1984's Transformers Are Forty!

[that_bluestreak]

Jul 8, 2024 18:37:37 GMT The Doctor said:

I remember the convention that had stacks of Encore Ironhides and Ratchets at a tenner a pop as no one wanted them. Even at a tenner they sat there.

I should have stacked up on them!!!

-Ralph

Yeah, for real!

[Philip Ayres]

1984's Transformers Are Forty: Week 16|Thundercracker
Function: Decepticon Warrior
Japan: 24
tfwiki.net/wiki/Thundercracker_(G1)/toys
www.tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Thundercracker/thundercracker.htm



"The deadliest weapon is terror."

Contemptuous of anything that cannot fly. Not totally convinced of the Decepticons' cause, but they persuaded him to continue battling Autobots. Flies at speeds up to 1500 mph... produces controlled, deafening sonic booms that can be heard for 200 miles. Equipped with powerful drone rockets and incendiary gun. Doubts about cause sometimes impede effectiveness.


Strength
7
Intelligence
7
Speed
9
Endurance
7
Rank
5
Courage
8
Firepower
7
Skill
7

[Llama God]

Now this is what made Transformers toys, really, and why they have the staying power they do - that snippet of characterisation there in the bio. A bad guy that doubts his cause? That's something you wouldn't get a lot of in children's shows and toys. A shame that the associated media didn't really do much with it back in the day, mind you, but still, for a kid perusing boxes in his local Woolies this definitely fired the imagination...

[The Doctor]

Yes, but imagine it didn't have a bio but had ankle tilts!!!

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

I LOVE THE STRIKE PLANES.


I love the three of them together. We only really saw them at their best, all together, in Fire on the Mountain. The interplay between the three of them was superb. Didn't really see it anywhere else, to my knowledge. Not even in the comic.

Thundercracker is a fascinating character, that again we never really got to see explored much.

The doubting Decepticon?! Compelling! But I don't like it that because he has doubts they automatically make him a goodie- but I've not read much new stuff, so I might be completely wrong.

I still feel I don't fully understand Thundercracker, a bit like Bluestreak. And that's what's great about him. '84 is still giving, still making us think.

The mold of course is legendary and nostalgic.

But I can't trust the numbers 'cos they were messed up so (something that will aggravate me for eternity).

[Pinwig]

Jul 15, 2024 21:29:46 GMT Shockprowl said:

But I don't like it that because he has doubts they automatically make him a goodie

This is a good point. I like the idea Thundercracker's contempt is for the small mindedness of Megatron's goals, and that he has his own agenda - but he isn't as simple as Starscream in trying to achieve it. However his full bio makes it clear his concern over the Decepticon cause is that he doesn't like the idea of humans being harmed, which does make him a bit of a softie Autobot.

[Benn]

I actually have Thundercracker on my desk. Very nice toy. It's the Collectors Reisuue though, so has the silly massive rockets. Only spoils it a little.

[Pinwig]

I spent a while a few years back restoring a Thundercracker from parts. I decided to reprolabel him for a final polish and he came out really well. Did Skywarp the same way, now I just need to replace my commemorative series Starscream with an original.

[that_bluestreak]

Thundercracker :heart:

Was my favourite seeker as a kid. Still is. Why? I have no idea. Great character I guess.

I had a Thundercracker minus some accessories, not sure where it came from. Great toy, nice colours, not as eye-catching as Skywarp or as businesslike as Starscream, but still looks lovely. As has already been said, the tech specs were fantastic. It was nice to have hints of it in the IDWverse even if we didn't see anything in the Marvelverse. Despite having an original, I was much happier than most people seem to have been when the toy was reissued in cartoon colours, brought me a lot of happiness. Can't believe that it ended up being knocked down in price loads, what's wrong with people?


Got a few good moments in Marvel comics.... firstly in the very first story when the jets attack a a power plant and TC does a big noise, one of the humans says "aargh it must be the Russians" but i didn't know what a russian was so I assumed it was a typo for ruffian, which still didn't a lot of sense but there you go. He and Skywarp taking down Starscream together in Enemy Within, blowing up Mount St Hilary with noise alone, being taken down by OP in Crisis ofCommand, getting pasted by OS, and then winding up in limbo - that was a good bit of characterisation, the three cons were well chosen in that story. That was it until Dark Star and that was goodnight Thundercracker.

[chrisl]

Loved the Strike Plane design for these toys. Definitely one of my favourite G1 models.

[Cullen]

This one's a cracker!

[Fortmax2020]

His name is Thundercracker, not Chundercracker! 😉

[The Doctor]

Thundercracker is one of the few Transformers that Mrs Ralph can name on sight.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

1984's Transformers Are Forty: Week 17|Ironhide
Function: Autobot Security
Japan: 98
tfwiki.net/wiki/Ironhide_(G1)/toys
www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Ironhide/ironhide.htm

"High tech circuitry is no replacement for guts."

"Go chew on a microchip!" is Ironhide's slogan. Prefers action to words. Oldest, toughest, most battle-tested Autobot. Bodyguard to Optimus Prime. In charge of guarding anything of importance. Gruff, but kind. Trithyllium-steel skin makes him nearly invulnerable to attack. Shoots variety of liquids from supercooled nitrogen to superheated lead. Has sonar, radar, radiowave detector. Slowest and most fragile of the group.


Strength
7
Intelligence
7
Speed
3
Endurance
9
Rank
7
Courage
10
Firepower
7
Skill
7

[The Doctor]

"Slowest and most fragile of the group."

He's tough as nuts!

-Ralph

[The Huff]

Strange how I associate this mold with Ratchet more than I do Ironhide. Perhaps it's the whole medic bay thing, or the fact Ratchet came out first over here.
But even now, I do still just see Red Ratchet sometimes.

Given his personality in the cartoon, a red Trailbreaker would have worked better.

I guess the idea is that his sled is where he mixes his chemical weapons.

[Benn]

Jul 21, 2024 23:38:53 GMT The Doctor said:

"Slowest and most fragile of the group."

He's tough as nuts!

-Ralph

It means emotionally!

[Fortmax2020]

"Slowest and most fragile of the group."

Is he really Prime's bodyguard... or is Prime Ironhide's??

[The Doctor]

Jul 22, 2024 7:11:53 GMT The Huff said:

Strange how I associate this mold with Ratchet more than I do Ironhide. Perhaps it's the whole medic bay thing

Same!

-Ralph

[The Huff]

Optimus is so boring nowadays - I miss the original Prime, who always had a sense of humour and fun. Like when he played basketball and the time we're discussing now, when he made the most fragile of the team his personal bodyguard.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Jul 21, 2024 23:38:53 GMT The Doctor said:

"Slowest and most fragile of the group."

Probably means Bob Budiansky broke the toy he was given in the course of writing the bio.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Slowest..... maybe.

Fragile? No. In Universe that probably needs to go to one of Mirage, Sideswipe or Sunstreaker I'd have thought

Nice toy. I think Ironhide was the first full size Autobot we had, followed by Skids.

I've got the Encore Ironhide and the E-Hobby Protect Black Diaclone version that came out last week SIXTEEN YEARS AGO!

[that_bluestreak]

Ironhide... I never had or saw an Ironhide as a kid. I never saw one as a collector until Encore Ironhide, so I haven't ever seen his techspecs and am surprised by the whole 'fragile' thing. Seems unlikely for someone with an iron hide. As someone said before, perhaps they mean emotionally...

I have an Ironhide on my desk upstairs awaiting my chance to dig through my weapons tub and assign some accessories ready for selling. Despite having owned a couple he still seems a bit weird and familiarly unfamiliar to me, like he's a Ratchet that has been recoloured. I think that, for me, the Ironhide toy will always be Ratchet with a different suit on. Nevertheless its still a fine toy, especially one in good nick with the stickers on, all nice and shiny. I want the black one.

As a character Ironhide never really did much for me. As I have said, the cartoon didnt feature in my tf canon really. So all Ironhide is Marvel UK G1, and he got some good moments but nothing that really made his character.... pleading for Sparkplug in (checks... ) The Last Stand, being a dick to Jetfire and then taking Laserbeak and Slag out with a nifty move in Dinobot Hunt, digging up Megatron and feeling bad about it in T2006, then basically (and later literally) disappearing until On The Edge, killing a human in Perchance To Dream and not feeling bad about it plus a few bits of Earthforce stuff that basically involved him being macho. His IDW characterisation was much better and more interesting, though I never worked out if the whole 'visions' thing was an plotline that was amended later on or if it proceeded as planned but just didn't really make sense. Or maybe I misunderstood it, I dunno.

So Ironhide then, probably the 1984 bot that I have the least interest in.

[Shockprowl]

Ironhide!

I slightly resented him as a kid 'cos he was always in the cartoon whereas Prowl, for example, wasn't. But he's such a great classic character. And his voice is good to do too.

He is a bit of a "Red Ratchet', this mold is a stand out and very unique, and might have been better serving as just one character, but Ironhide can pull it off!

Numbers are what you would expect, I think, but the bio is a bit odd with the 'fragile' thing. Especially as it's already banged on about his tough skin (or iron hide, get it? Get it?), and resisting injury. Not a good choice of words. I always took it to mean he's prone to breaking down 'cos he's so old, a bit like me after digging my pond.

"Gruff but kind' though is an absolutely sensational line. Beautifully simple yet so descriptive. What a line. Three simple words combined in such a way to pretty much tell you everything about who this character really is. Echoes in my head still, that one. Genius.

He's one of the best, old Ironhide. A great multipurpose character.

Funny how recently they've put him at odds with Prowl, I'd always thought they'd get on. I could see him arguing with the back-chatting partying Ratchet (whilst grudgingly respecting eachother).

[Benn]

I very briefly had an Ironhide as a young 'un, until I took him out the box and found he was missing a wheel. Had to take him back and get someone else. I think that might be when I got Prowl, but don't hold me to that.

[Shockprowl]

I am holding you to that.

[The Huff]

He can still be tough on the outside but have fragile (old, worn) parts within. He did seem to be the Autobot on Ratchet's repair table the most frequently in the cartoon.

[legios]

Jul 22, 2024 21:53:51 GMT The Huff said:

He can still be tough on the outside but have fragile (old, worn) parts within. He did seem to be the Autobot on Ratchet's repair table the most frequently in the cartoon.

Or it could simply be that his armoured shell is much tougher than other Autobots, but his internal structure is a lighter material to save weight so that he can move that armoured shell and his various weapon systems around. (There's a battletech mech that is similar - it has Hardened Armour externally, carrying far more ablative armour points than its size would normally allow, but a Composite Internal Structure, which takes twice the usual damage once that armour is gone. So whilst its armour lasts it is incredibly tough - once its gone, it is going to break very quickly).

Karl

[legios]

Jul 15, 2024 8:37:24 GMT The Doctor said:

Yes, but imagine it didn't have a bio but had ankle tilts!!!

-Ralph

I probably wouldn't have been interested in Transformers. No, really. My interest in Transformers came about at least in part thanks to the bio's on the boxes of SKywarp and Thundercracker. It gave both of them such vividly illustrated characters that it hooked me in. They weren't just "robot toys", they were individuals with quirks and personalities... It was the gateway to a rich fictional world inside my head, long before there was a comic, or a cartoon with their particular individual variants on the tale.

Karl m

[pulsar]

As soon as I got the ambulance, I wanted the fire engine. And it was obvious from the poster in #2 that this was what Ironhide transformed into: he’s red, he has a water gun, and he’s got the same (awesome!) design as Ratchet, with a mini base that looks like it would be useful in pulling out injured victims, performing emergency maintenance, etc. He even talks about maintenance when we first see him in the actual story, and at the time there was no reason to think this might be a mistake.

When the toy finally appeared in spring 1985, the nondescript van was a bit of a letdown. So was the bio, which didn’t hint at why a security guard might need a med bay. I liked the design so much that I bought him anyway even though I already had Ratchet, but quickly got buyers’ remorse and swapped him with a friend for Red Alert — same function, and actually fire related.

The character was very underused, though I did like that Dinobot Hunt actually featured his MARB. We also see a more toy-accurate version of it (or Ratchet’s) blasting asteroids in #1, which I guess does explain why he has it.