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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 21, 2023 12:38:05 GMT
Both of the Minicons revealed overnight: I wonder what the plan is for these? More? Singularly, Multipacks, With larger toys? Are we going to be able to get both in their Armada colours? Orange Jolt is kind of halfway between his original and Powerlinx colours. tfwiki.net/wiki/Jolt_(Armada)But he is kind of orange in the cartoon: |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 24, 2023 21:14:40 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 25, 2023 14:16:43 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 25, 2023 14:35:04 GMT
Sideswipe getting into pegging was not on my 2023 bingo card.
-Ralph
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Post by Toph on Sept 30, 2023 8:04:23 GMT
Okay so the minicons offer a perplexing mystery.
Having both Whisper and Jolt, they physically do not fit anywhere in the current (or recent) price point format.
They're not big/complex enough for singular releases at the core pricepoint (but studio BB Ravage and G1 Rumble severely test this), but they're also too complicated with too many moving parts to fit the Battlemaster pricepoint. (Likewise as a micromaster two-pack)
However, I think they'd fit as a deluxe pricepoint as a three-pack. And given that we have four released Armada characters (and five unique decoes), one confirmed coming (Tidalwave), one cybertron with a canon partner (metroplex) one not rumored but very likely (Wheeljack), and one rumored, I think the threepack deluxe format is the most efficient one.
1) Sparkplug, Over-Run, and Leader-1
2) Jolt, Swindle, and Windsheer.
And if they're not gangmolded, it leaves open the mix and match option for their repaints.
3) Powerlinx Jolt, Ramjet, and Clench
4) Drillbit, Zapmaster, and Corona Sparkplug
But then there's also not even a rumor of any more of these guys. But then, there were also no rumors of Whisper and Jolt, either.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 30, 2023 8:48:09 GMT
I'd been thinking for a while the Legacy Minicons needed their own thread. Toph's post pushed me over the edge. I'll gather in some further suspects on the matter.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 30, 2023 9:39:10 GMT
Some thoughts, some of which are retreading ground our US correspondent has covered: Toys that are Out needing Minicons Metroplex - Drillbite
Starscream - Swindle
Megatron - Leader-1
Optimus - Sparkplug
Hotshot - Red Jolt
Powerlinx Hotshot - Yellow Jolt Minicons that are OUT SG Whisper with Sideswipe
Orange Jolt with Powerlinx Hotshot From there we can infer the existence of the following Minicons Whisper for/with Wheeljack
Red Jolt for Hotshot
Yellow Jolt for PL Hotshot The existing toys imply the following repaints which in turn imply the following Minicoms: Starscream repainted as Thundercracker - Zapmaster
Megatron repaint as Galvatron* - Clench
Optimus as various repaints - Sparkplug repaints/remoulds * Galvatron has been listings leaked as has Vector Prime who would need a Safeguard Minicon We know Tidal Wave is coming as a Titan which may or may not have a Ramjet minicon packin, which in turn may help to explain why the Earthrise Ramjet PR disappeared..... Megatron's Leader 1 and Metroplex's Drillbit would seem likely to be the same toy remoulded It is not a huge stretch to think that Vector Prime's Safeguard could be remoulded as Optimus/Nemesis' Over-run/Run-Over |
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Post by Toph on Sept 30, 2023 22:29:04 GMT
And Swindle can be remolded into Mirage, which opens the Skyboom Shield, and all the other minicon combiners (which work best at the suggested/hypothesized deluxe three-pack).
And those four sets (Perceptor, Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Requiem Blaster) are the most likely minicons to get updates outside of the partners.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 30, 2023 22:31:48 GMT
It would be nice to see Minicons properly return.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 17, 2024 21:20:55 GMT
Picked up Legacy Megatron to compliment Crystal Convoy. Scale actually works pretty well. I opened Legacy Armada Starscream; I kind of really like it despite my usual reservations about toy homages where they've gutted them of play features. While I fully understand that feeling, my big gripe with Armada was the loss of articulation that Beast Wars had made standard. While I miss some of the play features and can not comprehend why there are no minicon ports on Megatron There are no original Minicon Ports on Megatron. Sneaking one or two in might have been nice There's tons of 5mm holes thought and since Arms Micron it's been standard for the Minicons to have 5mm posts. The two Legacy era Minicons we have so far both have fold out posts. Expect that on future Legacy Minicons. See tmukhub.proboards.com/thread/12085/mystery-legacy-era-miniconsGo dig out your Siege era Micromasters. Most of them have a 5mm post and can double as Minicons. Megatron likes the Air Strike team's sword |
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 17, 2024 22:07:30 GMT
No, Phil, no! Micromasters are not mini-cons!!! You go too far this time!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 17, 2024 23:02:38 GMT
Do you not think that Minicons are Micromasters who've just had their concept tweaked to integrate them with larger robots?
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 17, 2024 23:12:52 GMT
No.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 17, 2024 23:41:45 GMT
Do you not think that Minicons are Micromasters who've just had their concept tweaked to integrate them with larger robots? No. Also, Micromasters were invented first you mad man!!! The Siege Micromasters are also DIRECT REMAKES of G1 Micromasters. NOT ONE OF THEM IS BASED ON A MINICON. -Ralph |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 17, 2024 23:46:58 GMT
Do you not think that Minicons are Micromasters who've just had their concept tweaked to integrate them with larger robots? No. Also, Micromasters were invented first you mad man!!! I never said Minicons were first The Siege Micromasters are also DIRECT REMAKES of G1 Micromasters. NOT ONE OF THEM IS BASED ON A MINICON. -Ralph The Air Strike Patrol's combined mode owes something to the Air Defence Team's surely? And the entire "using the smaller transformer as weapon that can attach to the larger TF" comes from Armada's Minicons |
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 18, 2024 9:53:19 GMT
You do realise it is possible to have more than one set of planes?
Not *everything* has to relate to older stuff.
-Ralph
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Jim
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Micromaster Backside Monitor
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Post by Jim on Mar 18, 2024 10:36:06 GMT
ISTR many years ago people using a LEGO connector piece to turn Mini-Cons into hand-held weapons, feels like that ought to work in this context as well (if you don't mind mixing LEGO into your Transformers - I did mind so I never did this!).
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 18, 2024 13:24:06 GMT
NOOOOO!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Mar 18, 2024 18:39:19 GMT
ISTR many years ago people using a LEGO connector piece to turn Mini-Cons into hand-held weapons, feels like that ought to work in this context as well (if you don't mind mixing LEGO into your Transformers - I did mind so I never did this!). LEGO Technic piece - it works...ish... if you don't mind the grip tending to spin in the socket on the mini-con. It limits the poses that you can put the toys in because they will rotate under the influence of gravity as the technic peg is not wide enough to create sufficient friction against the inside of the socket. Karl |
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Post by Benn on Mar 18, 2024 20:26:34 GMT
And the entire "using the smaller transformer as weapon that can attach to the larger TF" comes from Armada's Minicons The Targetmasters say hi. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 18, 2024 20:47:49 GMT
Yes, there's an element of Targetmasters to some Minicons - notably Overrun and Prowl - but Targetmasters are handheld guns that plug into one specific place on the vehicle. Minicons expand that
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Post by Benn on Mar 19, 2024 8:09:42 GMT
So Micromaster + Targetmaster = Minicon? Which mean that by taking elements of two things you have created one wholly new thing.
Like, you don't bake a cake and say you've evolved the concept of an egg.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Mar 19, 2024 16:54:22 GMT
Oh no, not more Phil Mathematics!!
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Post by Toph on Mar 19, 2024 17:31:00 GMT
Minicons are not the same species as Micromasters. They are a wholly new thing that evolved a near identical appearance through convergence evolution, because they were filling the same environmental niche.
It's like Ichthyosaurs and Dolphins.
It's only now that this is becoming a biological problem since Micromasters have been brought back from extinction. Both groups are now competing for the same resources, and are also confusing some of our fandom with their similar appearance.
Targetmasters however only share a similar size. They do not fill the same niche, although some minicons cross over into Targetmaster territory. But to be fair, targetmasters were also extinct at the time, as well.
While Minicons typically do not share a niche with the 'masters, save for a few notable exceptions, the newly deextinct Micromasters have all been genetically enhanced to act as Targetmasters specifically.
There is a valid argument to be made about the ethics of this, but I'm not the one who will make it.
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Post by Toph on Mar 19, 2024 19:06:03 GMT
Unlike the Micromasters in their day, the Minicons had a symbiotic relationship with the megafauna of their time.
The larger species could not fully function without the minicons, and when the Minicon population went into decline (partly because of the invasive Omnicon species who were not native to that niche), the larger transformers who were reliant on minicons, had to adapt without them (thus, the cyberkeys).
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 19, 2024 20:39:52 GMT
Couldn't put it better myself.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 20, 2024 12:40:18 GMT
So Micromaster + Targetmaster = Minicon? Which mean that by taking elements of two things you have created one wholly new thing. Like, you don't bake a cake and say you've evolved the concept of an egg. I think we all absolutely need to start doing that from now on. |
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