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Post by The Doctor on Feb 25, 2008 20:47:03 GMT
How can you not love them?
-Ralph
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kayevcee
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The Weather Wizard
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Post by kayevcee on Feb 25, 2008 21:24:22 GMT
They don't transform.
-Nick
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 25, 2008 21:29:46 GMT
PSHAW! The partners do! And then there is the heartrending drama of the Action Master transformers themselves! Trapped in bodies that can no longer transform! The robotanity!
-Ralph
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Post by Dark Stranger on Feb 26, 2008 9:30:18 GMT
Just got Double Punch the other day along with Blaster and some Decepticon one I don't recognise. I love the Action Masters!
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 26, 2008 10:04:39 GMT
Action Masters are indeed tops!
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 26, 2008 10:32:18 GMT
Who will join me in becoming faster, stronger, more powerful than ever before?
-Ralph
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 26, 2008 17:56:28 GMT
I've always liked Action Masters - I thought they were cool. For example, Prowl on his Turbo Cycle has that certain quality that you only get in Hollywood bikers - Steve McQueen, James Dean, Arnie in Terminator 2.
And they were big. Transformers have gotten much larger generally than they were back then. It's easy to forget just how immense the Autobot Armoured Convoy was.
Also, most importantly for me at the time, they were a way of getting characters that I couldn't otherwise get. Shockwave, Blaster and Devastator were all Transformers that I first had as Action Masters. (In fact, I am still yet to get an original Shockwave and complete Devastator.)
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 26, 2008 23:39:29 GMT
They were obviously an attempt to move away from the giant robot aesthetic and into the action-figure territory. Which I would wager is a lot cheaper to produce.
I wish we'd gotten more of them, they are one of my favourite sub-lines of the Transformers and once people get past the whole non-transforming bit they will see that there was a lot of play value with most of them. Action Master Optimus Prime pisses all over Powermaster Prime in that regards, or even the japanese Star Convoy.
A lot of fun toys and some mental colour schemes.
Andy
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 27, 2008 4:09:05 GMT
Just got Double Punch the other day along with Blaster and some Decepticon one I don't recognise. I love the Action Masters! |
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Post by Dark Stranger on Feb 27, 2008 9:20:38 GMT
Yay! It's Take-Off.
Nice one Phil. Were there seriously only around 40 Action Masters produced? I always thought it was far more.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 27, 2008 9:33:26 GMT
They were obviously an attempt to move away from the giant robot aesthetic and into the action-figure territory. Which I would wager is a lot cheaper to produce. I recall reading somewhere that the move was influenced by a then growing popularity for action figures. Note that Turtles would have been the top boys line at the time. ...once people get past the whole non-transforming bit they will see that there was a lot of play value with most of them. Action Master Optimus Prime pisses all over Powermaster Prime in that regards, or even the japanese Star Convoy. Andy There do seem to be a lot of people who dismiss them because they don't transform, which is rather short-sighted. I agree, a great, fun sub-line. |
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kayevcee
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Post by kayevcee on Feb 27, 2008 13:26:14 GMT
I certainly owned enough of them back in the day (including Prime, whose truck is an excellent playset but the figure that came with it fell apart in my hands) but they just didn't hold my interest. The vehicles? Fine. The partners? Great! The figures themselves? Couldn't give a monkeys. Like Nigel said it was an opportunity to get hold of favourite characters that weren't available in Britain before, but my AMs went out the door shortly after I discovered eBay and found out that (to my mind) 'proper' versions were available. Call me short sighted if you must, but they're not my thing at all.
-Nick
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Gav
Drone
John Travoltage!
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Post by Gav on Feb 27, 2008 13:36:45 GMT
I believe i had a wee AM Shockwave at some point, and remember using him more with my He-Man figures to create a world-shaking crossover which left both universes changed FOREVER.
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Post by Bogatan on Feb 27, 2008 15:20:28 GMT
Somehow despite vivid memories of the intention I got almost no AM's based on existing characters I didnt already own. Megatron, Thundercracker and soundwave are the only two that come to mind. And we did have Galvatron, a wingless accessery-less TC and a junker soundwave maybe. Blaster Shockwave completely passed me by everytime I planned to buy them from Woolworths I got something else. (a reduced MM HQ on one occasion)
Andy
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 27, 2008 17:00:22 GMT
I certainly owned enough of them back in the day... but my AMs went out the door.... Call me short sighted if you must, but they're not my thing at all. -Nick I wouldn't call you short sighted, as you experienced and evaluated the toys. There do seem to be those who dismiss them out of hand, which is what I would call short-sighted. |
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Stomski
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YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
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Post by Stomski on Feb 27, 2008 17:36:37 GMT
The figures would be fine if the vehicles (and attack mode/bases alt modes) didn't look like they were thrown together by a 3 year old.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 27, 2008 20:55:35 GMT
There's a quite few I still fancy picking up, like the Elites, Euro figures, Prime's truck and Megatron, who looks great.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Feb 28, 2008 8:42:11 GMT
Its strange to me that the Euros are all such good figures, I say that as someone who picked about half the Euro figures as a kid without knowing they werent out in the states. The exosuits are great as are Sideswipe, Powerflash and Bombshell and the three of them all share the same style AM partners which are among the best in my view.
Andy
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primenova
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Post by primenova on Feb 28, 2008 15:02:24 GMT
The only real problem with them was the price. £4.50 for a toy - but you could get Bumblebee from Wilkinsons for £1.29. Would we have the PVC's if we didn't have AM's?
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 28, 2008 15:08:47 GMT
I'd like to join the Action Master appreciation club also. Love 'em. The figs aren't great, but there's something about them... something ineffible, that I love!
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 28, 2008 16:07:01 GMT
They do have a certain terrible charm. Case in point: the hilarious colour scheme on AM Thundercracker. He even comes with his own dungerees! And a very phallic gun.
-Ralph
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 28, 2008 16:14:03 GMT
Of course, silly me: Thundercracker was another that I had first as an Action Master.
So which Action Masters did everyone have when they were ickle? I had:
Prowl
Shockwave
Blaster
Thundercracker
Optimus Prime (a present because I had to have my appendix out.)
Devastator
Krok
Banzai-Tron was one I particularly wanted, but I don't think I ever saw him in the shops.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 28, 2008 17:34:40 GMT
Had none as a nipper. My interest in TF toys had faded by the time they came out. I don't even recall being aware of their existence. My love of Aaaaaaaaaaaction Maaaaaaaaaaasters began as an adult!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 28, 2008 17:40:55 GMT
Prowl, Starscream, Shockwave, Blaster, Grimlock, Devestator and Wheeljack
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 28, 2008 18:00:04 GMT
I had and still have (grown recently thanks to Andy):
Prowl
Jazz
Wheeljack
Blaster
Bumblebee
Shockwave
Soundwave
Starscream
Banzai-Tron
Inferno (although he's a bit worst for wear now sadly, think I used to play with him in the bath)
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 28, 2008 18:02:30 GMT
So it was you who had the Banzai-Tron!
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 28, 2008 19:28:11 GMT
Purchased in Woolies in Skipton, if memory surves me correctly! He's up for trade, for the right item...
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Post by Jaymz on Feb 28, 2008 22:37:24 GMT
From my younger years I had Banzai-Tron, Devastator, Jackpot, Krok, Mainframe, Megatron, Rumbler, Shockwave, Skyfall, and Snarl. And during my collector years I've picked up Rad, Rollout and Treadshot.
I only really went after the ones that had animal or robot partners, didn't like the skateboards or whatever. I also don't remember seeing any of the European exclusive ones about, the only one I have [Rumbler] came from Hong Kong.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 29, 2008 6:57:02 GMT
Did anyone here actually see an Elite AM in the shops ?
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Post by legios on Feb 29, 2008 7:06:46 GMT
I never actually had any Actionmasters when I was younger. I had stopped buying the toys by then. A friend of mine had quite a few so I did encounter quite a lot of them. They never really caught my interest - they seemed pretty much of a muchness with all the other action figures that were around at the time. As I've aged I've realised that the sculpts on some of them are actually rather good. I can see why folk like them, they just aren't really my thing.
Karl
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