Binaltech/Alternators

[legios]

shockprowl said:

Yeah, E.D.C. is an option on his labels. Goes on the back doors. There's that option and a plain option.

If a police car look is what you are after then Alert's body is pretty much detailed up that way already. He's a fair match for a modern police car as far as I can tell from photos.

Don't worry 'bout Alert, he lives on...

... AS A DISEMBODIED HEAD!!!! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

You should get a Shockwave that you can display him with - after all it would fit the existing precedent for decapitated heads in "The Transformers". (But then, when you said that you had removed Alert's head my first thought was that you could display the body hanging upside down from the top of a shelf. Which is what I was tempted to do with my headless Hardhead back in the day).

Karl

[Shockprowl]

legios said:

...You should get a Shockwave that you can display him with - after all it would fit the existing precedent for decapitated heads in "The Transformers". (But then, when you said that you had removed Alert's head my first thought was that you could display the body hanging upside down from the top of a shelf. Which is what I was tempted to do with my headless Hardhead back in the day).

Karl

LOL! I think anymore BT Alert abuse would result in Nick hunting me down like a rat!

(There are labels to convert Alt/BT Prowl into Red Alert, using poor Alert's head. I seriously thought 'bout it. But decided to keep my Alt Prowl body together.)

[grahamthomson]

Who collects Binaltech/Alternators?

[blueshift]

The battering my wallet took at the weekend indicates that I am once more collecting Binaltech

[Bogatan]

Not for 5 years or so, besides the ones i find at carboot sales. The option I'd vote for if it was there I liked them early on but they became to repetative.

Andy

[Dezzeh]

I have about 4 I think, not bad but nothing special really.

[Hero]

I got Grimlock, Tracks, Sideswipe, Ravage and Smokescreen. It stopped there for me.

===KEN

[Stomski]

I have one of every mould, I quickly limited myself to not getting repaints after I got smokescreen and silverstreak and realised that silverstreak was going to be staying in the box and knowing that it was going to get very expensive if I was to get them all.

[Bogatan]

It might not be 5 years as I made sure to get Ravage when it came out. Before that it was 2005. I probably have 5 or 6.

Andy

[bertie]

You know I do!

I would like Mirage and Jag Ravage, then I'll stop.

El.

[Hero]

Has'nt Smokescreen had as many repaints as a Spychanger mould?

I did have both the Binaltech and Alternator versions of Smokescreen and actually found the western release easier to get on with. The doors on my japanese release kept falling off and I found the die cast was'nt working out with it.

Sideswipe I like because its Sideswipe. I felt this toy should have been Tracks somewhat. I would have preffered a Sideswipe toy that transformed in a simular style to his G1 toy much like Smokescreen. Then again the proper Tracks they did came off the best of the bunch and he still is the coolest looking of the Alternators.

===KEN

[Deleted]

I have a few molds, but I don't go hunting for them or anything

[Shockprowl]

I DO I DO I DO!!!!

I freakin' love them. I have several. I call it my 'grown-up' collection! I display them along with my Masterpiece Prime, Megatron and Strike Planes. Alternity Bumblebee looks great with them also.

Lets see, I have:

BT Prowl
Alt Prowl
'Masterpiece' Prowl -BT Alert with Prowl head and stickers
BT Jazz -augmented with stickers
Alt Wheeljack -augmented with stickers
Battle Ravage -I actually preffer this version of Ravage
Alt Sideswipe
BT Sunstreaker
Alt Skids


I'm after a Mirage at some point, and then I'll have all the ones that they've done that I want. Shame they didn't do a Ratchet/Ironhide wasn't it?

I've had Swindle, Tracks, Windcharger and Silverstreak in the past, but traded them on years ago.

Yes, they are fiddly, and I hardly ever transform them, but I love them 'cos they're big G1ick figures that fit into my beloved Masterpiece line. Hasta Lasagne!

[Dark Stranger]

I'm only after a few of the Alternators, heard too many scare stories about Binaltechs and their chipping paint! Plus they're dearer than the Alts.

[blueshift]

I've never had a problem with any Binaltech. Now, Alternators on the other hand, shoddy plastic-itis

[Dark Stranger]

Really? Mine have always been fine.

[legios]

There is sadly no option in the poll for "I used to, but I quit".

I did buy quite a few BT's and Alts for a while. I have however got rid of most of them (Toy-Fu ended up selling some of them I believe).

I kept Alert and Alternator Prowl but in the end I have found most of them too fiddly to be enjoyable.

Ironically, despite the smaller scale I actually find the similarly engineered Alternity toys much more user-friendly and satisfying to fiddle with.

Karl

[The Doctor]

I bought one and got rid of it. Played with others, but they inspire rage in me with their fiddleness.

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Just be like me, and don't transform them ever!

[Toph]

You know, I feel Alternators was never taken to it's fullest potential.
I get there were maaaany unique problems that contributed to that, that simply may not exist today. Car company CEOs needed much ego stroking as TFs weren't the powerhouse brand it is now. Alternators was a hybrid proto-classics/masterpiece line (I still feel many alts were better figures than modern MPs like Hotrod and Tracks), and needed to ride a line that it currently wouldn't have to (both classics and MP can do classic updates better than Alternators could ever dream of).

But I honestly think that given a second go, maybe at a smaller scale, a line that follows the same original principals might be able to see the concept through to it's fullest potential.
Smaller than Alternators. Maybe a bit larger than Gen/RtS/U2.0 deluxes? Don't worry about the model-real interiors as as previously, and start working in older model cars.
Maybe rebrand it as More Than Meets The Eye (since Robots in Disguise is kinda ruined now)
They could even go a bit further by trying to interpret some of the fantasy designs as actual functional vehicles in a Sci-Fi subline, or dip into film licenses (Starscream as an X-Wing?)

I'd just kind of like to see Alternators explored more than it was.

[Stomski]

Didn't we have something like what you're imagining in Alternity? (The name itself I always thought was a play on Alternators.)

A high end, small scale licensed line from Sci-Fi would be interesting at this level of engineering, especially without having to have those wierd alt modes the SW-TF line produced.

[Shockprowl]

How times change. Alternators are the poor man's Masterpiece (until Masterpiece went Super Sunbow on us). By gum they were fiddley though.

I still have some, actually. Should move them on really. Not the Prowls though of course.


Edit: And I think there is probably a market for mid-to-high end collectors' licensed cars that transform, that are, perhaps, nothing to do with established characters.

[Pinwig]

I've still got four binaltechs. I fondly remember thinking it would never get any better than this when i opened that first Smokescreen.

[Dezzeh]

Yeah I have a few binaltech packed away somewhere. And the alternity Prime/Megs were fantastic

[Stomski]

BT Hound is still a joy and much less frustrating than the others. MP Hound just needs to scale this mold appropriately!

I also remember Overdrive being pretty good to transform, but it's been well over 10 years!

[Toph]

I loved Hound, but Swindle was just so much better to me for some reason.

[Benn]

I really did not like Hounds feet. They really put me off that toy.

[Philip Ayres]

Unmade Alternators/Binaltech Jazz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tfwiki/status/1087574997319725056

[Benn]

I very much prefer the Jazz we got.

[Dezzeh]

Bought a Binaltech.. bloody Triple Takeover..