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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 26, 2014 10:01:40 GMT
Bubbling under: Any BW Neo Destron, but especially Magmatron and SaberbackTM Terrorsaur who was the subject of one of my first trades. He's been dealt a poor hand by his half arsed BM Dinobot Terranotron and his garish Armada Terrorsaur repaints (though I like the Minicon ports on the Armada remould). Surely a candidate for the silver and red/blue paint as Swoop? Likewise Armada Predacon is great but really could do with the paints and a new head as Grimlock. Points for beating TM Megatron by not breaking and for being a stealth insertion of BW Megatron into the Armada line. TM2 Dinobot & Thrustor for variations on the Borged Dinobot theme. Grimstone for being the really decent PCC combine, finally giving the western TF world a Dinobot combiner and fitting in almost perfectly with the original Dinobots.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 26, 2014 10:22:23 GMT
Top 5 time: 5) BWX DinobotIt's a close run thing as I'm very fond of Fox Kids Dinobot But this is probably the best version of the Raptor mould for me. 4) Wal*Mart StrafeThe Terrorsaur toy is a work of genius, probably the best Flipchanger Beast. The AoE exclusive version gives it new life in blue, evoking the G1 cartoon version of Swoop with the black patterning on the wings helping to hide the black plastic spine that's part of the transformation process. I'd love to see this in silver/grey and red/blue as Swoop but for now this is a fabulous substitute. 3) KillerpunchThe only Neo toy to make the top 5 in his own right, which is a bit of shame (though Strafe and #2 have Neo versions). Takara did a good line in modified versions of Transformer designs in the late 90s but Killerpunch is the only time they did it to one of their exclusive moulds, namely Guiledart. A massive remould produces a vastly different dinosaur, in decent Decepticon colours recently aped by Guiledart's AOE exclusive version Wal*Mart Slug who's unlucky to miss out here. It's a big shame that Killerpunch has never been recoloured or seen in the west cos he really is very very good. 2) Universe TriceradonGuiledart did make it to the west as a member of the Beast Machines Dinobots but my favourite version of the mould is the Universe ones. It's a good toy already but these colours just look amazing on it in the plastic, far better than the photos. 1) T-WrecksI'd never been that fond of Beast Wars Megatron. Maybe it was because he came out opposite Ultra Optimus, one of the best toys of all time, and pales by comparison. Certainly the lack of decent hands played a part. But the T-Wrecks repaint.... oh my goodness. It brings the toy to life, revealing details hidden by the BW Ultra's (entirely appropriate for the character) colour scheme. Where's Megatron's black swallows detail the colours here reveal it with the beast shell making it look vibrant. Love it. Mine's got a little chip in the dino body work which is sad, but I wouldn't part with him for the world.
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Post by Shockprowl on Sept 30, 2014 19:00:56 GMT
I've thought long and hard about my Dinosaur list. I'm just doing the one list, 'cos it turns out it's not as G1 Dinobot bias as I expected it would be.
5. G1 Sludge. My joint favorite Dinobot, the only other one I owned other than Grimlock. Great toy.
4. G1 Grimlock. The Dinobots, back in the day, blew me away. "What a brilliant idea!" the young Shockprowl thought. Grimlock is the best of the lot, the leader being, of course, a T-Rex.
3. Beast Wars T-Rex Megatron. What do you make the baddie leader in a realistic creature continuity, a leader who's been a gun, a tank etc. A T-REX OF COURSE! The figure suffers due to the bonkers Dinoheadhand thing, but this is a great dinosaur Transformer and lots of fun.
2. Magmatron. Surprised myself putting this chap so high. But he's a great Transformer 'n' no mistake. Three in one, baby! Brilliant design.
1. Masterpiece Grimlock. I don't own one (STILL!), and forgive me CJ, but it's just the perfect update of an iconic Transformer.
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Post by legios on Oct 2, 2014 19:04:03 GMT
Week 73: Dinosaurs
What, oh! Me was right. It Dinosaur Week. Me sorry, me been busy. Have had Xbox moved to new Throne Room in Ark. Me play Splinter Cell. Karlock very stealthy dinosaur...
So, anyway. Dinosaur robots. Two lists coming up.
Dinosaur Robots Overall
Bubbling under- Swoop, a toy I love the idea and the look of but find in practice it feels so alarmingly fragile in the hands that it somewhat takes away some of the fun of owning one.
5) T-Wrecks: Fantastic looking toy, the colours are great - giving it a look very much like the dinosaur toys I came back with from the museum in Cardiff as a kid. He's also got plenty of fun gimmicks - hip missiles, water-squirting gun in the snappy T-Rex head which forms his forearm, and a big claw on the other arm for squishing the heads of obnoxious vehicons if he catches them. Great fun toy with a fantastic colour scheme
4) Sludge: The big loveable lummox. His dinosaur mode looks the part, and feels suitable stompy. His humanoid mode similarly has an almost clumsy look to it in some way I can't put my finger to. Like all the Dinobots he has a great array of accessories - I love the fact that they come with one long- or mid- range gun, one big wide-mouthed explody projectile launcher and, if all else fails, a stabby/slashy thing. They are probably some of the best equipped Transformer toys of the original line in terms of flexibility.
3) Slag: Slag looks mean. His dinosaur mode always looked like he was in a bad mood - it is probably the horns and the ruff of plates at the back of the head. Somehow this seems to transfer to his humanoid mode, where the head looks kind of sullen and somewhat disgruntled. Combine that with the bio on the back of his box which indicated that his job was to breath fire on enemies until they die and he conveys the impression of a guy you'd rather leave alone rather than risk getting on his bad side.
2) Snarl: One of my two most coveted Dinobots when I was a kid - I've always loved the way Stegosaurii look, and in Snarl's case all the gold chroming does make him look rather natty. He also had the advantage of one of being in one of the best installments of Dinobot Hunt. His portrayal there as an unstoppable force which can't even be killed with a bonkers comic-style doomsday weapon, only KO'd, gave him a huge edge over most of the other Dinobots in terms of appeal to Karl
1) Grimlock: A robot T-Rex... Say it again, a robot T-Rex. So that basically combines two of the best things in the world to a sub-teenage boy... To add to that Grimlock is an absolutely fantastically engineered toy. I think the greatest praise I can give the engineering on this toy is that it absolutely stands the test of time. It isn't just a good toy for its age, it is a good toy even by today's standards in terms of the way it is designed and put together. He is also terrific fun to play with - in dinosaur mode he has big teeth which can chomp on pencils and crayons. In humanoid mode he looks big, strong and capable of taking on more than his fair share of Decepticons. I love the way his claws can fold down over his hands, it almost feels like he has built in Katar so even if a Decepticon does manage to disarm him in combat Grimlock is still fully capable of giving him a good solid stabbing. Lovely toy, looks good, has oodles of play value and the customary Dinobot stash of good accessories.
Dinosaur Robots excluding Dinobots
5. "Age of Extinction" Asda exclusive Strafe: The Terrosaur mould is something of an underappreciated gem from the early Beast Wars era. A fun toy, with lots of joints in its humanoid mode and a very solid dinosaur mode. This release gives it the best colours the toy has had. It also comes with a free movie Bumblebee, but that just gives him something to feel superior to whilst he waits for you to take him out of the box
4. TM Megatron: A robot T-Rex, on roller skates. If that isn't daft enough he has a pair of fold-out lift fans so that he can get airborne (in my head this looks somewhat like a desperately flapping chicken which suddenly realises that he is actually flying...). This toy is, like so many Transmetals, simply ludicrous. But it is the absurdity of a dinosaur on roller skates which sells it to me to be honest. The fact that it also has a really good humanoid mode seems almost like a pleasant extra by comparison to the glorious dementedness of the dinosaur mode.
3. BM Dinobots Guiledart: A Tricecatops with a somewhat dopy-looking expression on his face, in both modes. Love this toy, chunky, stocky looking in both modes with some fantastic detailing on the dinosaur skin. He also retains the amusing "playing dead" feature from his Beast Wars Neo release, which in his case makes him look more like he is tired and needs a lie-down to get his non-existent breath back.
2. Archadis: An Archeopteryx is an unexpected alt-mode in many ways. but this one is a lot of fun. The alt-mode is fun, with the play value of the underwing bombs which can be dropped on unsuspecting Cybertrons. The humanoid mode strongly looks like it is wearing a Clint Eastwood style poncho, and it has a fast-draw gimmick just to extend the resemblance. Really the only thing that prevents him being the "Bot with no name" is that it is printed on his box... I also prefer the colour scheme on this release to the Dinobots version.
1. T-Wrecks: See above :-) (Cut and paste, me? Too much like hard work for this time on a Thursday evening...)
Karl
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 2, 2014 19:51:54 GMT
Where's the Thursday tease?
It is Thursday, isn't it?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 2, 2014 20:28:45 GMT
It's first Friday of the month this week so you don't get one because it's possible to work out what it'll be!
(one of my fave all time toys gets my top vote this week)
Later in the month we get a character who's toy should have been a different character in a different colour, possibly THE favourite toyline of the forum, a vehicle mode which possibly should have been Decepticon before it was Autobot * and our second dip into the world of TF accessories.
But tomorrow ..... we go to Jupiter.
* I wrote my tease for week 3 this month a while back. I've read it and for five mins I couldn't make head nor tail of it!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 3, 2014 6:39:19 GMT
Week 74: 2001 ToysYour top 5 toys released in 2001 please. See www.tfu.info/year/01index.htm for help We're talking the end of Beast Machines - Battle for the Spark - and the start of Robots in Disguise here.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 3, 2014 8:08:07 GMT
I'm ignoring everything RID released in Car Robots here. Bubbling under: Spystreak and that would have made the top 5 if they'd have given him the black/red colours early pictures showed. The toy is great but the colours we got aren't good enough. 5) Towline vs Skyfire4) Skid-z vs WindsheerIn Japan Wrecker Hook and Indy Heat came out by themselves. If you wanted the Flipchanger jets to fight them you used Thrust & Dirge released in BWII the previous year. In RID however they get bumped up to deluxe level with recolours of the jets thrown in... And, IIRC, these are the first versions of the jest to fix the problem with the transformation which meant the nose didn't go flush with the chest. Windsheer is the better of the two, hence the ranking, but they're both great so naturally they didn't make it to the UK starting the horror that was RID's UK distribution as they intended going on! 3) StrykaThe last deluxe Beast Machines wave is gold. A female tank bot with reciprocating cannons? Fabulous. Yes there's some oddities: the elbows, hips and the lack of hands. But it's a good toy. 2) 16-S MegatronI'm trying to avoid reissues as we go forward but S-16 is worth talking about because it's the first version of Megatron with EVERYTHING in: From the Japanese version we get the sword, bullets and firing mechanism in the gun. From the US version we get the chrome, red panels and the stock/sight/fusion cannon. And from the Microman version we get the firing mechanism for the stock, never seen on a Transformers version of the toy before. This is the complete version of Megatron. 1) Night Slash CheetorPoor, poor Cheetor. The hero character for the beast series he gets treated horribly by Beast Machines with a toy that's too big and a toy that's far too big both of which have trouble standing. NSC *finally* casts him in the correct size, makes him stand OK, makes him look good, adds a great action feature and generally gets it right. The fact it's a stealth version for which no accurately coloured cartoon version has ever been produced is a mere detail. (Should be bright yellow all over, make the clear plastic green or red) That aside, this is a case of Hasbro getting it VERY right. Of course by this time BM was long dead in the UK so importing was the order of the day. I think I brought at least three in for TMUKers - James W and Nick R spring to mind. So it was some surprise when Euro carded versions of this and other late BM toys, Stika included, started showing up on market stalls and discount stores at the end of the year!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 9, 2014 10:36:57 GMT
Thursday Tease Later in the month we get a character who's toy should have been a different character in a different colour So this week we're looking for a character that is involved in Transformers first big mistake
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Post by legios on Oct 9, 2014 20:06:48 GMT
Week 74: 2001 Toys
You do realise the tease for this week could have been confusing - especially for those of us whose first experience of 2001 wasn't the film. My head flips back and forth as to which gas giant Discovery was headed for... But anyways, this week was really tough, not because I was scratching around to find anything but because there are so many good toys it was hard to trim it down.
5) Spystreak: Lovely alt mode - borrowing aesthetics from possibly Kelly Johnson's finest creation (and they do say steal from the very best) but giving it a lean, sharklike profile. Fun transformation too, with the heavily built arms in humanoid mode making it feel like he was meant more for "search and destroy" than "sneak and peek".
4) Tow-line vs Skyfire 3) Skidz vs Windsheer
Lovely two-packs, giving us a ground based Autobot versus a flying Decepticon all in one neat little package. The colour schemes on all four toys are pretty great as well. Grabbed these as soon as I saw them at an Auto-Assembly and it was one hasty decision I never had cause to regret.
2) Night Slash Cheetor: Really nice Cheetor toy, feels like it takes the best of the general aesthetic of the show design but translates it into a workable toy - unlike the previous BM Cheetors which were too busy trying to look like the show model to be fun toys. The colour scheme is fantastic too - neither show accurate or particularly cheetah like, but very effective on the mould and has a wonderful pantherish look.
1) Stryka: Fantastic toy, the high wheelbase and the very "slabby" look of the vehicle mode give it a look of something that is going to be hard to stop by either rough terrain or firepower. The cannon are great, reciprocating back and forth as fast as you can work the button, so that she can lay down a hail of fire as she approaches. A humanoid mode which continues the general look of power and toughness into the bargain. Lovely colour scheme, not one you would immediately think of but which looks really good on the toy. (Basically she is the Gina Carano of Beast Machines really). Fantastic toy, in a line that was really pretty kind to its villians all told she still stands out as a bit of a highlight.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 10, 2014 6:55:01 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 10, 2014 9:57:25 GMT
Honourable mention: Alternators: they got the head right, and the car is the same as that used for Sideswipe, except a hardtop, so they've got the "brothers are a different versions of the same car" aspect right. But it's not a Lambo, it lacks the angular beauty and the robot mode is a bit of a jumble. Onto the top 5: 5) OTCCSo the first modern Lambo mould comes out in Car Robots and Botcon wastes no time in turning it into the both the Lambo brothers. Yes the robot mode is totally out there for both of them, but points for slipping in the red on the shoulders. 4) Universe 2I admire the engineering on this mould getting a passable, but different, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker out of the same mould. The car is vaguely, but not trademark infringing sueable, a Lambo with the supercharger intakes while the robot has Sunstreaker's head and the cab roof on the chest with the windows at the bottom. Against that there's the mess that is the legs - why bother with the feet when he can stand on the bottom of his legs - and being produced in a period where Hasbro can't make yellow toys for toffee. 3) Red SunstreakerWhat the Sunstreaker mould should look like in Transformers. But be called Sideswipe. Read the tech specs, Sidesipe's tech specs describe the Countach Super Tuning mould's robot mode while Sunstreaker's describe the New Countach. Both were available in red during Diaclone but only the new Countach was available in yellow. Sunstreaker should be the toy we now call e-HobbyTigertrack. Somehow there's a mix up at the factory and they come back the way round we know them complete with Sunstreaker's stickers with the wrong colour for the shoulders - look at Diaclone, all the Countach Super Tuning versions have shoulder stickers that match the body work. And yet.... I prefer them the way Hasbro produced them. I don't know why but the Countach Super tuning is one of the few toys that looks better in yellow than red and the new Countach is better in red than yellow. The way they are is the way they should be. I just wish the tech specs matched up. 2) Police Car SunstreakerI LOVE this version of Sunstreaker. It's never been done as a TF but so so so nice. If I could own ONE Diaclone toy it would be this. 1) 1984 SunstreakerSo our winner comes down to this: The original and best. The legs are solid, and the shoulders don't turn, both of which could be easily fixed in a masterpiece version. But it looks so so nice. The shoulders being the wrong colour annoy me at times but in some ways I've got used to them. Doesn't stop me wanting both yellow and red stickers for them in any Encore re-release it might get in the future. A tangential thought: There is no G2 Sunstreaker. If you followed the pattern set by Sideswipe would he be a black Super Tuning Countach with a yellow head, arms and shoulders? Could someone mock it up for me in photoshop? And indeed G2 Tigertrack and Red Sunstreaker by swapping the black with the body shell colours?
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Post by legios on Oct 13, 2014 16:06:19 GMT
Week 75: Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker toys. Hmm. The one Diaclone-derived '84 car mould I can claim to have never owned. Had versions of all the others in the first wave over the years, but never one of these. That said:-
5. OTFCC Sunstreaker: I have a great liking for the Mach Alert toy. I don't think either yellow or red are really it's colour in all honesty, but the vehicle mode does look the part as Sunstreaker at least, even if there are perhaps a bit too many greeblies in humanoid mode.
4. Alternator Sunstreaker: Kind of appropriate for a revamped Sunstreaker to end up as a Dodge Viper - they are after all meant to look good and sound amazing, at the expense of things like fuel efficiency and cornering. Somehow it seems fitting for an appearance obsessed Autobot to end up as such an appearance-connected brand...
3. Police Sunstreaker: This is a fantastic deco - a slightly ludicrous idea in terms of an everyday police car. You aren't going to need one of these unless you are facing a situation like the film "The Last Stand" or something. But the white colour scheme works really well and this would have been a fantastic looking version for them to throw into the line.
2. Universe Sunstreaker: I'm not wedded to Sunstreaker needing to stay loyal to one car manufacturer, but sometimes you have to go back to the classics and the looks of the Universe version's vehicle mode is absolutely gorgeous. If he wanted to update to something current which would get him noticed then he didn't go far wrong in making his choice here - a yellow Gallardo-ish thing is pretty much guaranteed to get him noticed. It is a clever piece of design to get a different looking humanoid to Sideswipe out of the design as well, which wins it cleverness points from me.
1. "The Transformers" Sunstreaker: Lovely vehicle mode which really does say "I am the most awesome thing on the road, LOOK AT MEEE!". Limited articulation in humanoid mode, but once again he does look fantastic, with a great colour scheme and some great design details (I love the engine blocks rising behind his head). Throw in a fun gimmick with interchangeable stuff to go into his wrists and we are very much onto a winner.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 16, 2014 6:54:18 GMT
Thursday Tease:
My eyes, My eyes!
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 16, 2014 16:01:46 GMT
Sunstorm?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 16, 2014 16:33:31 GMT
Not a character week this week is it? The pattern would suggest a toyline.....
Though Sunstorm is a name I *HAVEN'T* got on my list! How many have there been now?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 17, 2014 6:34:29 GMT
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Post by Benn on Oct 17, 2014 8:15:05 GMT
Wait, I missed Sunstreaker? Goddammit.
Right.
5. Decoy: Mostly because I've never encountered the OTFCC version, and I might have had this one. 4. Robot Heroes: He's so ADORABLE! I have most of the G1 Robot Heroes. Is that bad? 3. Alternators: For a while, I thought this was the best we were gonna get for Sunstreaker. But then... 2. Classics: This makes me squee hard. It is by far the better version of the toy, and I think gains somewhat by not being overused, unlike Sideswipe. 1. The Transformers: My first. My favorite. If not for him, would I be here? I don't know.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 17, 2014 8:23:33 GMT
Wait, I missed Sunstreaker? Goddammit. As ever we welcome people playing catch up or going back for ones they haven't done - there's a full list in the Spoiler in the first post!
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Post by Benn on Oct 17, 2014 8:28:26 GMT
And so onto Generation 2, a line I missed out on the toys for and only had the Fleetway comic to sustain. My list is with all the benefits of hindsight then. 5. Thunder Clash: I've only really played with the robot part (picked up from charity shop in the last couple of years), hence him being low down on the list. But he's sturdy and looks the part of Autobot leader. 4. Staxx: Ed picked him up on a whim a while back and he quickly became a favourite. He's not a particularly good toy, really, but there's just something to him. 3. Skram: An AA find. Missing his gun, but still.. these are hella fun toys. 2. Windbreaker: Another AA buy, from... Blueshift, was it? ...a couple of years back and... wow. Again he's just such a fun little toy. 1. Hubcap: Bright red and shiny, he was the only G2 toy I got anywhere near the time. (picked him up in Poundland, of all places) Much prefer this deco to his usual orange-yellow. So many good memories of this guy, he went everywhere with me. (GF of the time, less than impressed with that... ) I feel like Snarl should be on there, as he's my fav Dinobot, or Sideswipe as the G2 colour scheme holds some good memories and is damn iconic, but... there ya go.
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Post by Benn on Oct 17, 2014 8:29:14 GMT
Wait, I missed Sunstreaker? Goddammit. As ever we welcome people playing catch up or going back for ones they haven't done - there's a full list in the Spoiler in the first post! Ah, I shall see if I can contribute any further then!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 17, 2014 8:32:53 GMT
Bubbling under: Sideswipe cos a Black Lambo is sooo cool, Megatron for doing something different with the character when safety laws prevented a reuse of the original, Doubleclutch & Firecracker for being decent Mirages and Sideswipes but loosing out cos the deco is wrong. Roadrocket for doing a difficult alt mode well with a great robot. Spacecase & Skyjack for being two thirds of the most awesome set of jet toys ever released. So: 5) RamjetThe Decepticon forces are vastly underpowered. So to get a Jet toy, in decent Decepticon colours, that fits in with the original jets as a new character if you want? Superb. 4) Dreadwing & SmokescreenThe ATB is a superb toy. Fabulous fun, loads of articulation. 3) Combat Hero MegatronYou see that tank above with the legs that do nothing? Here it is shrunk down, with better articulation and a fun weapon. Superb. 2) Combat Hero Optimus PrimeYes the cab is the wrong shape and the wrong colour. But that robot is fabulous and the lightpipe is the best a Prime has had. 1) HooliganSee posts passim. a small jet, with incredible articulation for the size AND swing wing capability? Throw in a (then) new missile launching gimmick. Mindblowing. Such a good toy and still on my all time fave list.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 17, 2014 8:35:39 GMT
5. Thunder Clash: I've only really played with the robot part (picked up from charity shop in the last couple of years), hence him being low down on the list. But he's sturdy and looks the part of Autobot leader. <checks list at www.tfu.info/series/g2.htm>Bugger, stubborn Americans have listed all the Euro late G1 in there! That's not right. Ignore the Euro 92 and 93 toys. They're G1 and not G2!
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Post by Benn on Oct 17, 2014 9:55:05 GMT
Ah. Bump up Sideswipe to number five then!
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 17, 2014 19:57:29 GMT
D'oh! I was going to guess Generation 2, n'all! But I thought we'd already had it! Bums! I could've guessed right! I COULD'VE GUESSED RIGHT! Difficult for me to chose a Top 5 Gen 2, as I'd moved away from TFs during this period (what I call my wilderness years). Some wacky colour schemes in there 'n'no mistake! Honorable mention has to go to the any and all of the recoloured G1 toys in bonkers colours, especially the Special Teams.
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Post by Bogatan on Oct 17, 2014 20:18:27 GMT
There is no G2 Sunstreaker. If you followed the pattern set by Sideswipe would he be a black Super Tuning Countach with a yellow head, arms and shoulders? Could someone mock it up for me in photoshop? And indeed G2 Tigertrack and Red Sunstreaker by swapping the black with the body shell colours? I just dug out my project playlist. Time to Photoshop. Edit:
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Post by Bogatan on Oct 18, 2014 21:26:18 GMT
It's not bad, but does not work as well as Sideswipe. Could be my poor photoshop, but I think its better on Sideswipe because he's got a better layout to begin with.
The neon green may not be helping either. Also a new eye colour probably wouldnt hurt.
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Post by legios on Oct 19, 2014 18:31:39 GMT
Week 76: Generation 2
Generation 2... So many good toys, it took a bit of pondering.
Bubbling under: Skyjack and Space Case, Combat Hero Optimus Prime/Sureshot, Roadpig and Roadrocket, Siliverbolt just for having such an unexpected colour scheme (and the rest of the Aerialbots for making it look like a pre-show ramp at a particularly good RIAT).
5. G2 Sideswipe: For purely personal reasons. I always wanted a Sideswipe, something in his bio made him seem like the sort of Autobot I wanted in my army. Having missed out on him previously it was great to be able to pick up this repaint. It is a fantastic redeco as well, the black colour scheme really suits the mould in both modes. The retool to mount a launcher in vehicle mode also means that he can stash his rifle behind his back in humanoid mode, which is a nice play feature for a kid whose mind worked like mine. Probably my favourite of the "returning old toys" in the G2 line.
4. Combat Hero Megatron/Archforce: We can rebuild him, we have the technology - smaller, neater, more articulated than before... I don't mind them recycling a basic design this quickly when they do it so very well.
3. Dreadwing and Smokescreen: Fantastic toy. So much fun - the ability of Smokescreen and Dreadwing to dock and undock is fun, and is the sort of mechanical innovation we'd only really seen in Buster and Hydra up to that point in time. Getting the crawler mode out of Dreadwing is pretty clever - it doesn't even really harm the B2 mode very much either, considering he is already carting a dirty great barrel around underneath already you don't tend to notice the treads. Ah yes, speaking of that missile launcher - what a joyful piece of design that is. Sure other toys would go on to do it better (*bows respectfully to Shark Tai-sa) but this was really the first to do it over here. A brilliant fun addition, and it looks so intimidating swung up on Dreadwing's shoulder. In the meantime Smokescreen is wonderfully lean in his X-plane mode, and then takes on the podgy look of the F-16XL when you tag on the launchers. His humanoid mode retains the lean-ness and, if Dreadwing can spare it (like it'll make him short of firepower) he's got two sizeable guns to make like Chow Yun Fat.
2. Hooligan: Lovely toy. Based off the Navalised YF-22 proposal Hooligan can feel satisfied that he beat all the more famous jets to a "fifth generation" alt-mode. And what a great alt-mode it is - fantastic lines, with the added fun of Variable Geometry wings. His humanoid mode is great fun to play with - so many joints means that he has a high fiddle factor. The colour scheme is fantastic as well, orange and black tiger striping isn't going to blend in anywhere other than a NATO "Tiger Meet" but is incredibly striking. Just to top things off he has the gall to be one of the first toys out of the gate with the pressure-launch missile system which was the dawning new wave in TF Weapons. Fantastic stuff
1. Laser Rod Optimus Prime: I have discussed this mould in excruciating detail elsewhere already. The finest Optimus Prime toy after the original. Great looking design, loaded with weapons to give it play value - and comes with one of the great swords in the history of Transformers. Absolutely stellar toy.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 19, 2014 19:21:23 GMT
Incredibly the Kaptain has managed to mention both of the next TWO weeks topics in his votes to this week's topic
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 19, 2014 19:22:26 GMT
Edit: Only just seen this. superb
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