dr_vandermeer Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Found Sideswipe myself tonight at Wal-Mart, so he's definitely out. A few comments: Not as shiny/glossy as Alt. Smokescreen. He's not FLAT plastic, but noticeably not as smooth a finish as Smokescreen. Seems a bit orangey, too. More of a Ferrari red than classic Viper red. (But I haven't seen this particular Viper color in real life, so I dunno) Awesome engine--chrome valve covers with red accents and the Viper lettering. WAY more accurate engine than Smokescreen. Has intake plenums, cylinder heads, etc. Hood's a bit finicky to open though. Steering gimmick much better executed that Smokescreen. Doesn't get in way of transformation at all. More kibbly than Smokescreen. The whole back end and hood just hangs off, and the front bumper really interferes with his foot positioning. Like Smokescreen, Hasbro tossed out a few minor transformation steps. (like the steering wheel, tonneau cover, steering mechanism, headrests, and other things that need to be moved/lined up to form the robot chest, and allow the floorboards to fold up) There's like 6 joints in EACH shoulder. You can arrange the doors and sidesills and wheels however you want. I think the "official" way is the worst, making him look like G1 Sideswipe is the best. No, he doesn't need to have *widely* splayed legs. Just a bit. Actually, if you transform it right and figure out what the instructions left out, his "windshield as chest" looks quite nice. The whole interior folds up (kinda like Smokescreen) so there's no hollow areas underneath the windshield. I haven't tried out the "trunk as chest" transformation yet, as it will require a bit of plastic-cutting at the joint. I think the main point of that variation is actually to reduce the amount of back kibble, and make him more balanced. (He's not nearly as stable as Smokescreen). Overall---about as good as Smokescreen, maybe a little worse. Some areas better, some worse. But G1 Sideswipe is my all-time fave Autobot, so a new one is great. Great to know. Now I'll REALLY be on the lookout!
GreenGuy42 Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Nothing in FLorida.. but that's to be expected....
Lightning Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Nothing in FLorida.. but that's to be expected.... lemmie check the New Smyrna Beach walmart....
GobotFool Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Found Sideswipe myself tonight at Wal-Mart, so he's definitely out. A few comments: Not as shiny/glossy as Alt. Smokescreen. He's not FLAT plastic, but noticeably not as smooth a finish as Smokescreen. Seems a bit orangey, too. More of a Ferrari red than classic Viper red. (But I haven't seen this particular Viper color in real life, so I dunno) This holds true for the BT version of Sideswipe as well. His paint job is not as glossy, and is also kinda orange.
GreenGuy42 Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Nothing in FLorida.. but that's to be expected.... lemmie check the New Smyrna Beach walmart.... You find one, and I'll come pick it up!
eugimon Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 picked mine up at the santa ana wal-mart in southern california. He was with the diecast cars and not the other transformers, spotted smokescreen with the legos as well. The folks at wal-mart don't seem to care very much where they shove things. I have to agree, the colour is much more muted compared to smokescreen... looks very plasticy to me. I modified my side swipe for the alternate transformation mode and find that he is more stable and I think looks a whole lot better than the official mode.
David Hingtgen Posted January 20, 2004 Author Posted January 20, 2004 Fiddled with the alternate transformation---I think the trunk is just too bulky and juts out too far to have it look good. If they had designed it to do it, they could have incorporated a hinge/collapsing section near the bottom of the bumper, to allow a Z-fold, to bring the rear bumper in much closer to the chest (like a full 1/2 inch, maybe even 3/4 of an inch). But as it is, no matter what angle you put it at, he'll still have like a beer belly. (Or beer pecs more accurately)
eugimon Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Well, that's why you need to break out a hobby knife some good wire cutters and a lot of patience... if you cut out a section of the hinge on the trunk to allow the black bar to pass through you can get the wheel wells on the trunk to fit over the shoulder joint on sideswipe and then he doesn't look so ridiculous.
David Hingtgen Posted January 20, 2004 Author Posted January 20, 2004 (edited) That's not the issue I have. It's the BOTTOM. License-plate area. No matter how you cut, it's always about the same distance from his waist. Yes, you can alter the hinge so that the upper part of the trunk is closer to his neck/shoulders, but the lower part is always going to stick way out from his waist. It'd need a section cut out and made into a Z-fold hinge to allow it to get close to waist. ::edit:: I haven't actually tried cutting out the bit yet, as I didn't think it looked like any hinge position would allow it to look good, based on how and where it pivots. But I might as well try it, maybe it'll move just enough. Nothing else to do tonight. Edited January 20, 2004 by David Hingtgen
eugimon Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Oops, sorry I misunderstood you. The bumper never bothered... but now that you mention it... he does lonky kinda funky like this. Oh well, I can't say I care too much for how he looks in either the official or alternate mode. I pretty much keep him in car mode and leave it at that. And did you notice his read lights are pretty weak compared to the lamps on smokescreen?
David Hingtgen Posted January 20, 2004 Author Posted January 20, 2004 (edited) LOL. I edited right as you posted a reply. And yup, the brakelights don't look as good. It seems that the red paint they used throughout is extra-transparent--his cylinder heads are practically pink. They're RED in the box pics. I think Smokescreen actually has clear red plastic lights, while Sideswipe has clear parts with clear red paint over them. For me, I like him mainly because: 1. Not covered in garish logos and stickers. 2. He looks like my all-time fave G1 Autobot. (Alt Smokescreen has G1 Smokescreen's head but little else----but Alt Sideswipe even has G1 Sideswipe's foot and leg markings and design, and with an "unofficial" door positioning, has his arms as well) Edited January 20, 2004 by David Hingtgen
eugimon Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Yeah, the rear lamps on smokescreen looks like it's two parts, back detail and a clear cover, sideswipe's looks like it's just clear plastic with sparkle paint... I dunno, maybe this is how the viper actually looks? That is very true, sideswipe is more faithfull to his G1 version than Smokescreen.... And his arms are pretty well made, some good mobility there but his gun doesn't stay in his hand very well. Not as bad as MPC prime but I wish it had a little peg like on smokescreen. my biggest complaint is with his legs though... the grill on the back of his feet limit movement and thought he has knee joints they're pretty much useless since you can really move his thighs except side to side and the body work on his lower legs limits how far back they bend. All in all, I like this alternator line... I think I'll pass on hound... waiting for Jazz and some decepticons.
Myriad Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Found Sideswipe myself tonight at Wal-Mart, so he's definitely out. A few comments: Not as shiny/glossy as Alt. Smokescreen. He's not FLAT plastic, but noticeably not as smooth a finish as Smokescreen. Seems a bit orangey, too. More of a Ferrari red than classic Viper red. (But I haven't seen this particular Viper color in real life, so I dunno) Awesome engine--chrome valve covers with red accents and the Viper lettering. WAY more accurate engine than Smokescreen. Has intake plenums, cylinder heads, etc. Hood's a bit finicky to open though. Steering gimmick much better executed that Smokescreen. Doesn't get in way of transformation at all. More kibbly than Smokescreen. The whole back end and hood just hangs off, and the front bumper really interferes with his foot positioning. Like Smokescreen, Hasbro tossed out a few minor transformation steps. (like the steering wheel, tonneau cover, steering mechanism, headrests, and other things that need to be moved/lined up to form the robot chest, and allow the floorboards to fold up) There's like 6 joints in EACH shoulder. You can arrange the doors and sidesills and wheels however you want. I think the "official" way is the worst, making him look like G1 Sideswipe is the best. No, he doesn't need to have *widely* splayed legs. Just a bit. Actually, if you transform it right and figure out what the instructions left out, his "windshield as chest" looks quite nice. The whole interior folds up (kinda like Smokescreen) so there's no hollow areas underneath the windshield. I haven't tried out the "trunk as chest" transformation yet, as it will require a bit of plastic-cutting at the joint. I think the main point of that variation is actually to reduce the amount of back kibble, and make him more balanced. (He's not nearly as stable as Smokescreen). Overall---about as good as Smokescreen, maybe a little worse. Some areas better, some worse. But G1 Sideswipe is my all-time fave Autobot, so a new one is great. Now I believe.
GreenGuy42 Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 I'm going to check my local Wal-Mart and Target. Wish me luck.
David Hingtgen Posted January 20, 2004 Author Posted January 20, 2004 A few more comments: Did some hinge-carving, still not totally enthused about the alternate transformation. Even though the effect is only slightly larger than Smokescreen's chest, it's enough that I don't like it much. BUT, doing it allows the OFFICIAL tranformation to look better! It cuts down the kibble by like 50%. So regardless of how you transform him, do some carving. Tail-lights got me curious, so I took the trunk apart and looked. In the "that's weird" category, the lights are totally clear plastic, with GOLD paint behind them. Yet they look red when viewed the right way. (Well, more of an orangey-pink than red--but not gold! ) Weird. (And I took them totally out of the toy, so they weren't picking up any hues from the red plastic). Smokescreen also has pure clear lights, but he'd be a lot more effort to disassamble just to see the backs of his tail-lights. PS--Transformers.com has confirmed an Alternators Tracks Corvette. (Yes, it's an obvious/rumored mold/name, but they never officially mentioned it before AFAIK). Big question is--C5 or C6? PPS--Sidewipe is taller than Smokescreen, larger overall.
Lightning Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 more than likely since the C6 is comin out it'll be a C6..
areaseven Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 Actually, the new Corvette shouldn't be designated as "C6," as it's just a retooled C5. Some car magazines call it "C5.5" or "C5 and 9/10ths."
areaseven Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 crap,I am broke.This sucks. You're telling me. I placed a bid on Smokescreen for $25 on eBay early last week. Then when I went to Target in North Hollywood, lo and behold - they had one for $19.99. So I bought one, not realizing that I got the final bid on the other. In the end, I spent $35 more than I should have. Ah, what the hell. I owed someone a birthday gift anyway.
Lightning Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 yea, that's what i say, the middle section of it looks just like the C5, IMO all they did was change the bodywork on the front and tail
areaseven Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 yea, that's what i say, the middle section of it looks just like the C5, IMO all they did was change the bodywork on the front and tail Not to mention the interior, which is a huge improvement over the C5. They should change the Malibu-looking steering wheel, though. BTW, is it me, or does the front end of the new Corvette look like a Honda S2000?
ManxoChu Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 Anyone who has BT Sideswipe/Lambor, I was wondering if you could do a scan or make a PDF of the instruction booklet, as I'm really interested in how different Hasbro altered the instructions for the Alternators line-up. I noticed how they kinda forgot to mention about the "tilt steering" on Smokey. Also, when I get my own Sideswipe, I wanna transform the bot right. Or, if it's already floating around the net, wouldja please plaster a link in this thread? Many Thanks!!
David Hingtgen Posted January 22, 2004 Author Posted January 22, 2004 Hasbro instructions? Blech. Butchered worse than Smokescreen's. (Why Hasbro why? Takara's already made them, is it that hard to copy B&W pages?). Had I read the Takara ones, I would have saved myself a lot of frustration with Smokescreen's arms, etc. (It's flat out impossible to EXACTLY follow Hasbro's Smokescreen instructions for the arms---but it's easy with Takara's) Sideswipe's worse, they just go from "Viper interior" to "robot chest", neglecting about 3 folds and 2 posts and a second hinge on the dash... Hasbro, king of "before and after" illustrations, showing nothing inbetween. "Arrange parts as shown--you're on your own to figure out how to do it, though" So here's the Binaltech scans for the Viper: http://www.bwtf.com/binaltech/lambor/book/index.shtml Start on page 4 or so for the actual transformation. You know, bad/incomplete instructions are actually worse than no instructions--because you'll assume they're right, and it'll just screw you up.
areaseven Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 Wait a minute...you guys still read the instruction booklets?
eriku Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 Wait a minute...you guys still read the instruction booklets? Believe it or not a lot of people do. I know this guy on another board that refused to transform his Binaltech Smokescreen until he was able to see scans of the Hasbro instructions. Personally I find instructions take away a lot of the fun, even if that fun is laced with frustration and cursing.
Californium Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 http://www.tfclub.com/tffiles/toy/toynews/index.shtml http://cosmicrust.com/ http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=3171341127
chowyunskinny Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 ebay auction for unpainted prototype with the RX-8 and now this, this toyline just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait to see the painted version. He had a blue paintscheme for the original old school toy.
eugimon Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 hmm, I dunno... I think I wanna wait for some final pics first... it's looking a little too energon for me right now.
areaseven Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 (edited) Yup, Tracks is gonna be a C5 Z06. Hope they make him blue instead of yellow in that prototype. And it looks like he's using a Mach Alert (RID Prowl) transformation sequence. I'm definitely getting one. Edited January 22, 2004 by areaseven
areaseven Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 it's looking a little too energon for me right now. Not really. The prototype looks like it's using Mach Alert's (RID Prowl) transformation setup.
eugimon Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 Yeah, transformation seems very Mach Alert, but I'm talking about the blockyness and the garish colours.. I'm really hoping that the yellow is prototype color only.
Anubis Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 (edited) Not bad so far. I'm sure the yellow is just because it's a prototype sculpt. Nice design. Look forward to seeing a finished prototype. I think track's final color should be navy blue or midnight blue. Bring on some Decepticons already!!!! Could they be saving a hummer, maybe a Silverado or some other HD pickup for a Decepticon maybe? Edited January 22, 2004 by Anubis
UN Spacy Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 (edited) Is there a pic of the vehicle mode lying around somewhere? I can't wait to see the finalized product............. EDIT: I just saw the link. Edited January 22, 2004 by UN Spacy
JRock Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 Why am I not seeing Alternators in Delaware?!?!? I haven't even seen Smokey yet and Sideswipe's out!! Living here's beginning to suck now. If it wasn't for the lack of sales taxes, I'd flat out leave.
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