1985: Vote for your favourite Autobot toy!

[grahamthomson]

It felt like nominating then voting seemed like a double exercise last time, so for 1985 we're going to go straight in for the voting! I've counted 28 new Autobots for 1985, so there are enough poll options to cover them all!

So, think carefully about which Autobot from 1985 is your favourite and then place your vote accordingly!

The poll will not show the results until after 7 days when it's been locked. How exciting! So get voting!

If you need some memory jogging, then I recommend: www.unicron.us/tf1985/ for pictures and information of all the Transformers released in 1985.

Feel free to put forward your reasons for voting or thoughts on 1985's Autobots as well. You never know, you may win other fans over to your way of thinking!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Nov 18, 2008 8:57:10 GMT @grahamthomson said:

The poll will not show the results until after 7 days when it's been locked. How exciting!

Unless you're a god-mod, that is.

I was automatically going for Jetfire, who certainly deserves the 'best' toy prize. However, this poll is for 'favourite' rather than 'best', and when I look at Jetfire towering facelessly over everyone else, I feel a lack of warmth for him.

I'm therefore voting for Tracks. Even without chrome (except on the wheels), he's a cracker of an Autobot, with a great realistic Corvette car mode, much more tasteful than Tracks-wannabe Hot Rod, rubber tyres, clear windows, roof compartment for spare missiles, and a finely proportioned, powerful-looking alien robot mode who can strap his rifle to his back when not in use.

AND! Triple Changer! As per his instructions, Tracks has an aerial combat mode, with black-beam gun on his underbelly, wings and engines on his sides, and firing missiles on top.

Also quick and easy to transform, about the same length of time you can go "CHING! KA-CHUCK! KLICK-KLACK-CHOOOM!"



Vote Tracks!

Martin

[Andy Turnbull]

Grimlock for me, he was my first Transformer toy and always a lot of fun.

Andy

[The Doctor]

Blaster. Enormous tape player! You can put other guys in his tape compartment! And! He has...

THE ELECTRO SCRAMBLER

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

That was a toughie. I've not gone for my favourite character, which was my instinct, I've actually read the question (an achievement for me!) and gone with my head. The best Autobot toy interms of style, transformation, engineering and character for me is....


GRIMLOCK!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

*Tracks drives off cliff edge, pops out his wings Gromit-in-that-sidecar-in-A-Close-Shave style, pulls out of dive, blinds Grimlock with black beam gun and flies off to seek cheese on the moon*

Martin

[grahamthomson]

Tracks would certainly be my second place vote. I never really appreciated how awesome he was until I got the reissue. And the real shame of it is, he was criminally underused as a character; so much potential there, especially with his flight mode.

But favourite of the year is Jetfire. I never had one as a kid but my neighbour did and I was insanely jealous since, aside from the rather crappy-at-the-time Powerglide and Cosmos, there were no decent airborne Autobots.

Plus in Germany, Jetfire was the Autobot leader so that swayed me, too. (Apparently they couldn't use the term "Optimus Prime" in the beginning in Germany for probably trademark reasons.)

In fact, I still have one of the German toy catalogues around somewhere, I must scan it in at some point.

[kayevcee]

I had a German 1985 catalogue back in the day- it came with my Topspin, who was presumably a grey import. Sadly most of it is lost to the mists of time, but I do remember seeing Roadbuster, Whirl and the Deluxe Insecticons for the first and last time before I discovered the internet. I remember that the triple changers were prototypes- 'anime' Astrotrain and what I later discovered was Diaclone Blitzwing.

Anyway... who is my favourite from the 1985 lineup? I think Jetfire is the pinnacle of transforming robot technology of the time, Roadbuster comes with tons of fun accessories and equipment (most of which owners immediately lost if eBay is any indication), Omega Supreme is massive and has many unique play features, Martin has fully extolled the virtues of Tracks and Hoist has strong sentimental value... but, the vote is for 'favourite' and I define a favourite as the figure I spent the most time playing with in the intervening 23 years.

That would be Cosmos.

-Nick

[legios]

Now there are a few people on The Hub who would be able to predict my vote in this poll, and I have no intention of disappointing them..... My vote has of course gone to Jetfire.

Not only is he a modified version of the Valkyrie fighter - my favourite transformable mecha design of all time - but he has so much else going for him. When I was a youngster he seemed like a genuinely huge toy, and the fuel-tanks and boosters just gave him even more presence. The non-humanoid head design worked for me as well - it gave him a bit more "alieness" (something he shared with Soundwave, Prime, Ratchet etc from the previous year), but at the same time he seemed like a bold and stalwart Autobot that you could count on. I also liked his bio - with his determination to find new solutions in science to problems. That won him a lot of credit from young Karl as well.

As I have aged I have come to find other things to like about him as well - his engineering is superb for its time, and deliberately innovative. The fact that everything, including his hands has a place on him and no vital parts need to be detached and replaced was - when the original mold that Jetfire is based on was designed - a real innovation (pushed for by the Kawamori Shoji, who designed the Valkyrie, in reaction to the other toys that were around at the time, such as Diaclone - and he had to work hard to convince Takatoku that it was even possible).

Physically impressive, well-engineered and an innovator in the real world as well as in his bio, there was never any doubt in my mind that my vote would go to Jetfire.

Karl

[karla]

yeah! Tracks

[grahamthomson]

And here are the results;
1 Grimlock
2= Jetfire
2= Tracks
3= Blaster
3= Cosmos
3= Skids