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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 29, 2024 6:23:39 GMT
1984's Transformers Are Forty: Week 18 GearsFunction: Autobot Transport, Reconnaissance Japan: 85 tfwiki.net/wiki/Gears_(G1)www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Gears/gears.htm"Nobody wins a war - somebody loses." Gears is anti-social, a self-proclaimed misfit. Finds fault in everything and everyone. Acts this way to help cheer others up as they try to cheer him up. Tremendous strength and endurances. Totes heavy loads long distances. Launches to height of 20 miles, floats down on compressed air. Becomes an easy target due to limited maneuverability. Can detect infrared. Strength 8 Intelligence 7 Speed 6 Endurance 8 Rank 6 Courage 9 Firepower 1 Skill 7
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Jim
Thunderjet
Micromaster Backside Monitor
Now in glorious Ultra HD 4K
Posts: 4,931
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Post by Jim on Jul 29, 2024 8:57:09 GMT
YES!!! My first Transformer. Hard to look at objectively as a result, but I still think he's a banger.
I often forget how interesting his tech specs are. A misfit who pretends to be grumpy to cheer up others? Much more interesting than just plain grumpy, some unplumbed depths there. As a bit of a socially awkward misfit myself, it does serve to cheer _me_ up that my first TF was also like that.
The launching to a height of 20 miles and floating gently down thing is also a bit of an odd one. Nice way to get away from people for a bit though...
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 29, 2024 9:09:02 GMT
The proper head!!!
-Ralph
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tomwe
Empty
Tom reads comics
Posts: 1,037 
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Post by tomwe on Jul 29, 2024 11:01:50 GMT
The primary colours are a proper sell here. He's a hero. Mine is missing a back wheel.
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Cullen
Empty
Cat Stabber
Posts: 1,224
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Post by Cullen on Jul 29, 2024 16:03:32 GMT
Lol mine too. It really grinds my gears thinking about it.
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Post by that_bluestreak on Jul 29, 2024 17:40:07 GMT
Fantastic little toy. I don't remember having one as a kid, but I have had a few since. He is wonderfully simple and beautifully designed. I love his alien features and his weird hands, and I was an adult before I realised that his vehicle mode is a pickup truck with a tarp lid.
His characterisation, as with most of Bob's Tech Specs work, is masterful. I think we can all identify a bit with that. Plus an extra unrelated power for added play value, fantastic. It was nice that he got a comic story to himself to show off his grumpyness, albeit an anomaly featuring a goth spiderman (no superpowers in my headcanon, sorry). IIRC the only other starring role he ever got was in Dinobot Hunt - one short strip but really showed off the character of Gears. He did get namechecked by Starscream as he was destroyed in Dark Star, which is something I guess.
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Post by Shockprowl on Jul 29, 2024 22:04:19 GMT
Gears! Another great character with such hidden depths! Didn't have the toy as a boy, didn't know anything about the character other than just 'grump': "You're late." Only when finally read his Techspecs years later was the true depth of this character finally revealed to me. I often forget how interesting his tech specs are. A misfit who pretends to be grumpy to cheer up others? Much more interesting than just plain grumpy, some unplumbed depths there. This is it exactly! He *is* grumpy, but recognises that and uses it to try to help his chums. It's stunningly complex, and was never explored! He was just grumpy! And that's it! God Bob must've been really... grumpy, about that. I've no experience of the toy, but I had Swerve so I know it's a really fun and solid toy. Mini-Autobots are the place to be! And his numbers are interesting, as is his special ability. He's strong, obviously, but also fairly smart. And a rank of 6! I suppose he does have a specialist function. And a double function! Not many of them! |
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 29, 2024 22:27:14 GMT
I love his alien features and his weird hands, and I was an adult before I realised that his vehicle mode is a pickup truck with a tarp lid. WHAT. Gears is a pickup? The red is a tarp?? WHAT. -Ralph |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 29, 2024 22:30:25 GMT
Had a Jousrta Diaclone Gears when I was younger
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 29, 2024 22:31:29 GMT
I love his alien features and his weird hands, and I was an adult before I realised that his vehicle mode is a pickup truck with a tarp lid. WHAT. Gears is a pickup? The red is a tarp?? WHAT. -Ralph Here we go again.... |
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Jul 29, 2024 22:41:47 GMT
Oh no.
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Post by blueshift on Jul 30, 2024 7:04:08 GMT
WHAT?
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Post by Llama God on Jul 30, 2024 7:10:39 GMT
I mean I always saw him as a pickup, but I never read the red bit as a tarp - just as a... box... or... something. I actually never gave it any thought. Which only reflects badly on me.
But yeah, a great-looking little figure this, and as with many of these first-year Minibots, I love how alien his face is. Great, classic design.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 30, 2024 7:17:55 GMT
I love his alien features and his weird hands, and I was an adult before I realised that his vehicle mode is a pickup truck with a tarp lid. WHAT. Gears is a pickup? What did you think Gears was? tfwiki.net/wiki/Gears_(G1)#The_TransformersThe red is a tarp?? WHAT. -Ralph Once you know it's a pickup it's obvious the red bit is a load of some kind. Next you'll be telling us you don't know who the other 1984 Pickup is |
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,246
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Post by The Huff on Jul 30, 2024 7:55:38 GMT
I thought he was some kind of slightly off model jet plane!
My favourites depiction of Gears (apart from when he was partnered with Spiderman) has to be the Ladbybird books. Especially the part where he and Huffer 'pretended to be more miserable than the other.'
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 30, 2024 8:39:32 GMT
I always thought Gears was just a truck. A normal truck.
Does this mean his legs are made of tarp?? That makes no sense!!!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 30, 2024 9:39:07 GMT
The front of his, and Swerve's, legs are made of whatever is covered up in his flatbed
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 30, 2024 9:42:16 GMT
I thought he was some kind of slightly off model jet plane! My favourites depiction of Gears (apart from when he was partnered with Spiderman) has to be the Ladbybird books. Especially the part where he and Huffer 'pretended to be more miserable than the other.' "pretended"? Yeah TFUS #3/TFUK 5-6 are HUGE issues for Gears. In them he probably gets more time in the spotlight than any other Minibot other than Bumblebee. And he causes the argument at the end of US 3/UK 6 that causes Sparkplug's Heart attack and thus Ratchet's absence when Shockwave shows up. Arguably Gears saved us all! |
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 30, 2024 11:13:06 GMT
The front of his, and Swerve's, legs are made of whatever is covered up in his flatbed But if the legs are red and the tarp is red than Gears has legs made of tarp! If they were whatever is under the tarp they would look different. -Ralph |
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Jul 30, 2024 14:42:43 GMT
Maybe they are not like Earth tarp. Maybe they can be stiffened like Iron Man's suit.
Or they are not tarp and a rigid boxy load on the back.
He is definitely not a truck though. That's Huffer.
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 30, 2024 16:11:55 GMT
Gears is a truck! A truck! Vroom vroom!
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jul 30, 2024 17:00:50 GMT
Could we agree that the red on Gears is solid but designed to _look_ like something under a tarp?
As his function is transport, I like to think the red part is like the pods of Thunderbird 2 and could contain anything depending on mission requirements.
Anything that can split down the middle when he transforms without breaking.
Gears is awesome. He can fly and he can punch Soundwave and Ravage unconscious, and he can be smashed to smithereens and repaired in no time flat.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 30, 2024 17:11:37 GMT
And he has rockets in his feet!
His feet which are NOT MADE OF TARPS.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jul 30, 2024 17:12:41 GMT
He is definitely not a truck though. He is a truck - a pickup truck. What he isn't is the cab of an articulated lorry. That's Huffer. Martin |
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Post by Pinwig on Jul 30, 2024 17:54:11 GMT
This is how he does his air cushion trick. Blows up his tarps into big balloons and floats down from his twenty mile high jumps.
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Rich
Protoform
Posts: 880
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Post by Rich on Jul 30, 2024 18:04:21 GMT
Gears is a truck! A truck! Vroom vroom! -Ralph I always thought he was some kind of weird looking little truck that doesn't get made anymore. |
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Post by that_bluestreak on Jul 30, 2024 18:05:06 GMT
I love his alien features and his weird hands, and I was an adult before I realised that his vehicle mode is a pickup truck with a tarp lid. WHAT. Gears is a pickup? The red is a tarp?? WHAT. -Ralph isn't he? isn't it? |
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Post by that_bluestreak on Jul 30, 2024 18:08:48 GMT
My favourites depiction of Gears (apart from when he was partnered with Spiderman) has to be the Ladbybird books. Especially the part where he and Huffer 'pretended to be more miserable than the other.' oh yeah I forgot about that, that was ace  |
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 30, 2024 18:13:32 GMT
He is definitely not a truck though. He is a truck - a pickup truck. What he isn't is the cab of an articulated lorry. That's Huffer. Martin They're both trucks! TRUCKS!!! -Ralph |
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,246
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Post by The Huff on Jul 30, 2024 20:15:20 GMT
He is a truck - a pickup truck. What he isn't is the cab of an articulated lorry. That's Huffer. Martin They're both trucks! TRUCKS!!! -Ralph Which must mean they are both OPTIMUS PRIME! |
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