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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 20, 2014 10:51:02 GMT
Off the grid till midday Friday so you get this week's tease early:
Will you find a fight with the road to battle or attack London from ze air?
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 21, 2014 19:32:12 GMT
Roadgrabber!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 24, 2014 13:46:09 GMT
Week 77: Tanks
Your top 5 Transformer toys with a tank Alt mode
For the purposes of this poll, and because I can see them as a future option, we won't consider Drill Tanks as a Tank.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 24, 2014 13:47:07 GMT
Off the grid till midday Friday so you get this week's tease early: Will you find a fight with the road to battle or attack London from ze air? fight = Brawl road to battle = Warpath attack London from ze air = Blitzwing 3 tanks.
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 24, 2014 18:10:12 GMT
Roadgrabber's got a kind of tank outer shell jobbie..... kind of......
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 24, 2014 18:22:20 GMT
TANKS! Love a good Tank-former, me.
5. Armada Megatron. Yes, perhaps an odd choice, I expect much more from my Transformers these days, but at the time I got him, one of the first TFs I got after a long LONG period of darkness, I loved the figure. Megatron as a great big fookoff tank with great sound effects and nice features. Ka-freakin'-boom.
4. G1 Quake. Yes turret doesn't turn, but a great looking, great coloured tank-former, a childhood favorite, and among the last G1 TFs I bought back in the day.
3. Leader Class Movie Brawl. Moved mine on a while back, but this was a fantastic tank-former and one of the few movie toys I genuinely thought was an excellent looking toy, and character design.
2. G1 Warpath. One of the best mini-Autobots. He's just brilliant. His Generations delux is a great update, but tank mode isn't as good as the mini-Autobot's tank mode in my opionion! I don't own nor have ever seen the Generations Legends version.
1. G1 Blitzwing. One of the best triple changers, with a great accurate tank mode. Blitzwing and Astrotrain really were out of this world back then. If only one could do something with his turret in jet mode (other than having it stupidly slung under the jet's belly). Generations voyager update is frankly a big disappointment.
So many others to chose from....
HURRAY FOR TANK-FORMERS!
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Post by legios on Oct 24, 2014 20:03:37 GMT
Off the grid till midday Friday so you get this week's tease early: Will you find a fight with the road to battle or attack London from ze air? fight = Brawl road to battle = Warpath attack London from ze air = Blitzwing 3 tanks. *smacks forehead* A Brawl! Spent hours today pondering it, I'd got as far as Blitzwing but gone astray thinking of fight as "a scrap"... Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 25, 2014 11:09:19 GMT
This is really REALLY hard this week Just missing out: Quake: I love being able to swap the gun barrels for the Targetmasters and Hardhead. 5) Armada MegatronProbably the best new Megatron post Beast Wars. Has to be here for his special feature. 4) Generations WarpathTop, top Generations toy. Does everything right. Turning turret that doesn't just hang off the robot and a retracting gun barrel. C-Clips. Just fabulous. 3) Universe Legends Megatron2) G2 Combat Hero MegatronTake the G2 toy. Downsize it, add more leg articulation. Give it a fab action feature. Still a HUGE fave 20 years later. Then 14 years later shrink it *again* and keep the leg articulation. With a tiny bit more money I reckon they could have done the arms properly too. Available in original, Archforce and metallic Archforce versions. And for some reason not currently on UK shelves when it is elsewhere. Hasbro: go back to the original big toy and give it the leg articulation it deserves. And while we're at it a green Combat Hero please. 1) Universe Legends WarpathThe only TF I have ever taken a knife to to make it better. Out the package the turret is fixed and faces BACKWARDS in tank mode. Slice off the red box with yellow paint on the chest and the turret can rotate turning is into a Legends toy that passes the tank test and has full articulation with shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Amazing work.
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Post by legios on Oct 26, 2014 21:30:43 GMT
Week 77: Tanks
Feeling sad about missing out: Breacher, Exigeyser, Armada Demolisher and many other folks whose alt-mode doesn't quite meet the definition of a Tank. Dismissing this popularity contest as an irrelevant distraction: Overlord (half of him turns into a tank, but the other half disqualifies him anyway)
Bubbling under: The Transformers Warpath - A toy I dearly love, but he turns into a Sheridan and regardless of the word games played to make US Airborne troops feel slightly less undergunned I can't bring myself to admit an aluminium hulled death-trap like that into the company of actual tanks. :-) Quake: A really nice little tank toy, and the ability to switch up the weapons is a nice one, he is just pipped to the post by someone who edges ahead on account of a working turret, and bringing some variety of look to things. Guzzle - feeling a bit miffed at being left out because there were already far to many M1A* alt-modes on the list.
5. PCC Heavy Tread: A little bit different to most of the other toys which have made this list, Heavy Tread's rearward set turret differentiates his vehicle mode a little. In both vehicle and humanoid mode he has exactly the aesthetic that you would want in a tank robot - hefty, solid and durable looking. His transformation is fun as well, and makes him quite a "playable" toy.
4, Armada Megatron: One of the most impressive toys on this list, in terms of actually being a toy (one of Armada's great strengths in retrospect, and one at which it far excelled what is currently sitting on the shelves of shops around me under the Transformers brand). A decent non-human designed looking tank, with a really lovely aesthetic to it (it has a wonderfully intimidating turret - you would not want the business end of that pointed at you). Lots and lots of gimmicks scattered across it. The humanoid mode is great - the odd antlers have a sort of medieval head-dress kind of look to them, and I like the visual of Megatron literally shooting from the hip. The mini-con ports on his wrists and elsewhere also allow him to be tooled up with ridiculous amounts of firepower - which is what you want for a tank-mode Decepticon.
3. Universe Legends Megatron: Fantastic little toy.A mini-version of the G2 design. For a Legends-sized toy it looks surprisingly chunky, partly to do with its very uniform angles and the way the transformation works. Great fun to play with, and I was sold on it from the moment I had a fiddle with one.
2. The Transformers Blitzwing: Two absolutely great fun vehicle modes, which complement each other perfectly - a Mig-25 Ground Attack aircraft which turns into a really nice rendition of a Type-74 tank to fight on the ground. The humanoid mode is probably the least of the three modes, but nevertheless is a decent-looking design and with sword and gun in hand looks the part of a robot prone to getting stuck into a good ruck. (I wish he'd got a better Generations toy - the design issues in humanoid mode, combined with a frankly horrendous tank mode leave him with only the Legioss-esque fighter mode standing out, and that isn't enough to get him within spitting distance of this list.
1. Combat Hero Megatron/Archforce: Take the look of the G2 Megatron design, smallify it and add leg articulation. Fantastic toy, lovely design and a lot of fun to play with. And if at any stage Meg's misses his old arm-mounted fusion cannon you can simulate it quite nicely by reversing a missile and putting in in the stowage clip on his arm. (Or if you are feeling like more Zaaap is needed, repeat for the other arm as well for Hong Kong Villian Megatron)
Right, tanks for listening. I must be making tracks. *Exeunt, pursued by enraged audience*
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 30, 2014 10:17:18 GMT
Thursday tease:
last week 5 we started a new little series. This time.... where did that one go?
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 30, 2014 17:36:20 GMT
Err.... last week was tanks.... a different type of tank? Or vehicle? "where did it go".... Drill tanks? Invisible tanks?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 30, 2014 17:56:54 GMT
Last week was tanks....but the feature is built round a recurring pattern for each of the four Fridays in the month. What was the week 5 subject the last time there were FIVE Fridays in the month?
A further clue: have you tried down the back of the fridge?
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 30, 2014 18:03:04 GMT
Oh Lordy Lordy I can't figure that out! I've got a 3 year old shouting "Deb Deb!" really loud in my ear and trying to climb ontop of my head! (in retaliation I'm singing 'Suddenly' by the mighty Billy Ocean at her- start 'em young, start 'em young).
Go on, Big Phil, give us another clue. What or who was it last time it was the 5th Friday?
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 30, 2014 18:04:51 GMT
Back of the fridge.... Missiles?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 30, 2014 18:19:53 GMT
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 30, 2014 19:26:12 GMT
Sweat Azreal, have I actually guessed right for once?!?!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 31, 2014 7:32:59 GMT
Week 78: Missiles & Missile Launchers
It's another accesories week: Your top 5 Transformers Missiles & Missile Launchers please.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 31, 2014 7:34:23 GMT
Sweat Azreal, have I actually guessed right for once?!?! Well done. All the clues referred to that experience we've all had of accidentally firing a missile and not knowing where it's gone!
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Post by Shockprowl on Oct 31, 2014 11:07:18 GMT
HURRAAYYY!!!!
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Post by legios on Nov 1, 2014 9:02:37 GMT
Quick request for a point of clarification, are we only considering things which are spring/pressures/etc activated and actually fire a projectile or are we including those things clearly moulded as missile/rocket launchers but don't have an actual firing gimmick? (It may have an effect on my list) . Or alternatively, can I do a top five of both?
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 1, 2014 9:24:06 GMT
The intention was actual firing jobbies but Do Both!
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Post by legios on Nov 1, 2014 11:14:43 GMT
Fair enough. Lists of firing and non-firing launchers will be done. (I've got to admit that some of the firing ones look a lot less like launchers to me once they are loaded - Classics Jetfire is a good example - load the missile in and it looks like some sort of laser weapon, unload it and it looks like the missile pod it is modelled on.)
Karl
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Jim
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 10:04:32 GMT
Week 73: DinosaursYour top 5 Transformers who turn into Dinosaurs please. Because I think the temptation here will be to name the original 5 Dinobots I want two lists from you: Top 5 Dinosaurs then, if necessary, Top 5 Dinosaurs EXCLUDING the 1985 Dinobots. 5. Superlink Dinobot Magma-Type - lovely colours on a pretty good Energon mould. 4. BotCon 2010 Cindersaur - that Megatron mould is great, but done up like this it becomes something really special! 3. United Ex / PCC Grimstone - the one they changed the least for United Ex because it was so good already, but they did still improve it. A fun set of limb robots and the central robot is pretty cool too. 2. AoE Scorn - Great in both modes, the dinosaur looks spot on how a mechanical dinosaur (of the Bayverse style) should, bringing to mind TM2 in some ways, and the knight-like robot mode is inspired. We're not short of TFs with mouth plates but these ones *really* look knight-like. Worth paying the extra for the Takara AD version with painted sword and slightly better paint apps. 1. MP Grimlock - magnificent. Original Dinobots: 5. Snarl 4. Slag 3. Grimlock 2. Swoop 1. Sludge - so, so, so badly wanted one of these as a child. Come on Takara, surely if there are any moulds which would earn the re-engineering money back... -Jim
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 2, 2014 12:54:53 GMT
Week 78: Missiles & Missile Launchers Honourable mentions: Godbomber for being mny first properly powered Japanese missile launcher, Optimus Prime & Megatron Combat Heroes for having the missiles that shoot the furthest, Scavenger & Bonecrusher for their drill missiles, Japanese Megatron for the bullets, Hooligan for introducing marble launcher missiles, the F-16's for their exchangeable missiles and Armada Megatron for being so so rude. 5) Grimlock, like Sludge, has a missile launcher he can carry. :-) 4) Fairlady Z missiles & Launchers as seen on Prowl are such an iconic look 3) Sideswipe Just love the shoulder cannon, much missed on the G2 version. 2) Inferno - I love the wrist missiles, seemingly a thing of the past, and Inferno does it best beating Sunstreaker & Trailbreaker1) G2 DreadwingObscene. And Captain Shark's is even worse but he's not a TF.
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 16:53:07 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. 5. Skid-Z 4. Wedge 3. RID Optimus Prime 2. Night Slash Cheetor - really nice toy, good colour scheme and fun gimmick. 1. X-Brawn - holds a special place for me for being the first TF I bought as an adult, and though there is some clunkiness it's still a nice one I think. -Jim
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Post by Shockprowl on Nov 2, 2014 20:56:58 GMT
MISSILES!!!! (a kind-of combined list....)
1. Armada Unicron. Legs missiles AND chest super (or tactical nuke, as I call it) missile. Boy do these things ping! Unicron gets number one slot 'cos, not long after I first got him, I was playing with him near tiny little baby Piglet and, er, well, a leg missile WAZZED out of him, by accident, and flew BUT AN INCH above my infant daughter's little baby head. Little tiny baby's head. Lordy was I in trouble. Oh mamma. Gooooood grief. Sh1thouse. But but BUT, what good missiles! The leg missiles travel well, and the super chest missile, with its FAB winding up noise and opening madness, well, it's just a treat.
2. Prowl and mold friends. Yes yes yes, Prowl Prowl Prowl. But, as Big Phil says, they're so ICONIC. Double shoulder missile launchers. And Prowl and his mold buddies, in all their incarnations, are the best example. Shoulder launcher say 'Transformers' to me.
3. G1 Mirage. Double shoulder launchers are cool. But, a single shoulder launcher somehow denotes a little bit more, I dunno, danger somehow. A more dangerous character. 'This 'bot is so cool he doesn't need two launchers!' Jazz fits the bill, but Mirage's looks the best by far and I love the way it geniuslly attaches to the robot.
4. Masterpiece Soundwave. One for the molded launcher scene. Improves on G1 Soundwave in that MP has some tiny little molded red rockets in there, and he just looks like he can spew out a ton of explosive rockets whenever he wants. It's the detail of the rockets.
5. G1 Sunstreaker. I don't want to copy Big Phil, but I too feel wrist-launchers need a mention, 'cos, you're right Phil, these seem to be dying out, and yet they're COOL. But where Big Phil went for Inferno over Sunstreaker, I go with Sunstreaker. I got Sunny late on, and I was really surprised to find a sports car having wrist missiles. Previously only the bigger engineery types had had wrist missiles. But here, a really cool sports car warrior dude had them! Suddenly wrist missiles were cool.
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 23:08:02 GMT
Desperately wanted Sunstreaker as a child, but have actually only owned the one as an adult... 5. Henkei - prefer the Universe colours 4. Universe - don't really like this as either Sunstreaker or Sideswipe, but love it as Breakdown 3. OTFCC - that mould looks lovely in yellow 2. G1 - reissue please! The only one I've owned: 1. Alternators - Beautiful car mode, fairly decent robot mode. Currently in the possession of my daughter who loves the car, and occasionally asks me to transform it to Robot (and then back again 5 minutes later. Not ideal for an alternator...) -Jim
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 23:14:32 GMT
Going to limit myself to toys I have owned here, so might be a bit odd... 5. Terradive 4. Jolt - I actually got one MOSC a couple of years ago and still haven't got round to opening it, but it looks great. 3. Windbreaker - we so should have got RTS Windcharger in these colours by now. 2. Hooligan - mad deco on a great mould. G2 epitomised. 1. Air Raid (Cyberjet) - my favourite of the Cyberjet moulds, and this is my second favourite colour scheme on it -Jim
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 23:26:58 GMT
Week 77: TanksYour top 5 Transformer toys with a tank Alt mode For the purposes of this poll, and because I can see them as a future option, we won't consider Drill Tanks as a Tank. I guess strictly Straxus / Darkmount is not a tank, otherwise he'd be high up here. Would Omega Supreme have been allowed? I don't think he would edge out anyone on this list though. 5. ROTF Bludgeon - not perfect, but a really nice rendition of Bludgeon which does some interesting things with the tank kibble. 4. G1 Blitzwing - very satisfying toy, pretty much the first one I think of when someone says tank actually. 3. Generations Warpath - very neat transformation which makes up for the slightly cheating H-tank. Works very well as Treadshot too, but Warpath's colours edge it. 2. Henkei Legends Warpath - worth the eulogising Phil has already unleashed on it, brilliant little mould. Has it really never been reused? 1. United Ex Tankmaster - Heavytread is utterly awesome, and I love his bio too, but the G2-ish purple on green camo deco and touches of gold paint elevate this to a thing of beauty. One of my favourite purchases of recent years. -Jim
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Post by Jim on Nov 2, 2014 23:46:49 GMT
Week 78: Missiles & Missile LaunchersIt's another accesories week: Your top 5 Transformers Missiles & Missile Launchers please. 5. Cybertron Defense Scattorshot - I seem to remember they fire hard, and he looks the part. 4. Tigerhawk - flip out launchers with feather missiles! 3. G1 Doubledealer - you call that a missile? *That's* a missile 2. G2 Dreadwing - quantity! 1. Armada Hot Shot - that axelzooka is the best. Bubbling under: HFTD Hailstorm, Cybertron Crumplezone, and probably loads that I'll kick myself for forgetting. -Jim
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