The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[technoblue]

I had the opportunity to play with my MP Star Saber today.

...

I agree, Scyla. You make good points.

Star Saber taught me that I need to be more discerning about my purchases. I got caught up in the Masterpiece fever without having any attachment to the character. I also think I was drawn to MP-24 because of the armor, which I missed in MP-22.

For MP-22, it would have been nice to see Takara have the time and budget to go in a different direction. I do think time was a major factor in dictating what we got for Ultra Magnus. And even though I was hard on this figure in my own rant, I have to admit it is okay for what it is: a toy built with compromises in order to get that cartoon look and cartoon transformation down. I still think MP-22 could have had that same look while having a better transformation worthy of the $120-$180USD price that these "big" bots retail at. As it is, my favorite large scale toys in the rebooted MP line are Optimus and Soundwave. And I love the MP cars, even though these have their own faults too (Bumblebee's hollow arms, for example). It's just easier for me to overlook them.

Edited May 21, 2015 by technoblue

[mikeszekely]

Just saw the images for the dlx United groove. Great looking motorcycle not. Sure it's gonna ruin hasbros claim to wanting to scale things better but overall much better looking than their little legends looking toy. Very perplexed if I should hold out now or not.

I'm doing the same thing I did with the Stunticons and Aerialbots... buying what Hasbro releases at retail to at least make a complete combiner, hoping Hasbro releases the Takara "corrections" eventually, and buying them if I can.

It sounds like Guardian (the Japanese name for Defensor) will be a Takara mall exclusive, and not available until November. That could mean that a Hasbro version could be a long way off yet. Meanwhile, I already have the Legends Class Groove, and when I go out these days I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the the Protectobot Deluxes. Better in my mind to have a Rook and not need him eventually than to not have Rook and never get my hands on a Deluxe Groove.

[M'Kyuun]

I haven't seen any Protectobots in my area yet, and I'm not sure if I'll get the whole team. I like Hot Spot, but I may just wait for the eventual Onslaught redeco, since I prefer Bruticus anyway.

I'd like to get both versions of Groove, as I like transforming motorcycles, for some reason. I'm not a bike guy, but I think it's more about the engineering and clever design in such a small space.

I'd like to get Rook just because both his bot and alt modes look cool.

On the MP front, if Ironhide is the next fig in the series per rumor, I'm pretty excited for that. If/when they make him, I hope they can find a way to make his laser cannon extend and retract into his back in bot mode, and stick out the back of his van mode to recreate the scenes from the first season. "We're gonna make a new river."

[mikeszekely]

On the MP front, if Ironhide is the next fig in the series per rumor, I'm pretty excited for that. If/when they make him, I hope they can find a way to make his laser cannon extend and retract into his back in bot mode, and stick out the back of his van mode to recreate the scenes from the first season. "We're gonna make a new river."

I wouldn't get too excited. I expect he's a repaint of Offroad/First Aid.

EDIT: Nevermind, reading comprehension fail. I thought you were still talking Combiner Wars. Completely missed the "On the MP front".

Edited May 22, 2015 by mikeszekely

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i'm still waiting on some g1 reissue news to come out.

i want the rest of the seekers, Thrust is the main one

and the motorized deception city.

[M'Kyuun]

I'd like to see a new MP seeker mold, one where the arms fold to form the back of the jet like the G1 toy, and where the head sits even or slightly lower than the chest intakes. For some reason, that little bit of elevation of the head over the intakes bothered me on the original MP seekers. Plus, it'd be cool to actually get them in scale, although they'd be pretty big compared to the car bots. Still, in for a penny...if Takara is committed to maintaining scale with the the new MP line, and with making all the characters anew (hopefully), then bring on some F-15C Decepticons. They could take some hints from Arcadia's YF-19 in making the jet huge, but making the bot mode close to scale with Soundwave and Prime. Or just hire some quantum physics experts to create a truly mass shifting figure. Hello, CERN?

I'm probably alone here, but I'd still like to see more figs in the Animated toy line get made. That show and toyline really grew on me, and I love them both. I'd love to see a third party tackle the Ark/Omega Supreme in a Leader or Titan scale.

And also...the rest of the Dinobots in MP; C'mon Has/Tak, there were 4 more guys on that team, and they are all beloved characters who deserve official toys. Third parties are stealing that thunder left and right.

[JB0]

You're not alone on the Animated love.

[Silverstreak]

Indeed. Season 4 of Animated would have had so many awesome toys. Marauder Megatron, (Powermaster) Armour for Optimus Prime...

Plus we would have seen that great story continue.

[JB0]

And it's all very funny when you consider initial reception was "omg ugly also why are they fighting crime and not decepticreeps worst show ever"

Edited May 24, 2015 by JB0

[mikeszekely]

I loved Animated the show. Animated the toy line, not so much.

[eriku]

Animated is still my favorite TF series AND toy line.

[M'Kyuun]

Agree about 4th season; it would have been great. Anyone know if that story was continued in the comics? I'd love a graphic novel continuation in the same vein as Avatar: The last Airbender's The Promise and The Search, which answered lingering questions and filled some story gaps from the animated show. If anyone here is going to Botcon this year, Derrick Wyatt is one of the featured guests this year. The question of a comic book or graphic novel continuation of Animated may be what it takes to stir up interest. Just sayin'.

I feel the same about the new Thundercats show from a couple years ago; good show that was hitting its stride, then got cancelled. Cartoon Network boggles my mind when they cancel good shows like Symbionic Titan, Beware the Batman, Thundercats, etc, but Squidbillies, Adventure Time, and such go on for years.

[anime52k8]

I loved Animated the show. Animated the toy line, not so much.

how can you not love the toy line, those where some excellent toys

Edited May 24, 2015 by anime52k8

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

+1 for the Animated toys. It's great how they resembled their stylized bot modes and accurate alt modes. Too bad it was nixed, I would've loved to have seen where they were going with Sari.

[eriku]

Agree about 4th season; it would have been great. Anyone know if that story was continued in the comics? I'd love a graphic novel continuation in the same vein as Avatar: The last Airbender's The Promise and The Search, which answered lingering questions and filled some story gaps from the animated show. If anyone here is going to Botcon this year, Derrick Wyatt is one of the featured guests this year. The question of a comic book or graphic novel continuation of Animated may be what it takes to stir up interest. Just sayin'.

I feel the same about the new Thundercats show from a couple years ago; good show that was hitting its stride, then got cancelled. Cartoon Network boggles my mind when they cancel good shows like Symbionic Titan, Beware the Batman, Thundercats, etc, but Squidbillies, Adventure Time, and such go on for years.

Agreed on all counts, except Adventure Time (which is currently my favorite cartoon on the air) hasn't been cancelled. It's still going strong and just won a Peabody award.

And no, Animated hasn't been continued in comic form but I really, really wish it would be.

Edited May 25, 2015 by eriku

[mikeszekely]

how can you not love the toy line, those where some excellent toys

While I agree with VHD that the toys did capture the aesthetics of the show, to me that just didn't make for satisfying toys. I loved the show and collected all the DVDs, I only bought a handful of the toys, and all the ones I do have are packed away.

[Smut Peddler]

My kid was really into animated. I got to enjoy that show with him, and he got most of the toys from that show and I got to play with them some. I thought they were pretty good toys, and they looked like their TV show characters in both modes. It took me a while to get into the art style of the show, but the decent story eventually had me watching all the episodes.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

everyone's smoking pot... G1 was, is and forever shall be the best toys and show ever

i'm only joking, i'm sure that's just my opinion and everyone has their fav.

[JB0]

Too bad it was nixed, I would've loved to have seen where they were going with Sari.

YES! We get a likable and interesting squishie character, so they can the show just as her story arc kicks into high gear.

[technoblue]

First, Adventure Time is hillarious. Second, Transformers Animated should have been given a chance. When you consider what they were doing with Sari's character, and how well it was being executed, the show had more potential than Transformers Prime.

And I should say, I give a lot of kudos to Prime, so I think it was a big loss when Animated was cut short.

[M'Kyuun]

Agreed on all counts, except Adventure Time hasn't been cancelled. It's still going strong and just won a Peabody award.

And no, Animated hasn't been continued in comic form but I really, really wish it would be.

I wasn't clear in my meaning; I knew Adventure Time was still going, and I figured Squidbillies was too. I just find it amazing that shows like this enjoy longevity when good shows get the boot. Apologies to those who like Adventure Time; I know people like it, but I can't understand why.

Bummer to hear there's no comic continuity with Animated. It seems a perfect forum to tell the stories that didn't make it into the show. Still hope, I suppose.

Agree about Prime; I didn't want to like it, but it sucked me in. I know some didn't like the seriousness of the show, or maybe took itself too seriously, but I thought it was pretty balanced. The Beast Hunters toys were terrible, but the season was still decent. Overall, I enjoyed the entire series and wouldn't have minded another season to maybe show Bee's growth into a leader, with a voice.

I haven't watched RiD yet, so I can't say whether or not I like it, but characters like Fixit bug me just from an artwork perspective. I've seen a trailer, and it left me feeling rather 'meh' about investing time to watch it. The toys haven't really grabbed me either, except Drift and Grimlock. More money for upcoming Generations and MP.

[areaseven]

Animated undoubtedly has one of the best toy lines in the entire TF franchise. It's just too bad we never got an Omega Supreme toy.

[JB0]

Animated undoubtedly has one of the best toy lines in the entire TF franchise. It's just too bad we never got an Omega Supreme toy.

I wanted a Combat Mode Sari toy. No joke.

[mikeszekely]

First, Adventure Time is hillarious. Second, Transformers Animated should have been given a chance. When you consider what they were doing with Sari's character, and how well it was being executed, the show had more potential than Transformers Prime.

Yes, Adventure Time is great. Although I kind of prefer Regular Show.

But anyways, I don't think it's that Animated wasn't given a chance... three seasons was actually a pretty decent run. And I don't think it was a lack of interest, or people not buying the toys, that ultimately killed it. In fact, as I recall, the debut at least was wildly successful. Plain and simple, it came down to Hasbro killing the Transformers show that was on the network they didn't have a stake in and starting over with a new show on the network that they did have a stake in. Fortunately, that show (Prime) turned out pretty good, too.

[mikeszekely]

The teal is a little more vibrant than I remember, but looks like Trippy's going to be a straight-up reissue and not a weird brown/gold repaint.

[Silverstreak]

The teal is a little more vibrant than I remember, but looks like Trippy's going to be a straight-up reissue and not a weird brown/gold repaint.

02__scaled_600.jpg

I never had Trypticon as a kid but always wanted him. This is sooooooo bought

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

The teal is a little more vibrant than I remember, but looks like Trippy's going to be a straight-up reissue and not a weird brown/gold repaint.

02__scaled_600.jpg

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[JB0]

Not gonna lie, I may make the effort to find this one.

I don't rightly care that Trypticon is a plastic brick(like every other toy of the era). He's a giant robot T. Rex You said you've got a T. Rex?! triple-changer that other Transformers can live in. And that's just friggin' awesome.

[technoblue]

Yes, Adventure Time is great. Although I kind of prefer Regular Show.

But anyways, I don't think it's that Animated wasn't given a chance... three seasons was actually a pretty decent run. And I don't think it was a lack of interest, or people not buying the toys, that ultimately killed it. In fact, as I recall, the debut at least was wildly successful. Plain and simple, it came down to Hasbro killing the Transformers show that was on the network they didn't have a stake in and starting over with a new show on the network that they did have a stake in. Fortunately, that show (Prime) turned out pretty good, too.

Mm. The former Hub network.

Yeah. Animated had a good story, three seasons, and an impressive cliffhanger at the end. The "chance" I was hoping for back in the day was an ending, even an open one, instead of that cliffhanger. Something similar to what Prime had for the last episode of its third season, or Predacons Rising. Animated might have benefited a lot from a movie or a fourth season. That was where I was going above...

[mikeszekely]

I never had Trypticon as a kid but always wanted him. This is sooooooo bought

I did. And he was possibly my favorite toy of my childhood. Usually when I played with my Transformers, I'd put them away in my toybox when I was done, but Trippy went everywhere with me like some sort of hard plastic teddy bear. I've mostly avoided G1 reissues, because honestly I think the inarticulate ill-proportioned bricks of the '80s haven't aged pretty well, but even I'm tempted by this one... even though I don't have room for it and I know it's going to be stupid expensive and I have a baby on the way that's probably a better use of my financial resources.

Mm. The former Hub network.

Yeah. Animated had a good story, three seasons, and an impressive cliffhanger at the end. The "chance" I was hoping for back in the day was an ending, even an open one, instead of that cliffhanger. Something similar to what Prime had for the last episode of its third season, or Predacons Rising. Animated might have benefited a lot from a movie or a fourth season. That was where I was going above...

Well, yeah. The cliffhanger ending and the abrupt cancellation really made for an unsatisfactory end to the series, and some kind of resolution, be it a movie special, a direct-to-video mini-season, or even a comic book continuation would have been really nice.

[JB0]

I did. And he was possibly my favorite toy of my childhood. Usually when I played with my Transformers, I'd put them away in my toybox when I was done, but Trippy went everywhere with me like some sort of hard plastic teddy bear.

I did that with Slag. I mean, he was a robot AND a triceratops(the best dinosaur). Life didn't GET any better.

He even followed me into the pool and the bath tub.

...

So did Voltron's blue lion(the plastic one the characters sat in), but that was because it was SUPPOSED to get wet. The cartoon showed it underwater ALL THE TIME, it was CLEARLY a water toy!

[eriku]

I wasn't clear in my meaning; I knew Adventure Time was still going, and I figured Squidbillies was too. I just find it amazing that shows like this enjoy longevity when good shows get the boot. Apologies to those who like Adventure Time; I know people like it, but I can't understand why.

Nah, you were clear, I just read your post too fast and misunderstood. I used to think the same about Adventure Time before I actually watched a few episodes all the way through. Once I got a feel for the show and realized it was, at heart, an old-fashioned adventure show with real plots, I fell in love with it. Now that I'm on the 6th season I'm still continually impressed by how solid the writing is and how so many story arcs span multiple seasons.

Anyway, Transformers! My Slingshot from Amazon should arrive tomorrow finally. Not sure why it took them a full week to send it, but whatever whatevs.

Edited May 25, 2015 by eriku

[mikeszekely]

So did Voltron's blue lion(the plastic one the characters sat in), but that was because it was SUPPOSED to get wet. The cartoon showed it underwater ALL THE TIME, it was CLEARLY a water toy!

Clearly!

Anyway, Transformers! My Slingshot from Amazon should arrive tomorrow finally. Not sure why it took them a full week to send it, but whatever whatevs.

Grats! I don't know if it's because I dig the white jet mode, or because his gold, round head and big eyes made more of an impression on me, but I prefer him to Fireflight.

In other CW news, I got tired of waiting for the Protectobots to start showing up. I ordered Streetwise, Blades, and First Aid on Amazon and they should be here Wednesday. I preordered Hot Spot, with a release date of 6-15. Can't find Rook, though.

[RD Blade]

Yes, Adventure Time is great. Although I kind of prefer Regular Show.

But anyways, I don't think it's that Animated wasn't given a chance... three seasons was actually a pretty decent run. And I don't think it was a lack of interest, or people not buying the toys, that ultimately killed it. In fact, as I recall, the debut at least was wildly successful. Plain and simple, it came down to Hasbro killing the Transformers show that was on the network they didn't have a stake in and starting over with a new show on the network that they did have a stake in. Fortunately, that show (Prime) turned out pretty good, too.

I remember reading that it had something to do with the movie toys being on the horizon.

[mikeszekely]

I remember reading that it had something to do with the movie toys being on the horizon.

That's probably an assumption, due to the fact that Animated ended around the time that Revenge of the Fallen came out. Prime toys sold alongside Dark of the Moon toys, after all, with Classics/Universe/Generations chugging along amidst all four movies, Animated, Prime, and the new Robots In Disguise.

Granted, my explanation is, too. As far as I can recall, Hasbro was just like, "yeah, it's canceled" at Botcon '09, and an official reason was never given. But given how many concurrent Transformers toylines there's been, I think it's more probable that Animated was killed simply because it was on the Cartoon Network and Hasbro was gearing up to launch The Hub with Transformers Prime.