VF-1Guy Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Am I the only one getting tired of all the car-based Alternators using (more or less) the same transformation sequence?I mean, that was one of the really cool things about the G1 toys, how each of them had to be handled differently to get the alt-mode. I was feeling the same way, but it looks like it is getting better with Grimlock and Windcharger. The way I see it there are three major transformation types that have been shown. Each has a couple of variations... Type 1: Hood For A Chest Variation 1: Silverstreak, Smokescreen & Meister Variation 2: Hound (the feet, front tires and seats are different than above) Type 2: Set the Car on its Nose Variation 1: Sideswipe, Deadend & Windcharger(?) Variation 2: Tracks (the doors and rear end are different than above) Type 3: Set the Car on its Tail Variation 1: Grimlock I would like to see a truck like a Dodge Ram or a Jeep SUV.
wolfx Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Wheee!! Got my Meister!! w00ts! It rox!! The one I got had a floppy right arm, and it pops out of its socket with some movements. Can be fixed by putting something between the joint. Interesting... The exact same problem on mine too. I thought I got a faulty one. What do you mean, "put something between the joint"? How? Also, the bonnet popped off... On the whole, though, pretty much everything that sucked about the Subarus has been fixed for this toy, which is cool. Except the elbow articulation. My right arm pops off from the joint connecting it to under the tire space of the chest. Sorry I lack the proper terms for the joints , but its like 2 bits stuck into a hole beneath the front tire area. How tight the joint is , is how far apart these 2 bits are from each other. So I would think if you put something between these 2 bits to make them seperate by JUST a bit, it would tighten the joint. I'm not sure what I should use though. I was thinking cutting up a piece of my eraser and just stuff it in between them bits. Where did you get yours? I haven't seen it in any of my nearby stores yet, even the walmart that has gotten all the previous alternators right on time SLE: I'm not from the US.
eriku Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Man, Meister looks so damn good. I really wanted to wait and get the Alternators version since it's cheaper and the white finish doesn't seem like it would look that much better on die-cast than plastic....but my impatience got the best of me and hinted that it was in fact my birthday today and that I deserved an expensive new TF. The next thing I knew I was entering my CC info on the BBTS order page!
Tico0001 Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 (edited) Man, Meister looks so damn good. I really wanted to wait and get the Alternators version since it's cheaper and the white finish doesn't seem like it would look that much better on die-cast than plastic....but my impatience got the best of me and hinted that it was in fact my birthday today and that I deserved an expensive new TF. The next thing I knew I was entering my CC info on the BBTS order page! HEY! The exact thing happened to me!!!!! (it's my bday too) I just ordered a BT meister!! I can't wait! ~Tico PS> happy bday to you and me! Edited October 6, 2004 by Tico0001
eriku Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Man, Meister looks so damn good. I really wanted to wait and get the Alternators version since it's cheaper and the white finish doesn't seem like it would look that much better on die-cast than plastic....but my impatience got the best of me and hinted that it was in fact my birthday today and that I deserved an expensive new TF. The next thing I knew I was entering my CC info on the BBTS order page! HEY! The exact thing happened to me!!!!! (it's my bday too) I just ordered a BT meister!! I can't wait! ~Tico PS> happy bday to you and me! That's too funny, happy birthday! May your Meister (and mine) arrive quickly!
motley Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 (edited) Am I the only one getting tired of all the car-based Alternators using (more or less) the same transformation sequence?I mean, that was one of the really cool things about the G1 toys, how each of them had to be handled differently to get the alt-mode. I was feeling the same way, but it looks like it is getting better with Grimlock and Windcharger. The way I see it there are three major transformation types that have been shown. Each has a couple of variations... Type 1: Hood For A Chest Variation 1: Silverstreak, Smokescreen & Meister Variation 2: Hound (the feet, front tires and seats are different than above) Type 2: Set the Car on its Nose Variation 1: Sideswipe, Deadend & Windcharger(?) Variation 2: Tracks (the doors and rear end are different than above) Type 3: Set the Car on its Tail Variation 1: Grimlock I would like to see a truck like a Dodge Ram or a Jeep SUV. i think its a little bit more simple but you've got the right idea. i'd put it like this. Type 1: Hood For A Chest Variation 1: Silverstreak, Smokescreen & Meister Variation 1.5: Grimlock (legs are different, but upper body is the same) Variation 2: Hound (the legs/feet, arms, front tires, torso, and seats are different than above) Type 2: Set the Car on its Nose Variation 1: Sideswipe and Deadend Variation 2: Tracks (Ravage?) (the legs, shoulders, doors, and torso different than above) Variation 2.5: Windcharger (transformation is a mixture of elements from variants 1 and 2) grimlocks upper torso is pretty much the same as smokescreen and the others, but the legs are new. hound is totally different from smokescreen and the others, despite a very similar end result. windcharger seems to have sideswipe's legs and tracks' upper body, but without the G1 corvette torso bits, and a couple elements from sideswipe. Edited October 6, 2004 by motley
VF-1Guy Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 I was going from memory on Grimlock. I should have looked before posting. The chest does fall into Type 1 - I guess we'll have to wait for a Type 3. It looks to me that Grimlock will be about as different from Smoke/Silver/Meister as Hound is. The legs are a new approach (eith seats for feets), the doors are in a different position (wohoo!) and the wheels are on the forearms instead of the shoulders.
Renato Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 (edited) Am I the only one getting tired of all the car-based Alternators using (more or less) the same transformation sequence?I mean, that was one of the really cool things about the G1 toys, how each of them had to be handled differently to get the alt-mode. I was feeling the same way, but it looks like it is getting better with Grimlock and Windcharger. The way I see it there are three major transformation types that have been shown. Each has a couple of variations... Type 1: Hood For A Chest Variation 1: Silverstreak, Smokescreen & Meister Variation 2: Hound (the feet, front tires and seats are different than above) Type 2: Set the Car on its Nose Variation 1: Sideswipe, Deadend & Windcharger(?) Variation 2: Tracks (the doors and rear end are different than above) Type 3: Set the Car on its Tail Variation 1: Grimlock I would like to see a truck like a Dodge Ram or a Jeep SUV. i think its a little bit more simple but you've got the right idea. i'd put it like this. Type 1: Hood For A Chest Variation 1: Silverstreak, Smokescreen & Meister Variation 1.5: Grimlock (legs are different, but upper body is the same) Variation 2: Hound (the legs/feet, arms, front tires, torso, and seats are different than above) Type 2: Set the Car on its Nose Variation 1: Sideswipe and Deadend Variation 2: Tracks (Ravage?) (the legs, shoulders, doors, and torso different than above) Variation 2.5: Windcharger (transformation is a mixture of elements from variants 1 and 2) grimlocks upper torso is pretty much the same as smokescreen and the others, but the legs are new. hound is totally different from smokescreen and the others, despite a very similar end result. windcharger seems to have sideswipe's legs and tracks' upper body, but without the G1 corvette torso bits, and a couple elements from sideswipe. I'd label Meister as Variation 1.25 for the "Hoods", as the arms and legs are slightly different. Edited October 7, 2004 by Renato
UN Spacy Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 Sorry to go kinda off topic but here's a quick pic of what MIGHT be the next Prime.
eriku Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 Hmmm...so basically when that thing is turned into a toy it'll be a brick.
wolfx Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 Sorry to go kinda off topic but here's a quick pic of what MIGHT be the next Prime. Looks like the Fire Valkyrie VF-19 Kai's head.
BoBe-Patt Posted October 7, 2004 Posted October 7, 2004 at least it looks better than the damn fatimus prime from energon!
eriku Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 at least it looks better than the damn fatimus prime from energon! I don't know, it looks like all the fat shifted to the legs. Seriously, look at those things, they're just stupidly large.
BoBe-Patt Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 his chest looks like it's going back to the RID style chest. It also looks like the power master prime where the trailer becomes the rest of the body. Maybe that's why it looks like that.
Kamui 777 Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 (CoryHolmes @ Oct 5 2004, 02:51 PM) Am I the only one getting tired of all the car-based Alternators using (more or less) the same transformation sequence? I mean, that was one of the really cool things about the G1 toys, how each of them had to be handled differently to get the alt-mode. Do you even know what you're talking about? The BT/Alternators are pretty much homages to the G1 cars. I mean G1 Prowl/Bluestreak/Smokescreen all transformed the same way and practically all the other cars consisted of pull down legs, fold out feet, pull out arms and pull down hood. Obviously across ALL of G1 they transformed differently, but the BT cars are great and are a lot more intricate than G1 cars. I'm also assuming that you're comparing Miester to Smokescreen. Again, the differences between Miester/BT Smokescreen are a lot greater than G1 Smokescreen/Jazz. Finally, if you you're sick of them DON'T BUY THEM!! Sorry to rant but I hate people who wine about "they all transform the same." Do you even collect the Macross valks? I wish I had time to complain about all the things I don't like...
Radd Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 I disagree with Cory's complaints, especially after picking up Meister and Tracks, but the man has a right to complain if he feels the need to. No good change ever came from sitting down and shutting up. But yeah, I lucked out. My local Walmart and Toys 'R Us usually doesn't get the newest Alternators until they've been out for several months. I'd just picked up Hound and Dead End like a week ago, so I was not expecting to see anything more for ages. I walked down there with the girlfriend, so she could pick up some stuf, and while she was looking around, I decided to wander over to the toy section for the helluvit and take a peek. Low nd behold, they had both Tracks and Meister, in snazzy new red packaging, and they were both the characters in their G1 colours. I'm guessing the G1-homage packaging is due to these particular colour schemes, and that red Meister and yellow Tracks come in the standard blue boxes, but there were none at the store so I couldn't compare. Still, these are the colours I wanted. I've little to no interest in picking up the others now that I have these. I used to keep Jazz standing next to Prime all the time, so I've got Meister up next to my 20th Anniversary Prime now. Both Meister and Tracks are great, and in many ways my two new favourite Alternators. Meister's transformation sequence had more differences from Silverstreek/Smokescreen's than I'd expected and Tracks is something completely new. I do have some minor quibbles though. On both toys there are parts that seem cheaper than previous alternators. Especially their guns. Meister's isn't so bad, but Tracks' is just plain cheap looking. Also, Tracks' head doesn't look nearly as well sculpted or painted as any of the previous toys. The details seem rounded and muddy, and the paint, sloppy. Meister, on the other hand, has probably the second best headsculpt after Silverstreek. I'm not talking the design, I'm talking the amount of, and sharpness of the detail. A strange thing I noticed, Meister on the box was transformed incorrectly. The photos they had made it look like he had no mid torso, just the hood of the car, and empty space, and then his crotch jutting forward.
VF-1Guy Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 I agree with you on Track's head. I think it would have looked a lot better fully painted. Bare white plastic often looks cheap to me (plus it yellows). The red face (not like they had a choice really) doesn't help since it ends up looking flat. Silver reflects the light better so it is much easier to see the various surfaces.
Guppy Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 You guys probably already know this but tfkencon.com has a preview of blue tracks with heaps of pics. I am now officially sold on it! Hated yellow, love the blue. Sentimentality goes a long way it seems! http://tfkenkon.com/g/?mode=album&album=to...views/AT+Tracks
eugimon Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 ever wonder where the transformer designers get their inspiration for their crazy designs? look no farther: http://homepage2.nifty.com/ztath/starthp/subpage15.html
NERV Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 You guys probably already know this but tfkencon.com has a preview of blue tracks with heaps of pics. I am now officially sold on it! Hated yellow, love the blue. Sentimentality goes a long way it seems! http://tfkenkon.com/g/?mode=album&album=to...views/AT+Tracks its nice but it seems to be very robot inside a car shell, the only car part that seems to be intergated as part of the robot is the shoulders/wheels, the rest is just panels hanging off
Guppy Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 You guys probably already know this but tfkencon.com has a preview of blue tracks with heaps of pics. I am now officially sold on it! Hated yellow, love the blue. Sentimentality goes a long way it seems! http://tfkenkon.com/g/?mode=album&album=to...views/AT+Tracks its nice but it seems to be very robot inside a car shell, the only car part that seems to be intergated as part of the robot is the shoulders/wheels, the rest is just panels hanging off yeah, that's been the general all round complaint everyone has with this one, me included. He's still crappy looking but at least he's blue! If they didn't bring out this version I'd be passing up on Tracks without a second thought.
Radd Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 Actually, holding Tracks right here, he's my favourite, overall, looking figure. Also, despite the complaints, he's really no more "shell" like than any of the other Binaltech/Alternators. The only pieces really "hanging off" him are the doors. No one complained about that on Sideswipe, or the "wings" of every other BT/Alt so far. The roof on his back? Well, that's every single Alternator besides Hound and Sideswipe, since those two figures have no roof.The front portion of the car becomes the back of his legs. There you have it, folks. Track's so-called "robot in a shell" complaint completely unfounded.
NERV Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 what do you mean the others are robot in shell? smokescreen/silverstreak/meister front wheel = shoulders front section = upper torso floors and seats = lower torso rear body = ankle rear bumper = foot rear wheels = heels and to a lesser extent, the rear seats = legs hound engine = arms front section = upper torso rear bumper = toes entire rear section collapses into leg armor spare tire = holster sideswipe/dead end i never liked and he is more robot in shell then hound or smokescreen but not nearly as much as tracks windsheild and seats make the torso and the shoulders/wheels the tihng that makes sideswipe better than tracks is that it's tighter and cleaner sideswipes wheels are close in the leg and the loose body panels are pretty snug against the robot but on tracks, its all just hanging off
Greyryder Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 ever wonder where the transformer designers get their inspiration for their crazy designs? look no farther: http://homepage2.nifty.com/ztath/starthp/subpage15.html I wonder how long before Japan faces a national chrome polish shortage.
Anubis Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 So how is the Alternator Meister's White quality? Is the car painted white, or is it just bare white plastic as well?
RFT Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 (edited) Low nd behold, they had both Tracks and Meister, in snazzy new red packaging, and they were both the characters in their G1 colours. I'm guessing the G1-homage packaging is due to these particular colour schemes, and that red Meister and yellow Tracks come in the standard blue boxes... I don't think red meister or yellow tracks are coming out as alternators at all- I'm pretty sure they're going to be BT-only. The prevailing theory about the red boxes on the TF board I spend most time on is that the red boxes are indeed G1-homage (as is the rest of the line) to the fact that G1 autobots came in red packaging, and decepticons in purple. I'd expect that when Alt Swindle turns up, he'll be in a purple box. Edited October 8, 2004 by RFT
DARKWIND Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 Ok. . . First, let's look all Transformers ever made. . . (click over to your favorite TF site for a reminder). . . Now let's compare them to the BT/ALT of now. . . I see a huge simalarity. . . . They are ALL "Robots in a shell", hence the phrase "Robots In Disguise" If they weren't "robots in a shell" then they would be just "Robots, . . with lame toy cars, and etc. . ." I suppose you could redesign them with removeable outer "shells" but, then you would have these crappy cars/car parts laying around and we know the "fans", just think of the reply. . . "Prime never shed his skin like a snake how dare they make this crap and call it Optimus Prime! ! !" I don't know about anyone else here, but so what if the toy has a roof for a chest. . . Or the front end of an 88' Caprice Classic for it's asscheeks . . . The draw to these toys is that they are different from other toys and more like two toys in one. . . Name one Transformer (new or old) that completely hides it's alternate mode to the point that if you saw it as a robot, you could not tell what it would be at all. . . I mean every last one of them has either a wheel, wing, an engine, an exhaust, a tooth, tusk, claw, paw, fin, tire, tank treads, cockpit, or something hanging off, protruding from, blatantly oozing out of it. . . Only it the cartoons was it ever really a mistery who formed what or what type of car did this guy become. . . Second, it's just the way toy technology is right now . . . And yes, it is better than 20 years ago. . . 'Cause back in the day, there was little to no real articulation in any of them. . .
eriku Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 The red box Alternators I've been seeing on Ebay don't appear to have a window on the box, in favor of a plastic bubble shell that encases the car. Is this how they all are? Seems like an odd idea but I guess it doesn't make much difference. Any word on G1 Jazz labels for Meister yet?
Majestic Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 Does anybody know the going rate on the 20th Anniversary Hasbro Prime? I know its been on blowout sale recently, but I haven't been able to find one. Anybody know what I should expect to pay by EBay? Or where I can find one for a reasonable price? THanks.
VF-1Guy Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 I really like my BT Tracks and I especially like the yellow (it is often the first color I think of when I think of a 'vette), but I have to agree that it is mostly a robot-in-a-car-shell (my definition: if I look at the toy from the side or rear and see most the car parts in their natural order, then I consider it a robot-in-a-car-shell). I don't consider Smokescreen or Hound to be a robot-in-a-car-shell since almost all the car parts are integrated into the robot (the car parts are broken up, rotated and moved around to form a robot). I don't have Sideswipe/Deadend, so I can't comment on them. I figured Hasbro went with a red box to match the new Energon (Powerlinx Battles) colors. Hasbro changes box colors all the time and the color is seemingly random. If I remember right, Star Wars (PoTF2) started off in green, then went to purple (Shadows of the Empire) then to red, then to blue, then to a different blue, then to black. Fans can argue that all the stripe package types followed lightsaber colors. This is mostly true except that the first color change (the one that was done for an mostly Empire-centric story line) was to purple. The current G.I. Joe line went from whatever it was (black?), to bright green to whatever it is now. I think Hasbro changes the colors to keep the product looking new (and to sell a crap load of the same item to MOC collectors).
Radd Posted October 9, 2004 Posted October 9, 2004 what do you mean the others are robot in shell?smokescreen/silverstreak/meister front wheel = shoulders front section = upper torso floors and seats = lower torso rear body = ankle rear bumper = foot rear wheels = heels and to a lesser extent, the rear seats = legs hound engine = arms front section = upper torso rear bumper = toes entire rear section collapses into leg armor spare tire = holster sideswipe/dead end i never liked and he is more robot in shell then hound or smokescreen but not nearly as much as tracks windsheild and seats make the torso and the shoulders/wheels the tihng that makes sideswipe better than tracks is that it's tighter and cleaner sideswipes wheels are close in the leg and the loose body panels are pretty snug against the robot but on tracks, its all just hanging off You misunderstood. I did not say that the others are robot in the shell, I simply stared that Tracks is no more a "robot in a shell" than the others. Of course, it all depends on what you consider a "robot in a shell" to be. If you mean a certain amount of the car must be integrated into his robot form, then Tracks has less of that than the others as the bottom of the car becomes his front instead of the top or front as with everyone else. Still, if you mean 'random car bits just hanging off of him" then Tracks has no more of that than anyone else.
VF-0S FAN Posted October 9, 2004 Posted October 9, 2004 I just got my BT-08 Meister from hlj. Wow !!! it rocks . I got the red one since we can't choose the colour by hlj but i don't mind because I gotta buy em all Now I can order the white Mr Jazz Binaltech by toy-wave . Keep one for me Ken I'll post pics of my binaltechs and Masterpiece Prime soon PS : the red one came with a car Transformers and Autobot / Cybertron stickers. For those who got the white BT-08. Did you got the same mini gift from Takara ?
Kamui 777 Posted October 9, 2004 Posted October 9, 2004 Yup my white one came with those too. I got 2 of each color. One set to keep MISB and one to transform.
Wabbit Posted October 9, 2004 Posted October 9, 2004 Hmmm, patience, that's what I need... Mine got shipped today, hope to recieve them soon (and that the customs turn a blind eye..).
VF-0S FAN Posted October 9, 2004 Posted October 9, 2004 Yup my white one came with those too.I got 2 of each color. One set to keep MISB and one to transform. Thanks for the info
Recommended Posts