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Post by The Doctor on Apr 9, 2019 11:32:46 GMT
The Action Force offer is unbelievably cool. Look at all the tat that came with it for a fiver. The exclusive figure alone is worth the hassle. It's such a shame that Transformers never got this level of add-on in this country. At least in the US they had several years of mail away offers for Robot Points, but we had bugger all bar the STARS base. I wanted that figure badly but was not allowed as I was told a fiver was too much for it. Darn. -Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 9, 2019 11:33:40 GMT
This was my first regular issue (I'd had a few random ones before) so the 'hop on point' worked in that case!! Gasp! How did you feel then when the colour ran out two weeks later? -Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Apr 9, 2019 11:41:40 GMT
Dreadwind said it was so you could colour it in yourself
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 9, 2019 11:46:20 GMT
And did you believe him? I hope you coloured it in!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 11:49:10 GMT
Yes, post Furman there is a tone of indifference in the editorial voice bordering on dismissive. As Stuart points out in his book, the lack of authority in answering questions on the letters page is also sad. The care that Furman put into everything is missing.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 9, 2019 17:45:33 GMT
Agreed.
But by this point the shine was definitely off Transformers despite it still being one of Marvel UK's best performers.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 9, 2019 18:09:21 GMT
And yet for a dying title it still has a hundred issues, a few annuals and years of reprint specials to go!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 18:13:09 GMT
Indeed. We're hardly done yet. I've still got almost three years of updates to go!
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Jim
Thunderjet
Micromaster Backside Monitor
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Post by Jim on Apr 9, 2019 20:10:15 GMT
The Action Force offer is unbelievably cool. Look at all the tat that came with it for a fiver. The exclusive figure alone is worth the hassle. It's such a shame that Transformers never got this level of add-on in this country. At least in the US they had several years of mail away offers for Robot Points, but we had bugger all bar the STARS base. I wanted that figure badly but was not allowed as I was told a fiver was too much for it. Darn. I was about to post the exact same thing! As a result I so badly had to get the version of it from the 25th(?) anniversary line. I think I have two of them.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 20:30:44 GMT
Let's have a look at that then. £5 plus a pound postage in 1989 equates to... £14.66 in today's money. That is quite a big ask from mum's housekeeping.
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Post by blueshift on Apr 9, 2019 21:01:19 GMT
That Action Force offer was cool. I wanted one and I didn't even like Action Force!!
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,071
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Post by The Huff on Apr 9, 2019 21:31:06 GMT
How is that figure supposed to represent everyone? Were there different shaped and sized versions of this?
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 10, 2019 21:12:03 GMT
No. If you were a small chap he wore lifts. If you were on the larger side, he had a corset. If you were skinny, he had a cushion up his top. If you were tall, he was just further away from you than you thought.
Andy
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 10, 2019 21:12:53 GMT
And yet for a dying title it still has a hundred issues, a few annuals and years of reprint specials to go! -Ralph I wouldn't have said it was dying at that point either. Just not the priority for Marvel UK.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 16, 2019 7:59:13 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #214 Guess Who The Mechannibals are Having for Dinner - Part 2: Landmine and Cloudburst encounter two hooded humanoids who claim to be able to sell them the microchips they want. They are then warned by Berko, looking worse for wear, that the two strangers can't be trusted. Berko says he has lost his friend Sky Lynx. Landmine and Cloudburst meet the strangers, who turn out to be Hi-Test and Throttle, as arranged and demand to meet their boss. This turns out to be Mastermouth, leader of the Mechannibals. The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire - Part 2: Megatron is offered the chance to regain his leadership if he fights for it in the arena. He accepts and take on all comers, gaining strength from his memories of fighting in the arenas of old. His prowess impresses the the other Decepticons, who turn on Legonis, Octus and Seizer, destroying them. Megatron is then restored to power on Cybertron. Elsewhere, it's a slow news week as Transformation simply recaps the week's stories; Steve saves the day by putting ants in Mountain Man's pants; and on the letters' page, Dreadwind fobs off readers with evasive answers to complex and thoughtful questions - such as Jonathan Martin's query as to why Ultra Magnus didn't get the final hit on Galvatron in Time Wars when a proper rematch between the two had been billed as far back as issue 161.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 16, 2019 11:24:45 GMT
30 years since the last colour UK story??!!!
*jumps in the sea*
-Ralph
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,001
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Post by primenova on Apr 16, 2019 11:47:07 GMT
But some panels of the UK B&W stories were coloured. Can we list when they are each week?
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 16, 2019 12:06:14 GMT
Can do. No prob.
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,071
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Post by The Huff on Apr 16, 2019 14:17:33 GMT
Why are Quake's treads drawn like that on the cover? The toy certainly cannot achieve this rude mode!
Perhaps he had a look at Megatron's toy before he went to fight him and decided he needed to compensate in that area.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 16, 2019 15:37:02 GMT
I have not noticed that before and now it is all I can see.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 16, 2019 16:26:36 GMT
But some panels of the UK B&W stories were coloured. That was only the early UK stories - 'Man of Iron', 'The Enemy Within' and 'Raiders of the Last Ark'. All the UK stories after this issue were 100% b/w on their first printing - then full colour when reprinted, either by Marvel or Hachette. Martin
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Post by blueshift on Apr 16, 2019 17:19:56 GMT
I think he means in the 'next issue' boxes
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 16, 2019 21:26:03 GMT
Oh! OK.
Martin
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
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Post by primenova on Apr 17, 2019 11:31:39 GMT
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primenova
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Post by primenova on Apr 17, 2019 17:57:25 GMT
Back at this point we are told the sales on the UK comic was lower now. But how was it compared to other titles Ghostbuster, Thomas (pre-school kids title), the US format comics that only lasted no more than 10 issues. Was Transformers still the highest selling title but not meeting the set limit so they could use the profits to support the other titles? How much money from Transformers was used at the time for doing Death's Head #1-10 & did Marvel UK make the money back for paying everyone from sales of just Death's Head 1-10 & dragons claws 1-10?
Just seen on Marvel UK information page that in 89 Ghostbuster became top selling comic for a while but was this due to Transformers going B&W?
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 17, 2019 21:06:02 GMT
Gentleman....
Over the last several weeks I have steadily worked my way through this thread. It has filled me with nostalgia and re-birthed wonder, punctuated by Pinwig's brilliant write-ups.
I... I hadn't thought about the comic for the longest time. Not sure why... But this thread has reawaken my joy for the Old Girl, who's dog-eared tattered pages I still own.
Hub, I thank you.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 17, 2019 21:49:40 GMT
Wait, what? You read through the entire thread!?
Wow.
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 18, 2019 7:05:41 GMT
Gradually over a couple of weeks.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 18, 2019 8:31:22 GMT
Back at this point we are told the sales on the UK comic was lower now. But how was it compared to other titles Ghostbuster, Thomas (pre-school kids title), the US format comics that only lasted no more than 10 issues. Was Transformers still the highest selling title but not meeting the set limit so they could use the profits to support the other titles? How much money from Transformers was used at the time for doing Death's Head #1-10 & did Marvel UK make the money back for paying everyone from sales of just Death's Head 1-10 & dragons claws 1-10? Just seen on Marvel UK information page that in 89 Ghostbuster became top selling comic for a while but was this due to Transformers going B&W? Marvel's revenue wasn't just from the sales. You are also looking at the advertising revenue they would receive for anything that wasn't an in-house ad. Also Marvel wasn't in the position of using profits to support other titles, if it couldn't stand on it's own it was gone or merged into an existing title. That was the UK comics model - hatched, matched and dispatched. Andy
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primenova
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Posts: 6,001
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Post by primenova on Apr 18, 2019 11:38:06 GMT
I was expected that was an 70/80 thing that was then changed 1988 onwards because we never got Sleeze Pendrgons or Death's Claws (1990's Motormouth became MM & Killpower before Killpower got his 4 issue mini)
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