probably not getting more unless I find them for a lot less, but just movie 1 and ROTF deluxes, the dark of the moon ones look like McDonalds toys in my opinion.

Not a huge fan of the movies but I finally see why all the fuss about this toys.

If you liked the deluxe figures, check out the Human Alliance ones. My faves so far are HA Barricade and Jazz.

[GU-11]

If you liked the deluxe figures, check out the Human Alliance ones. My faves so far are HA Barricade and Jazz.

I second that opinion. Many HA's are awesome, and are more movie-accurate than deluxes, except when it comes to scale, obviously. I have HA Barricade and Jazz as well, and I can't recommend them enough.

That said, there are some that I personally wouldn't recommend. HA Sideswipe has half of his damn car mode hanging off his back, and his thunder thighs are awful. HA Soundwave's feet look nothing like his movie CG model, and the blue paint accents aren't helping. I wouldn't advise buying HA Bumblebee either; the legs are inaccurate, and his bug eyes scare me.

[kanedaestes]

HA Bumblebee is awesome and there is a really easy mod if you want to make more accuarate legs, I don't have soundwave yet but I do have the rest of the HA line, I would say Leadfoot is the worst and Jazz is by far the best, with Bumblebee and Barricade second, and the twins being third.

[JB0]

...25th Aniv. Unicron. ...

Second impression: Tightness. His joints are absurdly tight, the ratches seem almost welded into place and I'm honestly frightened by the amount of torque I'm having to put in just to get his arms to move. Yes, it's not the same as a ridiculously over-engineered MP Hot Rod where 0.00002% over-torque will pop off panels and bits, but still!

You're lucky. My Classics Unicron has a foot that wants to ratchet out under the weight of the robot. If his weight's not over teh center of his foot, then a little while after setting him down I hear a click, he tips off-axis, and falls over.

...

I should probably tighten the foot screws, come to think of it.

Third Impression: size. He's so huge in robot mode that I had to clear off the top shelf of my bookcase to give him the breathing room he needs. Plus, now he looks all god-like and domineering the lesser transformers beneath him

There is that.

I've got a small army of smaller TFs standing off against him. Led by Classics Grimlock in T-Rex mode, holding the Matrix up in his tiny dino-claws. Because it sounded funny, and like hell we trust Hot Rod with that.

[anime52k8]

There is that.

I've got a small army of smaller TFs standing off against him. Led by Classics Grimlock in T-Rex mode, holding the Matrix up in his tiny dino-claws. Because it sounded funny, and like hell we trust Hot Rod with that.

Now I'm trying to rap my brain around the mental image of a Robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex with a trailer.

[Renato]

This is my first Transformer in quite a while.. It's really nice, and I love the colour.

[CoryHolmes]

Why must Canada be the Hasbro ghetto? It took forever to get any Rodimus' up here, let alone decent toys from the RTS/Classics line, and the only Prime toys we have are the Optimus/Megatron deluxe two-pack.

Hasbro, I are dissapoint.

[mikeszekely]

Why must Canada be the Hasbro ghetto? It took forever to get any Rodimus' up here, let alone decent toys from the RTS/Classics line, and the only Prime toys we have are the Optimus/Megatron deluxe two-pack.

Hasbro, I are dissapoint.

An Optimus/Megatron 2 pack? That's more than I've seen.

Granted, I've heard they've only been showing up at TRU? I haven't been there since a month or so before Christmas.

[CoryHolmes]

Yeah, that's at TRU. I think I might have seen one Voyager Prime Prime toy, but that doesn't really interest me. I want Starscream, Arcee, and Voyager Bulkhead.

[mikeszekely]

I was thinking about going to TRU today. I'd like Voyager Prime, as he looks a lot better than the Deluxe, and I want Megatron. Does he have a Voyager? If not, I'll probably get the two pack. Kinda digging that Bulkhead, too, and the Prime version of Bulkhead looks like he might blend in with my Classics. As for the rest, Bumblebee and Ratchet don't interest me at all. I like Arcee and Starscream's characters on the show, but I'm not sure if I want the Deluxe figure or not. None of the other Decepticons really interest me. I'll probably start stashing a little bit away for whenever Hasbro releases any Fall of Cybertron figures.

I doubt I'll actually get to go to TRU today, though. After enjoying a pretty mild winter so far, with temps mostly in the mid 40s, the temperature plummetted overnight on Sunday, then it started snowing in the afternoon yesterday. Not sure if it's stopped yet or not, but I'll probably wait and see how things look tomorrow. I gotta go fix my grandpap's computer anyway.

[CoryHolmes]

Has there been any noise about a Stateside release of MP-10 and MP-11? I missed out on the first two incarnations, but I'm not willing to pay the $200 or so for the Japanese versions.

[mikeszekely]

Managed to get to TRU today... and they had nothing that wasn't Dark of the Moon (side from their exclusive repainted War for Cybertron pack). Two or three pegs of Deluxes, several Cyberverse, some Optimus Prime and Bumblebee masks, a ton of some kind of playset that had Legends looking guys, a Legends pack that had Classics and DotM Bumblebee with Cybertron and DotM Starscreem, some Voyager Sentinel Primes, and a TON of Ultimate Primes. Not a single TF Prime toy. Not even the two-pack, which I totally would have settled for.

[Negotiator]

Went to franks n sons last weekend. If you're looking for TFP arcee and starscream, in or around that city, that's where they all went...I hope nobody buys them! It's gonna be battle for bulkhead for sure when it gets released here. Not too worried about finding op.

[Alpha OTS]

HA Bumblebee is awesome and there is a really easy mod if you want to make more accuarate legs, I don't have soundwave yet but I do have the rest of the HA line, I would say Leadfoot is the worst and Jazz is by far the best, with Bumblebee and Barricade second, and the twins being third.

Depends on how you transform HA Leadfoot. The default transformation in the instructions looks terrible.

This looks much better.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Alpha OTS

[kanedaestes]

I do have my own version of the transformation I do like and makes him look good but compared to the rest he's still last. Now if they could give me a Topspin and a leader Ratchet I will be happy with a pretty awesome autobot movie crew.

Edited January 7, 2012 by kanedaestes

[lechuck]

One shall fall, one shall rise.... <queue movie music>

Just having some fun. 2011 was truly a Transformers Year for me.

Holding that MP-10 Convoy for the first time in my hand... it was like finally completing something, finding closure... LOL

As a kid I never had G1 Prime and ended up with that horrible, horrible Powermaster version, which just never sat right with me.

With Striker Prime (my first leader class) I kind of feel disappointed. The proportions, colours and details are great, but the missing waist joint makes it feel static and the lack of space so that all the kibble on it doesn't constantly get jammed in each other seem to curb the enthusiasm. It just ends up having that mass produced toy vibe eventhough its appearance tells you otherwise or maybe I am just spoilt by the Masterpiece line...

Maybe one day they might do a proper Movie MP of Prime, but for now I hope the next MP after Starscream is Ultra Magnus.

[mikeszekely]

MP10 looks nice enough, but not really different enough vs. MP-01. If Hasbro does a reasonably-priced US version, maybe, but no way I'm importing.

And hey, since Takara seems to have decided to start over on the MPs, maybe we can get a better MP Megatron?

[RD Blade]

MP Galvatron, please.

[GU-11]

One shall fall, one shall rise.... <queue movie music>

Just having some fun. 2011 was truly a Transformers Year for me.

Holding that MP-10 Convoy for the first time in my hand... it was like finally completing something, finding closure... LOL

As a kid I never had G1 Prime and ended up with that horrible, horrible Powermaster version, which just never sat right with me.

That's exactly how I felt when I first laid hands on my newly bought MP-10. As a kid, my parents either refused to pay for or simply couldn't afford G1 Optimus, and the closest I ever got to owning the mold was in the form of a "budget" Takara Ultra Magnus toy, where the head had to be stuck into a peg in bot mode, and the trailer was a dinky piece of foldable cardboard.

Owning MP-10 is like a childhood dream come true after so long.

MP Galvatron, please.

Either that or MP Soundwave. Just think of all those cassette bots!

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

And hey, since Takara seems to have decided to start over on the MPs, maybe we can get a better MP Megatron?

+1 on this. I never liked MP Megs from the start, it's just too flimsy looking, and alt mode just looks goofy as an oversized gun. A new Megatron doesn't even have to be a gun; it can be another tank, a silver Cadillac, or even Cybertronian ship so long as bot mode looks solid.

[GU-11]

+1 on this. I never liked MP Megs from the start, it's just too flimsy looking, and alt mode just looks goofy as an oversized gun. A new Megatron doesn't even have to be a gun; it can be another tank, a silver Cadillac, or even Cybertronian ship so long as bot mode looks solid.

Might it be too early to hope for a Masterpiece version of the Bayverse TF's? The so-called Movie Masterpiece line doesn't count. It was just a gimmick using repainted generic molds.

Yeah, I'm one of those wretched fans of TF's that look like super-complex junkyard sculptures.

[RD Blade]

Yeah, I'm one of those wretched fans of TF's that look like super-complex junkyard sculptures.

I wouldn't call you guys wretched. Confused, maybe.

I actually love some of the figures made possible by the movies. Particularly in the Leader Class and Human Alliance scales. I think Leader Starscream and Battle Ops Bumblebee were worthy enough for the Masterpiece line...except for two things: Too many electronic gimmicks and the F-22's gullet.

[GU-11]

I wouldn't call you guys wretched. Confused, maybe.

I actually love some of the figures made possible by the movies. Particularly in the Leader Class and Human Alliance scales. I think Leader Starscream and Battle Ops Bumblebee were worthy enough for the Masterpiece line...except for two things: Too many electronic gimmicks and the F-22's gullet.

Almost all the leader class Bayverse figs could benefit from the omission of those damn electronics. ROTF Optimus would be at least a third slimmer without the batteries on his back, and Starscream would have a decent jet mode. ROTF Megatron would have a sleeker tank mode and actually be able to move his elbow. I'll reserve my comments on Ironhide and Battle Ops Bumblebee, as I don't own the two.

Jetfire seems like a lost cause, though, as he has to do double duty as a Blackbird AND super-parts for Optimus. I'm surprised he was actually able to pull off these two modes at all without noticeable parts-forming [the backplate that transforms into a gun sort of counts as parts-forming, if one pushed the issue.]

But it's Starscream's jet mode is what really pisses me off. It would have been the perfect Starscream fig if only the jet had been slimmer. As it is, the jet mode is actually twice it's accurate girth, no thanks for the batteries and sound chip. Now I won;t say it would be perfect, as you'd still have to deal with the legs, but the girth would definitely be far less noticeable and visually obstrusive.

I've only transformed SS into jet mode twice. Most of the time, he's displayed in bot mode, which was the only reason I bouth him at all. Except for the wrist and fingers, his bot mode is near-perfect.

Edited January 9, 2012 by GU-11

[RD Blade]

his bot mode is near-perfect.

Damn right.

[David Hingtgen]

But it's Starscream's jet mode is what really pisses me off. It would have been the perfect Starscream fig if only the jet had been slimmer. As it is, the jet mode is actually twice it's accurate girth, no thanks for the batteries and sound chip. Now I won;t say it would be perfect, as you'd still have to deal with the legs, but the girth would definitely be far less noticeable and visually obstrusive.

Same for Leader Jetfire, actually. Wouldn't have been perfect, but getting rid of the giant lights-n-sound box would have made for a whole lot less undercarriage. (and if they hadn't have been lazy and actually made the turbine-legs from the turbines!) The whole engine nacelles are giant hollow kibble, instead of actually housing the legs inside.

Put arms where the box was, put the legs inside the engines, and you've gotten rid of a whole lot of bot kibble...

[anime52k8]

Same for Leader Jetfire, actually. Wouldn't have been perfect, but getting rid of the giant lights-n-sound box would have made for a whole lot less undercarriage. (and if they hadn't have been lazy and actually made the turbine-legs from the turbines!) The whole engine nacelles are giant hollow kibble, instead of actually housing the legs inside.

Put arms where the box was, put the legs inside the engines, and you've gotten rid of a whole lot of bot kibble...

I'm goint to reiterate, even if it didn't have the sound box leader jetfire would still be a crap toy with a mess of bot kibble hanging off the bottom of the jet because the toy was designed first a foremost to be a giant backpack or leader Prime. It's not the sound box that's keeping the legs from bing stored in the engines or the arms actually forming part of the forward fusalage, it's all the armature needed for Primes super mode and because half the jet is dedicated to turning into a big gun.

Anyways...

I got a chance to go to the TRU in Dublin today, (it's bigger and keeps up stock better than the Hayward one). And they had zoro Prime toys. Oddest thing about it is that I know Both TRU's where getting prime toys at some point becuase I saw a couple bumblebee at each store a couple weeks before christmas, but I haven't see anything since.

They did have plenty of generation toys though. They had full pegs of Kup, wheeljack and warpath plus a few black shadows and a grand total of 1 Junkheap. So at least I finally got a Junkion. (and I finally found an S.H. Figuarts Shinken Red so it was a good trip overall.)

Edited January 9, 2012 by anime52k8