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Post by blueshift on Mar 6, 2013 13:45:26 GMT
Gobots are one of those things I derided as a kid, but actually they're great. The mistake is to compare them like-for-like to Transformers. The Gobots were (I recall) equivilant to the Minibots at price-point, in which case they kick the hell out of the Transformers. The transformations/designs aren't THAT much worse, it's just a shame that Tonka chose to go with Hanna Barbara who decidedly did not 'sex up' the brand as Sunbow did for Transformers. 1. Puzzler - Seriously, an astonishing figure. Six robots combine into a bigger robot, with no additional parts needed! I'f I'd ever owned a Monsterous that would be there too. 2. Dive Dive - Really neat little submarine. 3. Spay-C - The big deluxe version. Nice space shuttle, nice robot, interesting transformation. 4. Throttle - I had this guy as a kid, big silver bike, again, nice robot mode and transformation. 5. Purple rock lord dinosaur - I loved rock lords, but only owned this one. My friend had the green pterodactyl and I was jealous
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 13:50:44 GMT
Sorry to correct you Matt. Not Sunbow, Marvel.
Marvel with Jim Shooter, Denny O'Neill and Bob Budiansky are the ones that sexed up Transformers.
Andy
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 14:00:36 GMT
My top 5 GoBots
1 - Road Ranger 2 - Crasher 3 - Jeeper Creeper 4 - Baron Von Joy 5 - Zero
Top 5 Zoids
1 - Redhorn The Terrible 2 - Trooperzoid 3 - Scorpozoid 4 - Hellrunner 5 - Zaton
Andy
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 14:32:53 GMT
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 14:34:52 GMT
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Hero
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Post by Hero on Mar 6, 2013 14:52:28 GMT
Forgot to give Road Ranger a mention too. I still have mine somewhere. I also had the larger version of Cy-Kill as well.
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Post by kayevcee on Mar 6, 2013 16:59:54 GMT
That said, I do have a soft spot for the Power Suits for some reason. I do appreciate the visual style and play value of the Power Suits, though their actual interaction with the Go-bots figures seems rather limited and only a few figures are sufficiently kibble-free to fit into them, which is a shame. The larger toys and playsets by Tonka were exceptional. I quite fancied the Command Centre as a kid but never cared enough to ask for one when the festive season rolled around- Transformers always trumped it. Also I honestly don't remember ever seeing one in a shop. I have vague memories of a friend owning one but that may be my memory playing tricks. The line was a lot more diverse than a lot of people - even folks like us with a keen interest in robots that turn into things - realise. Even among the traditional 3" robots, there was a huge amount of diversity. I find this to be the best visual resource: www.toyarchive.com/Gobots/Go-Bots.htmlI think, like Karl and his Zoids, I'll have to divide my nominations up. Top 5 Robo Machines 1/ Dive Dive 2/ Sky Spy 3/ Tux 4/ Scooter 5/ Sparky Top 5 Super Go-bots 1/ Throttle 2/ Leader One (eliminates all the weaknesses of the smaller figure) 3/ Bug-bite 4/ Spy Eye 5/ Spay-C Top 5 Combiners 1/ Puzzler 2/ Monstrous/Puzzler Fiend/Satan Six (I wonder why they changed the name for the US market) 3/ Tank Transer 4/ Helipanzer 5/ Re-VoltTop 5 Playsets and Roleplay dealios 1/ Rogun 2/ Zod 3/ Command Centre 4/ Thruster 5/ Scooter Bot After years of searching I've managed to acquire all three of the Combinators (although Jet Transer has dodgy ankles and cannot stand in robot mode) and two of the Dread Launchers. I've been trawling eBay and going to Transformers conventions for eleven years, and I don't think I've seen a Chaos in the plastic. Hell, if I hadn't won the catalogue selection in Martin's Quiz of Doom in Cardiff a few years back I wouldn't even have paper evidence that he existed! -Nick
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 6, 2013 17:13:53 GMT
Have you seen the Machine Robo Rescue book in the style of TF Generations?
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 17:39:32 GMT
Yes I have.
It is tops. Plus the DVD of Japanese adverts...
Andy
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Post by blueshift on Mar 6, 2013 17:52:52 GMT
Sorry to correct you Matt. Not Sunbow, Marvel. Marvel with Jim Shooter, Denny O'Neill and Bob Budiansky are the ones that sexed up Transformers. Andy I meant more 'cartoon-wise' given that it was the Hanna Barbara cartoon vs the Sunbow Transformers cartoon. That includes stuff like the character models which deviated heavily from the toys (when Gobots were very close), decisions like letting them have guns, voice casting that wasn't weird cutesy harmonica voices (I'm looking at you, Scooter!) Obviously the legacy Transformers owes Marvel is immense, but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Hanna Barbara had been handed the show bible instead. I bash Sunbow a lot, but oh goodness me...
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 6, 2013 18:01:54 GMT
But in all fairness I think we can all agree that Battle of the Rock Lords was the better cinematic outing than TFTM.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 6, 2013 19:13:51 GMT
No, Andu. Both are of equal greatness. Saw both of them in the cinema back in the day!
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 6, 2013 19:14:11 GMT
ZOD MONSTER!!!!!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Mar 6, 2013 20:59:03 GMT
I have seen someone elses copy of the Machine Robo book, and a fantastic piece it was too.
I'd forgotten that Rogun was a Gobots toy though. That was a toy I really did like when I was a youngster (and probably factors into the fact that I have a fondness for Targetmasters in all honesty.
Other than that the only thing that I can definitely say I did rather like on the GoBots front was the Command Centre - young Karl really liked the AT-AT/Quad-mecha mode.
Karl
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Post by kayevcee on Mar 6, 2013 23:52:52 GMT
Yup. Did Tonka design the Super Gobots as well? They have a better transforming robot legacy than I realised.
-Nick
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Post by Jim on Mar 9, 2013 9:13:49 GMT
Going through this thread I'm starting to realise how few toylines I got into as a kid, mostly due to the financial situation at home but also a bit because I got ferociously loyal to the things I liked (Transformers, Lego, Action Force).
I know quite a bit of this stuff from school friends and poring over Argos catalogues (mostly the latter) but I only occasionally felt like I was missing out. Starcom with its nicely unified design, and all those interchangeable pods playing to my OCD, strikes me most.
-Jim
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Post by Hero on Mar 9, 2013 9:26:47 GMT
Were Dinozaurs part of the GoBots family?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 9, 2013 10:01:36 GMT
No.
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Post by Hero on Mar 9, 2013 19:40:17 GMT
Good.
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 9, 2013 20:57:45 GMT
Ok, top 5 Go-bots. I only really had an interest in the small robots. The larger ones with the big heads didn't interest me. But the smaller ones were FANTASTIC!!!!! Some of the names though are MAD! Pumper?!
5 Fitor -Always liked the look of him, thought he had a great jet mode. 4 Leader 1 -My friend had him when I was a boy. Great figure. 3 Tank -Always always wanted one, but never had one, just a great looking figure- with a great name! 2 Spay-C -Being a space nut, I always wanted this chap, but never got him. 1 Jeeper Creeper -The only one I actually owned. Brillant figure, brilliant transformation. He joined the ranks of my Decepticons as a spy, infiltrating the Autobots, and went by the name of 'Jetrunner'. Cool name hu?!
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Post by kayevcee on Mar 9, 2013 23:48:36 GMT
Shockprowl- I have a spare Tank, although I don't have extras of his guns. Do you want it? PM me your address.
-Nick
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 10, 2013 8:16:40 GMT
Oh wow Nickos! THANKYOU!!! That's fantastic! I'll paypal you postage.
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Post by legios on Mar 10, 2013 9:43:01 GMT
Yup. Did Tonka design the Super Gobots as well? They have a better transforming robot legacy than I realised. -Nick As far a I am aware Super Gobots were designed and manufactured by Bandai. I think that, like the rest of the line they were mostly existing Machine Robo toys. Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 11, 2013 0:09:38 GMT
Week 16: Original GI Joe Figures (1982-1994)See www.yojoe.com/action/In UK terms this means figures from (and quoting the definition we used for vehicles in week 8)
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 13, 2013 19:21:05 GMT
BIG BIG BIG thanks to Nickos for sending me his spare Tank! What a brilliant figure! I would obsess looking at him on the back of Jeeper Creeper's card! And now I have one! And you found his gun! Thankyou so much old boy, you're a gent. But that's not all. In with Tank was DIVE-DIVE! Who was on my short list for my top 5, but just lost out. What a brilliant figure! What an excellent way to turn a sub into a robot! Why aren't there more submarine transforming toys! Thanks Nickos!
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 13, 2013 20:52:29 GMT
But now to the matter at hand!
Original Action Force (GI Joe whatever) figures!
I was a big fan of them as a boy, and have since collection a modest number of the 25th style figures. I would say that Action Force are my 4th 'Great Love', after Transformers, Star Wars and Marvel. After much tought (it. was. tough. but we're not here to have fun. this is what has to be done!), here are my favorite 5, baby!
5. Original Cobra Commander. I never owned one, but loved the look of him, and loved the character. 4. Shipwreck. I had alot of adventures with Shipwreck. I just found him to be a great figure to play with. 3. Flint. 'Cos he's the coolest and the awesomest and kicks Cobra's ass all the time! 2. Destro. Great character, great sliver-headed figure. 1. Cobra Trooper. I love Cobra Troopers. I LOVE Cobra Troopers. The original figures are obviously pretty primitive, even when compared to later original line figures, let alone the 25th style figures. But the cloth over the mouths, the helmets, sworn loyalty to Cobra... They're awesome. I now have a small army of some thirty 25th style Cobra Troopers, and half a dozen officers. They're my army. One day I'll have them the same with real people.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 13, 2013 22:13:56 GMT
A Joe list from me tomorrow. Then a cobra one. Then we'll put it together
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 14, 2013 16:17:56 GMT
An all Joe list to kick off with. I'm confining myself to figures I owned so no Payload5 Mutt & Junkyard - he's got a dog! Had both this and the latter Euro repaint. Both Superb. 4 Roadblock didn't own the original but did have the Tigerforce repaint. Not sure which is better! 3 Alpine Look at all the gear you get with him! Superb figure! 2 Snow Job Skis, poles, a backpack they fit into a gun! Wooo 1) Snake Eyes v2 (Action Force 87 Snake Eyes) Uzi, Sword, Bacxkpack, Wolf, he's jet black and that visor looks fab Honourable mentions (it's a long list) Beachhead, Dial Tone, Hawk v2, Leatherneck - love the gun, we'll do Joe weapons one week, Mainframe, Lifeline, Lowlight it so annoyed me he never came out here and Euro Lowlight was never quite as good Roadblock v2, Wetsuit, Falcon, Fast Draw a guy in armour with missiles! Jinx a female red ninja, Law & Order another dog handler, Blizzard another fab snow trooper, Hit n Run loved the accesory with the winding able, Storm Shadow2 love the figure but the accesories needed to be black or silver not red, Repeater steadicam machine gun, Snake Eyes v3 a revamped version but it bugged me you couldn't remove the knives on the chest! Stalker v2 another artic figure. With a boat and Euro Spirit another I bought because we never got original Spirit in the UK.
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 15, 2013 0:13:18 GMT
Great selection Big Phil. V2 Snake Eyes is the best Snake Eyes. I also loved arctic/tundra Stalker. V2 Rock n Roll, City Roadblock, Crankcase and the fantastic Footloose were also on my short list. The 25th's version of V3 Snake Eyes's chest knives do come off!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 15, 2013 11:10:49 GMT
Cobra (leaders) 5 Destro He's got a chromed head for crying out loud! Awesome! 4 Serpentor Cobra's always been a bit nutty in it's leadership but Serpentor is the point it starts to go Bat$#!+ mental. However he's such a cool figure. 3 Cobra Commander I never had this actual Cobra Commander but I did have the red Action Force recolour. Fab design and he can store his gun in his back. 2 Scrap Iron look at that missile launcher. LOVE. Sadly neither of my modern Scrap Iron's have the launcher. 1 Stormshadow almost pure white so the anti Snake Eyes in more ways than one. So much gear and a backpack that can hold it. There's a good reason why Snakle Eyes and Storm Shadow were the hardest figures to find that first year they are easily the best. Note: I never owned Firefly or Baroness. Armoured Cobra Commander is cool. Never liked Zartan or the Dreadnoks and most of the post 84 Cobra leadership were just waaaaay out there.
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