1984's Transformers Are Forty!

[Shockprowl]

Apr 8, 2024 10:24:02 GMT The Huff said:

I've said it lots before, but wouldn't Man Of Iron make a great film? Or British TV special/series?

Oh my godfathers, YES!!!


I was scared and intrigued by it as a nipper. Utterly entranced. Transformers, so alien.


Jazz is one of the all time greats: simultaneously a spy, a cool hip dude, an earth culture livin' advisor. Brilliant toy and brilliant Techspecs.

Prowl, Jazz and Wheeljack were my go to 'Chaps' back in the day. They enjoyed many adventures together.

I've always seen Prowl and Jazz as friends despite their differing personalities. Like a Kirk/Spick kinda thing. I was highly intrigued when I finally fully read Crisis of Command recently (well, about two years ago) having only previously read the final part only as a child. Seeing them disagreeing was fascinating.

[that_bluestreak]

Jazz is such a great toy. My wee brother had him when we were nippers, though his was the Classics version. It got absolutely thrashed. My next Jazz experience was getting the TF Collection one and that was such a joy. Great toy.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Apr 8, 2024 8:52:38 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Apr 8, 2024 8:44:30 GMT The Doctor said:

Do we need the apostrophe on '1984'? It doesn't quite scan right in my brain.

-Ralph

I think we do because they are the Transformers belonging to 1984.

Correct. Omission of apostrophe would make it the plural of 1984, and there's only one 1984!

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

No there's not, there's a book, a film an at least one TV adaptation which you can finally get on DVD

[Rich]

Apr 8, 2024 16:58:52 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

Apr 8, 2024 8:52:38 GMT Philip Ayres said:

I think we do because they are the Transformers belonging to 1984.

Correct. Omission of apostrophe would make it the plural of 1984, and there's only one 1984!

Martin

If you dropped ' 's ' then it would work but more elegant as is.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Apr 8, 2024 17:05:11 GMT Philip Ayres said:

No there's not, there's a book, a film an at least one TV adaptation which you can finally get on DVD

And a Goon Show spoof. Except it's called 1985.



Martin

[Benn]

One of my favourites, that one.

[Shockprowl]

Apr 8, 2024 17:05:11 GMT Philip Ayres said:

No there's not, there's a book, a film an at least one TV adaptation which you can finally get on DVD

There's also 1984 BCE.

[Philip Ayres]

1984's Transformers Are Forty: Week 3 - Soundwave & Buzzsaw

Soundwave
Function: Communications
Japan 17, VSY
tfwiki.net/wiki/Soundwave_(G1)/toys
tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm

"Cries and screams are music to my ears."

It is said Soundwave can hear a fly sneeze. Uses anything he hears for blackmail to advance his status. Opportunist. Despised by all other Decepticons. Sensors can detect even lowest energy radio transmissions. Able to read minds by monitoring electrical brain impulses. Acts as radio link for others. Locates and identifies Autobots, then informs Decepticons. Carries a concussion blaster gun. Often target of retaliation by his comrades.


Strength
8
Intelligence
9
Speed
2
Endurance
6
Rank
8
Courage
5
Firepower
6
Skill
10

Buzzsaw
Function: Spy
Japan: VSZ/D-106
tfwiki.net/wiki/Buzzsaw_(G1)/toys#Generation_1
tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Buzzsaw/buzzsaw.htm

"My bite is worse than my bark."

Civil and sophisticated yet very cruel and destructive. Approaches his lethal tasks like a fine artist. Each deadly mission is like working on a new masterpiece. Can pinpoint and photograph a thumbtack from 20 miles away. Flies at 250mph. Carries twin mortar cannons. Diamond-hard, micro-serrated beak can carve up almost any opponent. Due to large ego, will often sulk rather than proceed if his plans go astray.


Strength
4
Intelligence
6
Speed
8
Endurance
4
Rank
5
Courage
9
Firepower
7
Skill
9

[Llama God]

Ey, it's that one that turns into a walkman! What was that all about..?

[Benn]

Odd how the last line of his bio tends to get forgotten, and everyone is just too afraid of him to do anything now.

[The Huff]

Yes, Soundwave's personality has certainly grown over the years. I'm sure that now, many Decepticons look up to him and feel he has their best interests at heart.

[The Huff]

Of course, we should be discussing the lethal powehouse that is Buzzsaw!

[that_bluestreak]

I still have my childhood Soundwave, one of very few of my old toys that have survived. He's so battered, poor lad. I think I got him from a kid down the road, he certainly didn't come to me boxed and I don't remember having any cassettes back in the day. A nice toy, a genuine classic of the genre. The whole microcassette thing is a bit weird but it didn't matter because the comics depicted him as a boombox rather than a dictaphone and none of us knew what a microcassette was anyway. I've had and sold a boxed Soundwave, I regret it but bitches gotta eat. Would definitely get another at the right price just for the pleasure of the layout and design and Buzzsaw! I also want a Cassette Man, with the logo across his chest.

I am still after a Buzzsaw now, have had a few over the years and sold them. Ace toy, great characterisation by BB and sadly under-used.

[Philip Ayres]

One of *THE* all time greats. Superb toy, not heard anyone saying a bad word about it.

Working spring loaded door for the tape deck is a fab action feature, the storage of the weapons as his batteries is great unless you forget you can do that and he has the greatest feature of ANY Transformer: The Belt Clip!

[Fortmax2020]

Apr 15, 2024 20:07:18 GMT Philip Ayres said:

One of *THE* all time greats. Superb toy, not heard anyone saying a bad word about it.

His knees bend the wrong way.

[The Doctor]

Wait a minute. Soundwave is not a boom box??

-Ralph

[Benn]

Oh no.

[Pinwig]

... Not again...

[Shockprowl]

Soundwave haunted my dreams as a boy... because I never owned one. I yearned for him, and the cassettes. I loved them. But I never found him.


I made a cardboard cutout of him.



All time great. The sense of nostalgia is palpable. Only Prowl and Shockwave rival him in my nostalgasometer.

[pulsar]

I was very excited to get this toy in 1984. Seeing him blast Optimus on the cover of #1 was the thing that first made me notice TFs, and he was Decepticon leader at the time according to a TV commercial. Marvel UK eventually played into that more than a year later, long after Megatron had been released, perhaps the first example of following the toy range as fan service rather than straightforward promotion.

A pretend tape player didn't have quite as much play value as some other alt modes, but the robot more than made up for it, suitably menacing and I think the most posable of the original range. Then there's Buzzsaw. What could easily have been an accessory like Roller became a character in his own right with equal billing on the back of the box.

[Llama God]

Apr 15, 2024 21:18:29 GMT The Doctor said:

Wait a minute. Soundwave is not a boom box??

[Fortmax2020]

A boom box... with a belt buckle.

[Philip Ayres]

If he were a Boom Box...... where are the speakers, like Blaster has?

G1 Blaster's Speakers are admittedly very small for a Boombox. Titans Return is much more like it there

[Philip Ayres]

Do we need to broach the subject with Ralph of why Buzzsaw et al are smaller than a C-60/C-90?

[tomwe]

Apr 16, 2024 9:46:39 GMT Philip Ayres said:

If he were a Boom Box...... where are the speakers, like Blaster has?

G1 Blaster's Speakers are admittedly very small for a Boombox. Titans Return is much more like it there

I agree he's not a boom box, but I think the speakers are the top corners in cassette player form. bottom of his legs.

[The Doctor]

Apr 16, 2024 9:46:39 GMT Philip Ayres said:

If he were a Boom Box...... where are the speakers, like Blaster has?

G1 Blaster's Speakers are admittedly very small for a Boombox. Titans Return is much more like it there

Don't you start. Blaster and Soundwave are both boom boxes! As shown in media! FOR FORTY YEARS, YOU MAD MAN.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

Apr 16, 2024 8:40:11 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

A boom box... with a belt buckle.

That's why the belt buckle:

A: Makes no sense and;
B: Easily overlooked by many.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

Apr 16, 2024 9:48:40 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Do we need to broach the subject with Ralph of why Buzzsaw et al are smaller than a C-60/C-90?

Because they are TOYS, Phil.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

No, because they're Micro Cassettes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcassette

Rather than the standard Compact Cassette en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_tape