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Post by Pinwig on Apr 1, 2014 22:13:11 GMT
This has been very dangerous. Upon perusing many of the TFU pages thoughts turn to expanding my collection again... Andy Absolutely. I surprise myself in how fast something I've only ever had a vague knowledge of and no interest in buying can become something I absolutely can't live without and will obsess about for weeks. It takes seconds.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 2, 2014 6:35:48 GMT
Quick question while I ponder - for the "toys released in 19xx" weeks, is that UK releases, or anywhere? Anywhere
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 3, 2014 12:14:38 GMT
I don't normally tease the first week of the month since it's so easy to work out what it is.
But this week some of the toys involved have persuaded me to write a little something. Repaints, Gang Moulding and probable factory errors feature.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 3, 2014 12:47:02 GMT
Meanwhile back in Minibot land..... I've taken the results submitted over the last week and turned them into a score for each robot. Each first choice gets 5 points, second 4 points etc etc down to 1 point for a 5th place, making a total of 15 points per person. If you didn't rank your 5 choices then they all got 3 points each - 5 lots of 3 also equalling 15 points. The results are thus: A couple of surprises there! Nobody likes Wheelie. Or Pipes. I feel bad because I so nearly voted for Pipes over Huffer. I think he's a fab repaint. The year 2 bots and Gears/Swerve did really well. Tailgate is the only repaint to rank above his original form. Here's the same date again, this time by score Then I thought it'd be interesting to see what happens to the scores if we average them out across the molds:
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 3, 2014 19:20:51 GMT
Awww, poor Pipes.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 3, 2014 20:20:22 GMT
Great to see those results Big Phil, very interesting.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 3, 2014 21:44:32 GMT
I'll do this one now so at least it's in the right week and start catchup over the weekend when I get time to think.
Minibots are such important chaps in the history of this range. I can imagine they were among the first figures everyone owned, not just because they were out first, but because they were pocket money priced and therefore didn't need birthdays or parental input to obtain them. If you then add to that the fact that the early Marvel UK stories made a point of developing them and putting them forefront, they were a big part of the early days.
Week 47: Minibots
5. Powerglide. How many flying Autobots were there at that point? Powerglide rocks for that reason, as well as the fact that his robot mode is really nice. Well, from the waist up anyway.
4. Cliffjumper. Always had the edge on Bumblebee for me. His car looked better, and his robot head did too. Mine's a yellow one, but I'm happy with him in red too.
3. Brawn. Funny looking robot, but it doesn't matter when something like Enemy Within gives you a brilliant characterisation.
2. Warpath. Warpath is one of the few early figures I can still picture buying, taking home in a frenzy of excitement and opening. In the new garden shed. My bike was destined to live in there, Dad had just built it, so it seemed fitting that new toy got opened in new shed. Don't even try to follow that logic, but it has made that moment stick in my mind. At the time I decided all new Transformers would henceforth be opened in the new shed. That idea didn't last, thankfully, but Warpath has and he is another I still have from those early days.
1. Windcharger. One of my first Transformers, if not the very first. I can't remember now. I still have him and he may have a wonky face that Tailgate corrected somewhat, but he's Windcharger. Raiders of the Last Ark. "Optimus... I've failed you...". Instant hero status. Nuff said.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 4, 2014 6:24:00 GMT
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Stomski
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Post by Stomski on Apr 4, 2014 8:44:34 GMT
TOO MANY GO-BOTS AND JET FLIP CHANGERS!! 5. Go-Bot Soundwave - Yeah, it's bright green and proclaims Go Bot / Transformers all over it. So barmy had to include it. Did TFs ever include the water colour change gimmick that Hot Wheels did? This would have been a great candidate 4. Go-Bot Ironhide - What lovely splashes of pink you have in robot mode. 3. Air Raid - Cool jet and CLAW HAND OF DOOOOOOOOM! 2. Go-Bot Mirage - Something about the F1 nosecone seems to make the robot seem much better proportioned than most Go-bot cars. 1. There's only 1 option for this, Laser Optimus Prime. Following on from Star Convoy and Hero Optimus Prime, we get another non-flatnose cab. And strangely it's in a 2 tone colour scheme. Crazy! Not overly keen on the colour scheme, or the huge stickers proclaiming the name of the figure on the tanker trailer (a recurring trend of G2, not really in disguise?), but the posability of this mold and features of the trailer make this a great fun figure.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 4, 2014 9:16:56 GMT
TOO MANY GO-BOTS AND JET FLIP CHANGERS!! These are Cyberjets, not Flipchangers. The Flipchangers were the next stage which ended up in Machine Wars 1. There's only 1 option for this, Laser Optimus Prime. Following on from Star Convoy and Hero Optimus Prime, we get another non-flatnose cab. And strangely it's in a 2 tone colour scheme. Crazy! Not overly keen on the colour scheme, or the huge stickers proclaiming the name of the figure on the tanker trailer (a recurring trend of G2, not really in disguise?), but the posability of this mold and features of the trailer make this a great fun figure. One of the real problems I have with this toy is the gimmick which kiboshes the posability of the right arm even for later version with the gimmick removed.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 4, 2014 9:25:58 GMT
Lots of bubbling under including the Autobot Cyberjets, several Gobots but especially the Lambo mould. 5) Road RocketBetter of the two bikes. Decent posability and nice gimmick 4) Laser Rod Optimus PrimeMellowed on this toy over time. Don't like the stickers, don't like the fake chest, don't like the hampered poseability, don't like the lack of compatability with the smaller figures. 3) SkyjackOnly third by virtue of liking the other two better! 2) SpacecaseIt's a GI Joe Conquest with two hands. Fab. But still not as good as 1) HooliganHooligan is one of my fave TFs of all time. Superb toy. Absolutely blew my mind when I got it, does so much, looks so good. EDIT: see tmukhub.proboards.com/thread/7635/cyberjets for more on the Cyberjets
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Stomski
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Posts: 6,100
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Post by Stomski on Apr 4, 2014 9:37:13 GMT
TOO MANY GO-BOTS AND JET FLIP CHANGERS!! These are Cyberjets, not Flipchangers. The Flipchangers were the next stage which ended up in Machine Wars
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 4, 2014 12:17:07 GMT
Laser Rod Prime by a country mile. The best Optimus Prime toy, just edging ahead of the 1984 release.
Other faves from 1995:
Bulletbike! He's shit but I love him. One of those toys I am destined to be trapped in a 'buy-disccard-rebuy' loop!
Cyberjet Jetfire. I like the plane mode pattern.
Air Raid. Stealth bomber!
Hooligan. So bright!
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 4, 2014 21:35:41 GMT
I'm not familiar with this year AT ALL. Some very nice figures in there though.
What's so good about Laser Rod Prime then?
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Post by blueshift on Apr 4, 2014 21:39:15 GMT
For a good many years, he was THE best Transformer ever. Super articulated Beast Wars style, but a vehicle guy. Later, when vehicles came back in, it was standard, but for so long, he was easily the best TF.
Still a great design, mind!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 4, 2014 21:43:45 GMT
I'm not familiar with this year AT ALL. Some very nice figures in there though. What's so good about Laser Rod Prime then? EVERYTHING. -Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 4, 2014 21:45:57 GMT
That's really interesting, Blue', thank you. This is an era I completely missed out on. Quite a big period really. G2 to the very end of Beast Wars. I was only slightly aware of Robots in Disguise. How long's that?! The entire 90s?
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 4, 2014 21:47:36 GMT
I'm not familiar with this year AT ALL. Some very nice figures in there though. What's so good about Laser Rod Prime then? EVERYTHING. -Ralph EVERYTHING?!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 4, 2014 21:59:33 GMT
With one button press, the trailer transformers into a combat playset.
'One step transformation' 20 years early.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Apr 4, 2014 22:03:18 GMT
Oh wow, how did I forget about the trailer?
I preferred the Black Convoy repaint. That was absolutely beautiful. The original was a bit grey for my liking.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 4, 2014 22:05:36 GMT
I'm not familiar with this year AT ALL. Some very nice figures in there though. What's so good about Laser Rod Prime then? For a good many years, he was THE best Transformer ever. Super articulated Beast Wars style, but a vehicle guy. Later, when vehicles came back in, it was standard, but for so long, he was easily the best TF. Still a great design, mind! Wish I'd seen one of these in the flesh, the picture on TFU makes the robot mode look like a plastic bubble bath bottle. The truck mode is nice, but why does he need OPTIMUS PRIME written across him everywhere? isn't that a bit of an own goal for a race designed to hide in plain sight? Where does this figure come in the pantheon? is he just a G2 figure or part of a sub-series within that? I've just realised that I've never looked into whether G2 was a general term for all Transformers at that point, or whether there were sub-series like Headmasters or Powermasters. Why is he 'Laser' Optimus?
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Post by blueshift on Apr 4, 2014 22:14:38 GMT
He was the big laser rod toy. The gimmick was they had transparent swords and light-up fists, so that uh, the hilt of the sword gently glowed.
The robot mode is very nice in-hand. It's very chunky, but amazingly posable. Compared to uh, pretty much everything, it was light years ahead. It pales a bit in comparison with stuff now after 10+ years of vehicles, but still, it's got a nice simplicity to it.
Tellingly, the generations version of this figure was nowhere near as good.
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 4, 2014 22:54:45 GMT
With one button press, the trailer transformers into a combat playset. 'One step transformation' 20 years early. -Ralph That is very cool.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 5, 2014 8:10:22 GMT
The Generations toy was nowhere near as good.
Owned three colours of the Laser Rod Prime mould at one point though two had to go for space reasons. Love it. Kept the original.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 6, 2014 19:42:09 GMT
Week 48 1995 Toys
1 - Laser Rod Optimus Prime. Fantastic toy, if the lower limbs had a touch more articulation you'd be fooled into thinking it was a recent effort.
Andy
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Post by legios on Apr 6, 2014 20:26:54 GMT
1995 eh... Yeah, we know where a lot of this list is going to go don't we? No point in fighting it. 5) Road Rocket - I've never actually owned one of these. I've owned a later release of the same mould and on the strength of that he gets in here. Wonderful toy - great bike mode, and some genuinely clever engineering of the humanoid mode out of it. Fun weed-whacker weapon is a nice little bonus as well. (Digression - I sometimes regret that Diaclone didn't run a year longer, because given where Shinji Aramaki's mind was going during the year he worked on the Diaclone Cars I think we might have got a smattering of interesting Motorcycle toys to add to the early years of The Transformers). 4) Skyjack - Transformer's first proper run at doing and F-117A Nighthawk stealth bomber, and pretty much a home run. Like all the Cyberjets he has enormous "wooshability", and the kind of articulation which makes him great to play about with in humanoid mode. I like the colour scheme as well - in my head it captures him in mid-fade from his natural red to the black of the night sky behind him as is cloak system kicks in. 3) Hooligan - VG wings, rare in Transformers then and now (something which surprises me - coming from Macross fandom and being used to them being a feature of a sizeable fraction of designs it feels odd that so few TF's have them). A pair of good sized missiles which look good slung in position. The colour scheme looks superb as well - makes him look like he is geared up to infiltrate a NATO Tiger Association Meet. 2) Space Case - Forward swept-wings, lovely aesthetic in both modes, lost of freedom in the joints which I have always liked in my toys. Top it off with a striking colour scheme and you are on to a good thing here. 1) Laser Rod Optimus Prime. My favourite Optimus Prime toy I think. Didn't own one at the time, but Black Convoy was one of my first two Car Robots toys when I got back into Transformers and I have subsequently owned a Laser Prime. Loaded with gimmicks - what feels like a "one of each kind" array of missile launchers, a gun, the quick-deploy battle station in the tanker trailer, and to cap it all off an LED to make his sword glow. Oh yes, and he has a sword, and not just any old sword, he is toting one of the really good Transformer swords (One of the sins of the Generations version is that it doesn't have a proper sword, just one of those big flat board things that a lot of modern animated shows use instead of swords - Laser Prime has an actual properly designed useful sword. Not only that but he is quick enough to transform that he is fun in play, but still as impressive articulation not only for his era but several other eras and as a result looks absolutely fantastic on display. A real winner that'd stand out in whatever era you released it. Karl
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Jim
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Post by Jim on Apr 6, 2014 22:45:46 GMT
Will have to skip Laser Rod Prime as he's one of the few I have no direct experience of, awesome as he looks. Still tricky to pick out a list from the great mix of Go-Bots and Cyberjets. 5. Strafe - Easy win over Space Case for me, I never got on with that deco. 4. High Beam - Lovely colour scheme. 3. Soundwave - So totally not Soundwave and yet so beautiful... 2. Hooligan - fantastic jet, outrageous deco, great name. Pure G2 at its most lovably insane. 1. Air Raid - edges it over Skyjack as I slightly prefer Air Raid's colouring, the blue gradient being a killer touch. Great plane mode, nice robot mode, I've owned all four versions and still have three (Universe Air Raid is my current favourite). -Jim
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Post by legios on Apr 7, 2014 14:04:19 GMT
Oh wow, how did I forget about the trailer? I preferred the Black Convoy repaint. That was absolutely beautiful. The original was a bit grey for my liking. Black Convoy is wonderful. The silver Chrome on the trailer is a thing of beauty, and the change to the sword colour is wonderful (also, the inverted Autobot symbol is great. Sure, it is purely because it is cast into the discs, but it makes him feel like he is deliberately throwing a rejection of the Autobot code in their faces.) Karl
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kayevcee
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Post by kayevcee on Apr 7, 2014 18:45:43 GMT
Yup. Better make time for this one:
5) Staxx. I always liked the name and the vehicle mode. The robot mode was passable given the gimmick. 4) Road Pig. Cool vehicle, cool robot, cool light up gimmick. 3) Roadblock. The Autolaunchers don't get enough love. The buzzsaw-hand was a neat gimmick too! 2) "Jetfire" although mine came on a Hooligan card so as far as I knew he was Hooligan. My favourite of the Cyberjets- the most uninhibited by his wings and airframe, and he had much stiffer joints than the other two. Space Case in particular went very floppy very fast. 1) Yeah.
-Nick
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Post by Bogatan on Apr 7, 2014 20:01:03 GMT
Considering 95 probably has the fewest releases of any of the last 30 years it's one of the hardest. If you appreciate the Power Masters* it's a year that has no bad toys. And a year with 3 bikes. 5. ?? Bulletbike - It's the one that stand out in my mind the most. Not sure why. It has an interesting transformation and a sidecar alt mode. 4. Optimus Prime - something of a holy grail item for me. By my own count, it was the only Prime I didn't have from G1 and it was using my favourite gobot mould. Finally picked one up loose last year at Botcon, then was able to find the package for it at another dealer. Very happy. 3. Sideswipe - Excellent repaint. My favourite of the gobot moulds. 2. Jetfire or Hooligan, close call. The mould is perfect Jetfire, but Hooligans colours. 1. Optimus Prime (Laser) - It really is great. It's also the only one on the list I know for sure I got in 95. One day I will get around to buying the Ultra Magnus repaint. bubbling under: everything else. *it seems to me they are unfairly viewed simply because they came out in 95 they year articulation in its current form took off. In truth they are very similar to Power Dashers, Throttlebots, Duocons, Sparkabots etc. I suppose it doesnt help that so man were completely unaware of them till much later.
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